Does your training data prove ROI?

Training is a business must-have but it can become a ‘tick box’ exercise where improvement is assumed and a successful outcome is believed to be a given. You expect to gain improved skills and productivity, greater retention rates, and an improved brand. But success rests on knowing what outcomes are expected from the outset to demonstrate success further down the line.

Delivering training doesn’t automatically deliver results. If you’re training with a business purpose, you need measurable goals. Setting clear KPIs with tracking and reporting will show you what’s working and where improvements in delivery or content are needed.

Measuring training effectiveness can be challenging and you will likely face some obstacles along the way. Here are a few of the potential challenges and how best to overcome them.

Challenge 1: Not connecting training with business outcomes

Solution: Be clear about what a successful training outcome looks like. This should be specific and measurable such as “we want all staff to complete the training by the end of this financial year and we want to see a 15% increase in customer satisfaction ratings the following year.”

Challenge 2: Not tracking the right metrics

Solution: Tie your metrics to the goals set and specify what metrics will tell you if you’re hitting those targets. If the goal is to have everyone complete the training by the end of the year, it makes sense to track completion rates. If people are dropping out, where are they stalling? Where are they back-tracking and revisiting? Is it the same for everyone who is failing to complete the training? Then you’ll know where improvements are required.

If you want to see an increase in customer satisfaction scores or sales, you’ll also need to track conversion rates after the training has been completed to see if you’re meeting that goal.

Challenge 3: Not having the time or headcount to review data

Solution: Most eLearning systems will have analytics built in, including features for tracking and analysing key data. Set up correctly, you may even be able to generate automatic reporting for you simply to review the key stats regularly.

Challenge 4: Not having qualitative data

Solution: Use post-training surveys, also known as self-assessment questionnaires, to ask learners what they thought of the training or quiz them on their knowledge. This can be as simple as a printed form for completion at the end of the training session, a free or low-cost online survey tool or you may even have a mechanism built into your eLearning platform.

You can also seek informal feedback from peers and managers or hold follow-up focus groups where you can ask direct evaluation questions. And don’t forget on-the-job observation. As long as you’re clear on the goals, you’ll find a way to gather the data.

Challenge 5: Not seeing the value in measuring

Solution: Establish your “why” and make the case as part of your learning and development strategy. Lay out the business goals, how training will help achieve those goals and which metrics will demonstrate how well it’s working and what needs tweaking.

Sharing reports and metrics with key stakeholders and decision-makers will keep them informed on progress, provide insights and allow you to demonstrate a return on investment (ROI).

If you’re still researching options for your Learning Management System (LMS), our advice is to define your goals and find a system that will track the metrics that are important to your business and report in a way that makes sense to you and your stakeholders. We have over 20 years of experience in writing, designing and developing online learning and, with our mix of consultancy and design services, we can help determine the metrics and reporting to get your learning on track and help your business thrive.

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