Technological advances have made people addicted to their portable devices be it smartphones, tablets or laptops. With mobile devices, people have instant access to a sea of information. These devices are constantly abuzz with reminders, alerts and notifications, leading to similar expectations of employees from the workplace. This has necessitated organizations to adopt mobile technology in accordance with their learners’ expectations, bringing training solutions in the picture.
An IDC-Facebook report finds that 79% people in the age group of 18 to 44 years check their smartphones first thing in the morning and last thing at night, before going to bed.
Also, an average person checks their smartphones at least 150 times a day. Compare this to the use of PC and laptops and you will understand why it is important to leverage mobile training in your learning and development (L&D) initiatives.
Mobile training is bite-sized learning, which means large-sized content is broken down and presented in small bites in the form of audio and video files. The learners can easily access on their smartphones while on the move or in the comfort of their homes or while at workplace, or during their coffee breaks.
Each video or audio file is around 3 to 5 minutes long and provides concise but complete information on a particular subject. The benefit is that learners get instant access to the information they require, exactly at the moment when they most need it most. Besides, there is no cognitive overload, implying that learners are more motivated to take the training.
With mobile training, they can also revisit the content as many times as they wish till they are comfortable with the subject.
Given the benefits of mobile training solutions, several organizations have already incorporated them in their L&D programs.
Top 10 use cases of mobile training -
1. Training Solutions in the Retail Industry:
We are living in times when consumer is the king. Spoiled for choice, in both the traditional and online space, consumers have become increasingly demanding and are willing to shift their loyalties if they don’t get personalized attention or if the quality and service do not meet their expectations.
In this cut-throat environment, retail stores are using mobile training solutions to train their employees, for example, in the form of role play, which enables them to think from the consumers’ perspective, and anticipate and satisfactorily fulfil their demands. Here are the top 10 Ways to Make Performance Oriented Retail Training.
2. Pharmaceutical Industry:
The Pharma industry is constantly challenged with training their sales personnel on the benefits and side-effects of the drugs they manufacture and market. Here are the Best Training Methods for the Pharmaceutical Industry
It’s very important that they are up to date on the entire journey of the drug, its constituents, trial statistics of trials etc. Mobile-based training in the form of quiz-based videos with assessment and feedback is being used as a means by the pharma industry to ensure that their employees are well-versed with all the information about their products and they are able to make convincing and factual presentations to their clients.
3. Automobile Industry:
Auto majors have their showrooms across cities worldwide. It is important the staff uphold the same standards everywhere such that their brand stands out distinctively and consumers have the same experience, no matter which showroom they visit.
Mobile training, for example, in the form of app-based training can ensure that employees across all geographies have access to the same information and customer care standards.
In case of AR-enabled content, employees can point their mobile devices on a product and computer-generated visuals containing all information related to it will be displayed on their mobile screens.
Here’s more on Improving Employee Productivity and Business Outcomes with Corporate Training Apps.
4. Education & Learning:
Mobile training is proving extremely beneficial in imparting education to the students in the form of games and activities, especially in case of subjects such as Math and Science which they find difficult to comprehend.
Game-based learning, or gamification, presents concepts in the form of challenges and has rewards and points to motivate the learners to successfully complete a level of learning.
Not only is this form of mobile training more immersive and engaging but it also enables the students to think on their own and arrive at a solution rather than learn by rote.
5. Healthcare Sector:
Mobile training solutions are now being used to help healthcare practitioners to build on and learn new skills in virtual settings, rather than make mistakes in real-life.
These mistakes can cost patients dear and also put hospital reputations at stake. Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality and simulations are used to present both hypothetical situations and those that mirror real-life so that learners can learn by trial and error and make mistakes which they can ill afford to do in real life.
6. Sales & Marketing:
Again, games and animations, which employees can access on mobile, are being used by organizations to train their sales employees on how to make presentations, deal with clients, and make decisions on factors related to advertising, price, targets etc.
Basically, these short videos imitate real-life situations allowing sales reps to hone their skills on how to effectively handle them and successfully close a deal.
Guide:
How to Improve the Sales Process with Mobile Content Delivery
7. HR & Employee Relations:
Mobile training is also being used to train HR personnel, for example, new HR recruits on how to conduct interviews and inter-departmental meetings.
Through situation-based videos they are also trained to handle employee grievances and complete all employee-related functions and processes.
8. Defense Sector:
In defense, mobile training is being used to enable the army personnel to hone their skills in gaining hands-on training in operating heavy machinery or use weapons in virtual environment; test and refine various war theories without the need for actual hostilities; and train in various environments which would not be feasible in physical environment.
9. Farming & Agriculture:
You may think that agriculture is a low-tech industry, but that could not be far from the truth. Mobile training in the form of apps is being used to teach farmers how to prepare, plant and monitor various crops.
Besides, videos are also being used to inform them on new technologies and best practices to grow crops, prepare fields etc.
Here are 7 Reasons Why Enterprises Must Invest in an Employee Training App
10. Mining & Metals Industry:
Digital tools are being used to notify and update management and workers on operations, troubleshoot problems and improve production.
Working conditions are at times extremely dangerous in these industries and so connected sensors, monitors and alarms on mobile devices are playing a crucial role in reporting hazardous events and circumstances.
In Summary:
These are just a few of the growing number of use cases for mobile learning and training across various industry verticals. Hence it is imperative upon organizations to ensure they have good mobile training solutions and engaging training content for their employees. If you are looking for mobile training solutions just give us a shout, we would be happy to help.
Related:
Online Training Solutions and the Art of Enterprise Training Delivery
The Best Online Corporate Training Platforms
What are the Best Employee Training Tools for Your Business?
