Ever gone shopping? Throngs of people rushing to Dollar Stores, 100 Yen Stores, the popular Budget stores, instead of opting for the branded stores is a common sight in most shopping districts. The key reason as we know is affordable pricing. Something similar comes in play when we talk about eLearning for all businesses. Looking at it from the perspective of Small and Medium businesses (SMBs), Custom eLearning often seems to be this highly priced solution that doesn’t really go well with the organization’s L&D budgets. At times eLearning itself is seen as a luxury that only works for enterprises. Such misconception is often triggered by the way eLearning is usually marketed, i.e. wider outreach and scale of influence as such, leaving the small business in a dilemma about how eLearning could be a part of its learning strategy.
eLearning however has now become an easy to attain, cost-effective solution owing to the recent advances in web and mobile technology. Before getting into how eLearning can be used by SMBs, lets take a look at why eLearning is an important part of its growth.
Why?
- Learning Anywhere
Limited staff, limited time, that’s how SMBs work and in such a scenario scheduling separate training can be too much of a hassle. eLearning with its flexible structure allows learners to learn anywhere and at any time, on the device of choice. - Trackability
eLearning doesn't just provide freedom and flexibility, it also provides the opportunity to evaluate the effectiveness of eLearning through tracking and analysis. This in turn allows to understand the learners and analyze the learning pattern better. - Upskilling
Big or small, businesses need skillful employees to move ahead and stay ahead. eLearning assists in filling the skill gaps, easily and promptly without affecting the production time. - Cost-effective
Unlike popular beliefs eLearning isn’t always heavy on the pockets, on the contrary it can help SMBs save money by reducing expenditure related to travel, training scheduling, trainer costs etc. It can also cut-down the loss incurred in productivity during training sessions.
Now that the benefit cards are on the table, the next question that comes in is how?
How?
While eLearning can directly be used in SMBs, there are certain ways to increase efficiency and reduce cost. Here’s how.
- Optimizing the Utilization of the Existing Content
Word files, PDFs, Power Points, there often is a huge pool of data available as hard copies, printable etc. used in classroom training. Leveraging this existing content pool and re-purposing it in the eLearning design strategy can help SMBs optimize the eLearning design and development process. - Utilize Ready-made Courses
SMBs typically eye ready to use catalog courses as something that doesn’t fit the learning scope. But at times, only a few points or none may be missing in the catalog course and hence can be readily used to train the employees. The key is to map it with the learning requirements before getting started. - Tap the Benefits of Online Courses
LinkedIn Learning, Lynda.com, Udemy, Skillshare etc. just a few names off the bat. But, there are many other online resources freely available to be used for training within SMBs. That’s hundreds and thousands of explainer videos, or other informative videos available just a click away, so tapping the benefits of such resources can assist SMBs in implementing a low-cost learning model. - Involve the In-house Team
Ever checked the resourcefulness of the In-house team? At times employees themselves can be the SMEs. So, utilize their expertise for creating effective eLearning, either in-house or in collaboration with experienced eLearning vendors. Vendors can also assist in finding the right low-cost model for the training requirements in SMBs.
With all the recent advances, authoring tools included, eLearning is no longer a distant dream for Small and medium businesses. It can now be used to the same effect as in enterprises to achieve the targeted organizational growth and performance outcomes.
Is yours’s an SMB looking for the right learning approach? Are you unsure about adopting eLearning? Do you need assistance in making the right choice? Just drop a message at info@www.knowzies.com, and we shall get back to you at the earliest.
