Customer experience matters. I remember many years ago when just about everybody—tech pundits, educators, corporate trainers, the folks in HR—thought e-learning was a revolutionary force that would change the way people learn.
They were right.
Online learning has, and will continue to make an incredible impact on how individuals learn—in their personal and professional lives. Distance learning tools—think webinars, online courses, and the like—have given countless students and employees access to information, to improve their skills and even earn a university degree. However, over the years, e-learning has also garnered a bit of a bad rap.
While online learning has opened up an immense opportunity for scalable learning programs and courses, the experience itself hasn’t always been seen as enjoyable. Many of you know this firsthand.
Have you been required (or even forced) to take online courses at work? You know the ones that are provided on dated platforms with all kinds of tools and features to make sure you are spending enough time in the course and are clicking through all the pages. The content and the presentation taking a back seat to timers and progress bars to ensure you are present.
But the good news is that a lot is changing. Online learners are demanding more, tech companies are pushing the boundaries, and the future looks promising. So promising, that e-learning is expanding far beyond the standard corporate training slides or the higher-ed online course. In fact, now consumer brands, product companies, associations, nonprofits, and media conglomerates are leveraging online learning to better engage customers and give them a reason to come back again and again. (Thought Industries’ clients like Penton and Rodale are launching digital learning sites that do just this).
No longer do we have to settle for slow-loading presentations, bandwidth-crushing animations and bug-ridden software. We don’t have to accept the status quo of boring classes. And most importantly, we are not handcuffed to customized learning management systems (LMS) that take a bite out of your budget and only get you half of the way there.
Instead, the online industry offers deeper engagement, greater brand visibility, and increased revenue.
Here’s why e-learning circa 2015 is in fact that revolutionary force everyone predicted:
1. Engage, Inspire and Learn
2. On-demand, Laser-focused Content Matters to Today’s Mobile Customers.
3. Off the Charts Engagement Equals Greater ROI
