60 minutes, 24 hours, 7 days a week.

As sure as the sun comes up the time we have each day doesn’t change. We do our best to use our time wisely.

As children we are taught structure, a schedule to work to at school with homework to squeeze in to our treasured home life. As young adults we learn about managing our time, so we revise effectively, sleep more and have respite. In the workplace, it’s then all about multi-tasking – achieving more with the time you have so you are a smart worker – whilst balancing a family, a mortgage and the proverbial home-life stresses.

Consumer behaviour and the digital shift

Technology continues to play an incredible part in honing our day-to-day time management, driven by consumer behaviour and the digital shift.

Services such as Amazon Prime mean we can make a purchase and expect it to arrive at any location the following day. And all from our mobile phone. We don’t have to trudge the local town for what we need or window shop for the right present when we can search for it directly, pay quickly and await overnight delivery.

Bite-sized online shopping at point of need that saves time.

No longer do we have to set our VHS to “tape” a TV programme. There’s Sky Go, Netflix and BBC iPlayer, to name but a few, that allow us to play catch-up on the move or at a home. The ability to tap in to a wifi network or make use of our 4G plans mean we can access these platforms anytime, anywhere (our working commute or during our  lunch hour) without having to download a programme to watch.

Online, on-demand access across all devices – catch-up TV when it’s wanted.

The ability to order a week’s grocery shop online reduces the need to drive to the supermarket, battle others with our trolley and traipse the aisles for our evening meals. The benefit of “favourites” and “previous shops” means we replicate last week’s order and amend. Our groceries are then delivered direct to our door.

A repository of saved items we can refer to as and when needed, available 24/7.

The role of technology within the workplace

Are the same consumer-led digital solutions that better manage our time replicated when it comes to work-based learning and development?

Not all organisations are adopting a forward-thinking digital approach to their people’s workplace learning. As such it is costing organisations more money (and time!) to train their staff without an online intervention.

We deliver bespoke face-to-face training for our clients, so we know its value. But it isn’t always the best solution for workplace learning. It’s time consuming for large organisations to organise, particularly across locations and teams, and costly to the business when staff are removed from the office for days of training.

The same can be said for eLearning. It similarly can be as expensive, time consuming if poorly produced and/or not an appropriate equivalent – it certainly lacks the personal interaction face-to-face training provides.

Alternative digital solutions

Virtual classrooms (VCs) are often overlooked as an ideal online learning solution that effectively manages learners’ time and saves organisations money. VCs provide a remote space for learners to engage in short bursts of live training – a more effective and modern approach for learners to manage their development and time.

LiveTime Learning specialises in translating existing face-to-face courses into engaging and effective live online activity, as well as creating bespoke virtual learning; from management training for example, and change management awareness, to skills improvement and new systems training.

Full days of training are transformed into interactive sessions, accessible via desktop, mobile and tablet, fitted around busy schedules and led by an online trainer.

Bite-sized online learning at point of need that saves time.

These live sessions can be recorded, re-watched and referred to when needed. Not only do learners gain timely knowledge of the subject and effectively retain it in a way that is conducive to their expectations and needs, they also receive ongoing performance support, so they do their jobs better.

Online, on-demand access across all devices – catch-up learning when it’s wanted.

We also provide video-based training that helps people learn on-the-job with the benefit of immediately translating what they have learnt into the context of their role. We offer over 100 MP4 video recordings that capture our award-winning virtual classrooms specialising in soft skills training.

A repository of saved items to refer to as and when needed, available 24/7.

Parallels…

If technology plays a part in honing our day-to-day time management led by our own consumer behaviour, why are some organisations still struggling to provide a similar digital solution to their people’s workplace training?

Contact us to let us know your thoughts and see a demo of a virtual classroom in action.