The best way to detect online training pain points is to become an amateur sleuth and sniff out the clues. Instead of fingerprints and shoe tracks, organizations must rely on Big Data and performance indicators. Here are 8 online training pain points that are difficult to diagnose, as well as tips to overcome them.
1. Real-World Application
Your employees are passing quantitative eLearning assessments with flying colors. But their qualitative eLearning assessment results leave much to be desired. This sure is a sign that there’s an issue with real-world application. In other words, employees have gathered the information, but they don’t know how to use it in a practical context.
Online training simulations are a great way to diagnose the problem, as you can evaluate their virtual performance. They’re also the solution, given that you can incorporate them into your online training course to impart real-world experience.
2. Interpersonal Skills
Soft skills are difficult to measure. For example, it’s challenging to evaluate communication and problem-solving skills with traditional eLearning assessment methods. However, branching scenarios and other interactive online training activities can offer insight. Employees must communicate with virtual clients to resolve their issues and provide superior service, which requires a whole host of interpersonal skills.
Once again, branching scenarios have a dual-purpose. They are a viable eLearning assessment technique and a skill-building tool.
3. Task Performance
Employees know all the steps involved. But are they proficient enough to avoid on-the-job injuries and provide excellent customer service? Task performance is one of the most difficult pain points to diagnose because it requires careful observation, which is challenging in asynchronous training environments.
Fortunately, you can use your LMS to monitor employee performance and respective pain points. For instance, eLearning assessment or simulation results reveal that many employees lack the necessary skill sets. As such, you can expand your online training library to bridge the gap and boost their task proficiency.
4. Compliance Knowledge
Compliance online training ensures that your employees stay safe on the job and prevents violations and penalties, which means that compliance knowledge gaps must be detected as quickly as possible. The challenge is that they can be tricky to detect in online training courses unless you know how to use LMS metrics to your advantage.
Use employee engagement, eLearning assessment results, and task performance reports to pinpoint areas for improvement. For example, a high percentage of employees are unable to pass the health and safety certification exam. This indicates that there’s a more widespread issue with the online training content that’s hindering knowledge transfer.
5. Conflict Resolution Skills
In the old days, the only way you could detect a conflict resolution skill gap was to pit employees against each other. Granted, it was usually in a role play setting. With the help of learning technologies, measuring skill proficiency is much easier.
Employees must be able to successfully resolve conflicts and diffuse stressful situations. Branching scenarios and serious games that feature workplace disagreements are a valuable online training tool. They test how employees handle tension and pressure on the job, as well as give them the experience they need to avoid real-life conflicts.
6. Product Knowledge
Every member of your team has to know your products and services so that they can keep customers informed even if they don’t work directly with consumers on a daily basis. Other than eLearning assessments, one of the most effective ways to diagnose product knowledge training gaps is to evaluate sales figures, as well as customer purchase histories.
You can also conduct customer surveys to get their input. For example, how do they feel the salesperson handled the transaction? Were they knowledgeable about the new line? Or did the customer have to venture online to get more information about the product before making their decision?
7. Team Building & Collaboration
Your organization has to run like a finely tuned machine. As such, team building and collaboration are a crucial component of your online training program. In asynchronous online training courses, it can be difficult to evaluate peer-to-peer interactions.
But there are a few ways to diagnose teamwork issues and encourage co-worker collaboration, such as integrating social media groups into your online training strategy and hosting live events. These tools allow you to evaluate how your team members engage one another and share information across the organization.
For instance, post a question or problem on social media and invite employees to leave comments. Then closely observe how employees communicate with their peers and respect the opinions of others. You can also incorporate group collaboration online projects which help them build healthy team dynamics.
8. Management Skills
Managers should be the most vocal advocates for your online training program. However, they need customized online training resources in order to support their subordinates. Likewise, they must have access to skill-building tools to help them foster their leadership abilities.
One of the best ways to diagnose management training gaps is to conduct online surveys and evaluations. Ask employees what they think of their team leaders, then compile and analyze the results in your LMS, or you can encourage managers to participate in simulations that test their team building talents and conflict resolution skills.
Conclusion
These 8 tips can help you step into the shoes of an online training detective to diagnose crucial online training gaps. Then you have to figure out how to bridge them with online training resources that cater to employees’ needs. Use your LMS metrics, surveys, and eLearning assessment results to get to the root of the problem and create your plan of action.
