Benefits of Online Training

More individuals, companies, and industries are turning to online learning technologies as their preferred mode for delivering and receiving training. As recently as six or eight years ago, comparatively few companies were using the Internet as a training medium. Today, however, it is the fastest growing sector of the training industry. Why the change? Quite simply, online training provides the means for delivering more training to more people at the lowest cost.

The attributes of online training that provide the greatest benefits to a furniture retailer are (a) convenience, (b) individualization, (c) interactivity, and (d) cost effectiveness.

Convenience

When was the last time that you tried to schedule a one- or two-hour training meeting with all of your employees? Accommodating different schedules is a challenge. And then there's the customers – who is going to help them while you are all in the training? If you hire a professional sales consultant to spend one or two DAYS with your sales staff, the time demands and scheduling challenges multiply.

With online training, you have no need to get groups of employees together in the same place at the same time. Each employee can use the training when it is convenient for him or her. In fact, employees can even get the training when they are at home or traveling. That's the beauty of the Internet, as we all know. In addition, online learning allows one to return and review training materials whenever one wants. You aren't going to ask a consultant to drop by and spend a little time with John, who is having trouble understanding that section on discovering a customer's needs.

Online training is convenient because it typically doesn't require large amounts of time to be set aside for training. A well-designed online course will be composed of topics or lessons that can be completed in 15-20 minutes or less. This is a great convenience for retailers, because sales associates can use "down time" to improve their skills.

Individualization

Training is commonly delivered to groups of people, yet learning is inherently personal and individual. The most effective training is also individualized. How is online training individualized? First of all, it requires the learner to do something. Granted, there are plenty of online trainings that do little more than play a video lecture; but as a rule, good online training asks the learner to make choices. Video tapes, even DVDs, can't deliver the kind of real-time choice and adaptability that a computer-based program can.

The computer is the ultimate delivery vehicle. Video, graphics, animations, text, narration, music, sound effects, etc. can all be used effectively in training via the computer. Some people's preference for learning may be more visual, someone else's more auditory. Online training is capable of meeting the preferences for all kinds of learners.

Interactivity

The characteristic of online training which, to me, is the most exciting, is it's capability to engage the learner in meaningful learning activities. Deep learning comes through doing something meaningful with the information, it doesn't come from simply listening or watching.

For example, suppose that you wanted to learn how to build wooden cabinets. You would probably start by reading books and watching videos. You would attain a certain level of understanding. But then imagine the difference in your knowledge of cabinet making after you had the experience of building and installing a set of cabinets in your home. That's the type of deep learning that effective online training can deliver. Effective online courses include relevant activities that require the learner to use or apply the information in meaningful ways.

Another benefit of the interactive nature of online training is that one can return to, review, and re-do portions of the training at will, as many times as one likes. Since there is no penalty for doing this, the motivated learner will learn more effectively.

Cost Effectiveness

The final characteristic of online training I wish to address is cost effectiveness. As a business owner or manager, you want to get the most for your training dollar. In other words, you want to spend the least amount of money for the most effective training you can get. Consultants are expensive. Much of what you pay for is just to get the consultant to your premises. Books, videos, and DVDs are less effective. They are uni-directional mediums, meaning that there is little if any chance for interactivity and deep learning.

With online training, you are not spending your hard-earned money on getting someone to your location. You are getting interactive training for your people – you know that they didn't sleep through the class. Online training is the most cost effective training solution because it delivers the greatest benefits per dollar.

The fact that more companies are using the Internet for training is not a compelling enough reason to adopt online training for your company. However, it should cause you to consider why more and more training is being delivered online. This article explains some of the general benefits of online training, and gives you ideas to think about as you consider the challenge of training and building an effective, professional sales staff.