How to Meet the New Demands of Today’s Learning Buyer

This week, we’ll be covering our newest research on the learning management buyer. You can download the full report for free here.

Learning technology has historically been built to fit within the training silo, but now we see learning technology taking center stage in the talent management universe. Learning professionals are becoming development-focused talent warriors, battling diversified challenges related to retaining and developing people within their organizations. They’re not stuck in the silo. They’re moving on. Is your technology ready to step up to meet them in their new roles?

In a recent, joint research report from The Starr Conspiracy Intelligence Unit (TSCIU), Brandon Hall Group, and Human Capital Institute (HCI) titled “The Enterprise Learning Buyer, 2014: What technology vendors need to know about a rapidly shifting market,” we discovered that, in addition to learning management, 86 percent or more learning buyers played an influential role in key areas of performance and talent management, employee engagement, succession and development, and employee survey software and services. What does that mean? It means that if you’re still considering learning professionals to be the gatekeepers of training alone, your technology isn’t providing the solutions your buyer really needs.

Today’s learning buyers play an essential role in building an effective talent strategy — and will choose tools that meet their growing needs over those that limit or keep learning in a box.

So what can you do to make sure your learning technology continues to be valuable to your buyer? Here are some takeaways from the report:

1. Don’t limit your messaging and content to learning. Instead, speak to the desire to integrate and connect career development, succession, and broad enterprise-wide initiatives to make sure you are reaching the progressive, future-focused buyer.
2. Consider the impact of user-generated content. We know that the ability to generate one’s own content changes the picture for learning professionals. In fact, 62 percent of employers are already leveraging user-generated content for training. Does your product facilitate user-generated content? If not, it’s time to step it up.
3. Strategic, predictive analytics are becoming a real requirement. Among respondents, 46 percent said reporting and analytics are a key factor in their product evaluations, second only to ease of use. If you’re not providing intuitive, user-friendly analytics capabilities, you are losing a large percentage of potential customers.
4. Gamification is on the rise. There is still a huge opportunity for players that get the gamification of learning and development, as 21 percent of respondents said game-based learning and simulations are a trend that could benefit their organization.

Want more insight into the learning buyer? Download the report, “The Enterprise Learning Buyer, 2014: What technology vendors need to know about a rapidly shifting market” now.

This is serious. We’re talking about the future of your business. With Brandon Hall Group, Human Capital Institute (HCI) and The Starr Conspiracy Intelligence Unit (TSCIU) on board, you can rest assured that you’re getting sound data and smart analysis of the trends facing learning technology companies today.