‘Channelize’ your eLearning Strategy

 

According to Statista, Youtube has 2.1 billion users in 2021 and according to the company, their users spend an average of 1 hour on the platform daily. Netflix on the other hand has 203 million+ paid subscribers and the company has seen 21.9% growth over last 12 months. eMarketer estimates that Netflix accounts for 25.7% of daily digital video time among US adults. This means that the average US adult spends 30 minutes a day watching Netflix.

 

 

These overwhelming numbers, do make us question the strategy behind such extraordinary user engagement? Is it just good content that keeps their audience glued or makes them come back for more or is it something else? Experts are of the opinion, that it is the suggestion engine that is driving the numbers, along with the presentation of that suggestion.

 

 

Youtube and Netflix are not just video streaming platforms anymore. They have now become content suggestion engines with the radical advancement in machine learning and artificial intelligence. These platforms are analyzing the user’s interaction with the content on the platform to suggest relevant content as per the user’s preference. The suggested content is further segregated into various categories based on the user’s past views on the platforms, their choice of language, geographical positioning, peer’s choice and so on. The user’s visit is incentivized by this service the platform is providing and their engagement with the platform increases with the sense of hyper-personalization. Netflix rakes in USD 1 billion each year by ensuring strong customer retention with the use of recommender engines, or the channel approach.

 

 

Now imagine, having the same strategy implemented for your learning delivery. Given the user’s behavior on these OTT platforms, one can safely bet on the effectiveness of a similar channel-based user interface on a learning platform. In 2018, Josh Bersin said that research has found out that employees have on an average 24 minutes to dedicate to learning. Learning providers have to strategically make most of this time and also create an affinity towards learning. The Netflix-like channel-based UI on a learning platform revolutionizes the way a learner receives content and consumes it. They not only receive the most relevant content in one glance, but the admin can push the most important courses, assessments, videos etc according to priority.

 

 

Sayan Guha, Product Head – Learning Technologies, G-Cube is a big advocate of this channel-based approach and says ‘When we talk of the Learn Tech industry, the scope is unimaginable for using the channel approach for learning personalization. Based on the learners’ interest, training history, and content consumption choices, the recommender algorithm can throw in incredibly useful training suggestions which will most definitely increase engagement and effectiveness of training. Our channel-based approach is driving high learning adoption for all kinds of learners, from leadership to sales teams to customers.’

 

 

How does channel-based approach facilitate learning?

 

• It helps categorize the learning content automatically based on keywords which also helps in keyword-based content search. For example – When a learner types/search a keyword- for example, ‘mobile hardware items’ they will find, anything related to it available on the LMS, even from the ‘recently uploaded’ or ‘about to expire’ items on their channels. Having this feature helps learners save time and effort.
• The channels are rule-based which means that once a new learning content is uploaded on the platform, the content will get automatically segregated in the relevant channel.
• Learning courses, assessments, certifications which must be completed within a certain date or have to be renewed can be highlighted in separate channel with alerts to the user.
• As the channels are programmable, admin can edit the channel placement through simple drag and drop to put the channels on the top whose content needs attention from the learner.
• Learner can see the recommended content based on their job roles, KPIs, past learning records and peer activity, all segregated into separate channels. Just like Netflix, G-Cube’s LMS home page looks different for different profiles as the learner can see content relevant to their profiles and recommendations.

 

 

AI advancements has taken over all aspects of digital experience of human beings – starting from how we listen to music to how we navigate our way to work. That is the level of efficiency and comfort your learners deserve in their learning journey as well. To know more about the programmable channel-based G-Cube LMS, write to us.

Choosing E learning Over Traditional Training

Whether you manage a warehouse or an online retail store, e learning leaves a significant impact on knowledge retention, customer satisfaction, and business productivity. The new-age employees want to access information that is personalized, just-in-time, and accessible. Therefore, most of the retail organizations are shifting towards increasing productivity and business ROIs through technology-driven learning. Most organizations adopt e learning as a significant aspect of training & development processes.

Why is Traditional Training Not Effective Enough?

With changing market dynamics, retail companies are shifting their focus towards improving optimal quality products and flawless customer experience. A viable way to achieve this is through e learning. Several reasons why traditional classroom-based approach could not go well for retail workforce training include:

• Continuous change

There is a constant update on the products and services delivered by retail organizations. The traditional method to train the workforce on product inventory and features is a time-consuming process, especially whenever there is any seasonal update. Consequently, employees fail to engage and retain for long, thereby affecting the overall business sales.

• High attrition

The retail sector faces a higher level of attrition as compared to other industries. Therefore, companies conduct employee onboarding programs at regular intervals that involve recurring costs, time, and effort.

How does E-learning help to Train Retail Workforce?

Today, e-learning is dominating the retail industry by evading challenges of classroom-based training- be it cost, accessibility, or convenience. Keeping the workforce abreast of new consumer products, services, and policies is key to organizational success. Enterprise e learning enables employees to undergo training on-demand, bridge skills-gaps, and improve sales. Several effective e learning solutions that cater to the retail sector training needs include the following:

• Mobile-aided learning

The delivery of personalized training content on bespoke mobile devices enable learners to learn anytime, anywhere, and on the go. Several retail companies create e-courses on specific products and services which employees can access to hone their skills and meet customer expectations.

• Video-based learning

Companies also create and deliver short video nuggets that are easy to access and quick to digest. Consequently, employees learn more, engage better, retain for long, and stay productive at the workplace.

• Simulations

Considering the need to train the salesforce in an immersive environment effectively, companies adopt a simulation-based approach. As a result, sales employees can access 360-degree videos and simulations to learn about new product features and benefits, thereby fostering customer relations, driving sales, and overall business productivity.

• Compliance training

For retail enterprises, there are several risks involved, such as risk management, workplace safety, safety hazards, and others. So, online training on regulatory compliance aids companies to comply with changing policies and enhance their brand presence in the market.

With technological advancements, retailers adopt e learning approach, which is flexible enough to cater to the pertinent training needs- be it onboarding, compliance, sales enablement, leadership training, and more.

How To Make Online Learning Courses Effective For Learners

In recent years, most of the companies prefer online learning for their organizational trainings. One may wonder the reason behind its growing popularity.

There are numerous reasons but the foremost is the fact that online learning courses give flexibility to learners to study and learn on “my time”. Though this flexibility might result in the deviation of learners from the learning process leading to poor performance, a key factor to the student success is “self-direction”.

Learners can become self-directed if they are motivated and have a sense of confidence. Here are few tips for online learners to make their online learning course more effective:

1. Know what all to study: Modules or content is a critical resource of any training. You must know the modules you need to study in order to successfully complete your online learning course within a time frame. You also need to be organized. So it is important to have a list of assignments, assessments or discussions to be taken during the course in your calendar with their due dates so that you do not miss them. A great idea would be to review instructions of the assignments and discuss with your mentor for any constraints. In case you think you will not be able to complete any of the assignments as per the due date then inform your instructor about the same.
2. Create a schedule: You must have a predictable schedule to allocate time for your online learning course. Pace yourself so that you don’t procrastinate. Plan a study time for each week allotting fixed number of hours.
3. Connect with your fellow learners: Be a part of the learning community and be an active part of discussion forums – in addition to completing the e-course. Use social platforms to connect with your fellow learners. You can have discussions with them on assignments and share documents with each other. Enjoy learning by teaching others what you're learning.  You'll retain the most important topics. This helps learners to learn from each other during the discussions and build up relationships with fellow learners.
4. Ask as many questions as possible: The more you ask, the more you will learn. Successful learners ask more questions during the classroom sessions which may follow, or any other platform of communication with the instructor. Be clear about your question, communicate it to the instructor properly and get clarification on all your doubts about the course concepts.

Organizations have an equal contribution to making online learning effective for their learners. Below are few tips for the organizations to increase the success rate of their learners:

1. Organizations should clearly state its expectations for learners from the online learning course. This will create a sense of responsibility in learners and they will be able to perform better.
2. Instructors should respond to student’s queries promptly. This will encourage them to ask more and more questions and make them understand the modules properly.
3. There may be cases when learners do not know how to be self-directed.  Give them understanding on the resources that supports them in developing self-direction.

I conclude by saying that making online learning effective is a challenge for both learners and organizations. However, if both overcome these challenges by following these simple steps using the available resources appropriately, then online learning is a reward for both learners and instructors. Like Donna J. Abernathy says, "Online learning is not the next big thing; it is the now big thing.”