Choosing an employee training vendor can feel overwhelming. There’s ton of companies out there, and unfortunately not all of them are doing stellar work.
Luckily, there are some general qualities most great platforms share.
Here are 6 things to look for in an employee training platform.
1. Are there different types of learning modules?
Having a variety of ways to present learning material is an important aspect of any employee training platform. Variety in learning modules helps:
Keep training fresh & exciting for employees
Present your content in a way that’s best suited for your learning objectives
2. Is there an easy-to-use authoring tool?
Content authoring is an important part of an employee training platform. Without an authoring tool you’ll need to engage your vendor everytime you want to add a new course or update existing content which can get costly.
When evaluating authoring tools, make sure it’s easy to use and doesn’t require specific technical skills. There’s nothing worse than being ready to write a training course and discovering you first need to learn a whole new programming language.
3. Is the platform WCAG compliant?
Don’t forget about accessibility mandates! Your company is likely required (federally, provincially, or even at a corporate level) to meet certain accessibility standards.
Even if you aren’t required to meet accessibility standards, it’s good practice to ensure your platform is accessible for visually impaired users.
4. What kind of analytics do they provide?
Being able to prove your training is working is crucial. Many training platforms now come with “big data analytics” — but what that means isn’t always consistent across vendors.
Find out what you’ll be able to measure. Will it be standard pass or fail, or will you be able to track real learning, progress, and knowledge gaps?
Is the data easy to digest and export if necessary? Having a ton of data isn’t helpful if you can’t understand and analyse it. Make sure the platform has an easy-to-use interface for analyzing training results.
5. Are they a full service shop?
Find out what kind of services are included or available from your training platform vendor. Some platforms are pure software and you’ll need to find an additional vendor to help you with things like graphic changes, content development, and training strategy.
Depending on your needs, it’s often easier to find a shop that’ll take care of the whole shebang instead of working with multiple vendors.
6. Are their games fun?
This one seems pretty obvious, but it’s actually one of the most important qualities to look for in an employee training platform. If the learning experience isn’t enjoyable, you’re not going to be able to encourage the daily training habits you need for long-term retention & behavioural changes.
Don’t get caught up in the hype. There are a TON of terrible gamification companies out there masquerading as game-based learning.
Be wary of companies who offer “gamification” alongside other eLearning services or only talk about badges & leaderboards. You want something that truly engages your employees and accomplishes your learning objectives — not an LMS with a few gamification elements tacked on.
The Bottom Line
Choosing a new employee training platform can feel a bit overwhelming. There are a ton of companies out there, and (unfortunately) a ton of less-than-great platforms.
The best way to start is with a gut check: would you voluntarily engage with the platform? If not, you can be sure your employees won’t either.
Look for a platform that’s fun to use. Then make sure it has all the features you need for a modern learning environment — like deep analytics and easy authoring.