Introducing LearnBee: Think out of the box

LearnBee
LearnBee
Aug 9, 2017 · 4 min read

In most companies, the LMS (Learning Management System) and the Desktop PC have long been interconnected. Employees also had all of their work-related communication and training delivered over the company intranet in this box. This is also the box in which most of them carried out their day-to-day work itself. Many companies around the world, big and small, continue to use this box.

We live in a world where the employees don’t limit their work to the box anymore. It’s all about convergence now. Convergence of devices, platforms and content clouds. Employees are no longer tied to boxes. In fact, many companies have actively advocated the BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) policies and work is not silo-ed to one box or one location.

It is time to think out of this box. A new kind of LMS.

But does the world need another LMS?

There is often a lot of chatter about hiring and layoffs in the news. But there is something in HR circles that often doesn’t make the news. Put your ear to the ground and you will hear just one major concern: training employees.

Based in Bengaluru, India’s Silicon Valley we saw many HR leaders obsess over their inability to find a plug-and-play LMS that just worked. The top-of-mind issue was not just how to train, but how to make training effective.

It is out of that environment, LearnBee was born. We set out to bring world-class design to bear on the hard problem of training.

Our user research took us inside rapidly-growing, data-driven, and strategic companies who opened up to us about their L&D (Learning & Development) process and problems. We uncovered surprising insights and built Learnbee around them.

#1 The Mobile-First Model

For many employees, especially the millennials, the box has been replaced by a mobile device. This device is the first and often a primary portal of engagement in their lives. While some companies still saw mobile as a distraction, others saw it as a need to adapt. However, simply transforming the LMS box content into a mobile browser wasn’t an option.

#2 Shortform Learning

Everyone we met agreed: the need for shorter and more engaging forms of learning. Sure, it’s great to have an elaborate course on x or y or z from the best trainer around. But what use is it, if the course isn’t taken by the employees? Often overlooked is the need for shortform content presented in an engaging manner. This delivered on a platform geared for micro learning, will provide a seamless learning delivery.

#3 Content Creation Process

The content creation process often involved the L&D team force-fitting content into rigid structures of the LMS deployed in the company. At times, PPT (powerpoint presentations) were shared with voice-overs as primary training material. Such measures resulted in obvious drops in user/learner engagement. Considering this issue, we made available an intuitive content creation dashboard that enables the training manager to think in different ways about the different formats of training delivery.

Starting from elaborate training programs to quick micro courses, LearnBee presents a host of options for the Training Manager. These formats also take into account the diverse devices that employees could consume content on and the responsiveness required to cater to them. Our course creation support is best-in-class and is designed to quickly onboard the training manager with using LearnBee.

#4 Training Administration & Reports

In most LMSes, the administration of content, users and training programs usually requires technical support. This can sometimes be a hurdle to smooth training operations, especially when the training teams are working with large volumes and tight deadlines. It is also a time when the world is buzzing with data analytics. No LMS is complete if it doesn’t provide an option to glean insights from training delivery and user progress.

LearnBee provides an intuitive dashboard for Training administration processes including user management, content management and user progress tracking. Better yet, there is no technical steps / coding involved in the setup phase. It is as simple as click to start and sign-up. Thereafter the training teams will find it very intuitive to navigate.

#5 Offline Learning

While data (or the lack of it) is no longer a big barrier, our system provides options for offline learning. The employees can download / sync their LearnBee apps while there is access to internet and still continue to use the courses when they go offline.

It’s an exciting time to build tools for training because so many role models — entrepreneurs, investors, CEOs — are talking about training right now. The innovative, explosively growing, awesome companies we’ve partnered with in our beta are all companies for whom training talent is a strategic priority, not a chore. And they’ve made it a company-wide effort, not just a task for an isolated L&D team.

These forward-thinking companies have challenged us to build a learning platform that is the center of a company’s culture, not just a fringe team. That means a harder design problem with many more stakeholders: interviewers and L&D managers across the company, Directors and VPs in HR, Finance, People Operations, and more.

The best companies believe that the learning tool should be used by everyone.

To get your company started on a new learning path, start training with LearnBee.

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