Digital transformation.
It seems everywhere you turn in the corporate world there are talks about digital transformation. There’s a pretty good reason for that too. Legacy software is getting replaced, systems from Excel are being formalized into software, and even old paper-based reports are being transitioned into a digital format.
From implementing new technologies to streamlining processes, businesses are undergoing a significant shift known as digital transformation. However, with this transformation comes a lot of pressure on employees to acquire the necessary skills and knowledge to navigate these changes effectively.
Unfortunately, nobody comes with all the prerequisite knowledge of business technology, not even the youngest of employees. While it’s nice to think younger employees grew up with technology and therefore pick it up easily, this couldn’t be further from the truth.
If we’re going to go down the route of overly generalistic generational stereotypes, take a look at this article about Gen Z and what they feel they lack in job skills. In surveys, they’re more worried about learning hard skills than soft skills. Those hard skills include technical skills which are part of digital transformation.
One of the most in-demand types of training is hard skills, especially technical training.
That means they need training and lots of it when it comes to digital transformation. That’s why digital training is essential. Not only that, many of the systems that training is needed in are custom and therefore also require custom digital training.
As companies embark on their digital transformation journey, they’ll quickly realize that providing generic, one-size-fits-all training programs simply won’t cut it. Instead, organizations are turning to custom training solutions tailored to their specific needs and goals.
Not only that but people in the workplace prefer a less constricting style of work from working from home to taking training at their own pace. That means traditional training methods such as classroom-style training and even some instructor-led training have had their day.
Custom digital training offers a more innovative and engaging approach, especially for company technology. Cutting-edge methods like custom software simulations and eLearning are more powerful ways to teach the hard skills that all employees need in the workplace in the overwhelming digital transformation.
More immersive and realistic training experiences not only equip employees with technical skills but also empower them to embrace digital transformation with confidence. By investing in custom digital training, companies are ensuring their workforce is well-prepared to tackle the challenges and opportunities of digital transformation.
Software simulations is the best way for employees to learn coroporate software.
From upskilling employees on the latest software tools to providing in-depth knowledge about emerging technologies such as generative AI, custom training programs enable organizations to bridge the skills gap and foster a culture of continuous learning.
If you’re looking to make the most of your company’s digital transformation journey, consider custom digital training the ideal solution. Take a look at how tailored training solutions will revolutionize your organization’s approach to digital transformation.
What Is Digital Transformation?
Lots of people are talking about it and it’s quite the buzzword but what does it mean?
It refers to the process of integrating digital technologies into all aspects of a company’s operations, fundamentally changing how the company operates and delivers value to its customers.
Digital transformation goes beyond simply adopting new technologies; it involves a complete rethinking of business models, processes, and customer experiences. Sometimes it could also involve updating an outdated system.
Digital transofmration is the process of integrating digital technologies into all apsects of a company’s operations.
Because technology is always changing, digital transformation is a process that will never end. Even though a system is digitized that doesn’t mean it won’t ever be updated or the technology driving it isn’t outdated.
It typically also requires organizations to leverage data and analytics, and more and more today means cloud computing, artificial intelligence, and other emerging technologies that drive innovation to gain a competitive edge.
The Importance of Digital Training in Today’s Business Landscape
It’s not just technology that changes and systems being updated. People have to adjust to the technology, learn about it, and training must be sufficient for digital transformation to work.
No digital transformation strategy is complete without detailed thought put into how employees will be trained. Digital training is important because it’s an effective and efficient way of training employees. No matter how old an employee is they will always need training on corporate technology. It’s not necessarily soft skills that younger generations lack, it’s hard skills including technical training.
As companies dive deeper into their digital transformation journey, one critical aspect that often gets overlooked is the need for proper training. Without equipping employees with the necessary skills and knowledge to navigate this new digital landscape, companies risk digital transformation efforts being in vain.
Aside from implementing the technology itself, digital training is one of the most important aspects of digital transformation.
Traditional training methods aren’t efficient nor do most employees prefer them. They’re no longer desirable to a large portion of employees nor are they sufficient for the needs of a fast-paced workplace.
Coroporate technology is anything but generic therefore generic training programs won’t cut it either. Any generic technology (Microsoft 365) for the most part can have off-the-shelf training. But for most company systems and processes, generic training won’t cut it.
Custom digital training is essential to most organization’s success. It helps prepare employees to do their job and to do it well. It also reduces turnover and is a great way to make sure employees are well-prepared for their jobs.
The Benefits of Custom Digital Training
Successful digital transformation can only come about with digital training, not traditional forms of training. Custom digital training offers several advantages over traditional training methods.
These are some of the benefits of backing a positive digital transformation strategy with digital training solutions.
Whenever & Wherever
Just as digital transformation has led to a freedom that employees have never before experienced in their jobs, digital training offers freedom that also never existed before with training. Now rather than employees being tied to a conference room during a specific time for training they can take training whenever and wherever.
Just like employees are mobile, their training should also be and digital training is exactly that, mobile. It can be done from a laptop, tablet, and sometimes even a phone. There are tons of ways to offer employees the right type of training that they can take at their own pace (whenever) and wherever they are.
Real Training
Rather than having an instructor drone on in front of everyone, digital training can prepare employees rather than give them train brain. That means employees can practice with real challenges and for corporate software in realistic software simulations.
The training can be more interactive and valuable but it can also be custom to each employee’s role. That means they can get realistic practice for their job specifically rather than generic training about software.
It’s easy for employees to learn how to use company systems for their jobs when it’s directly applicable to how they’ll use the system in their jobs.
Affordable & Scalable
Digital training solutions are extremely affordable. While custom eLearning development can be costly to create, it gets extremely affordable the more employees take it. Digital training isn’t just eLearning, though. It can be performance support also which is one of the most affordable methods of training.
Depending on the needs of the training, performance support as well as eLearning and other forms of digital training are all scalable and affordable methods of delivering training for any digital transformation project.
There are many more benefits of digital training solutions. We even wrote an entire post about the benefits of implementing corporate IT training programs. Through the digital transformation of many organization initiatives, there remains a skills gap. Let’s take a look at how custom training solutions help address it.
Addressing the Skills Gap Through Custom Training Solutions
One of the biggest challenges companies face during their digital transformation journey is bridging the skills gap. It’s not beneficial to the organization or employees to assume they’ll learn new technology as it’s deployed in the company.
So, the only way to address the employee skills gap is to make sure they’re trained on how to use the technology for their job. Because some company software and the processes for it are unique for each organization, that means custom training is necessary.
It’s impossible to deploy off-the-shelf training solutions for corporate IT technology that has been customized or the process is so unique it’s impossible for generic training to work. It’s also not fair to expect employees to make the connection from what they’re learning to using the system to do their jobs. Often the disconnect is too large and how skill gaps are created.
Digital transformation creates a skills gap and digital training can close it.
Then there are new jobs that come about from digital transformation. As technology evolves rapidly, the demand for specialized skills in areas such as data analytics, cybersecurity, and artificial intelligence continues to grow. Either current employees need to be upskilled or new employees with those skills are needed.
Custom training solutions offer a way to address this skills gap effectively. By providing employees with the opportunity to upskill or reskill in these emerging areas, organizations can build a workforce that is equipped to handle the demands of digital transformation. Custom training programs can be designed to cover specific skill sets required by the company, ensuring that employees are prepared for the challenges ahead.
Fostering a Culture of Continuous Learning
With every digital transformation initiative comes the need for more training. Just like every organization should have a culture that learns to grow with change, it’s also necessary to continuously learn. That means every organization requires a culture of continuous learning.
That’s what will set apart organizations that slowly lose out in their market to those who excel.
Digital transformation is not a one-time event, it’s an ongoing process. As technologies evolve and new opportunities arise, companies need to foster a culture of continuous learning within their organization. Custom digital training plays a crucial role in this aspect.
Providing quality trainining through digital transformation encourages a culture of continuous learning.
Employees won’t have a mindset of continuous learning if they’re not provided the opportunity to learn. By investing in custom training programs, companies demonstrate their commitment to employee development and growth through all the changes. It sends a clear message that learning is valued and encouraged at all levels of the organization.
This not only helps attract top talent but also improves employee retention rates as individuals feel supported in their professional development journey. If your organization doesn’t have a solid plan for corporate IT training then now is a good time to make the case for digital training.
Making the Case for Custom Digital Training in Your Organization
If you’re still unsure about whether custom digital training is right for your organization’s digital transformation journey, consider this: investing in your employees’ skills and knowledge will directly impact your company’s success.
One of the biggest differentiators between a company employees want to work for and one they leave quickly is whether the company invests in their employees or not. While pay is a factor in how much employees feel valued, there are other more important factors.
In every list on the internet of important factors for happy employees is whether employees have growth opportunities and professional development. An important way to show you value your employees is by providing them with training that is effective, valuable, and helps them grow.
Employees want (and will be more loyal to) a company that cares about their growth and will train them properly.
Custom digital training enables organizations to stay ahead of the curve by equipping their workforce with the tools they need to embrace change and drive innovation. It ensures that employees are confident and competent when it comes to using new technologies and using them in a way that’s helpful in their jobs.
Because every company is unique, every corporate IT training effort should also be unique. If doing right by your employees isn’t the best case for custom digital training in your organization then I don’t know what is. It’s the only way to help your organization navigate the complexities that are involved in digital transformation.
Wrap Up
Custom digital training is essential for companies navigating their digital transformation journey. It provides solutions that help employees change with ease as the organization and systems change. It also helps address specific employee needs and provides them with a unique and helpful way to learn new technology and how it’s used for their job.
By investing in custom training programs, organizations can bridge the skills gap, foster a culture of continuous learning, and propel their company toward success in the digital age. Don’t miss out on the opportunity to unlock the full potential of your workforce and embrace digital transformation with confidence.
We work with organizations every day that are going through a digital transformation in any number of departments or organization-wide. The custom digital training we build is geared toward helping employees do their jobs better while easily navigating organizational change. Schedule a free consultation so we can discuss your big digital transformation and how we can help your employees thrive through it.