Why Cross Training, Employee Digital Skills Are a Must

In this article, we’ll learn why cross training, employee skills, and a digital-first mindset are crucial for maintaining a productive workforce.

More specifically, we’ll explore:

• Why today’s fast-paced digital economy is driving organizational change – and the problems that arise if an organization cannot adapt
• How cross-training employees can mitigate risk and overcome many of these problems
• How the right digital training solution can keep employees digitally fluent, engaged, and productive

To start off, let’s dive into the “how and why” of digital transformation, which is the driving force behind so many organizational changes in the modern work world.

Digital Disruption and Transformation – A Blessing or a Curse?

Here is a brief overview of how innovation causes disruption and transformation:

• Technological innovation can create massive improvements in products, services, and experiences
• Innovation also causes digital disruption, as organizations capitalize on those innovations in the marketplace, which disruptions can in turn upset marketplaces, business models, and entire industries
• Organizations are forced to become digitally mature and evolve in order to stay relevant and competitive

Unfortunately, the pace of change is simply too great for many organizations to keep up.

The Negative Effects of Digital Disruption in the Workplace

Digital disruption and transformation can lead to a host of problems in the workplace, which make it difficult for employees to keep up.

Here are a few problems associated with the changing work world:

• SaaS complexity. The modern enterprise-grade software platform is sophisticated, complex, and robust. On the one hand, this means that a platform is highly functional and capable – but it can also be daunting for employees and difficult to learn.
• Perpetual change. Organizational change is not slowing down in today’s economy – if anything, it is speeding up. This means that employees must continually be cross-trained across a multitude of skills and tools.
• Perpetual learning. Another result of continual change is the need for continual learning. Employees must regularly train across multiple platforms and tools just to stay productive. And, in many cases, organizations must bear the burden of training them.
• Workflow fragmentation. Since a worker will often perform a single task using multiple tools, proficiency in one tool is never enough. It is necessary to keep workflows integrated, which requires digital dexterity and cross-training.

Becoming proficient at a single tool will not help workers overcome such challenges.

And traditional training approaches have already become obsolete and outdated, delivering sub-par results at ever-increasing costs.

Why Cross Training, Employee Skills, and a Digital-First Approach Is a Must

Digital dexterity, digital maturity, and agility are key traits that can help the modern organization succeed and thrive in the digital era.

But to attain such results, organizations must ensure that their employees are properly trained and equipped.

Unfortunately, as mentioned, outdated employee training methods fail to deliver, resulting in…

• Lower employee engagement
• Decreased satisfaction
• Lower proficiency, productivity, and performance
• Less software utilization and ROI

To avoid these problems, training programs must enable employees to become “digitally dexterous” – that is, employees must obtain skills that span multiple platforms and work contexts.

This is why cross-training solutions are so necessary.

The Solution: An Automated Software Training Solution

Digital adoption platforms (DAPs) are training solutions designed specifically for today’s digitally maturing organization.

These platforms exploit an innovative in-app training approach that outperforms other approaches on the market. 

Namely, DAPs’ training approaches are built upon more advanced training approaches, such as:

• Cross-training across platforms. Platforms such as WalkMe can train users on multiple platforms simultaneously, keeping the focus on workflows, rather than on individual tools.
• Micro-training. Micro-training means that users learn only what they need to know, right when they need it. 
• Contextualized teaching. Employees learn as they work, directly inside of their actual work context, allowing them to immediately apply what they have learned – which, in turn, increases understanding and knowledge retention.

They are able to cross-train employees automatically through a set of features that include:

• In-app walkthroughs. Step-by-step walkthroughs take users one step at a time through a series of tasks, helping them perform workflows quickly and efficiently … without the need for human intervention.
• Product tours. A product tour takes users on an introductory journey through a set of features, quickly familiarizing them with the product’s capabilities. This can decrease confusion around a product, while also reducing anxiety and boosting time-to-productivity.
• Software analytics. DAP software analytics monitor users’ interactions with a platform, helping trainers better understand employees’ training needs. They can also spot errors and enforce corrective action more quickly, further improving workplace efficiency and reducing long-term productivity issues.
• Automation. Automation is a technology that can create significant productivity improvements wherever it is applied. With a DAP, businesses can automate repetitive software tasks, freeing up employee time for more valuable activities.

With an employee training strategy that is built for the modern worker, DAPs can deliver significant productivity gains for the entire workforce.

For more information on DAPs, visit our digital adoption blog.