Great customer service is important in all industries. Remember, 80% of customers believe the experience a company provides is as important as their product or service, while 67% of customers are willing to pay more to receive a great customer service experience. 

The banking industry is no exception. According to The Financial Brand, one of the primary emphases within the banking industry is “removing friction from the customer journey.” 61% of surveyed organizations rank this task in their top 3 industry trends, up from 54% last year. What's more, 72% want to enhance the digital experience for customers. As such, improving the customer experience appears to be more important than ever before in the banking industry.

On top of this, the banking industry faces a variety of challenges, from regulatory pressure, technological updates, and legacy systems, to competitor growth and restive customer base challenges. Plus, the industry will also continue to implement new strategies to enhance growth.

Experts predict customer expectations will increase, making it more critical to provide excellent service and support. In fact, 71% of banking executives believe that positive experiences in other sectors mean customers now expect more from their banking provider. In other words, if your business is part of the banking industry, enhancing your customer service should be your top priority.

With this in mind, we'll analyze how to improve customer service in the banking industry. We'll start by setting the scene with the current state of customer service in the banking industry, before moving on to look at proven methods for improvement. 

The state of customer service in the banking industry

When you think of visiting a bank, an A+ customer service experience might not always be front-of-mind. For banks, reversing this perception is a major challenge. 

To put this in context, as of 2020, just 29% of consumers trust their bank to look after their long-term financial wellbeing. This is down from 43% in 2018. Similarly, Lightico finds that customer satisfaction rates in the banking industry have fallen by more than 30% since 2012.

In addition, 69% of customers who plan to leave their bank say it was due to poor service rather than poor products, while 64% feel their bank’s mobile app does not allow them to solve a customer service question quickly — if at all.

Perhaps most alarmingly, McKinsey estimates that 10-40% of bank revenues could be lost by 2025 if customer experience gaps are not addressed.  

Accordingly, Forrester finds that improving the customer experience (33%) is the top driver of organizational change in the banking industry, beating growing revenue (32%) and reducing costs (32%). 

So, how can banks reverse these trends and improve the customer experience? We'll examine seven proven methods for improving customer service in the banking industry. 

Implementing the right methods will make a dramatic difference when it comes to improving customer service in banks. In turn, this will help to attract and retain valued customers in a fiercely competitive market.

With your employees on the front line of supporting customers, providing your staff with the necessary resources to effectively and efficiently meet customers’ needs is critical to your organization’s success. 

While chatbots and AI solutions are becoming increasingly important in the banking sector, nothing quite beats the personal touch of an excellent staff member. According to J.D. Power’s 2022 U.S. Retail Banking Satisfaction Study, a majority of survey respondents (63%) still prefer one-on-one personal conversations with bank representatives, with only 37% favoring chatbots or text message (SMS) communications. 

For example, if a customer approaches a bank employee with a question, but that individual doesn’t have the correct answer or a way of finding it, customer satisfaction diminishes along with the employee’s self-confidence. Instead of leaving your staff scrambling, empower them. Make sure your employees know where to turn for quick and accurate answers, and give them the technology required to search for up-to-date information.

It's also worth investing in learning and development for your staff so they can become familiar with your specific bank's policies and procedures while also increasing their general financial knowledge. 

When you equip your employees with the right tools for success, you’ll notice a stark change in your workers’ level of self-confidence and morale. Empower your staff to handle customer interactions in any scenario, whether over the phone, via email, or face-to-face.

Staying compliant with current laws and regulations while meeting ever-changing customer demand is perhaps one of the toughest challenges for the banking industry. By implementing the latest, most advanced financial technology, you can accomplish both goals. 

Not only does innovative technology boost your support team's efficiency, but it also offers customers streamlined ways to perform various tasks. Combined, you’ll see an improved level of customer satisfaction and higher generated revenue.

Increasing security with eye scanning, voice or fingerprint identification, and other forms of biometrics.

Selecting a more advanced option for mobile payments.

Installing video technology to personalize the customer’s drive-through experience.

Enhancing marketing using social media platforms to target customers in different geographic locations.

Other than writing cheques, using an ATM card, and making deposits and withdrawals, a lot of people are not literate about banking, especially the younger generation and lower-income customers. However, this also applies to many middle-class bankers too.

Although it's a relatively new concept, some of the most successful banks and credit unions discovered the advantages of educating customers. Several incredible programs already exist for this purpose. For example, to teach young people what they need to know, the Junior Achievement program is fantastic.

Many banks and other financial institutions have also taken advantage of social media like YouTube and Instagram. In doing this, they're making access to financial education tools more accessible and in turn, helping their customers and potential customers become more knowledgeable.

As customers become more knowledgeable about the banking industry and its various services, their satisfaction improves. Why? Because they feel more empowered to make good, informed decisions about their finances.

For more insights on improving your financial literacy, check out this course on Financial Literacy for Managers. 

Following the recent recession, small businesses want a bank or credit union that offers more than just loans. Instead, they want to build a long-term partnership with the bank or credit union they use. While lending money plays a large part in what your company does, you also need to become an advisor.

Along with providing your customers with a trusted source for information and advice, this fee-based service gives you a second revenue stream.

Another way to improve customer service is to develop customized solutions. Banks and credit unions are not the only ones noticing an increasingly competitive banking industry. Customers see this as well, making them realize the financial institution they choose should offer something unique. 

For example, 76% of customers now expect an omnichannel experience while 59% of customers expect on-demand, anywhere anytime customer service.  

Customers know that the best financial institutions will take measures to improve their services, technology, and programs in response to stiff competition. This means that their expectations are even higher than before.

Creating customized financial solutions demonstrates that your business cares about every customer and will do everything possible to ensure each individual's satisfaction.

Beyond customizing solutions, excellent training can teach your staff how to make the customer experience more personal.

In a recent survey by Business Wire, 72% of respondents rated personalization as “highly important” in the banking industry. Despite this, there is a major disconnect: 78% of respondents would continue using their bank if they received personalized support, but just 44% of banks are actually delivering it. 

These findings should come as a major wake-up call to banks — offer more personalized customer experiences, or get left behind. 

Personalization often comes down to paying close attention to detail, such as learning customers’ names and businesses.

Imagine if “Mr. Smith” visits his bank every Friday to deposit money for his “ABC” company. Walking in the door and having a receptionist or teller greet him by name or perhaps ask, “Is ‘ABC’ staying busy this holiday season?” will go a long way to improving customer service and satisfaction.

No matter what strategies you implement to improve customer service in banks, you’ll need the right employee training to enable your new solutions. With Go1, you can access courses from the world’s top training providers on nearly any training topic, to help your employees provide customers with the best service. 

For more insights, be sure to subscribe to the Go1 newsletter to stay on top of all the latest L&D trends. Or, you can book a demo today to find out how Go1 can help with your team’s learning needs.

False

we'll analyze how to improve customer service in the banking industry. We'll start by setting the scene with the current state of customer service in the banking industry, before moving on to look at proven methods for improvement.

How to improve customer service in the banking industry

We'll analyze how to improve customer service in the banking industry. We'll start by setting the scene with the current state of customer service in the banking industry, before moving on to look at proven methods for improvement. 

Multiple safety risks exist for people working in the construction industry regardless of their exact job description.

Whether excavating a site, performing demolition, or painting the exterior of a business, construction workers perform various tasks. Many of these put them in potential danger. Along with standing on scaffolding and using power tools, some workers deal with hazardous materials.

If you work in construction, training is essential. In addition to the OSHA Outreach Training program, you should take advantage of online training to avoid injury or worse while on the job.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), founded back in 1971, helps reduce injuries and deaths in the workplace through proper training and set standards.

Ongoing OSHA training proves beneficial for many different industries. However, it’s vital for the construction industry considering it accounts for more than 20 percent of all annual worker fatalities. Proper training enhances your health and safety, as well as the people you work with on different job sites.

As for the type of OSHA training needed, there are two options for the Outreach program, one is 10 hours and the other is 30 hours. Whether for fall protection, personal protective equipment, general health and safety provisions, both of the OSHA Outreach Training programs are exceptional.

What makes this program unique is all trainers are OSHA-Authorized. What that means is you learn from someone with in-depth knowledge and expertise about work-related injuries and deaths within the construction industry.

For optimal training, you should take the OSHA program in conjunction with available online courses and on-site employer instruction. Together, they cover and support everything you need to know to remain safe and healthy while working construction.

There are multiple types of construction jobs such as engineering, carpentry, roofing, landscape gardening, electrical, plumbing, masonry, paving, glass work, machinery installation, and more. In fact, some maintenance also classifies as “construction” work.

According to OSHA’s regulations under 29 CFR 1910, section 1910.12(b), construction work includes any “work for construction, alteration, and/or repair, including painting and decorating.”

Since the founding of OSHA, the number of workplace deaths has dropped by a staggering 66 percent. That alone shows how valuable this organization is and why its outreach program is so vital. Realizing the fatality rate in construction is three times more than any other industry, training is even more critical.

Although OSHA doesn’t mandate its outreach training program, sometimes, the Department of Labor, jurisdictions, states, and individual employers require construction workers to complete it.

While this program covers a vast range of topics, it doesn’t include every requirement associated with OSHA’s standards. As mentioned, you can supplement this program by taking several online training courses from a reputable source.

Whether completing the 10- or 30-hour program, this is an excellent way to create a foundation on which to build your training. If you own a construction classified business, OSHA Outreach Training is vital.

This unique program will help you create, monitor, and control your company’s internal program. While not required, this program should be an essential part of your overall training.

Following are the current states that require OSHA Outreach Training for construction workers on specific jobs.

Connecticut – Partially or fully state-funded public building projects valued at $100,000 or more.

Florida – Projects under a private or Miami-Dade County public contract valued at $1 million or higher.

Massachusetts – Public sector projects, regardless of value.

Missouri – Municipal or state public works projects.

Nevada – 10-hour Outreach Training for employees and 30=hour training for supervisors.

New Hampshire – Public works projects valued more than $100,000.

New York – Public works projects over $250,000.

Pennsylvania – 10-hour training for construction employees and 30-hour training for supervisors of demolition work within the Philadelphia city limits or licensed contractors working on permitted projects.

Rhode Island – Municipal and state construction projects valued at $100,000 or higher.

West Virginia – Public improvement projects costing over $500,000.

Falls – Statistics show falls accounted for 34 percent of all construction-related deaths. In those two years alone, more than 800 people lost their lives due to falls from ladders, scaffolding, roofs, and other working surfaces.

Caught In Between – These hazards, which include compression, crushing, squeezing, or pinching someone between objects, accounted for 10 percent of construction site fatalities.

Struck-By – Construction workers hit by flying debris, unsecured loads, and other airborne items was another significant construction-related safety issue. This hazard accounted for 24 percent of fatalities. This risk can impact all construction workers.

 Electrocution – This risk accounted for 11 percent of deaths. Licensed electricians and other workers dealing with electricity need proper training. The OSHA Outreach program and online courses help tremendously.

At the same time, Go1, a leading Learning Management System platform, has incredible resources to further enhance your safety and health on the job.

We invite you to visit our site to identify courses you can complete and implement as part of your company’s training program. Keep production high and costs down by providing your employees what they need to stay safe and healthy on the job.

Do I need OSHA training for construction work?

One of the most significant benefits of earning a first aid certificate is you can use it virtually anywhere. Whether at home, at work, or out in public, there’s always a need for first aid skills when someone sustains an injury or becomes ill.

In high-risk work environments, such as chemical processing, manufacturing, and construction, injuries are common, thereby making first aid training indispensable. However, a first aid certification is equally valuable for other professionals, such as daycare providers, nursing home employees, school bus drivers, babysitters, coaches, teachers, and even office workers. 

With a first aid certification, you have the chance to make a difference, dramatically reducing the risk of permanent injury and perhaps even saving someone’s life. In fact, a recent report released by St John’s Ambulance found that around 140,000 people die each year from incidents where first aid could have potentially saved their lives.

So, we’ve decided to dig deeper into the topic, examining how long first aid certificates last. We'll also explain the different kinds of first aid certificates and what they entail.

Before we go into further detail, here’s a quick summary. 

For starters, earning a first aid certificate means you can help other people —  and even animals — who are in need. Unfortunately, more than 140,000 people die each year from incidents where basic first aid knowledge could have been life-saving, underscoring how critical first aid training is. 

Although the exact topics covered depend on the type of course you take, for the most part, a first aid certification will teach you how to respond appropriately to cuts, burns, allergic reactions, and heart attacks while waiting for first responders to show up on the scene. You should also learn how to administer CPR and use an automated external defibrillator (AED).

That’s not all, as the American Red Cross suggests that a high-quality first aid course should teach you how to respond to the following situations: 

They add to this, explaining that “when you understand first aid, you'll gain the ability to help those in need…you'll learn how to respond to specific situations, which will help you care for people in crisis as they wait for medical professionals to arrive. This gives them the best opportunity for a positive outcome – and gives you the opportunity to change someone's life for the better.”

Although multiple organisations provide first aid training via in-person classes, these days, you can also learn everything you need to know to earn your first aid certification online. You can also gain first aid certifications through a mixture of online learning and in-person instruction, thanks to blended learning. 

To summarise, having your first aid certificate allows you to take the correct course of action to yield a positive outcome in an emergency. Even seemingly simple injuries can quickly turn deadly. Without someone around who knows how to respond, an incident can swiftly escalate into a fatality. Therefore, basic first aid knowledge is an essential and potentially life-saving skill. 

In general, there are four types of first aid certification. These are: 

As the name suggests, this is the everyday variety of first aid that most non-medical professionals would require. 

Healthline Australia explains that this certification typically teaches the 'DRSABCD' first aid method. To remember this method, think Doctors ABCD. 

DRSABCD stands for: danger, response, send for help, airway, breathing, CPR, and defibrillation. This acronym is a checklist of the steps you should take if someone requires first aid 

According to Healthline Australia, you should take the following steps when following the DRSABCD first aid method: 

Danger: Check the area for any immediate danger. Do not put yourself or others at risk. 

Response: Look for a response from the patient — loudly ask their name, squeeze their shoulder, etc.

Send for help: If there is no response, call emergency services or get someone else to. Never leave the patient unattended. 

Airway: Check if the patient’s mouth and throat are obstructed. If something is obstructing their airway, roll the patient onto their side and clear the airway.

Breathing: Check if the person is breathing abnormally or not breathing at all after 10 seconds.

CPR: Start CPR - 30 chest compressions followed by two breaths. Continue CPR until the patient starts breathing or until help arrives.

Defibrillation: As soon as possible, attach an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) to the patient and follow the voice prompts.

For a more detailed insight into this method, see St John’s Ambulance’s DRSABCD Action Plan Fact Sheet. 

This knowledge is vital, as one survey found that in the event of a child choking, 53% of parents would try to get the object out using their fingers. However, placing fingers into a child’s throat can cause further damage. Additionally, a 2009 survey found that 82% of UK parents with young children would not know how to respond if their child started choking, was burned, or even stopped breathing.

An Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support (ACLS) first aid certification teaches the most up-to-date CPR technique. ACLS certification targets people in the medical field, including physicians, nurses, paramedics, and respiratory therapists.

According to the American Heart Association, an ACLS certification is most suitable for “healthcare professionals who either direct or participate in the management of cardiopulmonary arrest or other cardiovascular emergencies and for personnel in emergency response.” 

Healthcare professionals who help deliver babies require a Neonatal Resuscitation Program (NRP) certification. There are two options to gain this certification: self-paced online training and in-person classes taught by an expert instructor.

The American Academy of Pediatrics explains that an NPR certification “conveys an evidence-based approach to care of the newborn at birth and facilitates effective team-based care for healthcare professionals who care for newborns at the time of delivery. NRP utilises a blended learning approach, which includes online testing and hands-on case-based simulation/debriefing that focus on critical leadership, communication, and teamwork skills.​​”

PALS stands for Pediatric Advanced Life Support. This first aid certification is for medical personnel and healthcare professionals who work with pediatric emergencies.

The American Heart Association notes that: “PALS is geared towards healthcare providers who respond to emergencies in infants and children and for personnel in emergency response, emergency medicine, intensive care and critical care units. Upon successful completion of the course, students receive a course completion card, valid for two years.”

How long does a first aid certificate last?

Depending on the type of qualification, your first aid certificate will be valid for different lengths of time. Most of the time, a first aid certificate is valid for two to three years. However, it pays to be aware and double-check how long your specific certification lasts.

ACLS: An Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support (ACLS) certification usually takes one day to complete and requires renewal after two years.

Basic First Aid and CPR: A basic online first aid training certification takes roughly an hour to finish. This certificate lasts for three years.

NRP: As a self-paced program, there’s no completion time. An NRP certification lasts for two years.

PALS: Most PALs certification courses take approximately two days to complete. In two years, you’ll need to renew your PALS status.

The benefits of first aid certification are manifold, ranging from saving lives to increasing patient comfort and encouraging healthy living. 

Despite this, the Red Cross found in 2017 that fewer than 5% of Australians have first aid training —  one of the lowest first aid training rates in the world. As a result, when faced with an emergency 44% of Australians said they panicked, while 46% didn’t know what to do. 

Accordingly, a recent study found that 88% of Australians believe first aid training should be compulsory in high school. Similarly, 70% support teaching first aid as part of the driver’s license application process.

When completing online first aid training, a board-certified doctor, medical professional, or certified instructor will help develop every course. Depending on which certification you complete, the developer may also present the training.

Something else to consider is when you complete a first aid certification online from a reputable platform, you can retake your test as often as needed. Many courses also include animations or models that make learning more engaging and enjoyable.

To understand how valuable a first aid certification is, it's worth reading a few of the millions of stories involving real-life first aid heroes who put their knowledge and skills to work.

As the Seton Blog puts it: “many fatalities resulting from accidents and emergency situations result from lack of immediate medical treatment. First aid doesn’t just facilitate recovery. It helps save lives.”

Online first aid certification with Go1 

Hopefully, you will never have to use your first aid skills. However, knowing you have these skills should an emergency occur can offer tremendous peace of mind. 

As such, Go1 offers a massive library of courses to help you earn your first aid certification, ranging from this course on basic first aid to this one on first aid for medical emergencies and many, many more.

To access these courses and more, you can book a demo today to find out how Go1 can help your team’s learning needs. Or, subscribe to the Go1 newsletter to stay on top of all the latest L&D trends. 

You might be wondering, 'how long is a first aid certificate valid for?'. We've created this guide to explain the different types of first aid certificates and how long they last.

How long do first aid certificates last?

We know that strong employee training and development is key to a company’s success and growth.

However, when a business expands its operations across multiple countries, maintaining consistent training standards can be challenging.

With global teams, you need to have an effective global training strategy, to make sure the learning needs of your employees are consistent and in line with the company’s specific needs. This is why it’s a good idea to standardise employee learning and development through consistent global training.

How can this be achieved? By investing in one training provider, instead of various learning tools and courses across the market.

These days, technology has made this a whole lot easier for employers, allowing training to be effectively coordinated and deployed for global teams. Let’s look at this now.

When we refer to ‘global training’ it’s likely that your company’s training content and strategies have been created for a diverse audience, rather than a small and specific demographic of workers.

After all, your learners probably speak different languages, come from different cultures, and live in different time zones.

eLearning professional Nikos Andriotis, says that when designing training materials for a global workforce, it’s important to make sure the content and development strategies are “attuned to address the learning needs of all learners.”

“This is the point where issues arise – designing effective training and development approaches for a diverse workforce,” he says.

Andriotis believes that the first thing you need to do is implement one learning approach for all topics that will apply to all regions. This means your course delivery and design will follow one standard method – online learning, for example. Moreover, all courses will use one language and will all have the same content.

“This approach makes content creation easier and less costly because a team from global headquarters can take care of the entire training process,” Andriotis explains.

The benefits of consistent global training

Companies that employ a multinational workforce need global training and development strategies to be an integral part of the business.

One of the key benefits of consistent global training is that it helps employers to build up and engage with a solid talent pool that stretches right across the world. Implementing a global training strategy also allows organisations to address the key development needs of the business while still remaining sensitive to the specific learning needs and challenges of the local markets.

And with the same training program in place worldwide, you can be sure that your company is achieving consistent standards in management, service, customer experience, and employee development.

Susan Bowles, Director of Client Strategies for Local Concept, has helped hundreds of clients launch global initiatives smoothly.

“Developing training for global audiences should not be painful. It should be a smooth process,” she says.

“A global training initiative can be developed smoothly and successfully with the right information, good planning, smart resourcing, and making informed decisions.”

Using online learning for global training

As said above, using one learning approach will greatly help to simplify course delivery and design for a global workforce. And online training is a great example of this.

“When it comes to global training and development strategies, an LMS solves issues on location, time, and even language,” Andriotis says.

Using an LMS such as the Go1 platform will help you save huge amounts on employee training costs, moving all your learning content online instead of spending a fortune on different trainers, venue hires, catering and transport worldwide.

If you’ve recently expanded your company’s operations across multiple countries, and are looking for consistent training for your global workforce, take a look at Go1’s online training courses today.

How to achieve consistent global training

When it comes to online versus classroom training, it is important to recognize each has a unique environment. There are many additional differences you should know before you select the right option for your organization and employees. As far as which learning opportunity is better, they both have advantages and disadvantages although the consensus among businesses is that e-learning has a competitive edge.

Most people know what to expect from in-person training, whereas that is not always the case with individuals who participate in e-learning. After all, the experience of a classroom setting starts in preschool. Especially if your company has never offered online training, you can anticipate your employees having a significant number of questions. The best way to prepare them for e-learning and to help them feel excited about the online opportunity is to put together information and instructions that address their questions and concerns.

If you have a large organization, consider holding an orientation for new hires and existing employees to go over the benefits of taking online training courses. At that time, you can also discuss the required technology, provide examples of the topics available, give them information on resources they can turn to for support, and so on.

Another difference between classroom and online training has to do with support. People who train in a classroom setting have someone they can turn to immediately when they need help. With online courses, your employees may have to wait a few days for support. As an example, if you have workers using e-learning at home, and they complete a course on Friday, they would need to wait until Monday to get answers or assistance with a problem.

You can address this issue in two ways. First, make sure someone on your leadership team staffs an on-call support line. Second, choose a method of e-learning on a platform that includes support as part of the overall pricing structure. The same goes for receiving feedback. You need a well-designed online training source that includes instructor feedback or provides reporting to the participant’s manager.

Compared to a classroom environment, online learning is more student-driven. In other words, people who take courses online as a way of developing or honing skills and knowledge want to learn. Before taking the e-learning route, it would help to conduct an analysis of each department within your organization to identify the level of interest and needs. Make sure you choose workers who are willing to better themselves and their careers for online training.

Between the two options, online training requires more self-discipline from participants. Although most courses take an hour or less to complete, your employees must still manage their time correctly. If you have a staff eager to learn and willing to dedicate a portion of their day to learning, online training is an outstanding option.

On the other hand, if the people within your organization you want to put through training tend to procrastinate or show zero interest, a classroom setting might be the better choice. Of course, if your organization consists of both types of employees, you could develop a program that includes classroom and online training.

When providing employees with in-person training, most companies cram as much information as possible into a single session. Although some participants will sail through with no problem, others may feel overloaded with details, making it difficult if not impossible to digest the training material.

With online training, you can select one or two courses at a time, giving your staff time to absorb the lesson before moving on. Because the top e-learning platform has many training courses lasting no more than an hour on average, they work great for everyone, including those with short attention spans.

Between home and work, people have little extra time. For that reason, they look for ways to make life more convenient. When using classroom training alone, you could run into two problems First, by taking your employees away from their work responsibilities, they could become even more stressed. Second, because classroom style education typically occurs during business hours, it could impact your revenues.

When you use the online delivery method, your employees could complete the required courses from anywhere and at any time. You would pay them for going through training off the clock. The next business day, they would return to work with improved knowledge and skill. Without worrying about training, they could focus better on their jobs.

Many people think classroom training is better for collaboration since a group of participants can go through the same session at the same time. However, you can coordinate online courses for groups as well as individuals. For instance, if the entire human resource department needs compliance training, you could have the group complete the courses together in a classroom-type setting.

Offering both options ensures your entire staff receives the training required to work more efficiently while preparing themselves for a more rewarding career. With classroom and online courses, you offer your employees valuable and practical training they can apply to the work they perform.

As the demand for online training courses continues to increase, you will find an abundance of available services. However, not all offer the same calibre of material as Go1. Not only do we have tons of articles and videos on virtually every topic imaginable, but we also keep our pricing competitive. For your online training needs, we offer incredible solutions for employees on all levels.

Which is better? Online or classroom training. Why?

If you’ve invested a lot of time and money into employee training, it’s worthwhile thinking about how you’re tracking skill development.

Tracking skill development is really important for the benefit of both your employees and your business. How so?

Well, first of all, tracking the skill development of your employees is the best way to help them build the skill sets they need to succeed. By monitoring professional development for each team member, you can identify any skills gaps that need to be addressed and improve the gap between the skills your business needs and the skills your employees currently have.

Secondly, tracking skill development will also allow you to continually re-evaluate employee training programs as needed, to ensure you’re providing staff with the best possible development opportunities and getting a good ROI on your training investment.

Ready to get started? Here’s everything you need to know about tracking employee skill development and how you can use your Learning Management System to achieve this.

The Importance of Tracking Professional Development

First, let’s look at why it’s so important to monitor professional development in your employees. If you’re an employer or manager, you should be taking the time to sit down with each team member, to come up with a personalised action plan that will help them plan for their career.

Having a professional development program in place is the best way to help employees identify the skills they want to build on. These can be role-specific skills, for example graphic design, or skills that are focused more on personal development, such as becoming more resilient to change, responding well to feedback or dealing with challenging situations or people.

Each team member’s professional development program should aim to improve their skills and competencies, helping them to perform well for the business and establish career goals for the future.

Are you already using a Learning Management System for training across your organisation? Did you know you can also use your LMS to monitor and track skill development?

Your LMS platform is most likely full of insightful data that you can be tracking, to really start improving the performance of your team. This data is invaluable when it comes to interpreting the learning habits of your employees, while also showing whether or not the LMS is delivering value to your organisation.

Soon, you’ll be able to build a comprehensive profile of your employee’s learning habits, which you can use to personalise your eLearning materials and create far more effective training courses.

Okay, so you’re ready to start tracking learning data from your LMS. The first thing you need to do is figure out which data is worth looking at.

Learning Management Systems contain a huge amount of data, so you need to know what’s worthwhile. Here are some of the key areas you should be reporting on.

Look to see just how many team members are completing the online training courses – your LMS should be able to track completion rates for each staff member.

Use the data you obtain from your employees’ online assessments to see how they’re tracking – if the majority of your staff are passing the training courses, and getting high scores in online tests, your eLearning courses are likely to be both effective and successful.

Review employee feedback on the course – here, your LMS is giving you really clear and valuable data that you can use to further improve your courses.

Christopher Pappas, founder of eLearning Industry, believes that the most important feature to look for in a new LMS is reporting and analytics. Pappas suggests inviting online learners to take a pre-assessment before the eLearning course, then using your findings to choose specific activities and modules that best suit their needs.

“eLearning assessment data also gives you the power to identify online learners’ strengths and weaknesses, which you can then use to create personal learning paths,” explains Pappas.

Tracking and interpreting data from your LMS should be a regular and ongoing process. By making constant adjustments to your eLearning courses, you can start getting the best possible results from your training materials and your employees.

Reading or listening to the news is all you need to understand why sexual harassment training in the workplace is so critical. Without proper education, many people will continue doing and saying things inappropriately because either they do not understand the consequences or do not recognize their actions as being wrong. With the right education, everyone in your organization can get on the same page as to what sexual harassment is, how to prevent it, and who to report to should an incident happen.

Making sexual favors a part of staying employed or promotions within the organization

Any unwanted physical contact or touching

Talking about or being within hear shot of one or more people sharing stories or fantasies about sex, telling off-colored sex-related jokes, or passing around explicit emails, text messages, or photographs

Because sexual harassment covers so many different things, it is essential that you select the right forum and content for training. Also, instead of having your employees take one course, mandate they continue taking courses as a stipulation of employment.

The environment in your organization is only as good as the training you provide your workers. You could have the best talent available and even employees dedicated to doing an excellent job for your company. However, unless they receive proper training on critical issues like sexual harassment, seemingly innocent actions could prove disastrous for them and your business as a whole.

According to numerous experts, many sexual harassment training courses are ineffective. For your company, not only do you need to have every employee complete the correct training courses but also have a system in place for enforcement. As part of that, your staff needs to know that the company will terminate anyone who violates the established policies. Also, your workers need the names of key individuals they can trust should a sexual harassment incident occur.

When researching different training courses to provide to your employees, choose those developed by experts in this area and training that falls in line with the current laws and regulations.

While some training reaches across all departments, not every member of your organization needs to complete the same courses. For instance, your leadership teams would take more in-depth training, helping them to identify a potential problem and deal with an issue in a professional yet compassionate manner.

Regardless of which online training courses you select, they should accommodate specific needs and meet explicit goals. After recognizing areas of weakness with most programs, experts recommend several ways to make sexual harassment training more effective.

Knowledge – Courses should enhance your employees’ understanding of what sexual harassment is, how to avoid it, and who to report to.

Leadership Endorsement – Choose training courses that your leadership team can endorse and participate in along with their staff. That gives workers the support they need during and after training.