Five Ways E-learning Will Boost Team Performance.

Return on investment is crucial to consider before purchasing sales training and because of this, e-learning is taking the sales training world by storm. Used as part of a blended approach it is a sure fire way to effectively train your team, and ensure the learning sticks.

In this blog, we share 5 ways that using a blended approach (classroom and e-learning combined), will boost team performance, and how you can use it to heighten your team’s productivity.

Encourages real, long-term change

One of the key downfalls of purely classroom led training is how quickly learners forget the information they are given. Ebbinghaus’ ‘forgetting curve’ suggests that on average, 50% of what people learn is forgotten within days of leaving the classroom. This is because micro-learning, where a lot of information is crammed in at one time, can lead to cognitive overload and memory loss.

E-learning, however, is broken down into short, manageable chunks which can be drip fed over a long period of time. Rolled out after classroom training, e-learning recaps the core concepts and embeds the learning.

For example, in the classroom, a salesperson could be trained on how to close a deal. Over the course of the next 6 weeks, through e-learning, they are drip fed recaps on the key theories, as well as tasks or challenges to complete before the next chunk of training.

This allows the salesperson to immediately put ideas into action, embedding their learning, and allowing for long-term increased performance.

Accessible any time, any place

Over the last 10 years, the number of remote workers has increased by 115%, according to a new report from global workplace analytics and flexjobs. More and more employees are now managed virtually, with teams spread across not just countries, but continents. This shows the ever-increasing need for training that can be quickly accessed from anywhere, at any time.

E-learning is easily accessible over the internet on multiple devices in any location, giving team members instant access to training. 

This means that anyone in the sales team, whether they are in France or Finland, can have instant access to a wealth of resources to help them find answers and develop their sales skills.

Increases engagement through blended learning

An important step in establishing return on investment is to ensure every participant is fully engaged in the learning process from the start.

Recent reports suggest that blended learning (using a mix of classroom based learning, interactive e-learning and ‘gamification’ of learning) is the best way to create engagement and boost the brain’s memory power.

Salespeople tend to be high energy, interactive individuals, so a blended approach to learning suits them. They enjoy face-to-face training and leave the classroom inspired and motivated to succeed.

Then, using various types of multi-media such as images, audio, animations, videos, games, and interactive questioning, e-learning provides a continued, hands-on programme that allows each team member to put their learning into action and get results.

Adaptable in seconds

Traditional training courses often rely on hard-copy manuals which are created, printed and distributed to team members. After the training course, the manual is often the participant’s only source of reference. Soon the manual becomes out of date, or worse; lost, thrown away or never looked at again.

Using a bundled solution, e-learning keeps participants updated with new information. As e-learning is stored on a central server, any changes are instantly accessible to the whole team. If the team needs a quick refresher on a certain module, the latest up-to-date information is easily accessible, at the click of a button.

Creates huge savings in time and money

A bundled solution, compared to solely face-to-face training, has huge cost and time saving implications for organisations. This is because an online programme can reach a large-scale audience without the hefty price tag of continued classroom based training, excess travel time, expenses and time away from the office.  

And it’s not just savings that e-learning brings. Research has shown that companies who provide e-learning opportunities actually generate more revenue; on average around 26% more revenue per employee than those who select more traditional methods.

In summary, using a bundled solution is the best way to ensure a solid return when investing in sales training. Starting the journey with inspiring classroom based training, then re-enforcing key concepts with long term, bite sized e-learning, the bundled approach ensures that sales teams are motivated to learn, and the learning is embedded into their daily routines. By using this process, a bundled solution ensures teams have all the resources they need to boost their performance… and to keep it there.