A distributed workplace is increasingly becoming the norm in most organizations, particularly with sales and marketing departments – a trend that is enabled in part by technology advancements that have made it viable, though not necessarily ideal, for teams to work together while being geographically dispersed. Despite the investment in these collaborative technologies, when you consider that the typical sales rep is on the road and away from any formal office environment for a large percentage of time, effective training and coaching remains an enormous challenge. That’s a significant problem, as many of the nuances of the sales profession are learned through practice and the receipt of ample feedback from industry veterans and top performing peers.
The solution to this issue? Video! Mobile video has emerged as a preferred medium for businesses to address collaboration and learning challenges in distributed work environments. It provides the personal face-to-face experience many professionals need, without inconveniencing participants. We are living our day-to-day lives, dependent on mobile devices, so it only makes sense our professional lives follow suit.
In addition to the convenience of being able to provide training and coaching across geographies, mobile video rectifies many issues companies face when it comes to learning, such as:
Knowledge Retention
From onboarding to the introduction of new messaging, retaining new information can be challenging. Mobile video provides a medium for professionals to continue learning and practicing well after a training session concludes. For a sales representative working to close a big deal, having the ability to access the most relevant content or messaging from a mobile device, right before they head into a meeting with a prospect, can vastly improve confidence levels and lead to a new win.
Everyone learns differently, and mobile video learning provides options that enable users to absorb and retain information as it suits them best. For some, it’s enough to simply have information at their fingertips to go over when they are most open to learning. Others need something a little more engaging, such as game-like quizzes or flash drills that are proven to boost short and long term skills and knowledge mastery.
Everyone can recall that first week at a new job, when an overload of knowledge is being passed with the expectation that it will be absorbed in a reasonable timeframe. It can take five to six months to properly onboard a new hire, but video can help cut that time down markedly, and make the onboarding experience less overwhelming for both employees and companies.
Improved Coaching and Feedback
Asking for and receiving managerial feedback can be tough, but for any professional to grow, it’s a necessity. With standard classroom training, information is taught, teams disperse and then there’s little in the way of follow-up. Employees have fewer opportunities to exhibit what they’ve learned and applied over time. Mobile video, however, provides an ideal platform for managers to regularly engage with employees, provide productive and detailed feedback and measure professional growth. For sales reps in particular, it could be an opportunity to practice a sales pitch and receive point-in-time feedback on what they did well or where they could improve. Mobile video also takes some of the professional and financial burden off managers, as they don’t need to schedule formal sit downs or ride-alongs and can review and advise on their own time.
Message Consistency
Whether it’s new corporate data resulting from an acquisition, or simply updated product positioning, ensuring consistent messaging across an organization is a critical challenge. Professionals across offices and geographies are often being taught new messaging by several different managers, with each additional outlet further opening the door for inconsistency.
With mobile video, companies can create one unified video, or set of videos, explaining new messaging and ensuring that all offices receive the same information. Additionally, it allows employees to then study the language more effectively whenever they have time, increasing the likelihood of retention. Taking it a step further, managers can review reps’ videos practicing the new messaging and share examples of what good looks like with the whole sales team.
Time and Money
When it comes down to it, time and money are two of the most valuable assets to any business, and wasting them on training that does not reach desired results is not an option. Whether it is through an app or an online video platform, businesses can provide personalized training for employees that not only includes curriculum-based training content, but can also enable managers to provide point-in-time feedback on recorded pitches as well as use push notifications and spaced quizzes to reinforce knowledge and skills until true, long-term mastery is achieved. Making learning content available to reps through easy-to-search channels ensures information is accessible when and where reps need it most.
Where Mobile Video Learning Is Thriving
The sales industry is a natural fit for mobile video learning as reps are constantly tasked with learning new ways to sell a certain product or service. Sales reps benefit from the ability to see how colleagues are pitching the product and company value proposition. They can also utilize mobile video to share best practices with their peers and access peer-generated insights from the field.
Within marketing departments, mobile video is helping ensure that corporate or product messaging changes are communicated quickly and effectively. Marketers can also access insights from sales teams and address common objections or feedback within marketing materials.
Continuous learning should be a goal for all managers and employees, but time, resources and plain reality can often make learning burdensome or impossible. However, mobile devices have already become ubiquitous in our world, making mobile video the perfect gateway to professional learning and growth.
Mark Magnacca is president and co-founder of Allego, makers of a just-in-time video learning platform.
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