How to Select the Right Training Software
Conducting employee training is among the most important things any organization can do. New employees need to train on processes and procedures that may be unfamiliar, while all employees must stay up to date on regulations.
As any corporate trainer can tell you, gone are the days of packing large groups into a conference room for long, monotonous training presentations. Now, online training is king, and third-party training companies are reaping the benefits.
So how do you decide which training software is right for your team? Here we will highlight some things you should consider before making such an important investment.
Different types of training to consider
As career experts at Indeed have noted, there are a few different types of training an organization may need, each with their own benefit. An ideal training platform will make it easy to cover these topics.
Orientation
This is typically the first interaction a new employee has with the organization and with their team. New hires will learn important things like the organizational structure, company policies and administrative procedures, and will likely also review and complete required paperwork for the HR department.
Onboarding
While orientation does include the onboarding process, this training is focused on the employee’s specific role. Getting plugged into software and platforms, understanding personal and departmental goals, and being introduced to technical aspects of the job take place during onboarding.
Soft skills
With many jobs becoming dependent on, and sometimes completely eliminated by, technological and AI advancements, soft skills become increasingly important, as these cannot be automated. There are a wide variety of useful soft skills, but things like communication and time management are universal and can help boost individual, team and company-wide performance.
Safety
One training category often seen as the most boring, but is arguably the most important, is safety training. Every employee in any industry should receive safety training, because you can never be too careful. From basic first aid and workplace evacuation plans to personal protective equipment (PPE) and working with hazardous materials, employers should always make safety a priority.
What to look for in a platform
If your organization decides an online learning management system (LMS) is the right direction, then you need to select the best one for your needs. With hundreds of platforms available, there are many different features you should compare to find your ideal match.
Top-tier content
To be effective, training material must keep the learner’s attention. Illustrating interesting visuals, implementing user-friendly navigation and utilizing relatable scenarios can help keep the training content fun and engaging, which in turn increases knowledge retention.
While training courses need to be engaging, they would be worthless if the content is outdated. Make sure any training content you use is regularly reviewed and updated by the creators to be consistent not only with industry trends but also with changing requirements and regulations.
Cross-device functionality
The Pew Research Center found 93% of Millennials, 90% of Gen Xers and 98% of Gen Zers own a smartphone. The pervasiveness of always-connected mobile devices means learning should be accessible from anywhere.
Having the ability to complete training on mobile devices also makes it easier to keep your entire workforce compliant. No matter if you have office employees now working from home or oil workers training while on a rig, online courses make both required and optional training fully accessible by employees at any location.
Multiple language options
A study conducted by the Center to Protect Workers’ Rights found that workers with limited English proficiency either did not understand a large amount of the provided English-language safety training, or they did not have the language skills to ask questions. Unsurprisingly, when training is offered in an employee’s native language, they are more likely to understand, and retain, the important information.
It makes sense, then, for any training service to have courses available in more than just English. Spanish might be the obvious first thought when it comes to multiple language options, but don’t forget things like German, French, Portuguese or even Mandarin.
Flexible pricing models
As with any software, pricing for LMS platforms can be somewhat confusing. Look for a system that not only offers a package that works for your needs but one that is transparent in their pricing and does not carry hidden fees for unneeded extras.
Typically, high-quality learning management systems will offer pricing levels per user, per course, or for course licensing. You may also find additional costs for things like implementation and support, but just be sure you are aware of every service you will be paying for.
The best thing you can do: Take a test drive
For any purchase we make in our lives, from buying jeans to picking out a car, we rarely buy things off one view. We try on those pants and make sure they fit; we take the car for a drive to see if we like all the features. Choosing a training software for your business should be no different.
Any reputable company should be happy letting you “test drive” their product. It is in both your best interests. After all, if you implement an LMS to discover it’s missing features you wanted or it isn’t user-friendly, you are unlikely to renew your service. No company wants to lose a customer like that.
Once you have your choices narrowed down, chat with a sales representative from each company and ask about a demo. Make sure you can complete a few training courses and get all decision-making parties involved in the demo process. You want everyone to be comfortable with the choice you make.
Conclusion
In the end, it simply comes down to which training software can provide everything you and your team needs in an easy, affordable way. Hopefully this guide helps steer you in the right direction when considering all your options.
Contact SafetySkills today to see how our up-to-date course content and intuitive LMS can help you solve all your safety training needs.
