Average Rating

     

Localised businesses are very rapidly becoming a thing of the past as companies take full advantage of progress in communications and infrastructure to enter new markets and create new opportunities. Whilst these opportunities are seen as positive by many, globalisation does have a sting in its tail creating new challenges for business leaders. How can you stay ahead of the game?

Prenhall highlight the 3 main challenges for Human Resource Departments as:

1. Having the right skills where they are needed.
2. Spreading knowledge and practices consistently throughout the organisation.
3. Identifying and developing talent on a global basis.

A key theme emerging from these points is the importance of consistency. For the right skills to be deployed where they are required there must be a uniform system in place or training management software to identify these needs otherwise it is simply a subjective exercise. Brands are increasingly global in nature; consumers expect to receive the same service from your brand wherever they are globally, therefore training and brand identity has a requirement to be consistent to achieve consumer demands. So how can such consistency be achieved through a learning management system?

The foundation of any good HR strategy is an LMS  which can be utilised to ensure such consistency throughout a business. Multilingual capabilities are increasingly becoming a necessity as businesses expand their employee base to allow ease of use for all. Why have multiple systems when you can implement one uniform solution with the communication tools to reach a larger audience? Why settle for a bland LMS which doesn’t integrate your brand message when there is the option to brand the learner portal on multiple levels enforcing your company’s message in a consistent manner?

These tools are all invaluable to any HR department and are all part of the accessplanitLMS solution, incorporating powerful reporting and communication features to enable you to make the most of your workforce.

Contact us today to find out more about how accessplanit can help streamline your global HR processes and make the most of international opportunities.

Dave Evans

Read More » Comments »

Average Rating

     

For some time annual conference and exhibition events have been delivering the ideal hunting ground for service providers looking to showcase their latest services and products to their target market, and for opportunistic business people to interact with like-minded individuals and buy into the latest ideas and concepts to support them in becoming more effective in their job. The Learning and Technologies Show is no different, and this year the hosts promise to put on another incredible event.

The conference and exhibition formula works, otherwise halls up and down the country wouldn’t be packed out each week with stalls, seminars and presentations filling up packed daily schedules. However, while these events are well-attended, that can’t be denied, how many visitors go to along equipped with a strategy that will ensure they get the most return for sacrificing a day or two out of the office?

From our experience, not very many. So, to ensure that you get the most from the next conference or event, follow accessplanit’s top tips on how to prepare for the next time you leave the exhibition hall you have more than just a bag full of branded pens, pencils and mousemats…

1. Prepare: Just because the event planner’s marketing team has told you that each and every seminar at the conference is a “must attend”, it’s crucial that you do some prep work yourself. Be clear on what the key issues are for your business right now, and align those objectives with the sessions you attend. Also, find out who is speaking and identify whether anyone is particularly ‘cutting edge’ in terms of where the market is going and how it will develop.

2. Benchmark: You’ll be inundated with representatives from stalls wanting to talk to you about their latest products and services, but have a strategy in place from the start as you will struggle to have good conversations with every single one. As an example, see this as a benchmarking opportunity, so look at all your current suppliers, find out who is in direct completion with them, and see if you could be getting a better deal somewhere else.

3. Smartphones: Unless you’re part of an anti-tech clan, you’ll have a mobile phone with decent camera functionality, and a busy conference is the ideal place to use it. Instead of frantically writing down notes on each and every new piece of tech that you think might be able to half your workload, take pics to remind yourself later.

4. Networking: Don’t be too selfless either, it’s good to seize the opportunity to find out more about how the latest providers can help your business, but also remember that you are surrounded by individuals working in the same industry as you, and the power of networking should never be ignored. Think about those who are a few rungs above you on the corporate ladder, and consider how they could help you to catch up. If you get a chance, find out who is attending and which company they are from, you can make a beeline for then during breaks.

5. Be ruthless: Exhibition and conferences are a crucial time for service and product providers, and it makes no sense to waste people’s time. So, by following step 1 and having a clear idea of what you want to get from the exhibition you will ensure that you don’t waste anyone’s time. Don’t stand around and let an exhibitor talk and talk if you have absolutely no interest in the product in question or it it’s totally irrelevant to your business. Of course, if there is a chance that you could invest or are keen to learn more about the company, stay and talk, but if not take a ruthless approach and move on to the next stand.

6. Visit accessplanit: Of course, the best way to get the most from the Learning and Technologies show 2013 is to visit the experts – accessplanit. We’re exhibiting at stand 67 over the two days and will be on hand to explain just how our revolutionary training manager software can cut administration and costs, while helping businesses to market and sell their training courses in a far more effective way.

Training Management Software developer, accessplanit, has years of experience in exhibiting at conferences, and later this month will not only be exhibiting at the Leaning Technologies show, but running a seminar session as well. If you would like to hear more about accessplanit and the products it has developed for the learning industry, call the team on 0845 5430229 or email enquiries@accessplanit.com.

Read More » Comments »

Average Rating

     

In challenging economic times the need for motivated and well-trained employees has kept the training industry booming, but in order to maintain development in a cost-effective pattern, organisations must initially understand how and what employees want to learn.

Communicating to your entire workforce and asking them about their learning preferences can be done with the click of a few buttons and the right software. By using Training Management Software, the process of surveying employees is automated and allows for a powerful drill down of reporting and filtering of results.

This can help get to the root of any issues that may be preventing an organisation from fulfilling its potential. The drawbacks can often be that the administrative tasks involved in sending out the surveys and collating the results is too time-consuming. In many cases, the will is there but the resource simply isn’t available. However by utilising the software available at organisations such as accessplanit, these tasks and process can be streamlined with powerful functionality and automated communication within your business.

"The Customer Comes Second: Put Your People First and Watch 'em Kick Butt,” explains Hal Rosenbluth, Senior Consultant To The Chief Executive Officer For Health Care Services at Walgreen Co.

Delivering surveys is a way of establishing a line of communication throughout your business which is reciprocal, insightful and efficient. However, nobody likes filling out long or drawn out surveys, and a lot of people may understandably need a little nudge. Here are three ways accessplanit recommend you getting the most from your training survey…

Provide Incentives

Incentivising your employees to complete the surveys will help increase participation and in the long run benefit both the organisation and the employees themselves. Many find the idea of completing surveys a hassle so rewarding them for the effort will go a long way. They can be small things like vouchers, or an entry into a prize draw, but can still go a long way considering the value of the information and feedback.

Online Completion

Creating and sending out the surveys online and by using a training administration software allows you and your business to customise and brand your feedback forms as well as benefit from the efficiency of reaching hundreds within seconds. The lives of your employees are also made easier by being able to complete and send back their forms with ease. Employees are far more likely to trust and respond to a survey with their employee brand (logo and colours) included.

Simple Layout

Keep the design and layout simple, don’t over complicate. Features of training management software also include the tools to build a reusable form that includes check boxes, radio buttons and free text options to not only make the form as simple to fill out as possible but also to make information easier to decipher and analyse.

Surveying employees to find out exactly what type of training and development is sought after will not only give individuals control over how they enhance skills and knowledge within the business, but also ensure that training budget is being allocated in a direction that drives good return on investment. By using the appropriate technology to administer this kind of survey will make gathering results far easier and encourage more employees to take part.

Speak to accessplanit today to find out exactly how our training management software enables companies to run these surveys. Demo the software for FREE. Call the team on 0845 543 0229 or email enquiries@accessplanit.com.

Read More » Comments »

Average Rating

     

Learning: how it’s changed over the years.

Back in the day you had the blackboard at the front of the classroom, with chalk and board rubbers. These were then replaced with the revolutionary white board and markers, which at the time were the height of technological advancement.

As with all advancements, they soon slowed down and were eventually overtaken by interactive whiteboards which encouraged more independent study and promoted presentation skills. Today the future is again even brighter with some schools rolling outiPadsfor children to use in their personal learning within a classroom environment. The core skills of teaching and training have remained the same, but the capabilities and advanced features embedded within a course management system have pushed the delivery of content into a state of constant evolution.

In many cases these shifts in technological advancements are being happily embraced and both schools and training companies are showing a willingness to advance their technological know-how in order to make sure that their delivery is as up to date and relevant as it can be.

Yet we know that resistance remains to eLearning and, to an extent, the learning management system, remains.

The following THREE points outline the ways that most resistance to advancement is learning technology is experienced. These aren’t just localised barriers faced by individual companies they are felt countrywide in an industry that is feeling the push towards progression more than others.

Loss of quality delivery: at the back of your mind you know that eLearning is the way forward, but not knowing what it involves or how you will be able to get it to satisfy clients and deliver your training in the way that you are currently, is the real issue. You can remedy this with simple training that identifies just how you can implement eLearning and transfer content from more traditional bases onto a digital platform. A good software provider will not leave you in the lurch!

Read More » Comments »

Average Rating

     

Much has been said about the athletes and their preparation levels. Much has also been said about the building of new stadia to house the biggest sporting event in the world, but little has been mentioned to date about the gigantic people management task that the Olympic Committee has been facing in the run up to the London 2012 Games.

The committee face some classic people management challenges, namely:

• Need to upskill a large number of individuals
• Working with a large number across a large geographical area (it’s not just ‘London’ involved in London 2012, you know)
• Having to motivate teams to the point that they ‘want’ to drive up performance

Many businesses have mastered the art of people management where these challenges exist. The more sophisticated technological advances that are available to employers, usually in the shape of a training management system or a learning management system, can overcome issues associated with distance and time.

The question is, how equipped is the Olympic Committee to deal with these issues? Here are THREE key challenges that it could well be facing in the run up to the Games along with the ways in which training systems could be the solution…

Working across multiple locations

Adopting traditional methods of training, such as classroom-based learning, when your delegates are based in different locations, is not the most effective route to take.

For the Olympic Committee, having to train and develop skills of customer service staff, advisers and many more positions who are based in multiple locations, including Coventry, Windsor, Manchester and Cardiff, integrating technology into the training process is best practice.

It is far more effective to develop an eLearning programme that delegates can log into at home or wherever they can connect to the internet, via a learning management system, and develop skills. Remove the geographical barrier, and make use of the internet. Videos can be very effective in the learning process and these can be embedded into an online learning programme.

Up-skilling to similar standards in time for the Games

One of the toughest challenges for the Olympic Committee is going to be related to upskilling staff to the right level ahead of the Games – especially if the trainers are not conducting classroom-based learning programmes.

If there is an element of online learning, the committee can utilise some of the more sophisticated reporting functionality within a training management system. In fact, the training team can assess where each delegate is in the learning cycle of each training programme. This kind of insight means any individuals falling behind can be focused on at an early stage.

Managing last minute changes to courses

Training and developing new employees for an event as important as the Olympics is not just something that applies pressure on the actual up-skilling, it also has an impact on whoever is managing the training. While we would always advocate eLearning, for something as large scale as the Olympics there will have to be elements of face-to-face training.

Via a learning management system, trainers can see in real time where and when training programmes are taking place and also get in touch with delegates at the last minute if they have to.

Functionality like SMS text messaging mean that training programmes can be more resilient to last minute changes, such as switching to a new training room or the need to include alternative content in the learning programme. If management teams need to get hold of a delegate, or a group of delegates with a quick message, text messaging is quick and efficient for anyone on the move.

As London 2012 edges closer and closer the need to ensure that all those working on behalf of the British Olympics have had the right amount of training and learning increases. Just like HR teams up and down the country, the Olympic Committee has a duty to manage the people representing the nation to visitors during the summer.

And, when time is short but need is great, there will be a clear need for the committee to be using every tool possible to ensure it is being efficient and effective in the up-skilling process.

If you work in HR and would like to hear how accessplanit’s software could manage your entire learning and development function, with accurate reporting and eLearning programmes, get in touch today. We’re available to talk on 0845 543 0229 or by emailing enquiries@accessplanit.com.

Read More » Comments »

Average Rating

     

Learning and development remains one of the key focus points of the modern day HR function. The mutual benefits of training employees and up-skilling have been well documented. Retention rates rise, motivation is bolstered and productivity heads in the exactly the same direction.

Today the question is this: what role is technology playing in developing this critical feature of HR, and perhaps more importantly, what do the forward thinking departments actually look like in 2012?

Many have implemented elements and levels of a training management system to increase efficiency and streamline processes, because after all, managing the training schedule for 100’s of employees who are keen to develop their skills and knowledge can be quite an undertaking.

Let’s take a closer look. Here are FIVE of the key areas that HR teams are automating and implementing new technology when it comes to learning…

Online booking

Once HR teams would have employees fill out sheets of paper with details of the course they want to attend. That would then get signed off by a manager, and the individual was given access to the training.

Worryingly, some department may still operate in this way. But, what happens when there’s one place left on a programme, one person applies and just as it’s getting signed off, another person applies? Over-bookings happen all too easily, they cause headaches for everyone involved.

Online booking gives attendee and HR real time information. If there are ten places left on a course, that’s what the system will say. And, if there are ten places left but ten are pending sign off – that’s what the system can report.

Surveys and feedback

The most valuable information around training, for those investing in it, is post-learning. The feedback will make or break the training and development programme – so how does HR collect that vital information, and is it a fair reflection of what happened when it does turn up?

It has been the case in the past that HR teams have relied on handwritten happy sheets (very basic questionnaires) that have been filled out in a rush by delegates heading for the door after an intense two-day learning programme. That makes no sense.

Today HR teams are wising up to the fact that gleaming this information from individuals a day or two after the event, when people are in less of a rush is far more productive. When this process is completed online via a training management system it’s even more effective. HR decision makers can see powerful information at a glance, not have to sift through pages of notes just to see if any patterns or trends are emerging. This is a simple way for HR to earn more return on their training investment.

e-Learning

The world of learning is ever-changing. Classrooms are not the only option today and now that the benefits of flexible working have been understood, now it’s time to understand the benefits of flexible learning. If employees want to take control of their working week, why shouldn’t they be able to decide when they learn as well?

They should, and in many companies they can. Via an e-Learning programme (which can be created and designed by the HR team), individuals can log in and learn at a time that suits them.

If the climb in flexible working practice has taught us anything it’s that people are different, and want to work in different ways. HR acknowledges this and via flexible learning and working, many departments are respecting it too.

Course management

As I mentioned earlier, no matter how big the group is or the pool of potential learners at your company, training requires management. The extent to how that management becomes a burden on the entire HR team is another matter entirely.

Modern day HR departments streamline the management of courses with course management software. What does this actually relate to? Booking classrooms, ensuring that everyone knows where and when to arrive, and joining information are all potential administrative nightmares for HR. Course management software , however, allows the function to completely automate.

In one example, a classroom has been booked for 20 employees to learn about a new piece of software that has been developed within the IT department. Five minutes before the event, the company that rents out the classrooms calls to say there is a problem and the class has been moved to a different venue. HR can manage this disruption by automatically sending an SMS text message to all attendees. This course can start on time, and there has been no need to re-schedule any part.

Legal compliance

Particularly important in terms of health and safety, the modern day HR department is automating the way in which is manages how compliant employees within the business are. So, if in a construction company it is necessary for employees operating certain machinery to be tested and qualified at least annually, HR will be responsible for ensuing this is the case.

Once it would involve check lists and spreadsheets that no doubt got mislaid. It was an ineffective way to manage a serious area of the business. The modern day HR function can automate this process with training management software .

This means that the system will automatically email the individual and the line manager or HR representative responsible for the compliance each time the qualifying criteria becomes close to renewal. When it’s joined up, the software can even notify the trainer as well. This means that the employees is automatically sent joining instructions and can book the course online.

Speak with accessplanit today if you’d like to find out how training management software can automate the learning and development processes within your HR team. All of the above areas can be easily automated and streamlines. Call us on 0845 543 0229 or email enquiries@accessplanit.com and we’ll set you up for a FREE demo.

Read More » Comments »

Average Rating

     

Read More » Comments »

Average Rating

     

Over the past year or so we have had many organisations contact us as they are looking to transfer existing classroom based courses into e -learning or by supplementing classroom courses with e-learning.

The difficulty all these organisation have faced is finding a solution that will enable them to upload, sell and deliver elearning through their website without requiring a huge investment or specialist technical knowledge.   This demand led to us creating a new edition of the LMS -   accessplan eCommerce LMS . Accessplan LMS eCommerce edition combines e-commerce facilities with a powerful learning management and marketing tools giving training companies all the tools they need to deploy elearning that customer are demanding quickly and easily.  

In the last 12 months the eCommerce edition has won a Brandon Hall award for  “Best Advance in Learning Technology For External Training” , it was also picked out by visitors to Learning Technologies 2011 as ‘One to watch in 2011’ .  

We are hosting webinars on 17th and 25th February where we will be showing training organisations how they can sell online courses (e-learning courses). Please click here to register.


Related Blog:
Training Providers Consider eLearning

Read More » Comments »

Average Rating

     

Below is a terrific article from Elearning! Magazine for SMB and Franchise Owners who want to rapidly leapfrog their competitors via affordable SaaS Solutions. Take note as your organization can become a performance leader.

On-Demand Learning and Performance Solutions Can Improve Your Ability to Tackle Learning Challenges
Small and mid-size businesses (SMBs) are joining the e-learning and performance revolution in rapid succession.

The streamlined approach to e-learning offered by software-as-a-service (SaaS) models makes assessing, delivering and measuring training as common and critical to SMBs as they are to large enterprises. In fact, research by Bersin & Associates shows that approximately 20 percent of e-learning expenditures now come from companies with fewer than 1,000 employees, and the percentage is growing.

E-learning capabilities have become necessary for SMBs to compete and grow in a global economy. It is a strategic necessity to address the challenges of training widely-dispersed employees, business partners and customers that are diverse in terms of the work they do, their IT experience, and their educational background.

Similar to their large corporate counterparts, many SMBs are now considering a multi-stage approach to e-learning, starting with their own employees, and then extending to customers and ultimately channel partners. In fact, SMBs may actually have a competitive advantage over larger organizations when starting or expanding an e-learning program because they often have little or no legacy e-learning technology when compared with large organizations. SMBs can essentially “leapfrog” directly to the forefront of the latest e-learning technology and use it to maximize performance and revenues.

Four Steps
1. Start with Compliance - Sixteen states have laws and regulations requiring or encouraging sexual harassment prevention training. For example, in California, employers with at least 50 employees must provide supervisors with two hours of interactive harassment-awareness training every two years. Many SMB organizations are also impacted by other regulation compliance such as HIPAA, Sarbanes Oxley and OSHA. Each of these regulations has its own set of training requirements that SMBs are held to as much as large organizations. With requirements for logging and auditing compliance mounting, SMBs are consequently turning to e-learning to educate employees about legal requirements in the workplace.

SMBs with remote offices and global operations face extra challenges in delivering compliance training, tutorials and training courses to remote employees cost-effectively because of travel costs, long distances and a shortage of instructors. SMBs can implement focused, on-demand e-learning to develop critical compliance skills for workers engaged in businesses or operations across regions, national borders, cities or companies.

2. Align Goals to Improve Performance - SMB's seeking to unlock their company’s full potential ensure that all employees understand how each specific job/role contributes to achieving the company’s overall business goals. Success for the employee and the company can be driven by establishing a formal process for creating relevant goals for each employee, setting learning activities to support these goals, and monitoring/measuring performance against company objectives. Many SMBs are collecting positive results from this strategic approach to talent development and performance management, including:

• Employees and managers achieve more through greater visibility into both individual and company-wide goals.
• All employees have access to the strategic plan for the company’s success and understand how individual goals fit into the company’s business objectives. 
• Managers more easily stay in touch with employees’ progress during every phase of goal completion, and offer immediate reinforcement or coaching to keep performance and deadlines on track.

Getting started with performance management can be overwhelming to some SMBs — but it doesn’t have to be. Start with communicating and managing organizational core values to lay the groundwork for maximizing competencies and goals.

3. Build Customer Satisfaction - From an internal learning perspective, SMBs can lessen growing pains associated with improving and maintaining high service levels by using e-learning. Call centers, sales and service staff are crucial to maintaining customer relationships, so offering updated, consistent, on-demand training for employees in those areas can have a direct impact on profits.

From an external training perspective, customers increasingly seek value-added services when choosing between competing providers and desire access to on-demand training resources. Enterprises can use e-learning with customers to support after-sales services to improve customer satisfaction and retention. For example, a small software company can make training available through an e-learning portal to it’s customers about how to use the specific product modules. In addition, many SMBs offer training for a fee to customers as an additional revenue stream.

4. Improve Channel Readiness - Delivering knowledge, information and training to an audience beyond employees is one of the fastest-growing segments of the learning industry, increasing at an annual pace better than 25 percent (Bersin & Associates). Similarly, competitive SMBs are looking outside of their own organizations for revenue opportunities and partnerships that can help expedite the distribution of their products and services. These outward-facing, revenue-building initiatives will require the delivery of training, certification programs and knowledge assets to an SMB organization’s extended enterprise of franchises/franchisees, partners, resellers, independent agents and distributor networks.

E-learning delivered online and on-demand can help organizations increase top-line revenue from more productive channels, enhance information sharing with external audiences, develop and rapidly deliver training, improve the quality and convenience of training to an external audience, and reach large audiences at a fixed cost.

Realising the Benefits
Although SMBs are often structured and equipped differently than their larger competitors, their needs related to compliance, performance management and communicating with external learning audiences are just as significant. By properly approaching learning and performance management, SMBs can gain significant advantages against the competition.

Exploring the use of on-demand learning and performance solutions can dramatically improve an SMB’s ability to tackle learning and performance management challenges for internal and external audiences with greater efficiency and influence.

You are invited to learn more about available and affordable training tools to enhance your business at our free, live webinar . Please register below: 

Affordable, Effective Training for SMB's
Wednesday, July 28th, 2010
1:00pm - 1:30pm GMT
Register Here - Space is Limited

Read More » Comments »

Average Rating

     

E-learning is dead, long live E-learning. We say this because E-learning has become so prevalent in today’s society, it has overwhelmingly bridged the gap between work-based learning and traditional classroom courses to offer the ultimate learning experience.

What in essence is thought of as E-learning or Social Learning is actually being practised each and every day through face-to-face teaching.

There are several ways in which this has happened:  

Social Media Tools
Sites such as Youtube, Facebook and Twitter are used in classrooms and seminars as well as to engage learners in the workplace.

Blogs
No longer are blogs confined as do-at-home ditties; they’re now used in classrooms as personal web spaces to produce and submit work and creative ideas.

Presentations
Sites such as SlideShare can host presentations which are often used in lectures. Students will then log-on at home to go over the presentations again – probably as they were too busy texting during the initial display!

Recordings
Tools such as Echo360 and Camtasia help us record lectures to keep a record of both the content but also to make it available for recap and revision purposes – this was originally used as the only way to deliver the materials to online learners.

Email and More
Learners have always used email to contact teaching staff, as well as discussion boards and forums for support, subject-specific activities, FAQs and more. These days, online and face-to-face students use the same tools.

These are all tools and activities that were once used solely to engage and encourage geographically-disparate learners, but are now being used increasingly for corporate learning initiatives, often in a way that can increase the quality of teacher-contact time the learners have.

Read More » Comments »