At a Glance: 12 Reasons to Employ Web-based Training

As much as 40 cents of every dollar spent on in-person training goes to travel and lodging costs, studies show. Those and other fixed expenses are avoided entirely when Web-based training replaces classroom instruction. The result is dramatically lower costs per-person trained. That fact alone often justifies the switch to online training.

Instead of mandatory travel to a single location to receive instruction, busy employees and others can participate in training and meeting sessions on their laptops at locations convenient to them. Online meeting products can be employed immediately to deliver and share important information.

Collaborative learning events increase participant retention and satisfaction, resulting in higher productivity. Factors include more time on the job with the elimination of instructional travel.

Web-based meetings and training sessions can be held with complete assurance for the safeguard of valuable intellectual property with password-based user authentication, end-to-end encryption and other available security features.

Rich interaction capabilities with and among participants are a principal benefit of online training. Tools include dashboards, polls, and question/answer capability, enabling participants to interact and presenters to obtain instant feedback.

Presenters can conduct large and small meetings in user-friendly and appealing forums that run the gamut from formal presentations to the most impromptu brainstorming session or just-in-time training instruction. Events can be recorded and archived for on-demand viewing by interested parties including new hires and customers. Content is available around the clock.

The ease of launching spontaneous Web-based meetings corresponds with today’s emphasis on informal learning, a growing segment of corporate knowledge transfer within many organizations.

Some Web-based training applications can be easily mastered and immediately employed by subject matter experts without IT support. This will increase their motivation to consider online training when the need to communicate arises.

Live session registration identifies registrants for future communication, gathers feedback and assesses overall interest. Built-in reporting capabilities allow moderators to track attendees for each session including questions they ask and response to polls/Q&A. This is especially useful for student evaluation, as well as compliance and other mandatory training where specific reporting is required.

Readily available data also enables appropriate and timely followup, including evaluation and immediate contact of participants. That is especially valuable for customer training, and sessions where time-to-market urgency is important.

Busy executives and other SMEs can get multiple usage out of do-it-yourself Webinars and Web-based training applications. This means less time spent on planning and managing activities.