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Gamification and Using Game Mechanics for Learning: A Brighter Future?

future of Gamification

Summary

It is predicted that by 2025 over 70% of the global workforce will consist of Millennials and Gen Z, generations who have had a technology-centric upbringing as digital natives. What could hold their interest? What could engage them? What could feed their competitive spirits? Gamification? Possibly, in several aspects of their lives, including in their learning experiences. So, yes. Gamification could come front stage and shine bright as the go-to approach for education and learning.

Workplace dynamics back gamification

The challenge of keeping a young, dispersed team engaged and motivated keeping in mind productivity requirements still remains with most organizations, even as debates have begun on the efficacy of getting the workforce back on site. Individuals by choice and organizations by insight are choosing to adopt or stay hybrid. Thus, with workplace learning needing to stay online, engagement and interest, two of the requirements for effective learning are easily met with game mechanics or even full-fledged games.

Science backs gamification

When we do something positive, our brain releases the “feel-good” chemical, dopamine. Dopamine builds up every time we reach higher levels in a game or unlock new achievements. As we achieve small wins, there is a dopamine kick with every reward won. Our mood is upbeat! We are motivated to keep going towards the next win. Small bursts of motivation, thus, keep us going through the game experience towards the anticipated “win-state” at the end of the game. What if the game experience was a learning one? Focus and engagement coupled with fun should enable enhanced retention and retrieval making the learning effective.

Additionally, according to learning psychology experts, two learning practices, retrieval practice and spaced retrieval are foundational to effective learning and retention. The gamification platforms of today have these enabling practices built into them, making it simple to include gamification game mechanics into learning experiences.

Curated content enhanced with gamification

With content on every relevant subject appropriate for the times easily available, content curation is being adopted as an efficient method for content sharing and learning. Adding game elements to the learning experience is bound to give learners a motivational push and further enhance their social learning experiences.

With so much going for it, gamification with its tangible benefits is here to stay!

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Predictions About Gamification In Learning

gamification in online learning

The prediction – The Gamification industry is poised for phenomenal growth.

So, what are the compelling reasons for this confident prediction?

Mobile is the fastest growing market for games

The mobile is increasingly seen as the optimum device for everyone to enjoy games. The learning industry too, is seeing a marked uptick in mobiles being viewed by people as the preferred device for much of their learning. It is reasonable then to expect that the learning industry will put the two together and add games and gamification into enjoyable learning experiences for the mobile.

Less than 25% of organizations are using gamification for learning

Research shows that less than 25% of all organizations currently use gamification in learning and 20% use serious games. With science backing them, L&D teams across geographies and cultures have begun to back gamification and games as cutting-edge methods of delivering and enhancing learning. The graph of gamification adoption has only one way to go – up!

“One good thing about the statistics is that there is a lot of room for opportunity.”

— Gamification expert Professor Karl M Kapp

Gamification works and science backs it

The human tendency is to thrive in an environment where they are challenged, to compete, win, be rewarded, and feel good. All of these and more are enabled by using game mechanics or serious games in learning experiences as well as in other workplace experiences leading to a significant increase in employee engagement and performance translating to higher productivity and profitability.

Gamification is easy to implement

The good thing about gamification is that it’s easy to implement. Today’s learning platforms come equipped with the capabilities required to easily incorporate gamified experiences that engage and motivate employees not just towards learning completion, but when crafted effectively, ensure learning retention and retrieval for on-the-job application.

Strategy games have a wide appeal

A challenge in incorporating games and gamification for learning is about making it inclusive for all learners.

Research by Quantic Foundry found that with age, the appeal of competition drops the most and strategy is the most age-stable motivation. Strategy games are seen to appeal to older as well as young gamers. With careful planning and execution, interest and engagement required for learning effectiveness can be generated in a wide age range.
gamification in learning
Source:  https://financesonline.com/gamification-statistics/

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10 Compelling Business Reasons to Use Gamification

10 Compelling Business Reasons to Use Gamification

Introduction

Gamification is the process of uplifting the spirit of a non-game environment with gaming elements that boost mood, performance and competition.

Incorporating gamification at work impacts an organization’s shared goals by allowing participants to engage in the behavioural setting. Gamification in the workspace creates an elevated ecosystem for employees, products and services through aspects like leaderboards, team missions, unlocking new projects and collecting skill badges.

Boost Productivity

The healthy interaction of human and raw resources leads to increased rewards for businesses. The timely management of time and resources is crucial to a business’s growth. Gamification in business holds participants’ attention by increasing concentration through dynamic elements like real-based scenarios in assignments.

Gamification in the workspace asks participants to voluntarily examine a problem that has game elements like mystery, conflict and story. By captivating participants’ attention, gamification restores the ability to focus and drive business campaigns.

Driving Engagement

Would you participate in a work seminar that teaches the top 10 ways to increase sales or would you rather enjoy being in a workspace relay on problem-solving? If you have watched Brooklyn 99, you probably know the thrill of the annual Halloween Heists in the police precinct.

Gamification in business increases the possibility to conduct group activities that will upskill the participants and push them toward common goals.

Reduced Absenteeism

Would you report to a desk job every day that requires you to look at a screen, sticky notes and a blank desk divider or would you rather be committed to a place that tries new ways to uplift team spirit by setting competition between teams, unique ways to brainstorm in morning meetings sets mood boards and rewards highest performers every month? Certainly, the latter is more exciting and offers better prospects for happier work life.

Business gamification reduces absenteeism as employees are given more reasons to engage with their teammates in new and fun ways.

Increase Knowledge

The best work opportunity helps an individual to upskills, get out of their comfort zone, adopt new techniques and work towards challenges. Unique ability-building challenges are a core part of gamification in business. If employees don’t learn new industry trends, it affects their performance and brings down the overall output of the company. Hence, gamified apps that teach industry-specific knowledge to their participants are central to successful businesses’ strategies.

It is one of the best benefits of gamification in business as the use of unconventional ways sets a vogue for motivated employees.

Increase Sales

Any business’ central target is to increase its sales. Prioritising sales means prioritising employees’ comfort and wellness. If an eye-catching reward is set for weekly targets, employees are twice more likely to work towards set targets. Reward setting is one of the best tools in business gamification.

Influence Customer Behaviour

Marketing is all about creating anticipation and zeal among the crowd. Stimulating prospective customers with gamification elements builds excitement and makes a business stand out. Influencing customer behaviour by fascinating puzzles on social networks drives more users to interact with the business. Rewards for customers in business gamification will also give them the motivation to participate in the marketing campaign.

Speed Up A Time To Competency

Enhancing Skills

Why do you keep playing a game at midnight even when your eyes give out and your body needs rest? It is because of the anticipation of the next level’s challenges, mystery, dangers and outcomes. The survival instinct in games drives the player to look for the best possible methods to move to the next level. Going through the hurdles of one stage prepares them for the next big difficulty.

In gamification for business, employees learn new things in a structured way that allows them to build prowess as a professional over time. Professional routes that accumulate experience through gamification at work, build confidence and an attitude of risk-taking.

Time-effective

Traditional training settings can not only be boring but also drain energy with upsetting hours. With the gamification model, participants become enthusiastic to try new things and the speedy response makes it more time-effective to train employees using gamification in the workspace.

Instant Feedback

The uncertainty of performance can overpower an employee and distract them from more important issues at the workplace. Gamification models like employee reports, leaderboards and team evaluations through games, offer deep insights into an individual’s efficiency at a workplace. Business gamification allows one to see through their performance and makes amends accordingly.

Work With Play

Healthy workforce management in the modern world requires employers to strike a balance between work and play. Gamification’s playful elements to formal routines create a loop of good performance and keep employees bright and chirpy.

Conclusion

The above benefits of gamification in business clarify the urgency of staying ahead in industries with pioneering models for employee growth, team-building and outputs.

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The Power of Gamification for Organisational Development

The Power of Gamification for Organisational Development

What is Gamification?

The concept of gamification has been around since the 1960s but the concept seemed to be loosely defined, hence creating confusion in the markets, unreasonable expectations and failure in implementation. An updated definition was required to let people know exactly what gamification is and what its purpose is.  

Back in 2014, Gartner Inc sought to redefine ‘gamification’. They defined it as “the use of game mechanics and experience design to digitally engage and motivate people to achieve their goals”. 

This explanation proved to be a quite interesting one. Not only does it cover the types of gamifications –  structural gamification (‘game mechanics’) and content gamification (‘experience design’), it also highlights the importance of engaging audiences and driving motivation.

What is Gamification for Organisational Development?

In recent years, Gamification has quickly overtaken the world of Learning and Development. Professionals across the globe are realising that gamification for organisational development is one of the best ways to motivate people to change behaviours, develop skills and to drive innovation. 

According to a study by eLearning Industry, 89% employees claim that if a task is gamified, they feel eager to complete it and are in a competitive mood.

Gamification for Organisational Development is simply a way to engage employees in their training, but by keeping them interested in training, organisations are enabling employees to achieve their goals. Using gamified activities is estimated to increase motivation by 48%.

Game Mechanics for Organisational Development?

Gamification has two types – Structural and Content. WIth the idea of making learning and training more fun and structured, structural gamification or game mechanics refers to the use of points, bullets, challenges and leaderboards.

Gamification mechanics is a way of exploiting a user’s underlying motivation of improving their skills by offering them extrinsic motivation like rewards, points and standings. 

Game mechanics include:- 

Points – Points are means to measure accomplishment and monitor progress by keeping score and establishing status. 

Levels – Levels are indicators of milestone achievements. As and when participants accumulate a certain number of points, their level in the training or as an employee automatically rises, probably also increasing the difficulty level of the module. 

Challenges – Challenges not only help keep people interested, they are a way for organisations to test the employees knowledge and skill by assessing them through unique business challenges. 

Leaderboards – One of the best ways to motivate employees into contributing to tasks with all that they’ve got, is by adding a social aspect to points and comparing them to others. This gives individuals a chance to stand out of the lot and form new relationships with their counterparts. 

Pillars of Gamification for Organisational Development?

Gamification within organisations has a significant impact on employee engagement, motivation, and psychology. These 4 pillars of Gamification act as its motivators of performance :-

Achievement: Everybody has the innate want to be well-versed and proficient in something. We work to attain mastery in our skill sets, profession or hobbies. 

Recognition: When somebody has their work acknowledged or appreciated, it makes for the strongest form of motivation. 

Competition: This gamification pillar appeals to people’s desire to make a mark by standing out among their colleagues. Healthy competition is what gamification roots for, clumsy implementation of the same can poison initiatives and thus relations. 

Valuables: This addresses avoiding the loss of something or gaining something new. Value can be added to something like points that one will earn over the course of their module or even a competition to win funds for an idea or gain a promotion.

Employee Engagement and Culture – An Important Aspect Of Success

Business leaders, all over the globe, have been challenged with harnessing their organisation’s culture for marketplace success. An outgrowth of leadership itself, one’s culture can be moulded to meet organisational goals. 

A Booz & Company study from 2013, surveyed 2,200 executives, managers, and employees from a range of companies across the world to understand culture’s role in enabling organisational change.

In the study, 86% of C-level executives and 84% of all managers and employees believe that culture is critical to their organisations’ success. 60% see it as a bigger success factor, bigger than their strategy or operating model. About 75% of the respondents of the study felt that their company needs significant culture restoration talking closely about the proportion of people disengaged at work.

Employee gamification training or gamified training modules is one of the most effective ways to let employees know that their organisation cares.

How are Businesses currently using Gamification?

The power of gamification for organisational development can best be seen through improvements in employee morale and productivity. Organisations that have implemented gamification in their learning and development functions are Coca Cola, Microsoft, The Protein Chef and many more.

The Protein Chef has a program in which they reward employees with free protein bars for reaching their health goals on a monthly basis. UBS Financial Services Group also gamified their six-week online onboarding training program. Not just companies, countries to use gamification techniques to propel success. The United Nations used gamification techniques to help The World Food Programme reach their goal of distributing food to 100 million people in 2016.

Benefits of Gamification in Business

There have been various studies conducted to understand a learner’s 

  • Gamification can create a buzz among diverse groups of employees and can thus be implemented on all kinds of training. 

A major part of today’s populace has spent their time around games. They connect with gamified content. Customer service, sales training, technical training or onboarding, gamification can be applied successfully to all types of training. 

  • Gamification drives employee motivation

Gamification elements like points, badges and leaderboards encourage and motivate employees to do better as they make learners feel responsible for their position among the group and their peers. 

  • Gamification delivers a customised learning experience

Gamified training modules can be moulded in accordance with the learners skill level. On lower skill levels, like novice or beginner, learners get instant feedback on their performance and thus, pointers on where they can improve. 

  • Gamification provides a virtual environment for learners to improve their skills in the real world

When employees get to practice their skills and behaviour virtually in a gamified setup they are in a scenario where they can learn from their mistakes and explore the best possible ways to improve upon those skills through relatable scenarios. 

  • Gamified simulation improves decision-making skills

A gamified training puts learners in scenarios where they need to make frequent, important decisions. People learn from their mistakes thus it is best to build those scenarios for them virtually to prepare them for when such a situation arriese in reality.

How can Gamification Boost Business Results?

Rebuilding employee trust by increasing employee engagement is vital to stay relevant in a world of continuous change. Organisations that fail to move with these changing times are already losing ground. So, how does gamification help businesses in staying relevant and boosting results?

  • Engagement:

Employee engagement is directly linked to organisational development. Without engagement, an organisation is unable to align its force towards one goal. Through gamification, employees are involved for personal and social growth. This is essential to motivate employees and keep them excited for what’s next. 

  • Learning and Onboarding

Gamified training can keep learners interested right from the start at the onboarding process. Employees start at the beginner level and advance as they grow in their understanding of the company’s regulations and processes. This gives them perspective about their involvement in the company. 

  • Adapt to Change

Human competitive spirit coupled with the excitement and desire to progress in the levels of a game and more importantly, the company. This keeps them engaged throughout and thus helps smoothen the process of adapting to changes.

  • Alignment with organisational goals

Gamification is the best way to promote desired behaviours that lead to organisational goals. It connects employees and companies through objectives that align with organisational values. 

How Multiversity can help you with gamification for organisational development?

At multiversity we work with brands to build robust, microlearning, gamified solutions for an immersive learning experience. Over the last few years, we have built multiple gamification solutions for leading businesses across the globe. With quick bursts of specified information and various interactive learning experiences, we encourage the thrill of Interactive learning, 

Prepare for your future today with forward-thinking tactics and technologies with us at Multiversity. 

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Learning and development partners help businesses identify what’s missing in their Diversity & Inclusion efforts and help boost revenue.

online learning

Workplaces have gone through a lot of changes in the past two years or so. Remote, Hybrid – You name it! Workplaces now are more diverse than ever before. There’s an increase in the number of varied personalities we get to see in any organization, especially with organizations hiring globally nowadays because of the enablement of remote working opportunities. A diverse workplace allows everyone to do their best work by eliminating unconscious bias in the hiring process, providing equal benefits and training opportunities, and offering promotion pathways that lead to leadership roles for everyone alike. In a diverse workplace, people should feel welcome, and adapt to differing opinions, beliefs, and experiences. Everyone must feel like they belong.

Diversity and inclusion are words that are now part of the standard vocabulary of most forward-thinking companies, yet many of those companies still might not have a clear sense of what diversity and inclusion mean in practical terms. Employers need policies that are also diverse to match their different audiences. The conversations about Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) have recently received global attention because of the power of social media, increasing knowledge of global events, policy measures, advocacy and consultancy activities, and some progressive judgments from the judiciary. With high-profile exits and revelations of workplace discrimination, harassment, and prejudice, the setting for D&I activities has shifted substantially. The media attention on D&I infractions has pushed key concerns in the workplace to the forefront and called into question the prevalence of inclusive cultures in which all employees are treated with dignity and respect at work. It is no more a question of whether organizations across the world require D&I initiatives, but rather of how businesses can carry them out efficiently. The phenomenon of diversity and inclusion in the workplace is gaining enormous traction, and it is no longer just about equal treatment but an overall sense of belonging. As our workforce becomes more diverse, we must continue to ensure that we can build an inclusive environment for all. This includes recognizing the unique challenges that diverse groups of employees face and developing strategies to overcome them. The emphasis must be on making people feel welcome and adapting to differing opinions, beliefs and experiences. Diversity and inclusion cater to creating an environment where diversity – the combination of characteristics, such as gender, race, sexual orientation, and others is valued. Today’s diverse workplace is filled with challenges and opportunities that must be addressed. Diversity and Inclusion in the workplace (D&I) is a strategic approach taken to ensure a fair and inclusive workplace where everyone has an opportunity to succeed. By recruiting, hiring, and retaining a diverse workforce, we are better equipped to serve the needs of our customers.

67% of job seekers consider workplace diversity an important factor when considering employment opportunities, and more than 50% of current employees want their workplace to do more to increase diversity. – Glassdoor

Even when working with a range of people from different backgrounds, leaders need to foster an inclusive work culture for better results. Organizations need to learn how to create a workplace in which each individual is treated fairly, irrespective of gender, ethnicity, caste, community, or physical characteristics. For creating an inclusive environment in the workplace, organizations need an understanding of new-age diversity management and the legalities associated with it. While diversity and inclusion are concepts that are discussed by companies all over the world, the goal of diversity and inclusion is often not very well understood. Different people in different companies have different definitions as to what they perceive as diversity, or what they perceive as inclusion. Further, there is a lack of information on how companies can create a diverse workforce and an inclusive culture in the workplace, and this can lead to various internal and external conflicts where a company could end up losing moolah on lawsuits. Businesses cannot afford to ignore the benefits of imparting knowledge on diversity and inclusion within the workplace. A diverse workforce is essential to drive innovation, creativity, and productivity; it is fundamental to securing competitive advantage through an innovative edge in a more competitive marketplace.

78% of employees who responded to a Harvard Business Review (HBR) study said they work at organizations that lack diversity in leadership positions.  

– (Harvard Business Review)

 

Learning and development partners help businesses identify what’s missing in their Diversity & Inclusion efforts and create beautiful gamified eLearning solutions based on real scenarios with the ability to calculate an individual’s progress with the help of performance tracking through game-based assessments. Games are a fun way to learn because they provide interactive experiences that actively engage learners and lead to remarkable participation and learning goals with advanced options for a collaborative learning environment that can be accessed and used remotely. Organizations have found true help in these testing times by engaging with L&D partners for boosting their strategies.

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Compliance training is the foundation for succeeding in today’s competitive workforce.

elearning solutions

A workplace is a diverse place where you will encounter many different people from different cultural and societal backgrounds. Each employee has a unique background, but they all come together to create something they are proud of and want to share with the world. A diverse environment like a hybrid workplace needs rules and regulations for functioning smoothly. Organizations need to ensure that every employee, no matter where they come from is aware of an organization’s goals, and the SOPs for proper functioning. Rules, regulations, and laws are important, as these contribute to a disciplined work environment. For this very reason, compliance training is a common ritual followed by organizations across the world. Compliance training is the training of employees to carry out their duties as required by relevant laws, industry regulations, and organizational policies. It is an ongoing process of monitoring and updating a company’s policies and procedures. By providing employees periodic compliance training, you create an element of internal control – meaning that all the employees of a company have access to the same instructions and are in agreement about how to be a responsible employee. In addition, compliance training can help you address issues before they happen, rather than waiting for a problem to occur and then attempting to solve it.

70% of compliance training is over 30 minutes long, contributing to the boredom factor.
                                        – Elucidat Survey 

Now, we do see that many organizations understand the importance of compliance training and have a strategy in place, however, compliance training can be a boring topic, without a doubt. Employees often end up neglecting such sessions as they feel it doesn’t matter when it comes to career progression, or also because they find it quite boring to read through a rule book or watch a boring video telling them what to or what not to do. Compliance training is a matter of huge importance and needs to be handled carefully by businesses in every industry. Organizations have to develop compliance training modules which should not just be a set of videos/articles. It has to be flexible enough that learners can access the training anytime, anywhere and the content can always be revised as per any new requirement. It’s about creating a culture of accountability and responsibility. Designing and building a compliance training module for any organization is not an easy job. While creating such a module, organizations need to consider many factors such as learner’s background, sections of the training program, do’s and don’ts, classification of the rules, regulations, the severity of punishment in case of a breach, etc. in order to design a detailed compliance training course. Partnering or taking the help of an eLearning solutions provider is one way of tackling such challenges, because of the expertise available to design solutions for all sorts of learning and development needs.

In a blog by Lorman, it is stated that – The average annual cost from companies that experience non-compliance issues is about $14.82 million.

Engaged learners are happy learners, and it makes a world of difference to the level of professionalism it can bring to your organization. However, the potential of building immersive learning experiences is often wasted on poor training delivery. In the world of learning and development, there are several key challenges, including how to increase engagement, how to train large numbers of people in new skills, and how to address cost concerns, while keeping it exciting and interesting for the learners. An eLearning organization can make courses more interesting through micro-learning, gamification, and scenario-based content delivery. In a world that’s becoming increasingly busy and time-pressured, learners are less inclined to spend time and money on learning a course when they don’t have any real motivation to do it. Corporate learning and development professionals focus on creating interesting eLearning courses with great quality content and the use of gamification to increase engagement with new learners. Microlearning is one such method that leverages the power of video and combines it with bite-sized content that can be delivered quickly and easily. It is an effective way to deliver targeted training to employees, and also a cost-effective approach that can provide instant results. As a result, learners can incorporate new learnings into their busy lives, increasing their engagement with the course material. This helps learners stick to the learning process and participate in a course over time instead of receiving it as a batch once or twice a year. This segmented learning technique also provides on-demand, bite-sized learning across the entire organization, whenever and wherever it is needed, while demanding very little time, and yet can cover a plethora of essential topics in a smart and effective way. Being easy to consume, even during downtime, Microlearning is fast becoming the choice for corporations needing to improve employee training and competency. This approach is most positively beneficial when creating courses on topics like Compliance. Organizations are leveraging on established L&D partners’ expertise to develop engaging scenario-based courses using gamification, interactive stories, and more. These can be conveniently created for consumption on any device or platform. Compliance training should be a fun experience for the learners, something that makes them want to learn more about the subject, and more organizations making an effort to do just that, is indeed commendable.

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The impact of Social or Collaborative Learning in today’s hybrid workplace

social or collaborative learning

Social learning has been around for all of time. Basically, it is the continuous process of learning from other people. Social learning takes place through observing coworkers, asking questions, and sharing expertise. However, the definition of social learning has begun to reshape itself in recent years when used in the world of business. When it comes to Learning & Development, social learning is how we learn from our coworkers, particularly through social platforms like blogs, forums, videos, and social websites such as LinkedIn. Organizations are realizing that supporting social learning throughout their teams has not only fostered more conversations but also increased collaboration between departments. This increased collaboration has contributed to a newer term for social learning in the workplace these days – collaborative learning. Global events in recent years have demonstrated that an organization’s priorities, goals, and infrastructure can change suddenly. For example, the COVID-19 pandemic in March and April 2020 drove people to shift abruptly to remote employment. Employees were required to learn new workflows and embrace new technology with no planning or preparation time. Fortunately for the businesses that had their Learning and Development divisions up to the task, with the use of modern eLearning solutions like scenario-based learning, gamification, simulations, etc. they were able to tackle the situation in a much better way than others who were lagging in their L&D game.

Collaborative learning solutions are one of the most effective ways to improve workplace communication and interpersonal skills. It brings your distributed teams together and keeps everyone in the loop. Today’s hybrid workplace demands innovative ways of imparting knowledge and skills for individual development, team development through improved team coordination and collaboration. eLearning modules are used heavily for overcoming the new challenges of today’s hybrid work culture. Scenario-based learning and simulations are used to create courses that put the learner in real-world situations that are faced in this modern work environment. Micro-learning is effectively used too, where learners engage in short doses of information or knowledge that keeps them up-to-date. Gamified assessments are integral to eLearning as they ensure that learners can track their progress as they move forward. All of this and yet there seems to be one thing missing – where’s all the collaboration happening? As mentioned earlier, Collaborative Learning emphasizes peer engagement and interaction at all stages of the learning process. Every team member can state their own learning needs, which helps to promote individual accountability for training outcomes and ensures that training is directly helpful for every learner. This helps to ensure that important information is collected and made available for the benefit of all learners.

86% of employees and executives cite lack of collaboration or ineffective communication for workplace failures.

Source: Salesforce

The emphasis on collaborative learning is beneficial not only for learning but also for giving businesses a competitive advantage. Collaborative learning allows employees to connect with content on an emotional level rather than simply reading about it. They can assign meaning, discuss it with their colleagues, and experiment with different problem-solving strategies. In summary, because it is an emotional experience, learners are able to dive into the subject matter and internalize crucial information more effectively. Even brief conversations with remote coworkers allow them to share ideas and evaluate the topic from a different perspective. Online learners no longer have to wait until the next formal training session to ask questions or receive remote assistance. Collaborative learning enables users to reach out to their network for immediate assistance or ideas. Learners know they can rely on their coworkers, and that collaborative learning solutions help one build a more cohesive remote workforce. Learners also have access to resources that help them bridge skill, performance, and knowledge gaps, allowing them to offer even more to the team. As a result, organizations are making efforts to step up their L&D game and incorporate more collaborative learning solutions to prepare for unusual scenarios due to any reason. Employees are more likely to stay with an organization if they receive specialized, wholehearted support, and as a result, by retaining high performers, organizations save money that ends up being spent on new hire recruiting and training.

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A robust workplace is indeed a hybrid one

hybrid workplace

Globally, the workplace has shifted to a hybrid paradigm in which remote teams continue to exist. A hybrid workforce indicates a blend of in-office and remote employees, some of whom may even rotationally work in an office and remotely. This hybrid approach suggests that team members are spread geographically, possibly across different time zones. This brings up a slew of issues, many of which may be addressed with a well-thought-out hybrid workplace learning strategy and roadmap. Many organizations have realized the potential of a hybrid workforce to boost productivity, retain and attract top talent, and improve workflows. A hybrid workforce can compete well in the market and flexibility has also become one of the most sought-after employer qualities by top talent. Employees are looking for businesses that are ready to adopt the hybrid workplace model, which makes it critical for hiring and retaining competent personnel.

An overwhelming majority of more than 9,000 workers included in an Accenture survey on the “Future of work” said they felt that a hybrid work model would be optimal going forward.

Many organizations are still struggling to adapt workplace learning tactics and mindsets due to cultural differences. Delivering learning and development to a hybrid workforce is the challenge that is faced by L&D teams today. Training professionals must modify their methods in order to assist employees in developing the skills and mindset required to successfully navigate the new hybrid workplace environment. Live virtual eLearning sessions allow workplaces to deliver training in a way that is flexible for varying schedules and that delivers the same level and quality of training across an entire organization regardless of employee location. Leadership development is in high demand. Leaders must be able to adapt to highly variable environments.For leaders and organizations, agility and flexibility are critical competencies. Online training tends to have low learner engagement and low implementation of learned concepts. To overcome this, companies use the help of e-learning partners who are well-equipped with the knowledge and understanding to create contextual, high-quality virtual training, something that can be explored with an on-site group as well, enabling a hybrid workforce to feel more engaged and connected with their fellow employees and the content itself. When you have people working across locations and occasionally timezones, asynchronous (or self-paced) training is an effective option. It allows people to complete their training at their own pace, anytime and whenever it is convenient for them.

In a hybrid work environment, micro-learning is picking up too. It’s like a quick bite of information that can be had anywhere as needed, and this is shaping up to be a successful strategy for learning on the go. Micro-learning has efficiently kept learners engaged and covered with the right information, available anytime and anywhere. If on-site learners miss something, these online eLearning resources, whether micro or full, are always available and accessible to the learners and they can keep up with everyone. Companies find it important to level up their online game, and they are massively investing in L&D and partnering with eLearning organizations to keep their workforce updated with the latest and greatest skills as they move forward with their careers. The eLearning industry is evolving rapidly in these changing times. True-to-life, scenario-based, and use case learning is in demand, and companies want to make use of the best available solutions like Gamification, Game-based Learning, Scenario-based Learning, etc.

A recent article by Webex has rightly put it – “Work will never be the same” 57% of employees expect to be in the office 10 days or less each month. 98% believe future meetings will include remote participants.

The most effective and well-received learning and development content is always relevant and contextual to the people. In this new world of hybrid working, your learning and development strategy must hit the mark like never before. To address all these new challenges, you need an innovative L&D program, one that considers employees’ current requirements and equips them with useful skills and information. The same-old won’t do in this age of digital transformation and innovation.

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Revolutionise your Sales Trainings through Mobile Applications

Sales Team Training through mobile app

How well do you sell?

We all know that the commercial success of a business is as good as the impetus of its sales team. There is a continual need to learn new skills to address the ever-changing challenges of sales productivity. The right training can help sales professionals improve their productivity and position themselves for success. The ways of working have changed now. Most employees are working from home, and this has created a certain amount of disconnect between teams. The mobile workforce of today needs mobile solutions, and what better tool than the one in your hand? Yes, a mobile phone.

Mobile apps are the tools that can help sales teams move deals more quickly. Mobile apps are an excellent way to enable sales professionals to improve their performance by delivering training and feedback via their smartphones. One of the greatest advantages of mobile training is that it’s usually accessible 24 hours a day. It allows your sales rep to keep up with the latest product updates right before a client meeting.

Dscout reports that the heaviest smartphone users click, tap or swipe on their phone 5,427 times a day. So, why not provide them with a way to be productive while on the go?

More than 70% of executives under 40 years old are using third-party apps at work. This means that they can access high-quality training through a mobile app. Mobile training is significantly more cost-effective than traditional training. This is mainly due to its portability and the fact that it is easily accessible to new and small businesses as well. Mobile apps are also great tools to encourage dialogue between employees and customers. They can also help improve sales productivity by allowing users to ask and share questions. Mobile learning corporate training is an excellent way to improve your skills and knowledge, as it eliminates the need for manual work and holds the potential to provide a variety of training tools and methods. Gamification is a great way to add fun to mobile learning. It can provide feedback and rewards, and it can also motivate individuals and teams. It can help improve team performance by tying various rewards to performance. The ability to analyze data is essential to calculating success. Having analytical details available at your fingertips can deliver real-time insights, and can help a company get the most out of any training. Mobile learning corporate training apps with analytics can measure your team’s success and correct areas of weakness.

In a Training Industry, Inc. survey, close to half of the respondents said that virtual training modalities like e-learning were “very useful” for impacting sales learning.

A robust sales team indicates increased sales and increased profitability. With the right advice and instructions, the sales force can clinch more agreements and help organizations get the most out of their investment. The use of sales training isn’t restricted to coaching the sales personnel. It’s a centralized team management system that can help with lead management. Mobile sales training solutions help ensure that your staff is in the appropriate position and that the knowledge is delivered in real-time for greater conversion.

With the increasing demands of business stakeholders and hybrid workforces, firms can now benefit from the expertise of an eLearning content development partner with a resourceful App development arm.

Links-
https://blog.dscout.com/mobile-touches
https://trainingindustry.com/articles/sales/the-importance-of-virtual-sales-training-and-how-to-get-it-right/

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An automotive workshop staff that’s trained consistently through gamified solutions contributes to noticeably smooth workshop operations.

An automotive workshop staff that's trained consistently through gamified solutions contributes to noticeably smooth workshop operations.

The traditional ways of managing workshops have to change to keep up with the current times. Service advisors need to keep leveling up their communication skills and knowledge base to efficiently manage workshop operations. A Service Advisor’s primary responsibility is to interpret customer concerns for the technician so that the technician can diagnose problems and perform repairs correctly. The advisor then translates the actual repair problem, which may be very complicated, into a language the customer can understand. Apart from this, auto service advisors are also expected to work with customers to schedule service and handle administrative aspects of customer service departments. During all this, there are chances of communicative disconnect between the advisors, customers, and the technicians due to several reasons like knowledge gap, language barrier, weak communication, advisors not well-versed with technical know-how, and so on. Lack of planning and scheduling of workshop activity mounts up workloads leading to stressful conditions that could have been avoided. Thankfully, a lot of these problems can be managed in much better ways today, and some of these can be avoided altogether.

The most obvious suggestion is to go looking for an experienced and knowledgeable staff that puts your workshop in a much better position to perform efficiently and productively. Understandably, recruiting qualified staff remains an ongoing challenge for businesses, however, putting extra effort into attracting the right people pays significant dividends in the long run. After onboarding though, there is a need for recurring training to keep things running smoothly. On-going training is a worthwhile investment and one that pays off through overall better performance. Through interactive, gamified learning solutions advisors can stay on top of their duties with confidence and not lose precious time by following unorganised practices. These trainings are created to give a very good sense of things, and with gamified assessments, the advisors will know where they stand knowledge-wise, and consequently, this helps them learn and be prepared when they go live. E-learning solutions have helped advisors by virtually training them to have correct automotive knowledge, great people skills, understanding the customer as well as the technician better, and much more. Advisors can review the ongoing workload, clarify technician’s questions (if any), and can discuss and virtually understand/address any problem before getting repairs implemented on the actual car by assigning the most suited technician for a given job. The motive is to keep the team from being confused when on the job by equipping them with the right knowledge through the right training. Advisors learn how to solve real world management challenges like matching technical skills with customer complaints, managing demand, emergencies, and non-availability of technicians. Such gamified e-learning programs are designed to yield significant long-term benefits for any workshop by constantly helping break the disconnect between the customers, technicians, and service advisors, ultimately improving the profitability, in terms of time and money.