Continue reading »]]> Have you ever needed to actually show somebody how to do something on a computer from a remote location? Sometimes texts, emails, instant messages, even phone calls just don’t cut it, and that means a lot of time, travel and funds to accomplish that goal in person.

We have to admit, the thought of teleportation has crossed our minds once or twice. (And apparently, scientists are getting closer.) But we’re not holding our breath. Until teleportation is a thing of reality, we need a way to transfer knowledge electronically. That is the basic definition of eLearning, and there are a multitude of ways in which eLearning software can aide in business and education.

eLearning has been around since the 1960’s, when Stanford University experimented teaching math to kids with computers. But eLearning as we know it today came about with the emergence of Web 2.0 circa 2005. With the ability to record your screen as you go, complete with audio, video and interactivity, eLearning software today takes a much more social approach. This goes along nicely with the social media revolution we are in currently… you know, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, etc.

Still not really sure what eLearning software is or how it can help your business? We’ve outlined 13 ways your business can benefit.

13 Ways to Use eLearning Software

1. Webinars – Hosting a free webinar is a low cost way to sell your product or service, and reiterate the value of your brand to customers new and old.
2. Customer support – Use screen captures and help demos to enhance your website’s FAQ or customer support section. Often times it’s easier to show somebody how to do something than to just tell them.
3. Train new employees remotely – Make sure your new employees are on board with your HR processes, job functions and daily procedures.
4. Train current employees remotely – Who says an old dog can’t learn new tricks? It has been proven that continuing education can improve employee satisfaction. And you can help them refine and develop new skills at the same time.
5. How to use your service – Is your customer base not quite getting how to use a feature on your site? Or do you just want a unique way to announce a new attribute of your business? Try a short promo video. An elementary school teacher once told me essays should be like a girl’s skirt: long enough to cover the subject but short enough to be interesting. I think promo videos are the same. (Later in life I thought it was a strange thing to tell a fifth grader, but it stuck with me so it must have worked!)
6. Go viral – With the rising popularity of online video and sites like YouTube and Vimeo, your business can’t afford to not have a video presence. Highlight the humorous or lighter side of your business and your vid could go viral, spidering out to a mass that may have never even heard of your business.
7. Stop. Rewind! – With video tutorials customers and trainees have the option to learn at their own pace. They can review any segments they need, stop to look up definitions, make adjustments to volume and screen size. Not only can users go at their own pace, they can follow along with your video and complete the steps as they go.
8. Reduce costs – Again with the teleportation. Until that is invented, you will have to eat large sums of travel costs each year to send your trainers off to remote locations, put them in a hotel, and feed them. Not to mention the cost of hiring those trainers. In fact, we might go so far as to call eLearning software an environmentally friendly effort. But then again, we aren’t qualified to make those claims.
9. Train anytime – Especially useful for overseas branches, third and fourth shift workers. Oh, and night owls.
10. Consistent content for all – To err is human. But when it comes to ensuring your employees have fair and equal training and knowledge, eLearning software can help keep things consistent and minimize those human errors.
11. Ensure compliance w/ regulations – Different states and entities have varying regulations when it comes to human resources, training and more. Consistent help systems developed with eLearning software can help eliminate that “human error” we discussed above, thus ensuring your compliance with necessary regulations.
12. Check knowledge – Make sure your training works. Each of our recommended eLearning software solutions has some form of quiz or knowledge checking built-in. Do note that the level of customization of those assessments can vary by program.
13. Hey, it’s more interesting than text.

There are dozens of quality eLearning software programs out there, from simple, open source screen capture software, to robust suites for professional trainers. The three we like the best are Camtasia, Captivate and eLearning Suite.

Wondering which program is the best fit for your needs, resources and budget? Check out this eLearning software review.

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Continue reading »]]> Adobe Captivate was awarded “Best Simulation Tool” from the 5th Annual Best of eLearning! Awards. Winners were chosen by the magazine’s readers through an online ballot. Shameer Ayyappan from Adobe’s Captivate Blog tells us, “This award is especially valuable because these are based on end user nominations – our customers are voting for us.”

Captivate allows you to easily and quickly create simulations and software demonstrations. It allows someone without any programming or multimedia skills to make engaging content with audio and video.  Dave Lukasik, chief learning officer for Professional Service Industries, an industry-leading engineering, consulting, and testing firm, attests, “With Adobe Captivate, we’ve achieved efficiency and effectiveness for both learners and training developers.” Captivate helped Lukasik train 2,500 employees at 125 offices across the United States with the new major overhaul of the company’s core operational system. Read more about his success story with Captivate.

In the same category that Adobe Captivate snagged a winning title, Atlantic Link Capture Point, Qarbon Viewlet Builder and TechSmith Camstasia were also given Awards of Excellence. And Adobe eLearning Suite (eLS), at less than a year old, won an Award of Excellence for “Best E-Learning Development Tool.” Congrats Adobe!

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