In today's digital world, it is crucial to keep up to date with emerging technology and take advantage of software available to improve your business performance. We recently attended LearnTech and it was eye-opening to hear some of the key trends in the training industry. It was surprising to find that many businesses still rely on manual course administration without exploring the benefits of automation!
Exploring trends in training and learning
The LearnTech exhibition held at Olympia, London last week proved to be as busy as ever, appealing to a wide cross section of learning professionals. It certainly lived up to it's reputation as the show to attend to find out what's available and current. The range of products and services on offer was extensive with most exhibitors busy conversing with delegates and demonstrating their products.
We really enjoy attending LearnTech exhibitions and continually expanding our knowledge of the training industry. We were able to speak to a number of HR professionals and training companies interested in the benefits of automating course administration. Systems in general appeared to be a hot topic this year, and it’s easy to understand why. With ever increasing squeezes on training budgets, every penny counts, so what better way to stretch the budget than reducing administration and reporting time.
Triggers for change
What interests me however, is what triggers the need for change? And, once a need is identified what’s the first step in the supplier selection process? We recently produced a software buyers guide which you may find useful if you are in the process or considering automation.
The Guide explores the selection process in detail including questions to ask post and pre demo, as well as reasons which may trigger the need. For example:-
- Do you manually book delegates and distribute invoices?
- Is it easy for delegates to cancel, rebook and be added to waiting lists?
- Do you currently offer discounts, special offers or promotions?
- Do you use a number of venues, hire external trainers and manage an inventory of equipment?
- Do you lose track of how many pieces of communication you issue to delegates, trainers, venues or suppliers related to one course?
- Do your trainers have mobile access to course delegate lists, sign in sheets and course documents?
- Is reporting such as tracking attendance and financials essential to your business?
Identifying your pain points is a great place to start, and if you know what you need, you have a much better chance of getting it. Often the trigger for change can be an expansion of course activity or simply the realisation that automation will facilitate growth.
If automation is something you have recently explored or instigated, I would love to hear your triggers for change. You can also read our article Do I Need A New Training Management System to find out more about recognising the need for a change in business processes.
Other related articles include:
Training Management Software Demo: Questions You Should Ask
Can Training Management Systems Increase Training Quality
How Training Management Software Can Help The HR Team
