An unfortunate inevitability of life is that there will always be risks. No matter how well-prepared we are there are pitfalls in every element of a training business, from launching new courses and targeting the most appropriate delegates, through to receiving fast payment and quality feedback. That's why training course automation is becoming standard practice with any organisation that provides training.
For training organisations, one of the risks can take the form of skills management; ensuring the right individuals have up to date qualifications for their job role. Another key risk could be missing out on sales opportunities due to not having the facility to book courses out of regular working hours.
Thankfully, there are ways to reduce risks so that you needn’t worry. When it comes to designing and delivering training programmes, one particularly useful safety net can be the use of training management software.
Reducing risks within training
Software for training companies can reduce a wide range of risk elements. Here are a few examples from our experience of working with training businesses and departments:
1. Lost Data
Anyone who has been using computers for a long time (the majority of us) will have their own individual horror story of their computer crashing, and all their data – spreadsheets, contacts, files, documents – disappearing beyond retrieval. You need only look at their expressions while recounting the event to know exactly how distressing that can be, along with the added stress and time vacuum of replacing it all from scratch. Today, system back-ups and automatic saving functions are standard, but with a cloud based LMS this risk can be completely removed.
An LMS stores vital information on courses, resources and delegates in one database, and the CRM feature of LMS for training companies will hold all crucial client information securely and effectively. Think about the actual programmes as well, internet-based eLearning is just that, ‘internet-based’, so cannot be lost when computers turn on their users.
We can’t promise your computer won’t give up the ghost, but you can minimise the risk of losing important data with cloud based (SaaS) training software.
2. Human error!
All it can take is a simple slip of the mind to miss out one detail, but when that one detail is an entire course, you’ve a mini disaster on your hands.
Training administration software can automate notifications to delegates. An online calendar is synced from all sources, and delegates are notified as and when their next appointment is close. Notifications can also be set to be sent out for confirmation, instructions, reminders and feedback forms.
Information is displayed in real time, and can even manage schedules from third parties. It can also be easily integrated into your existing website. If there’s a late change to the venue, for instance, you can even utilise software and send a last minute SMS text to the group – again, minimising the risk of a disaster.
3. Poor response to course renewals: Is no-one interested?
Training software includes a feedback system, which automatically sends out feedback forms to your course delegates. Feedback forms can be designed and formatted according to your brand, and can contain dynamic form items such as check boxes, radio buttons and free text options. The feedback is all conducted online and is collected as data for evaluation. With this data, you can instantly judge the popularity of courses and trainers, and plan for the future accordingly. Read more about how to gain quality feedback here.
4. Right people, wrong courses!
Skills profiling across an individual role or a group of roles will highlight skills gaps and training requirements. This can be particularly useful when specific courses or training is mandatory across the organisation. Using workflows and alerts within an LMS system can minimise risk and ensures that your organisation remains complaint at any given time.
We all make mistakes, but using training software will reduce the risk so that if you do, the results won’t be quite so dramatic. To read more about what we think are the 5 costliest mistakes made by training companies download this free eBook.
Other articles you might find interesting include:
Automated Training Calendars Make Fewer Mistakes
Could a Training Management System Change Your Training Business For The Better?
