5 Reasons to Choose Online Training

In-person training has its place, but it may not be the best option for your company

If you look back on training you’ve received in the past, try focusing on how many details you really remember from the sessions. You may remember the room or the speaker, but do you remember the core message of their lecture? Did you take home any useful ideas that positively impacted your daily work? Do you wonder if everyone else who took that class at a different time or place got the same information that you did? Below, we outline five reasons why online training is often superior to in-person programs.

1. Flexibility

On-site training has its benefits, but it requires a significant commitment of time from your employees that may force them to change shifts or work hours, travel to other locations, interrupt their normal business processes, etc. to be present. Online and eLearning solutions allow you to set a deadline for completion while empowering employees to participate when it works best for their schedules. Employees who might otherwise miss training entirely (due to illness or a long-scheduled vacation, for example) can be brought up to speed immediately upon their return.

2. Consistency

Whether you have a team of trainers to deploy throughout your organization or a single trainer who leads multiple sessions of the same program, the learners’ experience is still likely to vary from session to session. Different trainers deliver information in different ways and some groups are more receptive and participatory than others, which can dramatically shift how much is covered, the tone in which it is discussed, and how much of the information is retained long-term. With online training, all employees receive the EXACT same experience regardless of whether they work at the company headquarters or a remote location and irrespective of whether they were available during the initial rollout or had to make up the course later.

3. Hit ‘Em Where They Learn Best

Anyone who provides training for employees knows that adult learners benefit from training that suits multiple learning styles. Online training provides text and voiceovers for verbal and auditory learners, photos or animations that appeal to visual learners, scenarios and problem-solving activities to engage physical and logical learners, group activities and discussion forums that provide an outlet for social learners, and personal notetaking which helps solitary learners. This multi-media, multi-mode delivery of learning content makes it easier for all adult learners to understand and retain the information they’re receiving. Even better, training developed this way is engaging and entertaining, which prevents boredom and helps them remember the lesson long after it’s ended.

4. Affordability

No matter how much we want to invest in development and training, there’s always a limit to what we can commit to a training budget. With online training, your employees only need internet access and a computer or mobile device. This spares you the cost of dealing with overtime or scheduling upheavals for those who do shift work, travel to or from remote locations for employees or trainers, and more. Even better, online training can be tailored to fit your budget, so if you don’t have funds for all of the bells and whistles now, you can still deliver the information effectively but at a cost that fits within your overall training budget.

5. Revisit and Review

After participating in online training, learners can typically revisit a course they’ve completed, allowing them to quickly refresh their memories about what they learned. Many online programs, such as those offered by In Five Training, come with printable job aids and other documents that learners can use when they return to their jobs. Quickly reviewing information gives learners the confidence to apply what they’ve learned as they get in the habit of using their new skills.

Exceeding your expectations

At In Five Training, we aim to do more than meet your minimum needs. We want you to finish your training and feel energized and positive about how it will help you on-the-job. If you’ve asked us to help you address a specific pain point in your company, we want you to have confidence that you’ve found relief and the problem is solved. Let us know what we can do for you. We can’t wait to get started!