Sales coaching is a way to mentor and guide sales reps toward success. It involves using a detailed, customized approach to improve sales techniques, strategies, and interpersonal skills, and it directs all of these efforts toward measurable objectives that are aligned with the overall sales goals of the organization.

Just as coaching in the world of sports elevates athletic performance, formalized sales coaching programs empower individual sellers to excel in their roles. Because they provide specialized guidance, instruction, and inspiration, sales coaches can revolutionize the way a sales team operates.

The difference between sales training and coaching

Successful organizations provide both sales training programs and sales coaching to their sellers. While these two practices may sound similar, each one has a different focus. 

Sales training supplies the foundational knowledge and skills your reps need to start selling. This firehose of information creates an immediate impact; however, that impact typically diminishes over time, especially if there is no reinforcement or ongoing support. That’s where sales coaching comes in. 

Sales coaching is the continuous, personalized support that helps sellers apply sales training and knowledge effectively in real-world scenarios. It utilizes highly individualized coaching content that focuses on the unique strengths, weaknesses, and development areas of each sales rep. Since the goal of sales coaching is continuous improvement and skill refinement over time, its impact is transformational and long-lasting. 

The difference between sales training and coaching is subtle but important. For B2B companies, a combination of both B2B sales training and sales coaching is usually the most effective approach for driving sustained sales success. 

The importance of sales coaching 

In today’s competitive business landscape, sales coaching is quickly becoming a strategic imperative for sales success. Effective sales coaching equips sellers with the skills and know-how to navigate complex buyer journeys, meet elevated customer demands, and close deals quickly. One of the main reasons sales coaching is so powerful is that it bridges skill gaps in the workforce, helping ensure that seasoned sellers stay on top of their game while also enabling new sellers to ramp quickly.

The importance of sales coaching is well understood. In fact, in our 2023 Value of Enablement Report the majority of respondents said that additional coaching would help them meet goals (88%) and close more deals (84%). However, many organizations are leaving benefits like these on the table — 45% of those we polled said they don’t offer sales coaching at all.

Let’s dive in and learn how to create a sales coaching program so that your organization can start taking advantage of this significant competitive differentiator.

How to build a sales coaching program 

Creating a well-structured sales coaching program isn’t difficult, but it does require careful planning and execution. The key is to take a methodical approach, completing each stage thoroughly and in the proper order. Here are the eight essential steps to follow when building a sales coaching program: 

The Aragon Research Globe for Enterprise Coaching, 2024

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The value of using sales coaching software

Sales coaches need specific coaching tools to do their jobs properly. These days, one of the most essential components in the sales coaching toolkit is sales coaching software. 

When evaluating sales coaching software for your program, weigh your options carefully. Be sure to choose a tool that can provide:

• Customization: Since each sales rep has a unique combination of strengths and weaknesses, you need to be able to deliver individualized coaching plans and training.
• Real-time feedback: In today’s highly competitive sales marketplace, it’s essential for sellers to get real-time feedback about their efforts. This enables them to appropriately shift their behaviors and course correct on priorities.
• Practice opportunities: Sales reps need a risk-free space to practice scenarios and apply the skills they’re learning.
• Tracking progress over time: Continuous improvement is one of the hallmarks of sales coaching. That means every member of the sales team needs to have the capability to easily identify areas where they excel, as well as areas where they need to improve.
• Data-driven insights: Advanced analytics about customer interactions and sales performance enable sellers and their teams to refine strategies, identify trends, and make data-informed decisions. These insights also help track the ROI of coaching efforts over time.
• Consistent coaching: To be effective, sales coaching programs have to be adaptable for on-site, hybrid, or remote coaching sessions.

The impact of AI on sales coaching 

The best sales coaching programs also leverage artificial intelligence (AI) for a range of capabilities that enhance sales skills training and drive greater coaching effectiveness. For instance, AI can analyze individual learning styles, strengths, and weaknesses to provide targeted guidance, deliver instant, real-time feedback during training or practice sessions, and even predict future performance based on historical data, helping coaches anticipate challenges and design proactive strategies. 

Many organizations are already implementing AI to facilitate more efficient and effective coaching experiences. Our recent State of AI in Enablement Report found that 53% of respondents are using enablement technology for learning/coaching and 45% are leveraging AI in learning/coaching. In addition, of those who said their companies plan to make further investments in enablement technology, a whopping 93% said advancements in AI are driving those investments.

Coach sellers faster with Seismic

In today’s dynamic business environment, where buyer expectations are high and competition is fierce, sales coaching serves as a critical tool that helps sales teams drive sustainable revenue growth. Are you ready to start empowering your sales reps to reach their greatest potential? Seismic Learning gives reps the resources to ramp quickly, stay up-to-speed on messaging, and receive personalized coaching at scale.

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Sales coaching is the strategic process of guiding and developing sales reps to grow their skills and improve performance. Sales coaching empowers sellers through continuous practice, guidance, and feedback.

Sales coaching is not the same as sales training. While training delivers foundational knowledge that sellers need to know for their roles, coaching in sales fosters additional growth and development that builds on the knowledge gained through sales training. Sales coaching helps sellers cultivate new and existing skills, enhance their knowledge, and strengthen their confidence — all of which can lead to improved performance and success.

Why is sales coaching important?

Sales is the primary revenue driver for many organizations. According to Chorus, teams that receive sales performance coaching experience 16.7% higher revenue growth over teams that don’t receive any coaching. Research also shows that 75% of reps who receive sales coaching consistently hit their quotas. But, the benefits don’t stop there. Teams that provide sales performance also experience:

Improved retention rates

Sales coaching is a great way to improve rep morale and job satisfaction. Seismic’s 2023 Value of Enablement Report found that 80% of respondents believe that coaching would help them feel more satisfied with their job. Additionally, 50% of participants are considering leaving their company due to a lack of training and coaching. Lastly, companies that provide on-the-job coaching increase seller retention by an average of 20% each year. 

Adoption of best practices across the team

Sellers have first-hand experience with various winning playbooks and strategies. Sales coaching is a great way to discover one seller’s successful strategies and tips that can be shared with the rest of the team. This is also a great way to scale best practices and share wins to your entire sales force. 

Maximized sales training

Companies often spend a lot of resources delivering sales onboarding and training each year. However, 70% of this training is forgotten after a week, and nearly 90% is lost within a month. Sales coaching is a great way to reinforce training content and ensure that sellers can retain and apply what they learn in their roles. 

Confident and ready reps

The ultimate goal of sales coaching is to improve the performance of your sales reps. And while sellers need to have relevant skills and knowledge, it’s essential that they feel confident in their roles. Seismic found that 76% of sellers believe that access to coaching helps them avoid second-guessing themselves. 

Enhanced buyer experiences

Sales coaching can also make a big difference in your buyer and customer experiences. When sellers have all of the skills and knowledge they need in their roles, they’re more likely to deliver personalized and engaging experiences to their buyers. In fact, 97% of sellers say that coaching helps them speak to buyers from a more informed standpoint, and 87% say that it helps them better prepare for interactions with buyers.

Sales Coaching Playbook

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Sales coaching strategies

Sales coaching offers reps dedicated time to ensure they understand what they’re learning, have space to ask questions, and receive consistent feedback. While sales coaching methods can look different from team to team — and even rep to rep, the goal is to help drive success. Let’s take a closer look at three common sales coaching scenarios that any sales coach can use to empower sellers and help achieve remarkable results. 

Role playing

Engage in role-playing exercises where you simulate various sales scenarios to hone your sellers’ communication and negotiation skills. This allows them to practice handling objections and deliver compelling sales pitches effectively.

Shadowing

Accompany your sellers on sales calls or presentations to provide real-time feedback and guidance. By observing their interactions with prospects firsthand, you can identify areas for improvement and offer personalized coaching.

Sales playbook development

Collaborate with your sellers to craft a comprehensive sales playbook that outlines best practices, objection handling techniques, and effective sales strategies. This valuable resource will serve as a reference guide for your sellers, ensuring consistency and efficiency in their sales approach.

How to be a good sales coach

Being a proficient sales coach requires a blend of leadership, communication skills, and a deep understanding of sales principles. Coaching a sales team involves helping sellers reach their full potential while collectively achieving organizational goals. Here are some key sales coaching tips to excel in this role: 

• Individualized coaching: One-on-one sales coaching allows for personalized guidance tailored to each team member’s strengths, weaknesses, and developmental needs. By understanding their unique skill sets and areas for improvement, a coach can provide targeted support.
• Continuous training: Sales training and coaching should be an ongoing process rather than a one-time event. Regular training sessions keep the team updated on industry trends, product knowledge, and effective sales techniques, ensuring they stay competitive in the market.
• Lead by example: A sales manager coaching their team should exemplify the behaviors and attitudes they want to instill in their reps. Demonstrating effective selling techniques, active listening, and resilience sets a standard for the team to follow.
• Create a consistent feedback loop: Effective coaching for sales involves providing constructive feedback in real-time. Acknowledge successes, address areas of improvement, and offer actionable insights for growth. Encourage open communication where team members feel comfortable sharing their concerns and seeking guidance.
• Goal setting and accountability: Help sales teams set clear, achievable goals and hold them accountable for their progress. Regularly review performance metrics and celebrate milestones to keep morale high and motivation strong. 
• Adaptability: Recognize that each member of the sales team may respond differently to coaching techniques. Adapt your approach based on individual preferences, learning styles, and personalities to maximize effectiveness.
  
   

Sales coaching best practices

How to measure sales coaching effectiveness

Measuring the effectiveness of sales coaching within an organization is crucial for assessing the impact of coaching initiatives on the performance and development of sales teams. Here’s how an organization can effectively measure sales coaching effectiveness: 

• Performance metrics: Analyzing key performance indicators (KPIs) such as sales revenue, conversion rates, average deal size, and sales cycle length before and after coaching can provide insight into the impact of coaching on sales outcomes. Comparing these metrics over time can help identify improvements because of coaching. 

• Skill development assessments: Conducting assessments to evaluate the development of specific sales skills is essential. This can include pre- and post-training evaluations or regular skill assessments to gauge progress in areas targeted by coaching initiatives. 

• Employee feedback: Soliciting feedback from sales team members about their experience with coaching can offer valuable insights into its effectiveness. Surveys, interviews, or focus groups can be used to gather qualitative feedback on the relevance, usefulness, and impact of coaching programs on individual performance and job satisfaction. 

• Observation and coaching quality: Monitoring coaching sessions and providing feedback to coaches on their ability to offer guidance, support, and constructive feedback to sellers is important. Assessing the quality of coaching interactions, adherence to coaching frameworks, and alignment with organizational goals can help gauge coaching effectiveness. 

• Retention and engagement: Tracking employee retention rates and levels of engagement among sales team members can indirectly measure the effectiveness of coaching. High retention rates and increased employee engagement may indicate that coaching efforts are contributing to job satisfaction, skill development, and overall performance improvement.  

By leveraging a combination of quantitative and qualitative measures, organizations can gain a comprehensive understanding of the effectiveness of sales coaching efforts in driving the success of their sales teams and achieving business objectives. 

The perks of a sales coaching tool

Sellers work in a more competitive, fast-paced, and complex environment. However, it still seems like most organizations struggle to invest in the tools and strategies that can help sellers succeed most. In fact, most managers spend less than 5% of their time coaching sellers. When they were asked why this is the case, the two primary reasons were:

• There isn’t enough time: Sales managers have so much on their plates and are too busy to coach on top of other priorities. 
• They don’t have the tools: For coaching to be truly effective, there needs to be a clear process. However, most sales managers don’t have a way to make the process scalable and efficient.

Thankfully, sales coaching software can help sales managers overcome both of these obstacles. A sales coaching tool enables go-to-market leaders to deliver coaching and personalized feedback to frontline reps at scale. An online coaching platform also makes it easy to create a streamlined sales coaching program that includes everything sellers need to hone skills, receive feedback, and improve in their roles. 

How we can help

The Seismic Enablement Cloud  includes sales training and coaching tools that help ramp new sellers quickly and keeps existing reps’ skills sharp. Want to see how you can assess skills, deliver personalized coaching, and track development at a scale? Get a demo to learn more!

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The Impact of Customer Service Training

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Sales onboarding encapsulates the entire process of welcoming and connecting new hires on a sales team. This starts as soon as a seller walks into the office or logs on for the first time.

The sales onboarding process, however, is more complex than a simple “hello” and introducing new hires to their teammates. Sales onboarding is multifaceted and includes a number of tasks and items that get new sellers up-to-speed and hitting performance goals as soon as reasonably possible. An effective sales onboarding program includes:

• Industry knowledge: Popular acronyms, selling tactics, and trends may be old news to you, but they’re brand new information to a new sales rep.
• Company and product training: Your sales reps have selling skills, but they aren’t yet familiar with the products and services your organization sells. Training new hires on these aspects of your business is especially important if your company belongs to a unique or niche market. 
• Sales enablement content strategy: Knowing what sales enablement collateral like pitch decks, sales sheets, and case studies are at their disposal is critical to a new seller’s success. This also ensures they understand the best time to deliver different assets throughout the buyer journey.
• Sales processes and best practices: A comprehensive understanding of what has or hasn’t worked in the past can save a new seller time and energy.
• Skills training: Every seller has unique strengths and weaknesses. Great onboarding gauges each seller’s current skill set and delivers personalized sales training that helps strengthen their weaknesses.

Why is sales onboarding an important part of enablement?

Selling is more challenging than ever before. Deal cycles are increasingly complex and often driven by highly-informed buyers through digital channels. As a result, sellers now have to develop new skills and enable them to engage buyers in a new sales landscape. In order to quickly ramp new sales reps, your organization needs to ensure they have the right skills, knowledge, and tools to engage buyers on their terms. In order to do these things effectively, companies need to create an onboarding program that acts as a roadmap for new hires.

A successful sales enablement plan needs onboarding that educates sellers on their sales quotas, performance milestones and expectations, and the tools that will get them there. The sales onboarding process is an essential step in this plan. If you don’t take time to train, educate, and guide sellers from the get-go, they’ll fail to properly understand what the organization intends for them to achieve, along with the resources they have to help get the job done.

The benefits of sales onboarding

Sales onboarding goes far beyond providing a few playbooks and training sessions to new sellers.. A strong sales enablement onboarding program paired with collaborative company culture pays off tenfold when your seller starts connecting with prospects. In fact, effective sales onboarding has been shown to:

Increase Revenue	Drive Satisfaction	Lower Turnover
New sellers who have access to an effective onboarding program ramp seven weeks faster than the industry average (6-9 months).	Employees who say they experienced exceptional onboarding are 2.6 times more likely to be extremely satisfied with their workplace.	Nearly 70% of employees are more likely to stay with a company for an average of three years if they experience great onboarding.

Let’s take a close look at how these benefits come to be.

• Improve productivity: When a seller spends less time asking questions or digging for important resources, they can reach their full potential with ease.
• Drive satisfaction: An onboarding program is a new hire’s first experience with your organization’s learning and development culture, which is an important factor in employee satisfaction. Therefore, a hassle-free onboarding experience is often reflective of a larger, positive company culture.
• Decrease turnover: Lower turnover rates are all about confidence in your brand and your company. An organization with a solid onboarding process may make new hires feel more secure in their position and the company as a whole.

Challenges to delivering effective onboarding

Although an effective onboarding program is critical to seller experience, some organizations still struggle to hit the mark.  In fact, 88% of leaders believe that their organization struggles with onboarding.Some of the most common obstacles to delivering a solid onboarding program include:

1. Access to the right sales enablement materials: Sellers need easy and ongoing access to their training and sales enablement materials. Make sure new hires know where the most pertinent information is stored, as well as additional resources that may come in handy.
2. Lack of milestones to gauge progress: Despite the well-known benefits of goal-making, 60% of companies don’t set short-term goals for new hires. Giving performance reviews – even small ones – can reassure sellers that they are on the right track
3. Compressed time frame: The first few months in a new role can be stressful for a new hire. Sales training plans should allow adequate time for your seller to learn the ropes instead of cramming onboarding into a few weeks. The fact is, employees who experience longer onboarding programs gain full proficiency 34% faster than those with shorter programs, so create a roadmap that extends beyond a seller’s first 30 or 60 days on the job.
4. Inconsistent experience from rep to rep: Sometimes, even the best sales onboarding plans can have flaws. These can boil down to simple things like different methods of delivery by trainers and enablement leaders, or the time of year when a hire is brought on. 
5. Inadequate coaching and feedback: As a sales enablement manager or leader, it’s up to you to ensure that each of your sellers receives the support they need wherever they are in their skills journey. What applies to one seller may not apply to the rest. Utilize the resources at your disposal to give feedback where it will be most effective.

Sales onboarding best practices

While companies can face a number of challenges with onboarding new sales reps, there are a ton of great tips to help the process run smoothly. 

• Streamline the process: Keep your training materials sorted, indexed, and easy to find. The faster a new hire can get a question answered, the better.
• Assess and measure sales readiness over time: As discussed, goal-setting is one of the strongest facets of a great training plan. Give your new hires small goals to achieve so  the bigger ones don’t seem quite so daunting.
• Deliver engaging training: Binders full of reading material don’t make for a great  new hire sales training experience. Instead, encourage employees to interact with content, apply newly learned knowledge, and problem solve in practice exercises.
• Encourage relationship building: Mentoring and shadowing are some of the oldest tricks in the book, and for good reason! Letting your new employees learn from more experienced sales reps grants access to hard-earned wisdom and builds the foundation of a strong professional connection.
• Provide coaching: Your sellers are only as good as the support they receive. Offering coaching and ongoing training can push your sales numbers higher than ever.

Why you should consider using a sales enablement platform for onboarding

Despite the benefits, many organizations still don’t have a formal onboarding program. The most common reason is a lack of time. With an economy moving at a pace unheard of just a decade ago, it’s hard to carve out time to bring every new hire up to speed. 

What are sales enablement tools?

In order to overcome this obstacle, more companies are implementing an onboarding tool or sales enablement platform. These tools make  it easier to turn important knowledge into lessons, assignments, and assessments that new hires can complete over time. It also streamlines the onboarding process by automating tasks so that leaders don’t have to manually push out training content when a new seller is ready. This type of system has actually been shown to boost retention rate by as much as 16%.

If you’ve started a new job in the last few years, you might recall that a lot of the information you were given was irrelevant to your role or simply too much to remember. You’re not alone in this feeling. In fact, almost 80% of sales training is forgotten by most reps within the first few months on the job. So, how can an organization make training stick?

This is one of the many perks of  investing in sales onboarding software. A one-stop digital location for your company’s policies, procedures, and materials makes for easy onboarding and happier employees. A dedicated sales onboarding tool also tracks the progress your new sellers make during their onboarding journey with assessments and feedback assessments. 

Ramp new hires faster with Seismic

When you’re ready to upgrade your sales onboarding process, turn to Seismic. Customers like Lower ramp new sales reps 5x faster by creating onboarding at scale with Seismic’s learning and coaching software. Interested in learning more? See how your organization can improve speed to competency and reach goals more quickly with Seismic with this quick video.

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Sales coaching builds on the training your sales reps already have and focuses on refining specific skills and improving gaps in performance. Coaching also provides a space to reinforce or highlight positive behaviors and skills. It should be iterative and personalized so every rep is best supported to effectively reach their personal sales goals while contributing to the performance of their entire team.

The difference between sales training and coaching

If your company already has a successful sales training program, you may wonder how sales coaching is any different. The reality is that coaching and training are not identical methods of training. Instead, they are connected processes that build off of one another. 

For example, sales training topics are usually centered around teaching your sellers about your products and what marketing techniques have been most successful in the past. This is a helpful collection of basic knowledge, but information that worked previously may become outdated or obsolete rather quickly. 

Coaching adds another layer to the foundational knowledge provided in training.Unlike other sales training methods that deliver concise knowledge to an entire group or team, coaching is individually tailored to each seller. It’s a lot like making a tray of cupcakes. If training is the batter — uniform and fundamentally necessary — then coaching is the toppings, endlessly varied and uniquely delicious.

Examples of sales coaching

Sales coaching can look different to each seller, depending on the individual and the experience and knowledge they may already have. In truth, the sky’s the limit when it comes to figuring out what approach works best for your sellers’ sales coaching. Best practices can include:

• Evaluating a seller’s pitch delivery for positive attributes, as well as areas of improvement.
• Assessing a rep’s email communication with a prospective customer and locating points of improvement throughout the buyer’s experience.
• Debriefing with a seller after a prospect meeting to discuss what worked and what didn’t.

Ultimately, there is no one way to coach a seller. Your prospects and customers come with their own unique challenges, and coaching can prepare your reps to address them.

What does a sales coach do?

A sales coach is not simply another trainer or built-in professional mentor for your entire sales team. The job of a sales coach is to build relationships with sellers in order to improve their performance over time. After all, it is simpler to understand where a rep’s success comes naturally, and where it doesn’t, when you understand a bit more about who they are as individuals.

The ongoing education and support provided by a coach can help reps improve in whatever areas they may need without the added pressure of direct comparison to their coworkers. Instead, coaches use unique and personalized sales coaching questions to foster a relationship that’s built on trust and empathy with sellers. As sales coaches create a safe and collaborative environment for performance enhancement, their coaching will vary between sellers. Because no two sales reps are the same, individual sales coaching is a necessary tool for growth and development.

Benefits of sales coaching

A reluctant sales manager may be wondering, “Why is sales coaching important?” To comprehensively answer this question, it’s  crucial to note that coaching can do more than offer a supportive ear to your sellers. The benefits of coaching can bring about potential wins for the entire business, including:

• Improved productivity: Coaching can cover various topics that extend beyond the skills that are needed to interact with prospects. Proper sales coaching often leads to more efficient work, especially if a rep’s coaching focuses on process improvement.  

• Increased engagement: A one-on-one conversation is more inviting than reading an email or completing another training lesson. A coach can act as a meaningful connection to your sales team, one that can help make everyone feel both helpful and encouraged.

• Decreased turnover: It’s no great secret that employees who feel heard and supported are more likely to stay at their current job. Sales coaching statistics support this idea with studies showing that retention increases by more than 20% in companies with coaching programs.

• Better performance: A good coach can see where a rep already succeeds and where some performance assistance is needed. Coaching can quickly highlight a seller’s blindspots and assist them in improving in those areas.
  
• Revenue growth: Your sellers’ bottom line is your bottom line, and that’s where a coach can help. Businesses that invest resources into continuously improving their sellers reap the benefits. In 2018, companies that employed effective sales coaching saw annual revenue growth of 16.7%.

Common coaching techniques

Sales coaching is as widely varied as the companies that utilize it. That’s why it’s important to understand the many options available to you as you start incorporating a sales coaching program into your team’s ongoing training. 

In the end, only you will know which  sales coaching models are most helpful for you and your reps. Trial and error can be frustrating and time-consuming, so it can be helpful to explore what has worked for others. Some of the most common and effective  sales coaching techniques are: 

• Sales performance coaching: You hired your reps for a reason, but no professional is beyond improvement. Performance coaching is a formal space that invites reps and supervisors to sit down and review what areas a rep excels in, as well as where they can improve. 

• Sales skills coaching: Overall goal-setting and improvement is great, but meeting specific prospect needs is better. Sales skills coaching gets into the nitty-gritty of buyer-rep interactions and focuses on in-the-moment improvements. 

• 1:1 coaching: This type of sales coaching incorporates consistent, uplifting conversations with each of your reps. Individual sales coaching offers a space for sellers to voice their concerns and receive tailored feedback that takes into account their own apprehensions and ideas. 

Tips for effective coaching

Once you have a game plan and have prepared your team for a new coaching process, it’s time to put everything into action. For some leaders this can be the most daunting part, as the addition of a sales coaching program may come with bumps and growing pains. For the smoothest transition possible we recommend:

• Mixing up coaching styles: We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again — no two sales reps will respond to the same coaching style the same way. Trying a variety of approaches will allow you to find what style works best for each rep.

• Using data: If you are unsure how effective an approach is, check your numbers. Have your reps improved or not? If progress is stagnant, it may be best to try another method. 

• Defining goals and objectives: Not only are goals helpful for reps looking to measure progress, but clear objectives have also been shown to help employees feel more engaged during the coaching process. This gives them a clear plan and path that they need to work toward. 

• Scheduling check-ins: A set time each week, month, or quarter to chat with your reps one-on-one can provide insight into the strategies that are working best. It’s also a great way to continue building the relationship and improving performance over time.
• Providing helpful resources: Sometimes, the most effective sales coaching won’t come from you! Give your reps access to outside training materials and education that they can access outside of coaching sessions. 

While finding the right sales coaching techniques for your sellers will take time, it will be worthwhile in the long run.

When to consider using sales coaching software

It’s not just managers and executives who want the benefits of sales coaching. Your reps do, too! More than 75% of sales employees say they want to experience the performance and work culture benefits of coaching. However, despite the benefits and preferences from employees most managers only spend about 5% of their time coaching.

It makes sense. Managing a sales team is a demanding job, and it can be hard to carve out time to provide coaching. Not only that, but many managers may not have access to the tools and resources necessary for delivering truly engaging feedback.

In this case, sales coaching software comes to the rescue. This type of software includes features that assess employee performance, supply coaching plans, and offer training in areas that need improvement. Online sales coaching provides flexibility and ease of access to your team’s ongoing training efforts without cutting corners on the quality or customization of the feedback.

Deliver personalized coaching with Seismic

Your sales team is ready to push off from standardized training and surface-level feedback. Let Seismic help you take the next step. Seismic’s coaching solution offers the online training, practice, and individualized coaching needed to take your team to the next level. Schedule a demo today to find out how you can decrease ramp time, improve performance, and help sellers grow.

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Today’s eLearning tools include authoring software that enables fast and efficient creation of content. The best programs allow anyone with technological familiarity to create rich, valuable content that learners can absorb from anyone. That’s why it is crucial for companies to leverage this newfound ability to teach employees from anywhere.

Modern learning

We are living boldly in the age of modern technology where 85% of Americans own smartphones or tablets. Today’s learners now expect a wide range of options when it comes to learning content for training and education purposes. Gone are the days of making the commute to attend long and typically boring employee training classes onsite. It is an inconvenience for employees and an added expense that is simply not necessary for the employer.

Savvy companies are turning to learning software to create eLearning experiences for online training that are not only user-friendly for both the learner and the trainer, but also offer engaging and interactive learning content they will enjoy. Modern learning opportunities that include cloud-based learning software with an easily navigable user interface makes creating eLearning materials easy, affordable, and the perfect solution to take your organization to the next level of technology.

With eLearning software, learners get the advantage of modern learning online and while keeping the on-demand “work-from-anywhere” perks they crave. Being able to access the online training lessons on demand allows them the freedom they desire to work anytime, from anywhere, so they can work on their schedule, which enables them to excel. In addition, it lets employees know they are part of a progressive company who stays on top of technology and cares about and listens to their team members. The cloud-based online training will also better prepare employees for their roles in the organization which leads to better job satisfaction and enjoyment.

Companies who use modern learning software to create eLearning opportunities for employees will see success in the form of a team that learns, practices, and grows. In addition, using this modern cloud-based learning opportunity will allow organizations to experience faster onboarding, higher NPS scores, more closed deals, and superior customer experience.

Types of eLearning

Company-wide training is evolving and a simple PowerPoint presentation no longer suffices. Instead, businesses are turning to eLearning software to create captivating content for their employees. More companies are recognizing the advantages of eLearning software, and the industry is experiencing rapid growth. That’s why we’d like to provide a few strategies to support eLearning software for businesses.

Every eLearning situation requires a different set of content authoring tools and requirements. We’ve boiled down eLearning software into three types to simplify creating content.

1. Text-driven E-Learning software: At this level, companies only use a few content authoring tools, and the content is relatively straightforward. For the most part, the authoring software is basic and content includes text, graphics, a little audio, and a small set of questions. Training information that doesn’t delve too deep, such as compliance training, is perfect for this format. The goal or purpose of text-driven eLearning software to simply present and grasp the content as quickly as possible.
2. Interactive eLearning software: Every type of eLearning training has some overlap. Interactive eLearning software is similar to text-driven, except for a few key differences. The level of authoring software needed is a bit more complicated, takes a bit more time to get accustomed to, and content is more dynamic. For example, consider a graph or chart that users can interact and change the displayed content. The key to this format of eLearning software is that it’s interactive. In addition to text, graphics, and audio, interactive eLearning software has charts, graphs, diagrams, and videos.
3. Simulation eLearning software. This type of eLearning software is the most complex as it relies significantly on graphics, video, audio, even handles multimedia authoring using Macromedia flash. There are often custom elements and aspects created by specific content authoring tools. The authoring software needed includes tools to develop 3D components, graphics, texts, audio, video, and much more. The heart of simulation E-Learning software is to offer custom elements that aid in the learning experience by creating a more personalized journey.

Finding the right authoring software can be complex but the right eLearning software will help companies simplify the training process and save time, financial resources, and mental effort.

Rapid eLearning best practices

Here are a few strategies to consider when it comes to creating effective and engaging eLearning:

The flipped-classroom approach: We suggest taking the material you use to train and assigning it before work hours. Whether it’s before a first day or a new quarter, the material can be learned and then immediately exemplified by the learner.

Bite-size lessons: Shorter lessons and more frequent quizzing make for higher retention. Lessons should be under 15 minutes and questions should be sprinkled throughout

Content switch-up: We’re big fans of changing up the type of content within course creation software. Look for ways to provide training content via text, images, video, and more.

Ongoing training: Training doesn’t end after onboarding. Even seasoned vets need to learn new things. Ongoing training is important for everyone in the company so that everyone remains on the same page. eLearning software helps prevent messages from being mixed up and serves as a constant source for learning.

Finding the right eLearning software

eLearning software is an investment, and companies want to ensure they make the best one possible. Since the needs of a company can vary dramatically, it’s important to create a clear vision of what a company wants to accomplish with eLearning software. As the company evolves, it’s also natural for training resources to change, especially when it comes to eLearning software. A rapidly changing company may need more advanced types of eLearning tools, such as an adapt authoring tool, a set of SCORM authoring tools, or a basic learning management system. Whatever the company needs, it’s crucial to ask the right questions, so we’ve compiled a list to help with the search of new eLearning software, content authoring tools, or authoring software.

• What’s our vision for eLearning software and what do we hope to achieve?
• What specific tools does the company need to obtain this vision, such as content authoring tools, authoring software, or a learning management system?
• How can the company be sure they’re buying the right eLearning software or content authoring tools?

The eLearning software comparison

When you’re looking for eLearning software, you are probably aiming for the right balance between a reasonable price, user-friendliness, flexibility, and range of options. However, with the number of options on the marketplace, it’s sometimes impossible to tell where to start. Should you prioritize the cost-effectiveness or efficiency of learning outcomes? What do you need your program to do? Who are you teaching?

These are tough questions and not always easy to answer. The best way to make an eLearning software comparison is to start by reading eLearning software reviews. If you compare file software and discover that one looks better than another, that’s great, but don’t give up there. Let’s take a look at some eLearning software options available to you:

eLearning authoring tools and features

The best eLearning authoring tools can be found for purchase individually, but a system with all the tools and the eLearning authoring software necessary proves time and time again to simplify the learning involved with onboarding and ongoing training. Look for eLearning development tools that support:

• Text formatting: Lessons with hyperlinks, bolded texts, and even underlined sections are easily to read and understand.
• Images: Learning material with images are more engaging.
• Video: If you’ve taken the time to put together really great how-to videos or have timeless videos that have worked well in past training, you can position those within a lesson.
• Embed: People have media all over different platforms these days. Look for a tool that allows you to embed other content from YouTube, SlideShare, Prezi, and more.
• Doc: Sometimes you’ll need to upload supplemental forms, guides, or resources, so look for a tool that supports .doc, .xlsx, .csv, and .pdf files.

Open source eLearning Software

Open source is significant these days. Many people find the idea of open source software very appealing, because it not only is free, it has the backing of hundreds and sometimes thousands of different designers. In instructional design, the contribution of many different minds often results in a great product, but just as with free eLearning software, there are some significant downsides as well.

In an open source eLearning software comparison, you not only have to think through an open source LMS comparison, but you’ve also got to make sure that you’re getting the best product possible. The thing about open source learning management systems is that they often incorporate the most cutting edge software, which isn’t always that user-friendly. “Cutting edge” might sound good, but sometimes this moniker translates to messy, barely-beyond-beta systems that make sense only to the people who designed them and not to the people trying to use them.

The other thing about open source LMS software to keep in mind before jumping in is that it usually doesn’t offer much support doesn’t supply compatible hardware and doesn’t come with warranties. While open source eLearning tools may add a valuable layer to your eLearning program, open source is not always the best way to go.

Free eLearning software

To leverage the explosive growth of eLearning and mobile learning in the past few years, many companies have jumped into the game for free. They provide free eLearning authoring software, allowing anyone to create and disseminate eLearning programs to their employees or the masses. Although free eLearning software has some definite upsides, there are plenty of downsides as well. Let’s consider a few of each.

Among the benefits of free learning management system software is the fact that any company can create and put out training materials to help better its systems and its employees’ knowledge base. Considering that in past creating eLearning materials has been cumbersome and expensive, this is no small thing.

However, the downsides include unreliable origins of such materials, the sometimes-poor nature of the design, and the unvetted safety of importing them onto company systems, where they can bring malware and viruses along for the ride.

Make the switch to eLearning software

Seismic Learning (formerly Lessonly) is an online training software for frontline teams. Our mobile platform makes it easy for teams and employees to learn when and where it’s best for them. Seismic Learning makes content creation intuitive and supports a variety of file types. Lessons and courses are quickly created and easily distributed to teams or individual employees. With the quizzing and open-ended question features, managers can see how well learners learn, track their progress, and gather feedback for further training improvements. Ready to learn more? Get a demo from one of our teammates and we’ll show you Seismic Learning in action.

The post eLearning Software Guide appeared first on Seismic.

The goal of customer service training is to equip agents with the necessary skills, knowledge, and resources to improve support and customer satisfaction levels. Training on customer service includes a wide variety of topics including product knowledge, technology fundamentals, soft skills, and company-wide processes. A good customer service training program includes a thorough onboarding process that equips new agents with the fundamental skills and knowledge they need to interact with customers. After onboarding, agents need ongoing customer service training and coaching for continuous improvement and growth.

The importance of customer service training

Great customer service is a competitive advantage for any business. The most impactful way to figure out how to improve customer service lies with those who are interacting with customers on a daily basis — your agents. However, nearly half of all call center agents say they don’t have access to the information or tools they need to best serve their customers. Great customer service training provides the right tools, knowledge, and skills agents need to support customers and set your business apart from your competition. So if you want to keep your agents and customers happy, customer service should be your top priority. Here are just a few more reasons why this is the case: 

• Companies that invest in customer service training have more engaged employees and see 24% higher profits than those that don’t.
• Over 46% of customers say they’d go to a competitor due to an agent’s lack of knowledge during an interaction. 

The benefits of using customer service training tools

Customer service teams can deliver training a number of ways, ranging from instructor-led training sessions to agent shadowing and in-person training seminars. Customer service training software is the most effective training method because it frees up valuable resources that can be used to better serve existing customers, grow your customer base, and improve operations across your support team. Let’s take a closer look at a few advantages of using customer service training tools. 

Onboard new agents quickly

The average turnover rate for customer service agents in call centers is 45%. With high turnover rates, companies must hire new agents and get them up to speed quickly without skipping essential onboarding. Instead of asking new agents to complete a few days worth of onboarding that provides too much information at once, online training tools streamline the onboarding process and deliver essential training to agents over time so they’re more likely to comprehend training materials.

Train teammates consistently and efficiently

Online training also provides agents a consistent learning experience across the team. This is key for great customer service as it ensures that your agents all have the same understanding and knowledge in order to provide customers with the same level of service across the organization. Pulling agents off the floor for group training sessions is a costly process. Since customer service training software provides agents with training right from their computer, they can easily complete training lessons in-between customer interactions or during scheduled idle time. This is an efficient way to ensure that agents still receive the training they need while being available to assist customers as the business needs.

Provide on-demand access

Agents need to know and understand a lot of information regarding your company’s products, services, policies, and more. Because it’s nearly impossible to remember everything after training is completed, it’s important to give agents ongoing access to training materials. By giving agents access to a central training platform they can quickly search for critical information and answers they need right when they need it in order to deliver fast, accurate service.

How to improve training with customer service training software

Companies that leverage customer service training software have the opportunity to create dynamic, engaging, and effective training like never before. Here are some strategies to keep in mind in order to create the best customer service training programs possible.

Focus on one skill at a time

Often, trainers are working under a time crunch and feel the need to combine multiple pieces of information or focus on multiple skills in one training session. When it comes to creating the best customer service courses for agents, remember to keep things short and simple. Great online training lessons should only focus on one topic or skill at a time and take about 20 minutes for agents to complete. This structure makes it easier for agents to comprehend new knowledge and complete it in one instance.

Look for better ways to engage agents

Practical training is more than handing agents a customer service training manual full of jargon and lengthy text. Look for a customer service training tool that supports elements like text, images, videos, PDFs, and more. Remember everyone has different learning styles, so look for ways to incorporate various materials into your courses in order to encourage engagement.

Practice and hone essential skills

The best customer service training programs also allow agents to practice skills through role-playing scenarios. Customer service training software gives agents the chance to walk through common customer scenarios and practice responses before actually interacting with customers. This is also a great way to review an agent’s progress and provide coaching and feedback on any skill gaps. This will boost their confidence and ensure that they’re ready to interact with customers on a daily basis. 

Track training progress and comprehension

A traditional classroom training session makes it difficult to know if your agents comprehend and can apply what they are learning. Customer service training software tracks critical training information like completion rates, quiz scores, and satisfaction scores so trainers can collect valuable data on your training program over time.

Provide ongoing training opportunities

The best customer service training programs provide ongoing training opportunities so agents can improve skills, stay up-to-date with product information and company changes, and re-visit customer service training modules as needed.

Customer service training ideas

Now that you understand what customer service training software is and how it can take your training programs to the next level, here are a few customer service training ideas that are a great place to start.

• What is customer service? It’s crucial that every agent on your support team understands your company’s definition of customer service. By understanding the level of service your company expects, your agents will be more likely to provide the type of experience that they’re expected to deliver.
• Product and service knowledge: In order to adequately address customer issues, agents need to be knowledgeable about the products and services your company provides. The more they know about your company’s offering, the better positioned they’ll be to accurately answer any question or issue that comes up. 
• Customer service policies and procedures: How should agents handle upset customers? When do they escalate an issue to a manager? When can they offer a refund or exchange? Agents need to understand your company’s policies and procedures in order to deliver consistent levels of support across the business. 
• Customer service certifications: Certifications are great for teams with tiered customer support agents who require varied skill sets or expertise depending on their role. This allows agents to complete ongoing training courses and earn a customer service certification online. Managers and trainers can also track these certifications to ensure agents meet the required learning paths or levels of training for their current or future roles. 
• Customer service skills: Soft skills such as effective communication, active listening, emotional intelligence, and problem solving are essential for every agent to have. While some of these skills may come more naturally than others, it’s best to provide training and practice opportunities to keep these skills sharp. 

Deliver the best online customer service training with Seismic

Ready to take your company’s customer service from good to great? With Seismic, customer service teams can quickly ramp new agents, provide continuous learning, practice and hone essential skills, and measure training’s impact on customer satisfaction. Read how one customer decreases new agent ramp time by 80% and earns an average CSAT score of 94% with online training and coaching powered by Seismic. Or, jump into a free lesson and we’ll show you what your customer service training courses can look like. 

The post Customer service training software appeared first on Seismic.

Web-based training, also called computer-based training or online training software, delivers training to employees that’s available anytime, anywhere.

Online employee training platforms are used in a variety of organizations, industries, and other environments. Its flexibility is the ideal solution for providing training to local, global, and remote workforces. With today’s web browsers supporting animation, 3-D virtual reality, real-time audio and video, chat, and conferencing, it has created unparalleled learning and opportunity for training with virtual training platforms. In short, web-based training is designed to effectively meet the training needs of a wide and diverse population of today’s busiest workers.

Web-based training programs are generally available in two different types of instruction:

• The asynchronous web-based training definition includes a self-paced and self-directed format.
• The synchronous web-based training definition includes an instructor facilitating the course.

There’s also a wide array of methods and web-based training examples, including:

• Screen cam tutorials
• Learning portals
• Hyperlinked pages
• Live web broadcasts
• Streaming audio/video
• Interactive methods
• Chats
• Desktop video conferencing
• Threaded discussions

So now, you don’t have to ask “What is web-based learning?” anymore. For your own company, you should be able to establish your own web-based learning definition. Every individual or organization will have their own definition due to their differing needs.

The benefits of web-based training software

Fans and advocates of web-based training feel it’s the ideal solution for continuing training and learning because it’s available on-demand, cost-efficient, and doesn’t require any travel. On the other hand, critics highlight that there are both pros and cons of eLearning and believe that web-based training is an appropriate solution for self-motivated, independent learners.

How can a company train a group of employees across the globe in radically different cultures, languages, and timezones? The answer is simple: web-based training software. Web-based training eliminates the need for costly flights and keeps an organization aligned on what matters most, even from thousands of miles apart. Let’s take a glance at a few key web-based training advantages and the benefits of online training:

Web-based software is convenient for any schedule

When it comes to working remotely, nearly 77% of workers say they feel happier being able to work from home. And, as more companies embrace full-time remote work, web-based training software provides employers and employees alike the versatility and career growth they need. As top talents demand more workplace options and benefits than ever, web-based training for employees enables them to learn at their convenience, wherever they choose.

Training is available on-demand with web-based software

Online training platforms require no waiting to get started with training. A company no longer has to onboard new hires at the same time or wait for a large group of new hires. Instead, as business ebbs and flows, web-based training software allows a company to onboard when needed. And online training platforms free human resource employees from unnecessary time spent training, allowing them to focus on other areas of work or hone in on the most important topics in-person.

Web-based training software is a browser’s best friend

Employees bring different talents to organizations. For employees that aren’t as digitally savvy, using web-based training platforms can prevent potential technical issues stemming from downloadable software or apps. Web-based training software plays well with every operating system, so employees can nearly use web-based software with any browser—which means less fretting about which operating system or type of computer employees use.

E-Learning software is made for the company’s wallet

Predicting onboarding costs can be difficult. Online training platforms are cloud-based meaning that companies know the exact cost every month. With LMS software, companies can evaluate and manage their onboarding expenses transparently and effectively. An LMS also means no more costly travel for employees to fly across the country or globe to attend training, but because web-based training software is friendly for reps in any locale.

Stay aligned and consistent with web-based training

Global companies face the challenge of communicating and staying aligned about the things that matter most. With web-based training software, teams can refresh themselves on the company’s vision as needed. Organizations can schedule quarterly or semi-annual training using the online training system, diminishing the issue of alignment. They also could push out essential information in minutes, allowing rapid back-and-forth flows of information and feedback from corporate leaders to frontline workers. When conducting exclusively live training, it’s easy to see how certain HR employees could deliver training differently or potentially miss a valuable point. Especially in areas like compliance, a company’s LMS software ensures consistency and helps employees stay one step ahead.

Features of web-based training platforms to look for

The process of evaluating web-based training software or e-learning systems should be done based on the needs of the organizations. With hundreds of different online training systems available, it’s important to make sure you choose the ideal LMS system for your organization. While there are several different criteria to look for in web-based training tools, it’s vital to consider and include the following attributes in your assessment of web-based learning tools.

Assigning abilities

Since not every lesson will be designed for everyone within the organization, it’s important to be able to assign courses to specific groups. The web-based learning management system should allow you to quickly assign and enroll members in courses based on the needs of the organization. As you assign curriculum to different groups and individuals, the web-based training software should also allow you to assign completion dates or time frames the training has to be completed. Web-based training examples of time frames would be a new employee that is required to complete a certain number of core courses within their first 120 days of employment.

Tracking abilities

The online course software you choose should also be a valuable tracking tool for training and employee development. The majority of web-based training software systems will provide you with some sort of tracking features, but the best also includes reporting and notification features. These types of additional features ensure nothing is lost in the shuffle of large company-wide training initiatives or a surge to finish a special required training within a set amount of time.

Easy-to-build lessons

Above all, it’s imperative to be able to easily and quickly build lessons. While a lot of today’s web-based learning software is difficult to use and may seem like it requires a degree, it’s best to keep it simple. Instead of using difficult software to create online training modules, look for a computer-based training program that includes things like drag and drop functionality and one-click text edit capability. After all, building a training lesson shouldn’t be more difficult than writing and sending an email.

Interactivity and engaging features

Just because your organization starts using training and development software tools, it doesn’t mean that employees will automatically engage with training. The best web-based training tools allow lesson builders to add interactive elements throughout training content so employees don’t stare at a static screen full of text. By including elements like knowledge checks, images, and videos, pictures, quizzes, and practice exercises to reinforce training content, employees are more likely to engage with training and remember what they just learned. This is much better than having them gloss over paragraphs of text, hitting the finish button, and going about their day.

The freedom and flexibility of web-based learning

At the core, the definition of online learning is synonymous with the Internet: it’s always on and always available. Because of this ubiquitous nature, online web-based learning has become increasingly popular. Web-based learning software offers users and the organization several benefits, such as:

• Learners gain access to experts and colleagues from various geographic locations that they would typically not have the ability to communicate with.
• Training happens anyplace and any time that Internet access is available.
• Individuals are able to learn around their schedule at their own pace within the provided time frame.
• Learners can take advantage of continuous, lifelong learning without quitting their jobs, relocating, or having to stop the flow of their normal jobs.

In addition to offering the trainees more freedom and benefits, organizations enjoy many cost benefits, such as:

• Reduced costs for the organization because of fewer facility fees and travel-related costs.
• Web-based learning software is less expensive when considering the worldwide distribution and district-wide distribution of training pertaining to a limited number of participants in a classroom.
• Web-based training lessons can be recycled or updated for additional training.

What is eLearning, and how is it related?

The definition of eLearning is the utilization of electronic technologies to access educational information outside of the typical classroom. Most eLearning definitions refer to a course, program, or degree that is also delivered completely online. There are several different types of eLearning, such as the following:

• The definition of text-driven eLearning includes simple content through graphics, text, some audio, and simple test questions. The most common example of text drive eLearning courses is compliance courses.
• The best way to define e-learning courses is text-driven courses with visual interactive components to enhance learning.
• Simulation eLearning places a heavy emphasis on portraying concepts through different mediums, including text, graphics, audio, and video examples. Following these lessons, simulation e-learning lessons typically include a “try-it” mode, where users can prove the skills they just learned.

What is eLearning design?

To realize all the outstanding advantages of e-learning, it’s important to have an effective e-learning checklist that includes some mixture of the following criteria:

1. Did you analyze the identified needs of your team, time constraints, and budgets?
2. Have you examined and analyzed your e-learning audience or users?
3. Are the course requirements consistent with the course objectives?
4. Did you complete a task analysis?
5. Does the course structure meet the instructional goals?
6. Did you use a wide array of different instructional theories or models?
7. Is the content offered in snackable and bite-size chunks of information for the participants?
8. Are the headings clear and concise?
9. Does each slide have bullet points?
10. Does the design include a sufficient number of presentations, such as multimedia?

Find web-based training software that employees love

The Seismic Learning (formerly Lessonly) training platform for employees makes it easy to create engaging onboarding, hone essential skills, and deliver effective feedback to your entire organization. Our user-friendly and simple web-based learning solution is purpose-built to help teams learn, practice, and grow. We make it easy to create, deliver, manage, and access training content so teams can train when and where it’s best for them. We also feature interactive tools like quizzes, assessments, and practice exercises to engage learners and ensure they retain what they’re learning.

While there are plenty of choices for free online training for employees, teams drive real business change with our training software. Want to learn more? Get a demo with us and we’ll show you around.

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Not all companies require a team dedicated to managing eLearning software and authoring tools. An open source learning management system or free online course development software would require a developer and coordinator, but generally, with eLearning, just having someone in HR assigned as an administrator is enough. The right online course development plan in place will guarantee smooth sailing.

What is authoring software?

In its simplest form, authoring software helps users create media content. Authoring software is also commonly referred to as an authoring system. Consider a field such as education. An authoring system allows instructors that have no prior knowledge of coding to develop an interactive and engaging program for learning. Authoring software has three components: content organization, control of content delivery, and different type of assessment. Each aspect of the authoring software allows instructors to structure content, set the pace of content delivery to users, and assess learning outcomes.

What are authoring tools for online training development software?

Products or tools such as Google Docs, Adobe Premier, and Microsoft PowerPoint are all examples of authoring tools—they are tools that allow users to create digital content. However, when it comes to the world of education and learning, authoring tools are the software that instructors specifically use to create eLearning and digital content. Authoring software or a content authoring tool allows teachers to customize courses and create engaging content for learning in a much more engaging and meaningful context than a Google Doc.

Why use authoring tools for online training development software?

Creating content with code requires a particular set of software development skills—and it can be costly because these skills are in high demand. An authoring tool can help users and companies without programming experience create engaging learning content. Authoring software allows any employee to create training modules, but its primary benefit is to develop learning content more quickly. With authoring software, companies can spend more time analyzing data and evaluating learning outcomes, instead of wasting time designing and coding content. Thoughtful content creation can take hours but with an authoring tool, creating eLearning information could take just a few minutes

Finding the right authoring tool

There is a wide array of authoring software, and selecting the tool that best fits a company’s needs can be challenging. Here are a few ideas or questions companies might want to consider when choosing a content authoring tool for eLearning software:

• Does the company have existing content? If the company has already invested in content, rapid authoring tools or formats such as SCORM will allow the company to reuse content.
• Will the company create many assessments? eLearning software can be limited in its ability to develop assessments. Authoring tools can allow the instructor to develop more complex assessment, or even interactive practice scenarios.
• How does the company want to deliver content? Does the company plan to print lessons or provide ebooks for users? It might be essential to find authoring software that allows the company to deploy content in multiple forms across print and digital mediums.

eLearning solutions features for effective training

The top training and development companies have great software with a myriad of features and functions. But more isn’t always merrier. Below we’ve listed a few of the most important features and functions necessary for businesses using eLearning software:

Content

Being restricted with the use of certain training authoring software in learning materials is a bummer. What if you have a really great video you need to share with the team? If your eLearning software can’t read that video, then you’re at a stand-still.

Today, we’re learning from a variety of media. It only makes sense that your e-learning software and authoring tools keep up. The ability to incorporate images, text, video, and even GIFs is simply the modern standard. Find a good platform when creating training modules. Powerpoint is a start, and often top-of-mind, but not the most efficient platform anymore. When creating content, keep in mind these two things on how to develop online training modules:

• How to make training modules – Incorporate content that you know your company loves to share. Partner text with videos or GIFs in your online training software that reinforce the point made. Keep each lesson under 15 minutes, and ask for feedback at the end.
• Distribution – How to design training modules starts with knowing your audience. As a creator, you have to use language your audience will understand while also being articulate. Online training should be distributed in a timely manner; give your learners plenty of time to learn and review before a due date. It’s smart to maintain training throughout the year. Ongoing training is a great way to keep learners up-to-date and not overwhelm them with bulk learning.

Mobility

In regards to standards, the best software for eLearning has a learning platform that is mobile and enables teachers and learners to assign and accomplish learning from anywhere the internet is available, on any device.

When learners have mobile access, that means they can learn in their best setting. We often see the flipped classroom approach in eLearning; The learners learn on their own time and exemplify what they’ve learned during training time.

Control

As an administrator, you need rapid eLearning authoring tools with quick-link capabilities so that you don’t have to send out lessons to the entire company by typing a ton of emails in the address bar and attaching untrackable documents. Lessonly is an eLearning software that makes assigning as simple as sending a link — not attachments.

Furthermore, being an administrator doesn’t necessarily mean you have to be the creator. Anyone should be allowed to create eLearning lessons to share with their department. Administrators simply have to grant access.

Organizing eLearning courses can be chaotic, especially if you already have a myriad of content fleshed out. Where do you put it all? You’ll want your software to be able to distinguish courses from lessons and help you label each one in an intuitive way.

Tracking

 It doesn’t do any good for the company if administrators are putting all this effort into training without knowing if anyone is actually learning. The best training and development companies have tracking and data delivery. Quizzing and feedback features in eLearning software can let you know who needs assistance in learning and who is excelling. This way, you’re not flying blindly. You should be able to not only see who has read the training materials, but also see how well learners retained the content.

Learners should be able to track their own progress and review any questions they miss in quizzing features. As far as quizzing goes, we highly recommend incorporating questions throughout a lesson and at the end of a lesson as opposed to just at the end of a lesson or course.

Easy to update

Have you ever heard of anything keeping you from learning? Some eLearning software has limits to the amount of content you can build. If you’re creating frivolous learning content, maybe the restriction is a good thing, but ‘frivolous’ learning is practically an oxymoron.

Updating information should be just as easy, if not easier, than adding information into an eLearning system. As a business grows, it’s often when processes change or new standards have to be added and met.

Train and develop your employees faster

Lessonly by Seismic gives frontline teams the means to utilize eLearning to its highest potential. We take the learning process and make it seamless and flexible. Want to learn more about our training and development software? Click here to get a demo.

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You know you’ve got a good grip on the onboarding process, but you also know it’s time for a change. Your routine is seamless. But that’s the thing — it’s a routine. For people like you, it’s time to shake onboarding and training up a bit.

What is the onboarding process?

Onboarding new employees can always be an exciting time for both parties involved. New hires can become enthusiastic, optimistic, and passionate about your company. As a trainer, being able to get that effect from an employee is a big part of what makes your job so rewarding. A seamless onboarding program gives you, the trainer, more opportunity to really learn about the new employees; you learn about them as people, and not just workers.

To reinforce this idea, think of it this way: An onboarding process flow-chart isn’t going to answer, “Why is onboarding important?” This question is answered every time a new employee thanks you for providing insightful information on the day-to-day internal workings of the company. The answer exists in the efficiency that an employee performs in their role. Effective onboarding sets the foundation for great performance.

Along with standard onboarding procedures, you should be able to mix up the activities for onboarding. We’ll jump into those options, but if this is your rookie year in onboarding, it’s important to define and differentiate a few terms.

Understanding the correct onboarding definition

What is onboarding? Onboarding is the cycle that a new employee or client goes through to become familiar with a company. As simple as that may seem, the onboarding process must be well executed to establish common knowledge and enthusiasm about a company and its product.

The client onboarding process will differ for many, but the one thing that should remain at the highest priority is service. When a client signs a contract, it’s inconsiderate to sever ties and leave them to figure out solutions to their problems. Have a service team in place to solve problems and help the transition from purchase to performance as easy as possible.

When it comes to employee onboarding programs, we’ve got you covered. Whether it’s executive onboarding or onboarding a group of employees, each individual must go through orientation and training. The difference between orientation and onboarding can become confusing, so much so that some may use the terms interchangeably. To us, orientation is simply familiarizing an employee with their new environment. From how to use the coffee-maker to the company mission, an employee should come out of the orientation process informed about the company. This is only a small piece of the onboarding process and can simply be done with an onboarding new employees presentation or elearning lesson.

The onboarding process itself is much broader. It consists of filling out correct paperwork, providing employees with proper materials to reference, having formal introductions to staff, executing team-building exercises to learn about the team, and managing ongoing training. We recommend breaking these things down with an onboarding process flowchart. Flowcharts can vary and become quite complex, but they work by aligning onboarding tasks with the time of completion.

We recommend splitting onboarding into four phases. These phases are known as forming, storming, norming, and performing. A majority of onboarding tasks will be completed in the forming stage. Forming is the period of time, often known as orientation, is the time the new employee learns general company knowledge, day-to-day procedures, and takes some role-specific training.

In the storming phase, new employees tackle the complexities of their job and learn their role-specific strengths and weaknesses. As a manager, it is vital to your employees success that you help them solve problems and celebrate their successes in this phase.

The norming phase is the phase in which an employee becomes adjusted to the norm of their role and seeks out ways to improve or innovate it. The norming phase can last from week two to the seventh month of employment. The entirety of this phase is based upon learning.

The performing phase is the final phase of onboarding. It is when an employee has become confident and successful in their role. Once an employee is performing, they can become a mentor to future employees solely from experience.

As a manager, these phases are necessary to recognize in the employee onboarding process. Though a lot of training and orientation may take place in the first week, managers must be the mentor to employees throughout their first few months. This way, information can be reinforced and actions can be reassured to build up confidence and successes.

Perfecting your onboarding checklist

The employee onboarding checklist will help you complete your own tasks in the beginning as a manager onboarding new employees. The new hire checklist for managers will consist of the details under topics and actions you have to provide to the new hires. Some of those topics are as follows:

• Employee Information
• Employee Announcement
• Company Overview
• Office Tour
• Socialization
• Permissions
• Technology
• Office Policies and Procedures
• New Employee Forms
• Compensation
• Job Overview
• Training and Development

And these are simply some of the top-ranked topics. Each topic is broken down into tasks to cover during the onboarding process.

The best onboarding practices

Great companies have great onboarding programs. These programs go beyond the standards and incorporate creative onboarding ideas. Standard onboarding is showing the employees around the office and sending them links documents to read.

To kick off the new hire onboarding process, it’s definitely smart to have a framework in place. Having a checklist of all the things you need to cover is a great way to be held accountable for completing onboarding tasks. Just as well, it’s necessary to include team-building exercises and ice-breaking activities as part of your onboarding process checklist. New hire onboarding best practices are something you have to hone for your company. Best practices for one role may not be that for the next. Be able to take broad practices and activities and fill in the details of your onboarding process template. Mix up a few of these customer service games (they can also be used in other departments) when you’re onboarding your next batch of employees:

• Mealtime: Arrange lunch with a mixture of new hires and seasoned vets. If you can get the CEO involved, that’s an added bonus.
• 2 Truths and A Lie: Every new hire goes around the room and tells three “facts” about themselves. The team then votes on which “fact” is a lie.
• Phrase Ball: Gather the team in a circle with a ball. Start a sentence, then throw the ball to someone in the circle to finish it. Discover who’s sharp, creative, and agile.
• Office Supplies Building: Break up new hires into groups. Assign a time limit for the teams to find and build a structure from office supplies. The most stable structure wins.
• Blindfolded Obstacle Course: Split the new hires up (or mix with current employees) into teams. Build an obstacle course with office furniture. One team member has to complete the course blindfolded while the other team member guides them with their voice.
• Role Play: Create role-play scenario prompts. Give each employee time to come up with a solution. Act and discuss the possible solutions and outcomes.
• New Hire Onboarding Presentation: At the end of the onboarding process, create a presentation to show the new hires what you have learned about them.

These activities are great to get the team acquainted with each other and the company, and frankly, they’re necessary for the onboarding process. So often are companies treating training like a crash course. It can become an overwhelming and negative experience for new hires. By incorporating great online training, more time is available to get employees engaged with the company.

Onboard new hires in just 10 days

Great onboarding starts with Lessonly by Seismic. Organizations get new employees up-to-speed and keep them there with the help of our online training and coaching software. We make it easy to create interactive onboarding training lessons that deliver essential information and skills so new employees can hit the ground running. Training leaders can also schedule training lessons in advance to create a streamlined and scalable onboarding process that everyone loves. Plus, with simple tracking and insights, you can keep track of onboarding progress to ensure every new hire has completed the training they need. Ready to see it action? Click here to see what an onboarding lesson can look like with our training software.

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