Let’s return to a time when the Internet was relatively new, when DVDs were a luxury expense, and when cell phones weighed almost a pound. Forward-thinking companies innovated their employee training strategies to incorporate new digital methods.
Years later, those early days of “innovation” seem so quaint. As technology has evolved, much of the employee training software and hardware that was revolutionary 15, or even just 10, years ago is all but obsolete. Today, tablet training provides companies the innovation they require to educate new and experienced employees alike. These new approaches offer streamlined processes, less IT involvement, and, ultimately, improved results. Here are four efficient tablet training methods that you might have missed but that you should definitely familiarize yourself with:
1. Compressed video
Video can be a great tool for training employees, but the problem was, such files were enormous. DVDs tied workers to a TV or computer screen while they watched; many digital formats required valuable computer storage, long download times, and precious bandwidth. Thanks to tablet training, videos today can be accessed (and updated) from almost any device from almost anyplace. Streaming content doesn’t eat up the bandwidth resources it once did, and video compression reduces the size of files and the space those files take up.
2. Interactive training materials
Employees work hard to get through various levels of school, find a job at which they can apply their skills, and then … are given an inches-thick training manual and a directive to read and learn. That can feel like they are in school again. Tablet training allows companies to ditch the printed materials—and even desktop-based solutions—for a truly interactive learning experience. New workers don’t feel so bogged down on their first days on the job. Veteran employees can directly comment and ask questions about new processes they are being taught. And training managers can quickly assess and adjust procedures based on the interaction they receive.
3. Mobile training solutions
When training went digital, a problem still remained: You couldn’t take it wherever you needed it most. Workers still were practically anchored to the DVD player hooked to a television or the computer on a desk somewhere in the back of the store. The advent of tablet training freed managers and employees to learn at wherever was convenient and logical. Rather than read a document on how to make a new menu item, cooks can launch a step-by-step tutorial on an iPad in the actual kitchen. New employees can watch welcome videos on their own smartphones rather than in a glorified closet in the warehouse. With tablet training, the smaller the technology, the more training possibilities are available.
4. Automatic sync
Even companies that kept up with digital trends faced one huge dilemma: how to get training materials onto their devices in a timely, efficient manner. Files and videos needed to be downloaded onto desktops and laptops; tablets required constant updating as well. However, automatic syncing pushes content onto the devices with minimal effort from the people handling those devices. For example, if a exec at corporate wants to change something minor with a training document, the revision would potentially need to go through several channels (IT, the training department, HR, individual store managers, and so on) before reaching the actual employee. With new tablet training methods and automatic sync, the exec can make the change, which will get to the employee almost instantly.
What tablet training methods has your company adopted?
