7 Overlooked Online Training Challenges that Drain L&D Resources

You need to achieve organizational goals and bridge skill gaps without going over budget. This blog highlights seven overlooked online training challenges that are draining your L&D resources, as well as tips to improve ROI and get employee motivation back on track.             

Online Training Challenges that Put a Strain on Your L&D Budget

You’ve invested in online training to improve accessibility, monitor KPIs more efficiently, and personalize the process for employees. However, it’s not all easy sailing. There are some online training challenges that your organization must overcome to achieve training objectives and stretch available online training resources. In fact, an ineffective online training strategy and poor planning have the power to diminish ROI and employee engagement. Here are seven overlooked online training challenges that may be putting a strain on your L&D budget and tips to prevent them.

1. Using a One-Size-Fits-All Approach

Give employees the opportunity to pursue their own online training paths and focus on personal goals.

The people in your organization come from different backgrounds and have unique experiences. As such, your online training program shouldn’t take a one-size-fits-all approach by offering everyone the same online training activities and support tools. Give employees the opportunity to pursue their own online training paths and focus on personal goals. This also enables them to choose online training activities based on their learning preferences and achieve the desired learning objectives more rapidly. Unlocked eLearning course maps and resource libraries are cost-effective ways to individualize online training and improve resource allocation.

2. Not Having an Effective Feedback System in Place

Feedback gives employees insight on what they are good at and what can be improved. The LMS itself should be structured to provide corporate learners with feedback so they know where they stand. For example, the LMS automatically shows their simulation results and recommendations based on their performance. Likewise, you should also give them the chance to provide input so that you can improve your online training strategy. For example, invite employees to participate in surveys and polls, then use your LMS reports to evaluate the data and look for patterns.

3. Using Complicated eLearning Software

Think of your online training as mountains your corporate learners have to climb. You don’t want them to scale up Everest every time they try to learn a new skill. You need to balance the online training out so that they don’t lose their motivation. LMS accessibility should not be one of the online training challenges they have to overcome. It should make it easy for them to access relevant online training content and bridge skill gaps. Avoid complicated software that creates tech roadblocks and opt for solutions that are intuitive and user-friendly. If your LMS is more challenging to master, develop online training tutorials and demos to help corporate learners navigate the platform or host live events to show them the basics and give them the chance to voice their concerns so you can appease them.

4. Lack of Employee Motivation

It’s true, learning new skills and personal development is a reward in itself. Online training helps corporate learners achieve that, but most employees need more than that. Rewarding your learners is just as important as getting their feedback. Rewards don’t have to be extravagant. It can be as simple as having a system of badges employed in your LMS. Corporate learners can earn badges for being top performers, completing online training course, and so on. This will give them a sense of accomplishment and also foster a bit of friendly competition among them.

5. Lack of Training Flexibility

Employees have every intention of participating in your next online training course. There’s just one catch: their scheduled session might conflict with a work meeting or personal obligation causing them to miss important information and feel left out of the learning community. For this reason, it’s essential to add some degree of flexibility to your online training. Allow employees to go at their own pace and achieve the learning objectives on their own terms. For instance, a busy sales employee can log in to the LMS platform to access the new product knowledge demo during their lunch break. This principle should also carry over to online training events. Record live events so that employees who can’t make it can still get the key takeaways after the fact.

6. No Ongoing Support for Remote Employees

Corporate learners can access relevant online training resources that are quick and easy to consume.

There are several reasons why you should offer ongoing support to your employees aside from improving your ROI. Employees appreciate the fact that they’re part of a strong corporate culture that values continual development. As such, they’re more likely to stay with your organization and keep honing their talents. Ongoing support also improves customer satisfaction, since your staff is better equipped to meet their own needs. One of the best ways to offer this support is an online training repository. Corporate learners can access relevant online training resources that are quick and easy to consume. For instance, microlearning demo videos that showcase product features or an infographic that outlines a task so that they can improve performance on the spot. You should also consider social media platforms that facilitate peer-to-peer interactions, such as Facebook groups that enable employees to ask questions and share helpful links.

7. Lack of Real-world Application

Your eLearning course design lacks real-world activities that facilitate practical application. In other words, employees have all the knowledge and skills they need but they aren’t able to use then on the job because they don’t have any prior experience. Maybe they’re simply unaware of how to translate theoretical knowledge in the workplace. This could decrease your online training ROI and drain valuable online training resources. Incorporate real-world examples, case studies, demos, and branching scenarios that build practical know-how. You can also add simulations to immerse them in the online training experience and make the most of mistake-driven learning. Every risk-free error brings them one step closer to filling skill gaps and improving workplace productivity.

Online training should be a valuable asset to your organization that cultivates top talent and improves employee retention. However, these seven overlooked online training challenges can put a wrench in resource allocation and decrease employee motivation. Use these tips to develop personalized online training content that’s backed by timely feedback and ongoing support.

How do you provide your employees with the continual support they require, even if they are geographically dispersed? Read the article 7 Reasons Why Your Organization Needs A Strong Corporate eLearning Culture and learn why a strong corporate eLearning culture can boost company morale and improve your corporate eLearning ROI.