The Best Tips and Tricks for eLearning Professionals to Incorporate into their Work Routines. eLearning professionals have a unique sense of motivation to provide in-depth knowledge to the people of the world. More often than not, it is not money that motivates them or the desire to be reputable. Instead, they are charged by their […] The post 7 Tips to Be a Happy, Productive, and Motivated eLearning Professional appeared first on PulseLearning.

Not all LMS vendors and buyers appreciate the value of excellent customer support. When Brendan Noud and Des Anderson founded LearnUpon four years ago, they identified a weakness in the market that remains a common problem today. All too many LMS vendors treat support and service as costs, leaving customers to struggle with integration and maintenance issues that threaten to derail eLearning programs. From the beginning, LearnUpon’s value proposition was based on a different approach. The delivery of an eLearning platform that’s quick to set-up and easy to use is reinforced by fast and thorough support, available to all customers in all markets, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. LearnUpon’s rapid growth indicates that customer support should matter to those in the market for an LMS. Here’s why.   Customer Support shouldn’t be a cost Many LMS vendors continue to view customer support as a cost base. The attitude explains why so many of LearnUpon’s customers, 39% of whom moved from an alternative LMS, cite the weakness or absence of support as a major motivation for switching learning platforms. Our account managers are always surprised to hear how it can take three days to receive a response to a support ticket from some LMS vendors. It can take new customers some time to adjust to the best measure of excellent customer support: a response to your support query in less than 30 minutes of opening a ticket. But that attitude isn’t unique to eLearning either. It’s been influenced by practices across the Software-as-a-Service industry. Over the past decade, technology companies have chosen to prioritize budgets assigned to development and marketing, with support and service largely neglected. In these businesses, support is often treated as something customers can do themselves, left to research solutions in self-service channels like forums. But support shouldn’t be treated as a luxury. When even simple integrations can throw up issues that require an experienced eye, the idea that support can be minimized without impacting customer experience is mistaken.   Is some support better than no support? Customer support isn’t just underestimated by LMS vendors. Its importance isn’t always clear to organizations and eLearning professionals either. Low investment in support isn’t surprising in a market where some popular solutions offer no support at all. For LMS vendors forced to compete with seemingly free Open Source programs like Moodle, good customer support can look expensive. It’s important that those in the market for an LMS fully scope the implications of the absence of support, some of which we covered in a post analyzing the pros and cons of Moodle. All learning management systems require some level of support to maintain new and existing features and programs. Many organizations eventually reject Moodle once research reveals the true cost of sourcing reliable support alternatives elsewhere.   The true value of customer support to cloud LMS users Even if you’ve decided against a seemingly free platform like Moodle, it’s important to research the level of support provided by shortlisted LMS vendors. Begin by assessing the scale of your internal resources. The smaller your team, the greater your reliance on customer support is likely to be. Questions about the cost and extent of support available are essential to the scoping phase. Start by asking if support services vary according to price or plan. Even teams with considerable internal IT resources often lack LMS expertise. No external resource is a fitting substitute for the speed and accuracy of quality support that will help resolve issues specific to eLearning, like those experienced with SCORM or Tin Can (xAPI) playback for example, or getting the best performance from content on all browser versions. If your LMS vendor has invested in building a team, you can rely on skilled and trained reps who will apply insights from similar issues to resolve your problems as quickly as possible. The availability of those kinds of resources will keep your eLearning courses running whenever you need them.   How to assess customer support in your search for an LMS Once you’ve decided that customer support is important, there’s a lot you can do beyond simply questioning your vendor or reading about support channels on their website. Almost every LMS vendor will claim to offer the best customer support in the industry, whatever the reality might be. The responsiveness of the LMS vendor from the initial inquiry stage should give you a realistic idea of what to expect throughout your time as a customer. If a vendor is slow to respond to your initial sales inquiry, it’s unlikely their customer support will set any industry records. Here are some additional tactics that help explore beyond marketing speak: Ask for testimonials or references from customers in similar markets and territories Read independent reviews available online Search social media for unanswered queries from customers Submit test support tickets during your trial period If the response you receive during your inquiry and trial periods is less than satisfactory, it’s unlikely that your experience as a paying customer will be much better.   LearnUpon’s approach to customer support LearnUpon was partly founded on a belief in the value of excellent customer support. Rather than seeing customer support as a cost center, Brendan and Des established it as a core pillar to distinguish LearnUpon from all other LMS vendors. That meant Senior Support Rep Shane Hession was one of LearnUpon’s first hires. From the first days of the company, the team was resourced so that 24/7 support was available to customers in all timezones. The support team has continued to expand with the business. Once the core support team was established, its capacity was enhanced with the appointment of two Customer Success Specialists, with plans to further expand both support and success teams over the coming months. The investment has paid off. Providing a level of customer support that’s unmatched in the LMS industry is ingrained in the company’s culture. Customer support is the area the team receives most positive feedback on. Testimonials and reviews are full of reminders of the difference excellent support has made to all kinds of learning and training companies and departments. As Alison Winton, Director of Operations, AJAG Online, says of her experience: "LearnUpon’s support team is unlike any other company I have ever dealt with. They respond immediately and with practical solutions and are always willing to go the extra mile to help in any way they can. The response time in terms of extra needs for our business were treated in a timely manner and the whole team really takes the time to learn the business."   If you’ve implemented an LMS previously, you’ll probably already appreciate the value of excellent support. If you’re researching LMS vendors at the moment, it’s worth including the value of support as one of your assessment criteria. It could be the factor that allows you to deliver successful and reliable eLearning programs for as long as you need them.   Try LearnUpon free for 30 days .learnupon.com Agree to Terms of Service Start my free trial The post The value of Customer Support to an LMS appeared first on LearnUpon.

[Post by Karla Willems, Account Manager at GeoMetrix Data Systems Inc.] In just a few weeks, the annual Training International Conference & Exposition will take place at the Disney Coronado Springs Resort in Orlando Florida. Receive a $40 Disney Gift Card when you register for the 3-Day Conference AND book a Sunday & Monday night stay via Connections Housing by 5:00 pm ET on Jan 18, 2016. Need another reason to register? Check out the top 10: 10. Indulge your inner child with a complimentary pass to the Magic Kingdom. 9. Discover Disney secrets in a behind-the-scenes excursion. 8. Explore emerging technologies and mindsets. 7. Meet the mentor who can coach you to your next promotion. 6. Tap into the power of perception and the mysteries of the brain. 5. Find the key to successfully measuring behavior change and business impact. 4. Connect with a colleague who can help you land your dream job. 3. Learn from the most creative companies in the world: Second City, Pixar, Cirque du Soleil. 2. Brainstorm with the best the Top 10 Hall of Fame and Training Top 125. And the #1 reason to attend Training 2016: Because Training Matters—and so do you. For more information visit: Training 2016

Every fortnight I curate some of the observations and insights that were shared on social media. I call these Friday’s Finds. @kasthomas - "You have to wonder what happens to ‘official’ unemployment numbers when everyone has two jobs. Do they go negative?" @kerihw - "How department names change over time: Personnel > Human Resources > Sentient Assets > Flesh Liabilities" The End of the Artist - via @davidbhutchens "Now that we have established that it is difficult if not impossible to make money on intellectual property, unless you can afford a fleet of lawyers, how can we, the artists make enough money to spend adequate time on doing our work? Is it even possible to be a professional in the arts anymore? Let’s look at some of the possibilities: 1. Make our prices so low … 2. Find independent financial backing … 3. Do it in your spare time … 4. Be independently wealthy … 5. Academia … 6. Niche Markets …" The blockchain will become our new signature - via @petervan "By putting business licences, property titles or birth certificates on the blockchain, governments will enable citizens to digitally conduct transactions without lawyers, notaries or queuing at government offices. Once on the blockchain, registered ownership of a car, a home or other assets can be transferred from one person to another without the need for a government recorder or other third party, while still being legal and publicly acknowledged." Douglas Rushkoff - Fork the Economy "The monetary system was designed not to help people create and exchange value, but rather to extract value from anyone hoping to transact. It was not designed to promote circulation, but to serve as a drag on circulation. Making matters worse, central currency requires an economy to grow — and to do so faster and faster. If, for every $100,000 lent into circulation, $200,000 has to eventually be paid back, then where does the other $100,000 come from? Someone has to borrow or earn it. Now this scheme works fine as long as the economy is growing — as the colonial powers were through their conquest of the world, and even America managed to do through corporate expansion in the decades following WWII. But our ability to grow has reached its limits. There are no more regions to conquer or developing nations to exploit. Efforts to escape into outer space notwithstanding, our planet has been stretched beyond its carrying capacity for additional extraction and growth." Salon - Uber fail: Why the start-up giant stumbled in Europe "Because what Uber’s experience in Germany (and elsewhere in Europe) reveals is a truth that tends to be either rejected or ignored by most elites in America. Which, simply put, is this: While market forces do have a logic and power of their own, they are neither irrefutable nor divine. They can be tamed; they can be thwarted. Other values, like fairness or social cohesion, are sometimes more important. Neoliberalism is not destiny, in other words." @NYTObits - Alan Rickman Dies at Age 69

There are few things that jazz me more than the ever-evolving workplace (yes, I did just say that). As we embark on 2016, at Fierce, we see a heightened desire for employees to be engaged and connected on the deepest of levels.Below are the five Fierce predictions for 2016.Recruiting Talent - Job Candidates Motivated by Purpose, Not MoneyIn 2016, job candidates will want to ensure a potential company’s purpose and mission align with values they hold near and dear to their hearts. Values and purpose, over tangible items such as salary, will become an increasingly important factor in the decision-making process in the competitive job market. In fact, a high salary is the least important aspect of a job to both men and women, whereas holding a job they enjoy is the most important aspect, according to Pew Research Center. With the rise of social media and online publishing, CEOs and other executives have reached celebrity status unlike ever before, giving them a platform to communicate their personal and professional aspirations directly with the public. This means that the CEO’s vision and persona will be highly influential in the recruiting process, placing a whole new level of responsibility on leaders to accurately represent and depict the mission and ideals of the organization.Job Flexibility - The Sharing Economy Inspires Job Sharing ProgramsEmployees expect a degree of flexibility in today’s working world, whether that entails setting their own hours or working remotely. In 2016, employers will need to think out-of-the-box in terms of flexibility by offering employees creative solutions. Fierce predicts 2016 will see the rise of innovative job share programs that draw from principles of the sharing economy. Through job share programs, employees who seek fewer work hours can share shifts on the same role, and work as a team to fill one full-time position.Performance Management - Real-Time Analytics Go to WorkIn 2016, employees will have the ability to track their on-the-job performance data through technologies like people analytics to gain a better understanding of where they dedicate their time and energy and how their performance stacks up with others of a similar job title. Because of greater access to performance metrics, feedback will be provided throughout the year via dashboards, rather than only during formal yearly reviews. As such, managers can take on the role of a coach, empowering their direct reports to self-manage. This allows managers to redirect some of their time to other high-level business strategy tasks, while providing Millennials, a generation that values independence, a style that minimizes micro-managing and integrates technology into their daily lives.Management - Workforce Generations Require Shifting Management StylesWhether you like it or not, Generation Z is entering the workforce and with Baby Boomers still logging their hours, meaning there will be five generations with a 50 year age difference. In 2016 we will see drastic differences in work ethic, approach and management styles. Effective managers will need to be able to adapt on the fly to different employees and find different ways to foster collaboration across generations. Managers will need to understand that each individual, young or old, has their own set of skills and will encourage co-mingling to teach each other. Younger generations can teach how to use emerging technologies and to leverage social media while the older employees can instill the value of face-to-face communication, internal networking and building relationships.Intrapreneurship- Employees Will Think like EntrepreneursEmployees just entering the workforce have witnessed tremendous startup success and seen their peers gain celebrity-like status through social media like Instagram and Vine - this makes them hungry to achieve the same success. 2016 will see a rise of large multinational companies creating startup-centric programs or spin-offs to attract these individuals and drive innovation. Incubator-like training programs will build different skillsets for employees, but the programs will need to be more interactive and provide opportunities for employees to apply the lessons and skills to real life situations. This month I will be providing tips for these five areas. What are your thoughts with these? What prediction stands out most for you?The post Five Fierce Predictions for 2016 appeared first on Fierce, Inc..

This week’s Fierce resource was originally published on Business 2 Community and explores the influence of millennials on workplace culture.2015 marked the official passing of the torch, as millennials became the largest generation in the U.S. labor force. So I ask: How will the millennial dominated workplace affect company culture?According to 5 Changes Millennials Will Make in the Corporate World in 2016, we should expect to see them fully exert their generational influence by continuing to shift company values around purpose and work-life integration. Leaders will be pressured to adopt real workplace flexibility programs, because unlike previous generations, millennials don’t feel guilty embracing work-life balance.Where else will this generation lead us?"Thanks to the increased mobility and option to work remotely that Millennials have demanded, employees will have less personal space in the workplace during 2016. In fact, because some offices may turn to using only remote workers, employees may be left with no permanent office space at all."Read the article.The post Fierce Resource: 5 Changes Millennials Will Make in the Corporate World in 2016 appeared first on Fierce, Inc..

When the year first gets ramped up and rolling, the conversations often turn to "what" needs to happen, "who" needs to be there, and "when" does it or that need to get finished. Those are all critical elements of execution and doing the work that we need to do. However, it isn’t the whole piece. We must go deeper than logistics with each other. Even Albert Einstein said, "We should take care not to make the intellect our god; it has, of course, powerful muscles, but no personality."To get more, you need to turn to the "why". I have always loved Simon Sinek’s work, and many members of the Fierce team (and world considering it is one of the most viewed) love his Tedx Talk, "How Great Leaders Inspire Action". The premise is that leaders, who connect and always talk about the why, are the most influential. The most followed. The most memorable. Because we as humans connect at a deep and indescribable level with people who share their beliefs with us. We want to orient ourselves with people and companies who believe what we believe.This week’s tip is to find the why in your goals and efforts for this month. With New Year’s resolutions, newly minted strategic plans, perhaps even new teams members or new ways of doing something at home, it is more important than ever to get beyond the surface.So ask yourself: Why am I doing what I’m doing?Why does my organization/family/church do what they do?Why do I have the goals that I have?   When you answer those questions, make sure to not answer it with a "what". For instance, for why do you do what you do, do not say because you have a mortgage and bills to pay. Rather, ask yourself, what is being fulfilled (or not fulfilled). What do you BELIEVE in about what you do?What are your "whys"?The post Fierce Tip of the Week: Find the Why appeared first on Fierce, Inc..

In 2016, we at Fierce predict that job candidates will want to ensure a potential company’s purpose and mission align with values they hold near and dear to their hearts. While this seems complicated, it really isn’t.There are simple ways to stay connected and really recruit while engaging the heart and mind. Ask job seekers about their values. The next time people come to you complaining about their current job (or if they have come to the conclusion that they need a new one), ask what their values are. This is not about perks and culture as much as answering the questions: What do you stand for? What matters to you? Have them write their values down and really talk about them. This relates to finding the why. To bring new people onboard, make sure their values align with the company’s. Values and purpose, over tangible items such as salary, will become an increasingly important factor in the decision-making process in our competitive job market. In fact, a high salary is the least important aspect of a job to both men and women, whereas holding a job they enjoy is the most important aspect, according to Pew Research Center. So don’t skirt around what really needs to be talked about.Use social media as a sneak-peek into your organization. There is visibility into people’s lives like never before. With social media that connects us in new ways every day, people are able to gain insight about an organization and the people it attracts - without even directly talking. This means that every person, and especially the CEO, needs to accept that their vision and persona will be highly influential in the recruiting process. This places a whole new level of responsibility on leaders and employees to accurately represent and depict the mission and ideals of the organization. Invite your marketing or public relations team to share best practices for using social media, and brainstorm new ways that individuals in your organization can share their purpose and experience inside of the organization. It is not only a great way to attract people to join your company, it also reinvigorates the individuals going through the exercise. Really talking about how you feelDon’t be afraid to say no. When meeting potential candidates, if their values and purpose do not align with your organization, don’t be afraid to say no. And sometimes, that can just mean for the current opportunity. For instance, if someone continues to show interest in your nonprofit work, when you only have openings in your corporate work, make sure to have the conversation that addresses this head on. Sometimes, people convince themselves that being around the work - even if they aren’t doing it - is what matters most. Research is showing that the more immediate purpose is driving the show. Sometimes the best thing you can do is decide that the position is not a good fit for the candidate and the company. It isn’t forever - it is just for now. Yes, you must know that recruitment conversations have left the sole "salary and benefits" land to a much more robust, complex space. Focus on the whole person and have the deep conversations, go beyond the surface to attract and recruit the crème de la crème.The post 3 Tips to Recruit with Purpose appeared first on Fierce, Inc..

Fear is a very real emotion for many leaders and often it has a prime seat at the table when tasked with making decisions, innovating, or trying new experiences.I remember once being told by a teacher, who was not impressed with my jungle gym skills, that I lacked a necessary level of fear. That always stuck with me, because while it didn’t bother me at all to not look before I leaped, there were things that terrified me. What scares leaders is different for everybody. One leader might be terrified about delegating their responsibilities and then not even think twice about green lighting a new project with many unknowns.The reality is that things become less scary when the dialogue is open and honest. Nothing combats fear faster than having a conversation - whether it’s with others or yourself. If you think about a common tactic of a fear-based leader, it’s usually shutting down communication and limiting the conversation.Ask yourself: Are there people within my organization who know what scares me as a leader? Does my team know what triggers me or puts me in cold sweats? What would happen if I even dared to say my fears out loud?While it may seem like your burden to bear, letting others know what jolts you is humbling and shows vulnerability, which builds trust and emotional capital with your team. It also begins your development through those worries.For leaders, it’s important to know: How do you show up when you’re scared? What’s the impact on your leadership style and the team?Building this awareness happens when you give yourself permission to not be the "perfect" leader. Have the conversation about what scares you, how that impacts your leadership style, and continue to talk with others through your fear.Start the conversation with us, we want to know: What are your top leadership fears?This blog was originally published on the Fierce Leadership Blog and was written by Jaime Navarro.The post What Are Your Top Leadership Fears? appeared first on Fierce, Inc..

This week’s Fierce resource was originally published on Fortune and delves into the relationship between profit and purpose.For the past few years, organizations has been focusing on how millennials aren’t motivated by money, but rather by purpose. This has sent shockwaves through corporate America. How can organizations attract the top millennial talent, while working to improve their bottom line?But as the article The Important Question Every Employee Should Be Able to Answer points out, profit and purpose don’t have to be mutually exclusive focuses. In fact, many organizations have discovered that profit exists so we can fulfill our purpose. It starts with holding your employees able to achieve sustainable results and empowering them to work towards their purpose.Where does purpose lie in your organization’s value list?"One way we have resolved this in the companies in which I am involved is through a document called Prosperity Principles that outlines the profit and financial parameters required to fulfill the purpose of the organization. It should also define those prosperity factors—purpose, promotions, raises, etc. that appeal most to employees."Read the article.The post Fierce Resource: The Important Question Every Employee Should Be Able to Answer appeared first on Fierce, Inc..