The purpose of every company is to get a profit. In order for the company to get a profit, its employees need to have great results on their work. There are plenty of discussions around us on what makes productivity fly through the roof within a company, starting with financial incentives, going on to the physical work space, with its chromatic choices, state-of-the-art office furniture, maybe a relaxation room, and finishing of course with the technology that is being used by employees.
Technology is more than a pawn on a business chess board; it can really impact how fast and accurate employees perform their tasks. From a super-fast computer, the latest gadget, or a new smartphone, to a powerful business learning management system, technology can be used successfully and with outstanding results across all industries.
The employees with the best results are those who are properly trained for the job they are doing. The instruction process usually means a lot of compliance training, bureaucracy, standardized tests, cost with trainers/venues/travel for employees and hardly ever a way to measure the effectiveness of training. But with the right LMS, things can change, and offer companies a real competitive edge.
The e-learning industry is enormous. So choosing the right training program and the right platform for it is not as easy of a task as it might seem. Sometimes companies actually end up with these questions:
- Will it really help to get an LMS?
- Will my employees be more efficient?
- Will it help raise the overall productivity?
- Maybe it would be better to hire a trainer and remodel the office?
Well, this last idea could work too, for a little while and at a very small scale. And let’s be honest: how many people at a time can you train with one trainer, especially in the case of existing subsidiaries all over the region/country? By all means, do remodel the office, as employees will feel cozier, but keep in mind that we live in an on-demand, technology-driven world. Companies need to be efficient, fast, and foremost, deliver great results.
Still in doubt? Here’s what an LMS can do to spike up results:
Top 4 Learning Management System features for better employee productivity
The best LMS provides the right piece of information to the right employee at the right time. That’s the only way all employees can reach their full potential every day at work and deliver great results. A learning management system that comes with a comprehensive set of features has better chances of achieving this. While some features are incredibly useful for trainers and L&D managers, others are created with the learner’s need in mind.
So here are a few LMS features that can improve employee productivity:
Feature no.1 : Personalized learning paths
No two employees are identical, the same as no two snowflakes are. And the individual learning needs for each and every one of them follow this idea.
New employees have to absorb an incredible amount of information in the first few months on the job, while seasoned employees need to keep up with the inevitable changes in the industry. They all have different learning styles and they need different periods of time to adjust the new knowledge and apply it in their day-to-day tasks.
Setting a personalized learning path for each employee is one of the most important things a learning management system can do so the company delivers personalized learning. Instructional designers can set learning goals for each employee, based on their current knowledge and what they need to achieve. Once a goal is reached, another related one gets in the picture, and then another one, and another one, until the learners reach them all. Instructors can set these related goals to guide the employee through their individual learning journey.
Feature no.2 : Progress tracking
There’s no better way to be counter-productive than going in the wrong direction for a long period of time, with no one to show you the right track. Training programs are meant to increase productivity, and the only way to achieve this is to be adjusted for the specific needs of company departments, and even for those of certain individuals.
In order to be able to spot when the learning process has taken a wrong turn, employees have to be able to see the bigger picture and track their progress at all times. The numbers in their analytics can boost motivation to finish a course or to seek help if necessary.
Feature no.3 : Collaboration tools
When I first accessed a learning platform it was just a gray page with one link for the course and… that was it. Even though this was just some years ago, I feel like it’s been ages since then.
Now, plenty of LMS vendors offer learning platforms with nice graphics, are user friendly, and come with plenty of useful tools. The collaboration tools within an LMS make employees’ lives so much easier, as they don’t have to leave the platform to get an answer to a burning question. They can ask an instructor, or join a group of interest. When they get stuck with something they only have to do a few clicks to open a thread on a forum, and everyone in that class can help them.
The social media features, the chatrooms, the wikis, being able to hold a conference without leaving the platform… these are pure proof of how far the LMSs have come, from the insipid gray page they once were.
Feature no.4 : Branded mobile apps
Mobile devices can be really powerful. People use their devices to do all sorts of things during the day, from the most trivial, to the most important. Since work covers the greatest part of the day for employees, it’s no wonder they want to bring this power in the workplace as well. Including workplace learning.
Modern workers are more eager than ever to improve their knowledge professionally, and they seem to be always on the go. A mobile app of the business LMS allows them to access learning materials anytime, anywhere. When the right piece of information is available at the fingertips of any employee, he/she doesn’t have to lose time looking for it, and can use it immediately.
Just-in-time learning is probably one of the most effective solutions that improve employee productivity, and a mobile app of an LMS supports just that.
Obviously, MATRIX LMS has all of these features, and even more. You don’t have to take my word for granted; just check out the designated page where each and every one of the MATRIX features are showcased.
Did you notice the same with the LMS you are using? What other features would you recommend for a better general productivity? I’d love to hear your ideas, so please leave them in the comments section below.
