Why software simulations are the key to employee training that sticks

Think about the last time you introduced a new software system at your organization. It could be a project management program, an HR system, an LMS, a collaboration tool… whatever it was, how did it go? Even a significant change to your CRM that required retraining?

Did you create an eLearning course, record a ‘quick video’ (never quick, right..), or run a live walkthrough session (ugh..)? And most importantly, did the information you delivered actually stick before you had to retrain on something as your business and tech stack changed?

Don’t worry, everyone is in the same boat. Creating (and updating) software training is difficult, and to be honest, many companies just don’t bother. Learn as you go, right? Well if you know the stats about employee onboarding, you know the faster and better your onboarding of software will ultimately drive more revenue faster, for your business. 

The benefits of software simulations for employee training

Software training is notoriously difficult to get right – especially if you’re training a less technologically savvy audience. While a jargon-filled documentation page may not mean anything to your employees, or will be quickly forgotten, a software simulation walks employees through several steps of proficiency with your new software (or new software features and functionality. With the right tools, you can create multiple potential scenarios, AND perhaps most importantly, make updating the content easy when changes are required. No need to create a whole new training video or host a session along with every update.

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Some of the ways in which software simulations are a powerful tool for employee training include:

1 - Improved knowledge retention

No method of software training is more effective than actually engaging with subject matter. Live training sessions may increase understanding at the time, but they will often lean heavily on “showing” and “telling” employees how to use the software, without giving them the opportunity to try it for themselves.

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Software simulations allow employees to get hands-on with the software, helping them build up first-hand experience and “muscle memory,” increasing the likelihood that they’ll remember how to perform a task in the live product. For instance, instead of following an eLearning course or listening to a trainer tell them where to click, they will be guided through the process themselves, and this active engagement will make it significantly easier for the knowledge to stick.

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2 - Realistic scenarios

Reading the software provider’s documentation or step-by-step guides may be useful for the very basics of a new software program, but it’s unlikely that any scenarios outlined will reflect what your employees will do with the tool day-to-day.

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Creating your own software simulation means you can tailor the training experience to the specific tasks your employees will carry out, by allowing multiple scenarios to exist with multiple hotspots they can explore and be tested on. With customized branding templates in place, you can quickly make the experience relevant to your brand and leave an impact.

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For instance, you can set up a simulation showing your employees how to create an invoice following your organization’s specific process in your new finance software, including getting them to simulate the process themselves. This will make the training far more relevant and help them in their real jobs, in an environment that looks and functions exactly the same as the software instance they will be using.

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3 - Immediate feedback

Making mistakes is crucial to the learning process, but fears of messing up a real, live system can make employees hesitant to fully engage with new software. This can significantly slow down the rollout and adoption of new tools, which in turn, can impact productivity and operational efficiency.

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Instead of throwing employees in at the deep end and letting them make mistakes in your live platform, a software simulation gives them a space to learn and practice their skills in a safe environment, with no risk to your real data. If they get something wrong while they’re trying something out in the training environment, the simulation can immediately offer a correction and steer them back on track, helping to nip misunderstandings in the bud and explain the correct processes and procedures.

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4 - Improved performance tracking

While eLearning or instructor-led workshops can be useful for your software training to some extent, it’s impossible to know exactly how well your employees understand the material and how much they have retained.

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A software simulation, in contrast, allows you to test employees on what they’ve learned, with their results sent back to your learning platform. This allows managers and stakeholders to see how employees are engaging with the software, and they can see who may need some extra support to make the most of your investment.

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5 - Cost-effectiveness

Anyone who’s ever run instructor-led software training workshops will know that they can be expensive. You have to pay for the trainer, a venue and computers, as well as transport and catering in many instances.

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Additionally, if your software training isn’t effective, regardless of the format, you will likely not get the best return on your investment. Employees won’t be able to use the software as intended, so you may need to repeat training or compromise on the way the software is used – neither of which is ideal.

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Software training has the benefit of reducing the cost of training, as employees can engage from their own devices, and can repeat steps in the simulation environment when they need a refresher. It’s a much more effective way to deliver software training, helping you maximize your ROI as employees are better equipped to master the tool or platform, which ultimately saves you money in the long run.

How dominKnow | ONE can help with employee software simulations

If you’re planning a new software rollout or update in your organization, you’ll be thinking about how to execute that successfully. Creating your own software simulations can seem daunting to create and keep updated, but with the right tool, it’s almost certainly not as difficult as you think!

dominKnow | ONE’s Capture tool makes it quick and easy to create lessons simultaneously as you perform the tasks in question, for better software utilization and adoption. It accomplishes this with:

• Shorter software learning curves using a single UX on Mac and PC
• Powerful HTML5 software simulations integrated into a complete authoring and content management solution (no point solutions necessary)
• Exceptional customizability in templates and functionality
• The ability to export simulations with ‘Show me’ (video), ‘Try me’, ‘Guide me’ and ‘Test me’ activity options for multiple use cases
• Cloud-based collaboration across the entire dominKnow | ONE LCMS authoring suite

In the words of one large financial institution:

“In addition to being an impressive LCMS, what led us to dominKnow | ONE was the software simulation tool. The Capture product allowed us to consolidate multiple tools into a single system for all our content authoring requirements.”

Ready to introduce software simulations to your employee software training program? We’d love to show you how you can do it with dominKnow | ONE! Get your demo of dominKnow | ONE today.

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