Employee training is one of the most essential aspects of running a business. While companies spend valuable time training employees, studies show that employees are more disengaged than ever before.

The good news is that there are several things that companies can do to turn disengaged employees around; one is find ways to increase real and perceived value through training programs that are effective and engaging. This is one area that technology for education (i.e. audience response system) can help.

Training is essential to the long term success of any company. Many companies invest in training over the year. However, it is important to invest more than just money. It’s essential to take advantage of technology that has been introduced in the last few years.

Companies can now spend a lot more time training than ever before. Newer technology tools for corporate training, sometimes called e-learning, allows companies to scale training while easily collecting data. Traditional training models are not scalable and certainly do not allow for individual learning and have very little room for engagement.

Many companies use a learning management system in order to organize, automate, and scale employee training and professional development. Essentially, a LMS allows employers to upload content, distribute the content, and track the content from anywhere.

A modern LMS will use a cloud based storage system that, if needed, allows trainees the same remote access as the trainers using a computer or mobile device. The easiest way to dramatically improve an employee training program is to move from a traditional instructor/classroom model, to a technology backed learning management system.

Over the long term, how employee training is conducted can play a huge role in the amount of overall time used for training purposes. How training is conducted is also directly related to overall productivity. Because technology tools allow for increased engagement, which in turn leads to increased and faster retention employees using these methods have been shown to have increased productivity. Ultimately, productivity and mastery is directly related to the overall happiness of employees. These factors all, of course, affect the bottom line.

Another added benefit of using e-learning and technology tools, such as LMS’s, clickers and polling apps, is the level of customization available. Along with instant data and feedback are options to allow employees to work at their own pace and easily revisit material if needed.

Having the proper training framework can play a huge role in a variety of business metrics.  Smart business owners will design systems that are part of a larger framework and integrated learning management systems play a huge role in an overall strategy.

Many company owners are hesitant to integrate technology simply because of the associated costs. While investing in technology platforms may be more expensive on the front end, over the long term these systems can save money while providing superior results over traditional methods.

Using corporate training technology has not only the benefit of improving the long term effectiveness and retention of training material, but it eliminates the need to have a large staff of trainers, travel expenses to send trainers to multiple sites and/or the need to hire outside resources to conduct trainings.

The first step in beginning the process of implementing any new technology is to look at current needs vs scaled needs. It’s imperative that a new system is able to grow with the company. Another factor to consider is how customized you need your learning management system to be. Some come companies, such as  Meridia Interactive Solutions and CloudVOTE , can be used separately or together in order to create a custom solution that fits the unique needs of your training program.