Ten most common mistakes when implementing e-learning in a company
10 most common mistakes when implementing e-learning in a company
(or why good intentions are sometimes not enough and what to watch out for)
An e-learning implementation may seem simple at first glance. All you need to do is select a suitable LMS, prepare a few courses and get everything up and running. But the reality is usually more complicated. Companies sometimes run into problems that can derail even the best project. Below, we describe the ten most common mistakes to watch out for if you really want to ensure a smooth e-learning process and, most importantly, results.
1. Insufficient needs analysis
Many companies opt for e-learning because "others are doing it" or they feel it is cheaper and more practical than traditional training. However, they often forget to think carefully about exactly what they want to achieve with e-learning. The consequence is often the purchase of a robust solution that offers tons of features, but is not really used to its full potential. Or they buy a simple system that lacks important advanced modules needed for certifications or advanced analytics, for example.
If you don't have a clear idea of your goals at the beginning, it's hard to determine what you actually expect from e-learning. How many users will be trained? What types of courses (mandatory training, specialized modules, soft-skills) will you offer? And what is the capacity of your team to keep everything up-to-date and functional? The answers to these questions will help you save significant expense and later disappointment.
2. Lack of management support
Many e-learning projects get off to a great start, but gradually loss interest. One reason for this is that management doesn't see learning as a strategic priority. Then, when employees register disinterest from the top, they see e-learning more as an unwanted obligation that needs to be "clicked away."
Ideally, top management should actively communicate the importance of learning. If managers themselves make it clear that they view the results from courses, and perhaps even highlight successful graduates, people will see e-learning as a real important activity. Conversely, without this support, the project is usually left on the shoulders of the HR department, who vainly persuade colleagues to sign up in the first place.
3. Overly complex user experience
Even the best-designed course will lie fallow if the user can't get to it comfortably. Sometimes all it takes is a less clear LMS home page, untranslated menu items, or confusing controls and people give up. Add to that the few times they lose test results or the course doesn't load in the desired browser, and it doesn't take long for e-learning to earn the reputation as "just another failed IT tool."
Practically no company wants to have to hold internal training sessions on how an employee should be trained. Therefore, it is worth testing the LMS on a small group of users with varying levels of computer skills. The feedback will tell you how people perceive the clarity of the interface, while also giving you enough time to make minor adjustments before rolling it out to the whole company.
4. Underestimating the role of motivation
Introducing e-learning doesn't mean that employees will automatically jump into courses with enthusiasm. Many people have families to look after after after work, other hobbies or want to relax. Moreover, if they don't feel that the course is important, the reason for giving it time and attention disappears. That's why it's crucial to set incentives - they can take many forms, from internal certificates to discounts on company benefits to the opportunity to advance their career faster.
Another motivation can be a game element (gamification), which makes sense especially when it fits the company culture. Some companies have success with points, badges and leaderboards that increase competitiveness and the desire to outperform colleagues. In other places, on the other hand, it feels childish. So finding the right balance of motivation is a bit of alchemy, but it can have a very positive impact on employee engagement.
5. Inappropriate content and too much theory
It seems that e-learning ends up with theoretical explanations with minimal illustrative examples or interactive elements. Employees are then unnecessarily burdened with long texts that are not well structured, and they lack the opportunity to try out new information practically. As a result, trainees may get the feeling that "this is useless to them anyway" and quickly abandon the course.
If you want people to perceive the course as useful, incorporate real-life situations from corporate practice into the content. For example, when training sales skills, show scenarios of customer interviews - ideally in the form of short videos or interactive simulations. The result will not only be greater engagement, but often better retention of key information.
6. Weak feedback from testing
Without the ability to verify that the employee has mastered the material, e-learning can end up as "click-through content". Having quizzes, tests or short assignments in the course is important to both give the participants something to think about and to give the company an overview of their real engagement. Typical examples are multiple-choice or open-ended questions, which also help to map out exactly where the user is floundering.
But it shouldn't just be the management that receives feedback - the participant themselves need to see how they did too. If the course ends and the person doesn't know what they did wrong, it's hard to learn for the future. That's why it's ideal if the LMS allows you to see in a turn-by-turn manner what the specific problem was and what the correct answer was.
7. Ignoring user opinion
It doesn't end when you start e-learning. Users (especially the more critical ones) will often be happy to tell you that the course is slow to load, that they miss a certain feature, or that the content is not updated. If a company doesn't take care of these reactions, employees may develop an unfavorable opinion of the entire e-learning experience, which is then difficult to change.
That's why it's a good idea to have a set channel for feedback, whether it's an integrated evaluation of each course, regular meetings or short questionnaires. When users see that their comments are actually being addressed, they also start to trust the courses more and generally see them as a meaningful part of their work.
8. Overloading the "IT" team
E-learning implementation is often seen as an IT department project. It's just that IT is usually already handling a lot of other processes, from hardware management to server management to security incident handling. When you add an LMS that needs regular updates, integrations, dealing with user queries and other things, chances are they won't thank you fully.
When planning, therefore, it's a good idea to assess whether your IT department has the sufficient capacity to manage e-learning, or whether it would be wiser to delegate it to a specific person (often from HR) or hire an external consultant or company. Above all, it should be clear who is responsible for the operation and success of the e-learning.
9. Lack of pilot operation
Excitement about a new system can lead to it being launched all at once without prior testing on a smaller scale. It's just that pilot operation can catch various technical and content flaws without causing much damage. In addition, such a test phase with a limited group of volunteers will help fine-tune even small things like navigation elements, email invitation texts, or course visuals.
Without a pilot, you may find that half your company loads into the system on the same day and immediately encounters errors, long response times, and maybe even content gaps. The negative impression from the initial launch is hard to rectify, as people will resist logging into a similar "unfinished" tool repeatedly.
10. Absence of a long-term development plan
Some companies see e-learning as a one-off project: they launch a platform, upload a few courses and expect to be done. But learning is a never-ending process. Courses need to be continually updated and added to in order to remain relevant. As the system grows over time, more advanced reporting, integrations, or new learning modalities such as microlearning, virtual reality, or more recently - AI engagement - need to be addressed.
In the absence of a long-term strategy, e-learning can become an outdated repository of information that doesn't evolve in a year or two. And this then leads to ineffective learning. So having a clear development plan - for example, a dedicated budget and plan for creating new courses, a dedicated team of people to manage the quality of the content, and regular evaluation of the results - is key.
Want to avoid these mistakes?
Establishing e-learning is not as easy as it may seem, but if you avoid the mistakes mentioned above, you can set up a modern and effective training for your company that will bring real benefits to people. The key is not to neglect the initial preparation, not to underestimate the motivation and feedback from the users themselves and, most importantly, to think that training should be gradually integrated into the company culture, not remain a one-off event.
To get an overview of what LMS systems are on the market and which might suit your needs, take a look at the LMS Catalog. There you will find information about the features, licensing policies, as well as how to operate and support each LMS. This will help you avoid hasty decisions and help you plan a successful implementation that will improve the quality of education in your company in the long run.
If you are already worried about this, you can contact us and we will be happy to help you with the selection and implementation of a new LMS in your company.
