The Many Advantages to Online Training

Online training is a valuable and cost-effective way for employees to obtain new and continuing education. Despite this simple fact, some organizations are slow to make the move from in-house training to online training and some are hesitant to even consider the change in the first place. If you’re a resister, we offer the following considerations:

Online training is effective for training across multiple locations (and saves money at the same time)

Organizations benefit from online training in many ways, one being that all employees can take the exact same training program from anywhere they want, at any time. If employees can take a training course from their desks, organizations no longer have to hold day-long seminars with a trainer teaching materials to a room full of people.

This equates to decreased travel expenses since there’s no longer a need for employees to travel to a training site. Taking it one step further, some organizations offer online training programs and no longer need an in-house trainer, others prefer to keep their trainer on staff but have him or her focus on other responsibilities.

Online training programs are easy to take and lead to increased knowledge retention

People work hard day in and day out so why not keep training as simple as possible? Employees often find that online training is easier to take than instructor-led training. Well-planned design and engaging images and interactives, combined with a good user experience, makes information easy to digest and remember.

It’s flexible

Let’s face it, we’re all busy. And busy people rarely want to take time out of their (busy) days to take a training course that could go on for hours and is likely to be boring. When training is offered online, employees can learn right at their desks, from the comfort of their own homes, during a working lunch – whenever they want to and from wherever they want to.

Employees appreciate stress-free, self-paced learning

Everyone learns at a different pace and everyone retains information differently. We’ve all sat in classrooms where a teacher moves too fast for some students but too slow for others – those who already know the information are bored and tune out while those who are hearing the information for the first time struggle to keep up and get frustrated.

When you take a course online, you go at your own speed. If you get to a certain point and don’t fully understand the material, you can go back for a review. On the other hand, if everything makes perfect sense, you can go straight through the entire course right to the test. Either way, it’s totally up to you, making the entire process stress-free and user-friendly.

Refresher training has never been easier

If you work in an industry that mandates that employees regularly brush up on the basics, online training is the way to go, for many of the same reasons already mentioned. You no longer have to bring in a trainer every year or have your employees travel for a day of off-site training – everyone can stay at their desk for the refresher course they need. Day-to-day business no longer has to slow down, or stop entirely, while employees review materials or learn updated information.

Immediate results and feedback

The final test is graded as soon as you’re done taking it and you'll be notified of your score right away– there’s no waiting around to hear how you did. This lets you get right back to work and immediately apply your new-found knowledge.

Course materials are easy to update

It happens all the time – guidelines are tweaked or company policy changes and you’re forced to update your training materials. This can be a daunting task, but not if you offer online training! Online programs can be easily altered at any time, guaranteeing that you’re teaching the most up-to-date content complete with the most current company procedures, state and federal regulations and compliance issues.

Modules can be uniquely customized

Online training programs can be customized and branded to meet your organization’s specific needs. Your company’s logo and colors can be prominently displayed and the training can even look like a page of your website.

Is it time for a change? We think so. And your employees probably agree.