The Force of using online enablement - Earning by Learning

By Prof. Ko de Ruyter and Dr. Debbie Keeling

Most companies have come to realise that offering online education modules continues to be an important driving force in establishing successful channel partner relationships. At Motivforce R&D, we often are asked to come up with a convincing business case that outlines how clients will start earning by learning, simply by making the switch to online enablement. We think there are four key benefits on which such a case can be built.

1st Key Benefit

The first is the need for speed. With markets becoming increasingly volatile, online modules help you to react quickly. Online learning definitely beats the delivery cycle of traditional classroom-based training. So, if there is a knowledge gap in relation to an upcoming product launch, you can close it fast. But, there is more. Learners increase their learning speed significantly. A recent Brandon Hall report shows that online enablement speeds up knowledge acquisition by 25-40%. This is because it is self-paced, there is no travel and attendance time, learners can cherry-pick the knowledge they need and/or want, and even use it to fire up on the parking lot of a client site.   
 

2nd Key Benefit

A second benefit is that online learning makes cents. Obviously, this is associated with the cost of classroom education, but also with the opportunity cost of inefficient, non-focused traditional training. McDonald's saved over $6m on franchisee training as a result of the switch to online enablement.

3rd Key Benefit

A third benefit of online learning is that it sticks. Online learning leads to higher learner engagement and better learning experience. Learning material can be updated more quickly and tests can be better fine-tuned to this learning experience. Indirectly, your employees are going to stick with you; recent research suggests that employee loyalty improves as a result of more effective enablement.

4th Key Benefit

Finally, online learning is greener. It does not bear as heavily on the environment as paper-based learning does, and learners’ contributions to a reduction in CO2 emissions is certainly not to be overlooked. It is no wonder that leading companies like IBM, Philips and General Electric are demanding that their suppliers and business partners go online to learn.

Online learning is a (Motiv)force to be reckoned with; may it be with you when you meet up with prospective clients young Saleswalker... 

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