According to a 2012 study released by the American Society for Training and Development (ASTD), U.S. organizations spent more than $156 billion on employee learning and development. Many types of training are available, with some types delivering better results than others. More companies are turning to mobile learning (mLearning) because of the ability to train anytime, anyplace and on any device. In addition to the flexibility of mLearning, there are measurable benefits to the bottom line.
In the past, instructor-led training was a more traditional model for business, where instructors teach learners in a classroom or one-on-one environment. However with this model, limited access to the instructor is a concern when employees don’t fully grasp the material and the class is over. On the other hand, when employees are able to access training material repeatedly they can gain reinforcement, and knowledge retention is much better. Further, access via mobile devices means training can take place anytime and anyplace the user desires.
So what kind of return on investment (ROI) can organizations expect from training with mobile apps or mLearning software?
- Reduced instructor costs. An instructor may introduce the training material initially to employees and staff members, but will be needed minimally thereafter if employees have access to the training material to reference.
- Reduced or no travel costs. Savings will vary depending on location of instructors or whether employees need to travel for training. However, amount of time and need for travel is greatly reduced.
- Efficient training. Employees that formerly had to attend scheduled classes can now access training material when it is convenient for them and for their managers. Plus, scheduling employees for training often leaves fewer resources for selling, fulfilling orders or interacting with customers. Staff can stay where they need to be during working hours.
- Increased revenues. Better trained employees can be tied to increased revenues. New product education, sales training, and customer service training can be tied directly to a better bottom line.
Conduct your own ROI research. In addition to calculating ROI for some of the above benefits, ask yourself, what problems has better training solved for my organization? What is that worth?
Here are just a few of the returns on investments that can be measured:
- Increase in sales.
- Decrease in customer complaints or product returns.
- Increased production.
- Faster response times.
- Decrease in safety violations and fines.
- Decrease in workman’s comp filings.
- Decrease in workman’s comp premiums.
- Increase in compliance.
- Increase in employee retention.
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CSE Software Inc. has an experienced Mobile Development team available to design and program training for any industry via access from any device. The team can also develop content in multiple languages. Contact Stacey Burris at 1.309.670.7595 to discover measurable return on investment today.
