Some software is fairly standard across companies. Things like Microsoft 365 (formerly Office) don’t vary significantly, so off-the-shelf training is generally sufficient.
However, most company software has very specific processes and workflows. While most organizations use Salesforce, it can be customized to perform various tasks in multiple ways, making off-the-shelf training ineffective.
Custom online training for employees is the most efficient way to train them when this is the case. It will consistently boost employee efficiency.
Read on if you’re tired of watching employees struggle to navigate company software. Off-the-shelf training programs don’t cut it when it comes to teaching employees how to use specific software and processes unique to your organization.
Efficiency in your organization is essential, and employees can’t be efficient if they don’t have proper software training. Every minute wasted trying to figure out how to use software or searching for a solution is a minute that could have been spent on important tasks.
That’s why companies must provide their employees with the necessary skills and knowledge to use the software they rely on daily effectively.
Companies that provide employees the necessary technical training will excel.
While off-the-shelf training programs can be a great starting point for generic software, when it comes to custom software or software with highly specific processes, a one-size-fits-all approach won’t do.
Custom online training for employees is the best solution available. This tailored training solution is designed to meet your company’s unique needs for its software.
By creating a training program that addresses your organization’s specific processes, workflows, and challenges, you can ensure that employees have the necessary skills to excel.
Employees can get up to speed faster with more relevant knowledge, which helps them be more productive in their jobs. A custom solution means no more irrelevant content or struggling to apply generic concepts to your company’s software.
With high-quality online training, employees can access interactive and engaging training modules that are directly applicable to their jobs. It can walk them through important aspects of the software, enabling them to do their job more efficiently with less wasted time on detailed yet generic and irrelevant training.
It’s also nice when employees can learn at their own pace, whenever and wherever it’s most convenient for them, eliminating costly in-person training sessions.
With the ability to track progress and gather better data, you can better tune training for continuous improvement. Why settle for off-the-shelf or outdated training that falls short of meeting your company’s unique software needs?
You should embrace custom online employee training to help them be more efficient, productive, and confident in their work. Off-the-shelf training is typically more affordable than custom training, but it has some limitations.
The Limitations of Off-the-Shelf Training Programs
While off-the-shelf training programs can be a good solution for generic software, they won’t work for custom software and processes. There’s not a lot of company software with no custom configuration or processes, meaning custom training is required.
Off-the-shelf training is available for purchase from third parties, such as training for Microsoft 365 or other standard programs that are the same in every organization. You can find those types of training on platforms like LinkedIn Learning and Udemy.
They’re designed to cover various software applications for any industry and type of work. They’re not specific to a role or anything else. You get what they give you, and they’re affordable because the company selling them appeals to the masses and, therefore, sells more.
Generic training only works for software that is the same across all organizations.
Using non-custom training for something that requires a somewhat custom process won’t end well. Employees may find themselves wasting time on irrelevant content or struggling to apply generic concepts to your company’s software.
Custom online training for employees overcomes these limitations. By tailoring training to your company’s specific processes, workflows, and challenges, you ensure that employees receive the knowledge and skills they need to use the software.
There’s nothing extra, and you can use scenarios that directly apply to your employees, making the training highly relevant. Custom digital training for company software offers numerous benefits.
The Benefits of Custom Online Training for Company Software
Custom online training offers numerous benefits for companies looking to maximize employee efficiency with their software. One of the key advantages is that custom training is efficient, as it applies directly to your employees’ jobs and doesn’t include anything they don’t need to learn.
In other words, the training can be highly tailored to include only what employees will use, rather than everything about the software. If you train on everything, you might as well train on nothing.
Not only that, but quality custom software simulations can be more effective. It helps employees by giving them realistic practice for tasks by having them perform the process in a safe environment.
Rather than traditional classroom training or other types of instructor-led training, custom online training can incorporate multimedia elements, such as videos, interactions, and simulations. Custom learning experiences are always more enjoyable and effective when done well.
Custom online training is the perfect match for training employees on company software.
It also helps that training can be more strategically built by covering only what’s needed immediately and reserving less commonly performed tasks for more effective tactics, such as performance support.
It’s also easier to implement realistic scenario-based training that helps make training more relevant to employees. Employees who see themselves and their work reflected in the training will be more engaged and learn more effectively.
Our final benefit is flexibility and convenience. With custom online training, employees can learn at their own pace and at a time that suits them best. This eliminates the need for costly in-person training sessions that disrupt work schedules.
Employees can access the training materials from anywhere with an internet connection, allowing them to fit learning into their busy schedules without sacrificing productivity.
But how do you tailor online training for company software?
Why Tailor Training?
Custom is always better than generic.
Always.
It’s not always necessary, but it’s always better.
Can generic training address your company’s unique needs?
No, not likely.
Unlike off-the-shelf programs that take a one-size-fits-all approach, custom training allows you to focus on the specific processes and workflows relevant to your organization. And every organization is unique.
This ensures that employees receive training directly applicable to their day-to-day tasks. I don’t know about you, but when I understand training because it’s directly relevant to my work, I care more, pay attention more, and, by extension, learn more.
Tailored training is more effective and relatable than generic training.
By tailoring training content to your employees‘ specific workflows, scenarios, and your company’s software, you can address any challenges or pain points that are unique to your organization.
Whether it’s complex approval processes, industry-specific regulations, or unique reporting requirements, custom online training can provide employees with the knowledge and skills to navigate these challenges more effectively.
Creating Interactive and Engaging Training
Custom online training allows you to create interactive and engaging training modules that keep employees motivated and interested in learning. When training is customized, it’s engaging, interactive, and, most importantly, relevant.
Interactive elements make employee learning experiences more engaging, and with the right interactions that feel authentic to your employees, help them relate to the information better.
For example, instead of reading through a document or passively watching a video on how to perform a specific task in software, employees can do it in a software simulation in a realistic yet safe environment.
Cost Savings with Custom Online Training
Implementing custom online employee training can lead to significant cost savings for your company. With a short course and heavy usage of performance support, your organization can save considerable training dollars.
One of the most affordable types of training is performance support, a form of online training that provides immediate support and guidance.
Traditional instructor-led training sessions often require a lot more people hours and aren’t scalable. These costs can quickly increase, especially for companies with multiple locations or remote teammates.
Custom online training will ultimately save an organization money.
With custom online training solutions, you eliminate the need for unscalable forms of training. By thoughtfully integrating these methods with social learning on your enterprise social network, you can maintain the social aspect of traditional workplace training.
Training should be accessible anywhere an employee wants. That eliminates the need to schedule and coordinate instructor-led training. This saves money and reduces the time spent away from work.
Track Progress and Provide Ongoing Support
Custom online training platforms often come with built-in tracking and reporting features that allow you to gather data on employee training. It’s also possible that the platform can offer online support through communities and other resources.
There’s nothing better than providing an environment of continuous learning. The only way to create that culture is for leaders and employees to work together to build it.
If someone struggles with a particular concept or feature, you can offer them a place to ask questions. You’ll find that employees are more than happy to help each other. An important byproduct of this process is that it encourages a culture of learning.
An organization that encourages continuous learning and improvement is one that employees value and want to stay with. It’s the perfect way to reduce employee turnover, as it’s one of the most sought-after benefits a company can offer.
Boosting Employee Confidence and Productivity
Why do employees seek organizations that value their professional growth?
Because that’s one of the best ways to grow in your career, add value to the company, and feel confident and productive while doing it.
Custom online training for employees does all of these things and does it with a smile. Okay, maybe it can’t smile because it’s just a concept, but you get the point.
Employees love it, companies should love it, and everyone wins.
Custom online training equips employees with the skills to use company software effectively and boosts their confidence.
When employees receive tailored training that they understand and makes sense of their work, they feel more confident in navigating company software and performing their tasks.
When people know how to use the software they need for their job they’ll feel empowered and happier.
People feel empowered and have a sense of ownership when they’re well-trained. This increased confidence translates into improved productivity.
Also, if you have enough training resources, employees can help themselves. That adds another level of achievement and capability to employees’ jobs. If they can identify a problem, find a solution, and resolve it, then that’s pretty satisfying.
Why do you think Google is so beloved?
It empowers us to accomplish things we otherwise wouldn’t, and that’s pretty darn satisfying.
Efficient employee training with custom online training means you’ll unlock employees’ full potential and company software.
Unlocking the Full Potential of Your Software
By embracing custom online training for employees, your organization will unlock the full potential of company software. No IT department or software deployment can be complete without proper training. Custom digital training helps employees navigate your organization’s digital transformation.
Off-the-shelf training programs may provide a quick and affordable solution for some training needs, but they can only take you so far. It wouldn’t help for complex software that’s custom to your organization. That includes software like Salesforce, which is so complex, and each implementation is so specific that generic training would never work.
The only way to unlock the full potential of company software is to make sure employees are sufficiently trained.
Generic training often fails to address the unique processes and workflows that make your company successful. Custom online training allows you to fully leverage the capabilities of your software by tailoring the training content to your organization’s specific needs.
Employees will gain a deep understanding of how to use the software in a way that aligns with your company’s processes and workflows. This leads to increased efficiency, improved productivity, and ultimately, better business outcomes that unlock the full potential of employees and software.
Wrap Up
If you want to boost employee efficiency with company software, off-the-shelf training programs won’t cut it. Custom online training for employees offers a tailored solution that’s a must for all organizations to succeed.
With custom online training, employees receive more relevant and motivating training that is easier to apply to their work. The flexibility and convenience of online training allow employees to learn at their own pace and at a time that suits them best.
Implementing custom online training also saves costs by eliminating the need for expensive and non-scalable instructor-led training. It also makes tracking employee progress easier and provides them with resources for ongoing support, ensuring everyone continuously improves their skills and has a place to ask questions.
By embracing custom online training for company software, your organization will unlock the full potential of your software and empower employees with the knowledge and skills they need to excel.
Schedule a free consultation to discuss how our expertise in corporate technical training will help your company’s software succeed. We’re specialists in the art and science of technical training.