With the unwanted presents stuffed under the bed and all the leftover turkey used up in curries and stews, it is time to focus on the year ahead. This means cracking on with your 2016 training strategy. Does it include acquiring or upgrading training software? If it doesn't then it is definitely something that you should consider.
Today software is everywhere, from customer relationship to payroll to funeral (really) management. So why not training?
Software can impact a training business or learning and development department in a range of ways. Outlined below are some areas that I feel bring the biggest benefits for our customers.
4 ways software can enhance your training strategy
1. Organisation
It seems like an incredibly obvious one but being able to organise and plan courses easily and effectively is a major benefit of training management software.
From setting up a course template to avoid duplicating course information each time training is run to arranging venues, equipment and catering without having to ring around various different suppliers and departments.
2. Visibility
A training administration system provides the ability to view all courses at a glance using a course calendar with a range of views.
Finance is another key area where visibility can be poor but can be tackled easily using training software. Course viability is automatically calculated and an immediate overview can be accessed at the click of a button.
What about your trainers? Software allows them to log on to get an up to date delegate list or access their course schedule 24/7. This is particularly useful when running weekend courses where delegates can book last minute. Administrators can also schedule trainers to courses using a shared diary facility. The trainer will receive notification of the diary entry direct to their mobile and the ability to confirm or decline suitability.
3. Automation
Software can facilitate a wide range of automation.
Two key areas are communication and tasks. Set up both using triggers i.e. number of days before a course or course status with a reminder or an SMS to be sent to a course delegate.
How about as soon as a course has been completed a certificate is automatically generated and sent out? A pretty big time saver by any measure.
Another benefit which is often underestimated is reporting. Reports can be run automatically with statistics on the latest sales figures or details on which courses are under-booked, giving you time to up your marketing game. Reports that previously took hours to complete with information for management reporting, are now at your fingertips.
4. Improvements
Training software provides a great platform for gaining quality feedback. Collecting all survey responses online removes the need to collate the results of individual happy sheets on to a spreadsheet or input into a data system.
With answers typed instead of written they are all legible, and software will also collate and format answers, providing an at-a-glance data overview, i.e. 25% of delegates rated the informal discussion as ‘excellent’. The immediate course results overview or view over time allows businesses to make improvements and in turn enhance delegate experience.
Do you already have a software system in place? Check out this blog post to determine whether it is time to update your business software.
If you are interested in learning more about training benefits gained from software download free 10 ways to automate your training business eBook.
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