According to a report carried out by Oxford Economics, replacing members of staff costs £30,614 on average per employee. This is due to the cost of lost output while a replacement gets up to speed and the expenses involved with recruiting and assimilating a new worker. The research goes on to add that it takes around 28 weeks for a new hire to reach their optimum productivity level and outgoings for advertising costs, agency fees together with invested time during the interview process contributes to the price of recruiting replacement staff. Therefore, it is in a business’ best interests to find ways to improve employee retention. Increasing salaries and benefits, introducing flexible working schedules or providing plenty of praise are fairly effective tactics, but even these can have a detrimental impact on employee motivation, daily operations and most importantly, profit margins. As a result, more and more organisations are prioritising training, as it has a wealth of far-reaching benefits, which include boosting employee retention rates. After all, the famous US motivational speaker Zig Ziglar said: "The only thing worse than training employees and losing them is to not train them and keep them." Misconceptions about investing in training Despite the numerous advantages that training can provide, some businesses feel it is an unnecessary exercise and does not make a difference when it comes to employee retention. Common misconceptions include: Once employees are trained, they will look for a different job or better opportunities elsewhere. Rather than investing time and money in training for existing members of staff, it is cheaper to hire new employees with the necessary skills. Employees do not like or often resist training, as it can be viewed as micro-management. However, these statements could not be further from the truth, as we will now explore and prove. Employee attrition The view that a member of staff will leave your organisation as soon as they have acquired new and valuable skills, which can then be utilised elsewhere, is a fairly pessimistic one. It is an understandable point of view, but if you approach training in the right way while recognising and respecting your employees at the same time, they’ll have little to no reason to leave. "Training is a key retention tool," says Nick Russell, associate director, consultancy, at The Work Foundation. "It is part of the employee’s psychological contract of employment - ensuring that they get the opportunity to develop and improve their skills." Thus, if you provide the right training for your workforce, they will appreciate the lengths their employer is going to. Training has also been proven to increase job satisfaction and motivation for work. In fact, happiness makes people around 12 per cent more productive according to a study by the University of Warwick. Cost of hiring new employees As previously mentioned, it can cost an extraordinary amount of money to hire new employees. And even if businesses do decide to take this route instead of training existing workers, who’s to say that new hires won’t end up leaving in the near future anyway. Consequently, training is considered to be the more viable option by numerous organisations. A survey on training and development by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development found that 95 per cent of employers believe training can not only improve retention, but also avoid hefty recruitment costs and reduce sickness absence. The most important message to take away from this particular misconception is that businesses need to speculate to accumulate when it comes to training. Investing in further teaching and tuition might seem expensive at the time, but in the long run it will prove to worthwhile, especially when the cost of recruitment and absence is taken into account. Employee resistance to training The final misbelief or fallacy associated with training and employee retention is also the most complex. Several businesses may feel or have previously found that employees don’t like training, resist certain teaching methods and view it as micro-management. Unfortunately, in some cases, this is true. However, traditional methods of teaching and tuition such as classroom-based courses or one-on-one office tutorials aren’t exactly relevant, appropriate or effective anymore. Studies into how we acquire and retain information have found that our brains do not react well to this passive style of training. Inevitably, employees will become bored, disillusioned and frustrated with antiquated education methods that they experienced in school. But if you introduce training that is linked to your employees’ professional objectives and personal development, they will feel empowered to work harder and stay with the company. In many respects, it is actually more harmful to have no training programmes whatsoever, as members of staff will look elsewhere to sharpen their skills or acquire new knowledge. Implementing the right training In order to entertain and engage employees, training needs to address a few pivotal issues. It must cover relevant critical skills, involve up-to-date learning technologies and techniques, be flexible enough to revolve around current operations, and contribute to the employees’ personal development. This is where Wranx’s training solution really comes into its own. We have developed a platform that deals with the aforementioned issues in an efficient and effective way thanks to accelerated learning, gamification, and multi-device accessibility. Accelerated learning is possible thanks to a technique known as spaced retention. Essentially, we will ask your employees 10 questions a day about skills or topics that are important to you. After ranking how well the worker knew a particular answer, we can schedule future learning accordingly. Rather than overwhelming members of staff with information, we take things slower, as this is a much more effective learning technique. Spaced retention is coupled with gamification, which injects a bit of fun into training. By applying game design thinking to real-world training scenarios, we are able to engage employees in learning and development, which in turn improves acquisition and retention. What’s more, all of this is available on desktop and mobile, meaning employees can take part in training without having to leave the workplace. Share this post with your own audience

Despite the changing economic environment in recent years, it seems like a great deal of businesses remain committed to learning and development. According to ASTD, the Association for Talent Development, US organisations spend a total of $164.2 billion on training per year. The State of the Industry report also revealed: Businesses spend on average $1,195 per employee. Employees average 30.3 hours of training annually, while members of staff in BEST organisations average 57.7 hours. 61 per cent of training expenditure was internal ($100.2 billion). 11 per cent of training expenditure went to tuition reimbursement ($18 billion). Technology-based delivery of instruction made up 39 per cent of formal hours. This survey of 475 organisations found that senior managers know how important a highly skilled workforce is, as it can be a strategic differentiator. In order to deliver learning, businesses are using both technology and instructor-led training as well as blended solutions to meet the modern-day challenges of teaching employees. But while high levels of expenditure and ever-changing teaching methods prove that several organisations hold training in high regard, arguably the most pivotal question to ask is: In the end, is it all worth it? The importance of measuring the effectiveness of training Without measuring the effectiveness of training, you’ll never know whether your employees actually learn anything. Regardless of the money you invested or time it took to train members of staff, simply assuming that your workforce is now more competent and capable is quite foolish and can be incredibly harmful to the business. However, the ways in which an employee can be assessed or evaluated are varied. Traditionally, measurement was based on multiple-choice questions or an exam at the end of training. But this only focused on short-term retention of knowledge, so there was no real way of knowing whether an employee could effectively apply recently acquired skills and expertise in a working environment. Instead, measurement should be focused around the individual’s capacity to carry out a particular task or duty and not whether they can pass a test. If businesses know that members of staff are comfortable and confident in their roles, then the investment of time, energy and resources on training will all be worth it. By their own admission, learning and development professionals have often struggled to find effective measurement methods, but it is still possible…. Visual confirmation and implementing technology Measuring training effectiveness has to move with the times, which means greater integration of technology. Even so, this doesn’t mean to say traditional demonstration techniques become less useful or effective. Let’s take role-playing for example. Traditionally, this would show whether an employee could carry out a certain duty in a made-up scenario. But now members of staff can actually carry out the task in real-life and provide visual confirmation that it can be completed. Due to the rise of smartphones and tablets, an employee can take pictures or even stream video of them in their role. With access to this content, a training manager will know for sure that the teaching and tuition has worked. Greater adoption of technology is something we promote here at Wranx. Our training solution is available on both desktop and mobile, enabling employees to learn at home or in the workplace with minimal intrusion. What’s more, learning content is hosted in the cloud, so it can be accessed conveniently from anywhere. Social ownership and ranking employees If training was successful, then employees should technically be experts of the subject in question. But by asking your workforce to take social ownership and teach others, their true level of mastery will become apparent. For an employee to teach others about a particular topic or theme, they will need to clearly show how training concepts can be applied to their role in the real world. From this, training managers can decide how well their teaching is being applied within the business. Workers that teach each other will be forced to engage with the job in hand, collaborate to find solutions to problems but most importantly, call upon their previous training. Wranx also believes in bringing employees together, as cooperation and competition can have immeasurable training benefits. With gamification, we give trainees the opportunity to earn over 300 different achievements and encourage employees to battle with their peers. Rankings and leader boards push individuals to improve while measuring training effectiveness at the same time. Skill assessments and analytical investigation Visual confirmations can also be used to assess an employee’s skill set before and after training has been carried out. By identifying the specific areas in which you want to train members of staff, it is easier to gain an overall idea of learning success. For example, you could see how skilful an employee is at selling prior to training. Once weaknesses have been identified, appropriate tuition can take place and after this has been carried out, the same test should be applied. With greater data analytics now available for any organisation, in-depth details about the effectiveness of teaching techniques and knowledge retention can be studied and scrutinised. This is something that has not gone unnoticed by Wranx and our deep-dive reporting facility enables you to discover real world actionable metrics. Information about enrolment and activity, timing and durations, cohort knowledge retention rates, predicted course completion dates, cost and time saved as well as employee rankings is readily available. Therefore, you’ll gain a thoroughly comprehensive picture of whether training was effective or not. Measuring the effectiveness of training conclusion With so much time, effort and money being put into training by numerous organisations, there needs to be an effective way of knowing whether it was all worth it. Unfortunately, several businesses seem to be more concerned with the actual teaching rather than discovering whether employees learnt anything. But by adopting modern techniques and utilising the latest technology, any entrepreneur or enterprise can determine the successfulness of training. Although seeing a return on investment is important, knowing that employees have progressed and developed should be the overriding priority. Share this post with your own audience

If a business finds itself struggling, there are numerous steps and measures it can take. From reducing the cost of certain products and providing purchase incentives to prioritising customer services and improving after sales care, these tactics and techniques have been proven to be fairly successful. Unfortunately, these are short-term fixes to long-term problems. An organisation that truly wants to improve bottom line performance must take a long hard look at internal operations, daily procedures and perhaps above all else, the company culture. If every employee is singing from the same hymn sheet, things are bound to improve. Not only will productivity and efficiency increase, workforce motivation and happiness is bound to be high as well. But how can a business implement and maintain such an effective and successful environment? The answer is by introducing a culture of learning.   The relationship between learning and performance At its very basic level, the relationship between learning and performance is quite simple to understand. If a business prioritises the training of employees and believes in teaching them new skills, then members of staff will be a strong position to carry out their job roles and responsibilities in a competent way, thus improving performance. Investigation and studies into the subject performed by research and advisory firm Gartner backs up this statement. It found that in regards to information technology training: It takes untrained employees twice as long to perform a task by themselves through experimentation, compared to receiving tuition. Every hour of training reduces help desk support time by a quarter of an hour. Every hour of training reduces review and fixing errors by one hour. Training increases an employee’s performance by 5.75 hours Therefore, it is clear to see that having some sort of training program or teaching schedule is highly beneficial for employees and company performance. However, simply coaching members of staff in topics and themes relevant to the business is not enough, as performance drivers must be understood, managed, maintained and analysed.   Understanding and managing performance In order to effectively measure performance, certain indicators must be established, which can provide invaluable feedback about daily operations. However, key drivers should also be identified and recognised, as these are the things that deliver results. It is easy to fall into the trap of focusing too much on measurement metrics and ignoring the importance of the drivers that actually bring about performance. The things that can truly improve and enhance performance include business strategy and structure, daily processes, employees, and of course, the company culture.   Implementing a learning culture As research from Gartner has already found, a culture of learning brought about by regular and relevant training can improve performance significantly. However, it can also attract and retain talent, integrate new and effective forms of technology as well as streamline and modernise internal operations. Shifting a business’ way of thinking is not an easy exercise and could be met by resistance from employees, stakeholders and customers. However, more so than ever before, organisations need to be flexible and adaptable given current economies, market conditions and employee attitudes. A culture of learning allows for sudden changes and constant adjustments, which is more difficult to achieve with traditional corporate customs. When is comes to analysing your own company culture to see whether ongoing training and tuition is a possibility, ask the following questions: Do the company’s managers and leaders recognise the benefits a culture of learning can afford? Do they themselves invest in personal development or strive to acquire more knowledge and skills? Do employees have a say in their career development or personal progress? If not, could this become a formal process or regular procedure? Do you reward or acknowledge employees that come up with innovative concepts, valuable feedback, cost-cutting ideas or constructive criticism? Do internal discussions take place after training has taken place to measure its effectiveness or success? While return on investment is important, does the workforce’s development take precedence? Do you give employees the opportunity to apply for higher positions in the company? Are internal job postings encouraged or advised against? Do employees have access to training materials, such as eLearning courses? Can members of staff monitor their own progress and development? Do employees understand why training is taking place? Do they believe the teaching and tuition they receive is beneficial? The aforementioned questions cover some of the fundamental basics of ongoing training and employee empowerment, which must be adhered to if you want to implement a culture of learning.   Establishing a culture of learning with Wranx Recognising the fact that more and more organisations want to introduce and establish a culture of learning, Wranx has established a non-invasive training solution, which works alongside existing tuition but also gives employees access to regular coaching. What’s more, we make this cloud hosted solution available on a range of devices, deliver innovative types of teaching to increase engagement, provide in-depth reporting and intelligence together with dedicated customer support. Wranx has found that several employees prefer to take part in training outside of normal working hours, so we made our training solution available on desktop, smartphones and tablets. There is no need to download client software either, meaning that training content can be updated remotely too. But one feature in particular, which can really help out businesses interested in developing a culture of learning, concerns a scientific brain hack known as spaced repetition. Essentially, this is a form of accelerated learning that moves knowledge from the employee’s short-term memory to their long-term memory in an effective and efficient way. In essence, we ask the individual 10 questions a day, see how well they knew an answer, and schedule future training accordingly. Finally, in order to know whether your culture of learning is effective, deep-dive reporting from Wranx reveals information about activity, retention rates, predicted completion dates, cost savings and employee rankings. So, even if a business wants to introduce more training and better tuition, then a culture of learning must be considered the rule, not an exception.   A version of this article originally appeared on elearningindustry.com . Make sure to check them out, it’s a great resource for L&D professionals ( although it’s so good you probably already known that! ). Share this post with your own audience

At the end of the day, the majority of companies are hugely reliant on sales to achieve success. If you don’t generate sufficient turnover and profit, chances are your organisation will fail or founder. Therefore, it is in an executive or manager’s best interests to find ways of improving sales team performance, particularly in the knowledge-intensive arena of technical sales training. Product knowledge training has long been held as one of the secret weapons of successful sales organisations. From changing the company culture and hiring more talented staff to providing incentives and introducing performance-based bonuses, there are a number of different techniques and tactics to boost bottom-line conversions. However, several of these approaches are short-term fixes and won’t lead to prolonged prosperity. That being the case, a more sustainable and sure-fire strategy is required. This is where the boons and benefits of training become apparent. By teaching your sales teams new skills, expertise and knowledge, they will feel more comfortable at work, be better equipped to carry out their role and inevitably deliver better results. Training can change workforce behaviour, enable personal growth and transform a company’s fortunes, which is beneficial for both individuals and enterprises. However, training presents a few problems too. First and foremost, some managers are reluctant to invest in certain teaching methods, even though the potential advantages are vast. This is because traditional training courses and programmes don’t always motivate or inspire. Employees are often swamped with information on how to be a better salesperson in an environment that isn’t conducive to learning. What’s more, simply telling members of staff what they need to know won’t increase retention rates. Even so, there are a few ways in which you can improve your sales team performance without having to follow or adhere to traditional methods of training.   Mobile sales training Although the individual members of your team will share some of the same qualities and quirks, which is what makes them such great sellers, they are bound to have one particular thing in common. Today, nearly every salesperson owns a smartphone or tablet to communicate with friends or colleagues, access personal or work-related information and help them carry out daily tasks and responsibilities. Therefore, it makes complete sense to make training available on these mobile devices as well. According to research by Towards Maturity, 70 per cent of learning and development staff were either using or planning to introduce mobile learning by 2014. 62 per cent said this was to deliver learning content to support formal learning, 54 said it would help communication and collaboration, while 43 per cent wanted to support the application of learning back at work. Thus, there are numerous opportunities and options available when it comes to introducing mobile sales training. Multi-device and mobile training is a fundamental part of our solution at Wranx. Our case studies have that found many workers prefer to take part in training outside of their normal working hours, such as on the daily commute or while relaxing at home. With this in mind, we made sure that employees can begin their learning experience in the morning on a smartphone, pick it up again on the office PC and then complete the training at home on a tablet. When it comes to sales team training, you have the power to update learning content remotely and introduce new subjects or concepts when you feel it would be appropriate.   Gamification The sales floor can be quite an intense, fast-paced and heated place at the best of times. It is easy for tensions between individuals and the whole team to spiral out of control if sales aren’t captured or closed. However, what if there was a way to provide your employees with a bit of light relief while maintaining the competitive element of sales and introducing new concepts to learn? Well, there is and it’s called gamification. Gamification is the theory of applying game mechanics and techniques to everyday situations. It taps into the wants and needs of a human’s impulses of status and achievement to engage and motivate. Essentially, individuals develop their skills by earning points and badges while playing games and following storylines. It might sound more fun than informative, but gamification takes influence from behavioural science, motivational theory, human psychology and video game design to effectively teach information and change an employee’s way of thinking. Wranx has developed a science driven gamification model that interests, incentivises and engages your employees. With 300 different achievements to win, which can be compared with colleagues, your sales team will retain their competitive instincts while learning about new concepts and topics. We also encourage employees by letting them know what is required to obtain more prestigious awards and rank their performance on a workforce leaderboard.   Measurement One of the biggest mistakes a company can make is assuming that training finishes when the course or programme is complete. By doing this, the only way of knowing whether training or tuition actually worked is to wait until members of staff get back into the working environment and encounter the problems they were taught about. From a sales point of view, you can see whether individuals are generating more money after their learning experience, but this doesn’t provide detailed insights into their newly acquired skill set and knowledge base. For this reason, measurement should also be a pivotal part of your approach towards improving sales team performance. In the past, training was assessed through examinations or appraisals at the end of course. However, employees struggle to remember information in this scenario, which isn’t a fair evaluation of their learning. But there is another way… Wranx has developed a version of accelerated learning known as spaced repetition. We ask employees various questions on a regular basis to find out whether they understand certain concepts or notions. That way, we know for sure whether they can move onto a new topic or need further teaching. On top of that, our deep-dive reporting facility provides insights into cohort knowledge retention rates, progress over time and employee rankings. So, if you’re struggling to improve sales team performance or want to find another way of incentivising and motivating employees, consider implementing mobile training and gamification, but don’t forget about measurement. Share this post with your own audience

In today’s commercial environment, where market conditions are precarious and competition is fierce, there are a number of things that could cause a business to fail. But according to recruitment agency Express Employment Professionals, there are five major problems that are more concerning than others and nearly all of which are to do with employees. These are: Inability to Innovate - 83 per cent of companies cited shortage of talent as their number one pressure. Losing Your Competitive Advantage - Employee disengagement costs businesses $328 billion every year. High Costs of Reckless Hiring - 80 per cent of turnover is a result of mistakes made during the hiring process. Poor Leadership and Communication - Two-thirds of companies are more concerned about retention now than they were before the economic crisis. Regulatory Nightmares (US) - In one year, federal regulations can cost businesses over $1.75 trillion. As a result, more and more businesses are prioritising training in order to increase employee ability, enhance personal development, improve retention rates, and ultimately generate higher revenues. One of the best ways to do this is through Competency-Based Education.   What is Competency-Based Education? Competency-Based Education (CBE) refers to adaptive outcome-based instruction that caters for the changing wants and needs of students and teachers. Employees participating in this type of training are able to progress by achieving objectives and demonstrating mastery of a certain topic or theme. However, it is conducted at the member of staff’s own pace and allows them to demonstrate what they have learnt, as soon as they’ve learnt it. In this respect, CBE is incredibly flexible, because it allows individuals to work quickly or slowly, polish up on existing knowledge or engage with new information. But above all else, CBE measures learning rather than time. Regardless of how long it takes for an individual to grasp a certain subject, as soon as competency is achieved, they can move onto another topic or complete their learning. This has immeasurable benefits from an educational point of view, as students can complete courses or degrees in half the time of traditional teaching techniques. However, it can also be incredibly useful and valuable in the enterprise too, as businesses need their employees to acquire new skills and knowledge in a quick, efficient and effective way.   The principles of Competency-Based Education Progression through mastery - The cornerstone of CBE is that employees can only progress to more advanced work after competency of previous skills and content has been achieved. Empowerment via measurable learning objectives - By providing and setting out the measurable learning objectives of a training course or module, employees take responsibility and ownership of their learning, which increases engagement and motivation. Assessment facilitates a meaningful and positive learning experience - As opposed to traditional types of examination, CBE aligns assessments next to learning objectives. Therefore, employees receive immediate feedback when testing or appraisals take place, which supports and encourages the individual to do better. Immediate and differentiated support - If an employee is struggling with a certain subject or topic, they could quite easily become disengaged or frustrated. But a core principle of CBE is that both teachers and trainees should have access to technology-enabled solutions that feature predictive analytic tools to prevent this from happening. Greater competency emphasises the application of learning - Employees are more likely to apply skills and expertise to new situations through a competency-based approach to training. They will also be more eager to acquire new knowledge and learn life skills.   The benefits of Competency-Based Education A handy infographic produced by Rasmussen College points out some of the advantages that students can benefit from if they take part in CBE. However, these can be applied to a commercial environment too. Quick completion time - 90 per cent of those in Competency-Based programs completed their degree quickly. Therefore, any business putting its employees through training will be pleased to know that this type of tuition doesn’t have to be a prolonged exercise. Avoid repeat learning - 81 per cent of students managed to avoid taking traditional courses that covered topics or themes they already knew about. From an organisation’s perspective, relevancy, efficiency and productivity is improved with CBE. Cost-effective - Eight out of 10 students said they saved money with CBE. Thus, a business doesn’t need to worry about wasting money on traditional training techniques if CBE is the more cost-effective and successful option. Pathway to higher learning - 62 per cent of students went on to complete high-level coursework shortly after taking a CBE course. After completing a training program, there is every chance that employees will want to develop their skills and expertise further too. Over half of these students also said that all of the aforementioned boons and benefits applied to them. For a business, employees could potentially complete a training course quickly and efficiently in an inexpensive way if CBE is introduced.   Wranx relationship with Competency-Based Education The comprehensive training solution we have here at Wranx takes all of the principles and benefits associated with Competency-Based Education and make it available for any business. Rather than giving employees an overwhelming amount of facts and figures in one go, we space out our training over time. This allows members of staff to learn at their own pace while effectively acquiring and retaining new knowledge. Spaced retention, another teaching technique that prioritises unfamiliar topics and limits training to short periods of time each day, is another method Wranx uses to accelerate learning. This also helps employees avoid subjects they already have sufficient comprehension of. Through gamification, we also exploit the human instinct of competition and take advantage of our natural quest for greater knowledge. By applying game design thinking to training scenarios, employees become incentivised and engaged with the topics they are learning about. As a result, development, competency, knowledge acquisition and retention levels increase. While CBE is becoming an increasingly common teaching method in schools, colleges and universities, it also has innumerable benefits for businesses too. Share this post with your own audience

If planned and carried out correctly, corporate training can have incredibly far reaching rewards and merits. From increasing employee adeptness and proficiency to improving bottom line performance and sales, teaching your workforce new skills and changing their behaviour will undoubtedly bring about more success for both individuals and entire enterprises. However, training isn’t always a straightforward exercise and there are several challenges to overcome. Along with establishing a budget, finding time to coach individuals, choosing the right teaching methods and examining a training programme’s success, actually knowing whether employees have learnt and retained valuable information is one of the biggest obstacles a business faces. Unfortunately, several employees find training fairly tedious and uninspiring. Sometimes this will be down to the teaching method itself or the person leading the programme. However, it can also be caused by the subject matter, which could be quite irrelevant or not connected to the individual’s job role. Consequently, workers aren’t prepared to learn new knowledge or skills in the first place, let alone retain and apply this information when back at work. Even if members of staff can demonstrate their learning in the working environment or real-life scenarios, there is always room for improvement. If you’ve invested a significant amount of time, effort and money into training, then you’ll obviously want to achieve the best results possible. For this reason, more and more businesses are exploring ways to increase learner retention rates through eLearning. Thankfully, there are a few common and lesser-known techniques out there that have been proven to increase an individual’s ability to remember crucial information. Therefore, if you’re worried that corporate training isn’t improving your workforce’s performance, the following eLearning tactics should provide some invaluable and useful insights.   Virtual simulations To discover whether employees will be able to remember and apply new skills or knowledge in a realistic situation, it is highly advantageous to develop simulations as part of a corporate eLearning training programme. These virtual environments feature the same characteristics and challenges as the real world while giving individuals the opportunity to develop expertise and demonstrate proficiency. Simulations provide a stress-free environment featuring familiar or unique scenarios for members of staff to make mistakes without criticism and learn from these shortcomings. When employees do provide evidence that they are improving, managers can assess this progress and introduce new situations. For maximum effectiveness, it is recommended that simulations strike a chord of familiarity, as several learners may feel a bit overwhelmed by this advanced form of learning. An exact replica of the workplace isn’t required, but using real names or landmarks can make all the difference. Some sort of support, like a help function, is also advantageous for those unfamiliar with new technology. Learners should be given time to complete the simulation while feedback on their performance helps too. On top of that, employees need to be encouraged to develop and increase their knowledge, as eLearning puts a great deal of emphasis on individual progression. This can be achieved by tapping into the natural human instant of competition. At Wranx, our gamification model pushes employees to learn more by providing the chance to obtain over 300 different achievements. A workforce leaderboard also motivates learners to try and beat their colleagues while acquiring new knowledge.   Theme-based learning Despite the fact that eLearning is an incredibly flexible and effective way of teaching individuals important information, the absence of an instructor can have a few negative implications. Some trainees feel alienated or disjointed during self-paced learning, which calls for a training solution that does not take into account social, educational or professional backgrounds. While this sounds like a difficult challenge, theme-based learning can increase familiarity for all learners while building strong relationships with the teaching and tuition in question. From a corporate training perspective, creating a theme where common ideas and topics work across multiple contexts can markedly improve knowledge retention. What’s more, individuals who aren’t overly familiar with technology-aided learning can overcome any fears and subjects will be understood in more detail.   From taking employees on a virtual worldwide journey with a travel theme to developing a programme where learners find themselves at a theme park or playground, there are various avenues to explore. For example, if a department store’s sales team need to improve and develop their knowledge about various items, a theme-based eLearning programme could feature an interactive house where trainees can click on a room or product and find out more information. Every learner will be familiar with the layout of a standard home and can concentrate on areas where their knowledge might be lacking. If each item has in-depth product information and the benefits of buying, employees are better prepared to deliver convincing sales pitches to their customers.   Spaced repetition With traditional corporate training, employees are told vast amounts of information in one go and are expected to retain this knowledge straight away. However, this isn’t an effective method of teaching because our brains aren’t programmed to remember things this way. Conversely, spaced repetition is a learning technique that exploits the psychological spacing effect to help increase long-term memory retention. If you implement a training programme where subjects are occasionally studied over a prolonged period of time, employees are more likely to keep hold of new skills and knowledge in their minds. But it is crucial to schedule teaching and tuition at the right time so that members of staff don’t forget important information before the next review. With Wranx Drills, we know exactly when to schedule new or existing topics to improve your long-term memory. Our short sharp quizzes feature 10 questions where learners have to rate how well they know an answer. If the subject is comprehensively understood, it will come up again at an appropriate point in the future. However, if employees struggle with a certain question or topic, it will be scheduled again for the next day. This scientifically proven technique works better than any other study, teaching or learning method and can transform your corporate training approach. Share this post with your own audience

Using electronic media or information and communication technologies for educational purposes is becoming an increasingly popular trend. When it was first developed and introduced, eLearning came in for some criticism, as many people believed that computers would replace teachers and lines of communication or human support would be lost. However, technology has now progressed to a point where smartphones and tablets can be fully integrated into a learning environment, which is beneficial for both educators and students. Although eLearning can be hugely advantageous in schools or for people taking distant learning courses, it also has several plus points from a corporate perspective. Training and tuition is an ongoing challenge for several businesses, as employees are often uninterested or demotivated by boring and out-dated teaching techniques. What’s more, for certain courses or programmes, members of staff are taken away from where they are needed most, which impacts on operational efficiency and increases expenditure. For these reasons, eLearning has turned out to be an attraction option for businesses looking to increase employee proficiency while maintaining productivity and cutting down the cost of training. However, that doesn’t mean to say corporate eLearning can be introduced and integrated anytime, anywhere. There are certain times, instances and situations when it will be more influential, significant and effective.   Less is more Thanks to the growth of the Internet, mobile devices and on-demand streaming services, we now receive five times as much information as we did in 1986. Scores of emails, social network updates and text messages also contribute to the average person’s growing production and consumption of data. This is a trend that shows no signs of slowing down and will probably increase in the years to come. This doesn’t exactly bode well for employers attempting to train and teach their staff new skills, expertise or information. On a daily basis, individuals are bombarded with a profusion of facts and figures, which are only sometimes retained and applied in real-world scenarios. Therefore, it is crucial to keep this in mind when corporate eLearning courses or teaching programmes are developed and introduced. When it comes to teaching employees with short attention spans on small smartphone or tablet screens, learning materials and key concepts need to be easily digestible. By breaking down complex subjects into bite-sized chunks, members of staff are more likely to remember important pieces of information. Manageable modules and easy to consume theories can also be made part of the working day, as opposed taking employees away from their post for lengthy subject teaching in a classroom.   Relevant and engaging learning In addition to easier integration in a working environment, smartphones and tablets are also capable of delivering entertaining and engaging teaching. Rich content in the form of informative images, entertaining videos or interactive games give employers various options for each individual learner. As a result, teaching can be visual, auditory or tactile depending on what works best. Here at Wranx, we have developed a training solution that capitalises on the capabilities and capacity of smartphones and tablets. Our gamification model uses sophisticated, science driven techniques to provide learners with interesting, engaging and appealing content. With over 300 different achievements to win, employees are incentivised to do their best and beat fellow workers on competitive leaderboards. What’s more, our training solution is hosted in the cloud, meaning it can be accessed everywhere. Your members of staff will have independence over their learning experience and can complete tasks when it’s convenient for them. On top of that, you can update content remotely every time you want to teach the workforce something new. In the past, mobile devices were seen as a workplace distraction. But now that they have become essential items in society, it makes sense to take advantage of their multi-tasking and adaptable nature for training purposes.   Monitoring employees Another distinct advantage of eLearning is that employee performance and progression can easily be monitored, tracked and analysed. By collecting and collating user data, you can compare it to business objectives like sales performance and new employee onboarding to see whether training has had the desired effect. eLearning also allows you to introduce checks, tests and assessments throughout the teaching experience, which will improve competency and retention. At Wranx, our training solution has a couple of features that can help you to discover how each and every learner is getting on. With Wranx Drills, individuals are asked a series of questions everyday, which also displays the answer. That way, we can rate how well the respondent understands a topic or theme and schedule future learning accordingly. This exploits a scientific ‘brain hack’ and is a proven technique to improve long-term memory retention. To find out whether training is actually working, you can also visit our deep-dive reporting facility. Displaying enrolment and activity metrics, cohort knowledge retention rates, employee progress and predicted course completion dates, this analytics feature is a powerful resource that provides truly invaluable facts and figures about your workforce. There is little to no point in implementing a training programme if you don’t scrutinise and examine its success. But with eLearning, analysis is easy to carry out, and provides hugely detailed data.   The effectiveness of eLearning So when is corporate eLearning most effective? When it is presented to employees in easy to consume chunks at their actual place of work. If possible, training materials should be personalised to each individual member of staff by taking advantage of the competency and capacity of today’s mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets. Teaching and tuition as well as assessments and appraisals can be delivered at regular intervals to sustain interest, increase long-term memory retention and improve the chances of applying newly acquired skills in a working situation. Corporate eLearning can be capitalised on by almost any organisation, as it is a cost-effective way of delivering relevant training in a quick and efficient way. Knowing when and how to introduce and implement eLearning doesn’t have to be a difficult or drawn-out process either. Share this post with your own audience

Conducting and carrying out sales training is a common tactic used by a variety of businesses to improve bottom line performance. In addition to teaching members of staff new skills and expertise, it can also change an employee’s attitude and behaviour at work. What’s more, teaching and tuition may even fuel your workforce’s thirst for knowledge, thus improving personal development and increasing promotion opportunities. However, what is the point of performing training courses or programmes if you do not measure how successful they have been? On top of that, you may never know whether your ROI was worth it in the end. The majority of organisations will probably look at their end of quarter to sales to see whether the cost of training has been cancelled out by greater turnover and bigger profit margins. Unfortunately, this doesn’t provide an in-depth understanding of what employees benefitted from the most, which training techniques were more effective, how the business can improve on coaching in the future and whether the invested capital made a difference. Therefore, it is in any company’s best interests to comprehensively measure the ROI of sales training, as it has a myriad of boons and benefits.   Objectives and intentions In order to effectively and accurately measure the ROI of sales training, some objectives and intentions need to be established in the first place. It is fair to say the majority of organisations that rely on sales will simply want to improve new customer conversions, close more deals with existing clients or enhance overall performance. However, having clearly defined targets and goals remains crucial, as this is what a lot of your measuring will be based on. First and foremost, you’ll need to conduct a bit of training need analysis to find out what kind of tuition your sales team requires. Do they simply need a boost in confidence or is a bigger skill set required to proficiently carry out their roles? From here, you can establish measurable and observable targets that can be assessed later on. But perhaps most importantly, you’ll need to identify appropriate and suitable training methods or approaches. From one-the-job training to action learning, there are various different options available. However here at Wranx, we have found that gamification is an extremely effective technique. By taking influence from behavioural science, human psychology and motivational theory, this training tactic uses games and puzzles to engage and motivate employees to improve their learning. Achievements are ranked on a leaderboard to encourage competition between employees while individual progress is constantly monitored too, improving the chances of measuring ROI accurately.   Reaction and retention At the end of the day, training is all about improving or changing the skill set and attitude of employees. Therefore, the most fundamental thing to measure is whether training has strengthened their knowledge, enhanced job responsibilities and helped them progress as people. Hence, you should evaluate your trainees’ reactions through questions and queries. First of all, determine what kind of information you want to find out and think of ways you can quantify responses to fit in with your ROI requirements. Encourage honest comments and suggestions and measure employee reactions against acceptable standards. How did they rate the subject, teaching and facilitator? How would they have improved the training and most importantly, what did they learn? It is incredibly straightforward to determine an employee’s reaction to training with Wranx’s Deep-Dive Reporting feature. This detailed analytics tool tells you how quickly training was completely, what employees learnt about and whether they are progressing or not. What’s more, value metrics also tell you how much time and money was saved using Wranx.   Behaviour and application While it is important to find out whether employees actually enjoyed or benefitted from training on a personal level, sales is all about generating more revenue and returning a profit. For this reason, you’ll want to measure your workforce’s behaviour and see whether skills can be applied in a real-world scenario. In the past, tests and examinations at the end of a training course usually sufficed, but this didn’t provide accurate retention information or translate to actual workplace situations. These days, it is more advantageous and appropriate for employees to practically demonstrate their learning along the way. Take our accelerated learning solution for example. Here at Wranx, we have taken advantage of a scientific "brain hack," which proves that people remember or learn items when they are studied a few times spaced over a prolonged period. On top of that, we constantly test individuals to make sure their learning is at a sufficient standard. Wranx Drills can detect and monitor changes in employee behaviour by asking questions about particular subjects. Once they are understood enough, trainees can move onto another topic and repeat the learning process.   Impact and results After spending some time examining and analysing the newly acquired knowledge and improved behaviour of employees, assessing the impact training has had on bottom line results is a good idea. This will involve a lot of number crunching, but should ultimately provide an accurate insight on your ROI. Is the business closing more deals and are these being completed faster? Are more existing clients being retained and are they happy? Are you generating more revenue and have profit margins improved? With all this information, you should be able to determine whether sales training and the amount you invested are positively correlated. From employee behaviour to business results, several ways of measuring training are open to interpretation and it can be difficult to link a specific benefit directly to workforce learning. However, a lot will depend on the type of training itself and how this has been carried out. With Wranx, you can carefully manage, monitor and maintain every stage of the process, from setting objectives and establishing subjects to observing progress and measuring success. Our multi-device solution, which is conveniently hosted in the cloud, allows training to take place anywhere, accelerated learning improves long-term memory retention rates while deep-dive reporting provides detailed insight into employee behaviour. Share this post with your own audience

Even if you’ve been part of a certain company or specific industry for years, there is a good chance that things aren’t the same as they were a decade or so ago. In fact, even over a length of time as short as the past 12 months, certain aspects of the role, organisation or sector may have changed dramatically. Nowadays, business moves forward incredibly quickly and it is imperative to move with the times. Entrepreneurs and enterprises staying ahead of the curve are bound to be better prepared and more likely to succeed, while those left trailing behind will ultimately fail. But whatever the future may have in store, how can you and your employees increase the chance of prosperity and reduce the risk of collapse? The answer for many is continual learning. By providing ongoing training at various levels, an organisation can carry out present-day operations to the best of its abilities while adapting effectively and efficiently to what lies ahead.   Levels of continual learning Even though a business with good intentions may wish to implement continual learning through comprehensive training courses, which involve every single department or member of staff, it is best to approach this type of ongoing development at individual, team and organisational levels.   Individual continual learning The most basic way to introduce continual learning is at an individual level. Employees can receive ongoing training that changes their behaviour at work while acquiring new skills and greater knowledge. From learning how to handle certain situations to gaining competency in other areas, continuous teaching can achieve a number of things. However, this type of training requires a lot of time and effort together with the individual’s willingness and inclination to learn. Investing in a course for a single person could be an expensive exercise, especially if the employee does not want to develop or progress in the first place.   Team continual learning Depending on the type of organisation, collective learning in a team can be a lot more efficient and appropriate than on an individual level. This type of training will also teach employees new skills or expertise, but features greater support in the form of feedback, experimentation, question and answer sessions, role-playing and group discussions. While teamwork can help find solutions to problems and improve decision making, it isn’t always an effective way to teach employees. Certain members of staff may already be familiar with certain topics and themes, while others might learn at a quicker pace compared to the rest of the group.   Organisational learning Due to some of the problems or issues associated with continual learning at an individual and team level, several organisations are making it an integral part of their company culture. Introducing new policies, systems and procedures may take time to implement and could be met with some resistance, but it can also transform the fortunes of a business. If continual learning is a core component of an organisation’s culture, then it will eventually trickle down to teams and individuals. Members of staff are sure to be more willing to take part in training and tuition if it is an integral part of the business they work for.   How to implement continual learning Suddenly deciding that your business now promotes and performs continual learning doesn’t cut it, as you’ll need to make a few fundamental changes to the way teaching and training is approached. However, this can be achieved by adopting Wranx’s comprehensive training solution, which has been set-up to provide employees with continual access to tuition and instruction. Introduce ongoing performance management - By finding out where the business is performing well and doing badly, training programs can be implemented accordingly. From defining standards and expectations at all levels to developing teaching systems and identifying shared objectives, you will always know where more training is required. This is similar to Wranx Drills, which identify the areas where employees are lacking knowledge. If the respondent does not have a solid grasp of a certain subject, we will ask the same question the next day. But if they do understand the topic, we won’t bring it up again. This is a form of accelerated learning, which has been proven to cement knowledge in your long-term memory.   Create empowerment and authority Giving employees the tools and resources to constantly learn will give them ownership over their own knowledge acquisition. As a result, they will be more willing to grow and develop within the organisation. Seeing as our solution is available on desktop and mobile, employees can take part in training at a time and place that suits them. Giving members of staff the opportunity to learn on the commute to work, during lunch or in the comfort of their home promotes and encourages individual freedom.   Adopt effective teaching methods Approaching continual learning with traditional training techniques or existing frameworks is far from ideal, as these are usually set-up with one-off coaching sessions in mind. Therefore, find a system or solution that facilities training on a regular basis, where employees are more likely to acquire and retain information effectively. As mentioned previously, Wranx Drills use a form of accelerated learning known as spaced repetition, which is much more effective than traditional training techniques. By introducing new themes or topics over time and not overloading employees with too much information, your members of staff will have a greater chance of remembering crucial subjects.   Make training fun and engaging Even if you’ve introduced a culture of continual learning, there may be some employees that reject this ideology. To them, training will evoke feelings and emotions of dread, fear, boredom and frustration. But if you make training fun and engaging, they will soon change their ways. Wranx uses gamification to get employees excited about studying and learning. With over 300 achievements to win, members of staff strive to work hard, learn more and consequently enjoy themselves by playing scientifically developed educational games. Continual learning is an ideology or objective that several businesses aspire to achieve, but without a fundamental change at an organisational level, it is incredibly difficult to implement. But with the right approach, it can be successful executed and bring about favourable results. Share this post with your own audience

When it comes to any sort of instruction, schooling or teaching, thought leaders Conrad Gottfredson and Bob Mosher believe there are five specific situations where people need to learn. You may not be familiar with the "Moments of Need" model, but it can be hugely beneficial from a corporate training perspective. In contrast to formal methods of learning and knowledge acquisition, which concentrates on achievements and certification, the five Moments of Needs are more concerned with proficiency. This involves a combination of formal, informal, social and real-time learning strategies. Here at Wranx, we are great believers in this multi-faceted approach. Although there is a time and place for classroom-based teaching, this needs to be complemented by additional techniques and methodology such as on-the-job training, advanced learning and gamification. This is what our training system endeavours to deliver. Multi-device supports means learning can take place in the working environment, spaced repetition is a way of improving long term memory retention while games and challenges increase engagement and interest. While our solution here at Wranx shares a lot in common with the Moments of Need learning model, it is still important to look at each of its five steps to see whether your business or employees could benefit from this method of teaching and tuition.   Learning for the first time The vast majority of organisations will have some sort of training for both new hires and existing members of staff. From acquiring information and developing expertise to knowing how to carry out or perform a new task, there is a range of things an employee can learn about and benefit from. Receiving instruction about a particular subject, skill or responsibility for the first time is the primary Moment of Need. But one of the biggest problems a company faces is determining the most appropriate type of training for that particular objective or individual. But in spite of the methodology, actually demonstrating the benefits associated with learning this new information or behaviour can be highly advantageous.   Learning more After employees have started to receive instruction or tuition and realise the benefits, there is a good chance they will want to acquire further knowledge and develop their learning. Regardless of whether this is from a personal growth perspective or to carry out tasks and duties more efficiently, this is part two of the Moments of Need. However, a certain level of understanding about the individual’s current knowledge base or skill set is required in order to deliver the most appropriate training possible. While exams and surveys can help achieve this, there are more modern and less antiquated ways of discovering employee proficiency. For example, Wranx’s deep-dive reporting function provides detailed information about cohort knowledge retention rates, progression insights and how employees rate against each other.   Remembering and/or applying learning The third Moment of Need is actually remembering and utilising learned concepts in the real world. In certain situations, staff might not be able to remember or apply the information and skills they have recently acquired, which calls for additional support. For example, an employee getting to grips with a new piece of computer software would benefit from having an instruction manual or troubleshooting guide close to hand. In these instances, it is crucial that leaners can access information quickly and conveniently to avoid wasting time. One way to address potential problems or forgetfulness is to develop instantaneous and easy to consume resources or references that can be accessed anywhere, anytime. The rise of mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets make this a distinct possibility.   Learning when things go wrong While the fourth Moment of Need also calls for some sort of immediate access to immediate support, it concerns things going wrong rather than an employee forgetting or failing to apply learned information. In this situation, further instruction is usually supplied by a help desk, FAQ webpage, live chat or online form. This spontaneous search for answers to unpredictable and unforeseeable problems might not provide definitive or precise solutions, but the employee will be unknowingly expanding their knowledge base and learning new information. They are bound to explore a number of resources and tools to overcome the issue, which could provide the individual with expertise and skills they wouldn’t have acquired otherwise.   Learning when things change The final Moment of Need occurs when employees must change or adapt the way they carry out their job role. Members of staff may also be required to update their understanding of an already learned concept. One reason this might happen is if a company updates its policies to comply with new industry rules and regulations. While this might sound fairly straightforward, as an employee has covered the subject before, it does throw up some challenges. Individuals have to effectively unlearn an existing notion and then learn a new one, which could be dissimilar and contrasting. One way to address this situation is through periodical quizzes that ensure employees are up-to-date with ongoing changes. This is what Wranx Drills are all about. We ask learners short sharp quizzes of 10 questions a day to increase their understanding of a certain subject. By rating how well they knew an answer as opposed to simply guessing, knowledge is retained much more effectively. Questions that aren’t thoroughly understood will be repeated the next day, while concepts with a solid comprehension will be asked again at some point in the future.   Applying the Moments of Need Identifying the moments and situations when further training or instruction is required can help any organisation prepare for every eventuality. Establishing introductory training or additional tuition is fairly straight forward, but the importance of having some sort of support in place when employees forget information, when things go wrong or when things change is often ignored. But by providing employees with immediate and bite sized resources to call upon as and when required, the need to constantly go back to the classroom is eradicated. On top of that, Wranx’s training solution can also be utilised and made use of when a fitting moment arises. Share this post with your own audience