The Frontline employees are a company’s greatest asset that keeps the wheels of commerce turning, running as they are the face of the company who deal directly with the customers. Frontline Workforce performance can hamper a brand’s reputation

Hence, training the frontline workforce is pivotal to bridging the performance gap and improving customer satisfaction and it is an arduous task. Frontline employees’ jobs are often fast-paced and time-bound as they are always on the go and hence do not have the time to engage in lengthy learning/training sessions.

Crafting bite-sized learning to suit the requirements that fits into the frontline’s busy work schedules can motivate employees to learn regardless of their time & location.

Microlearning seamlessly embeds into the flow of work via making learning and development easily approachable.

Defining Microlearning:

• is a way of learning that breaks learning/training material into small, easily digestible chunks (parts). The length of micro-learning modules is often under ten minutes. The shorter the length, the better, as it is always challenging for employees to retain a large volume (portion) of information.
• is portable as it is accessible through smart devices (majorly a mobile device), making it convenient for the frontline workers to consume and implement what they’ve learned or being trained for. Organizations are able to address the short attention span challenge with microlearning that easily breaks down any topic into insightful bytes.
• has the power to negate the effect of the forgetting curve by refreshing the learner’s knowledge periodically which definitely improves the retention of essential information and enables frontline employees to incorporate it into their daily workflow.

Importance of Microlearning for Frontline Workforce:

The portable nature of microlearning gives the frontline workforce the freedom to learn from anywhere at their own pace anytime. Frontline workers can turn their downtime into productive learning minutes and remain successful.

Benefits of Microlearning for Frontline Workforce:

• Administering a culture of continuous learning
• Quicker knowledge dissemination
• Advocating Just-in-time learning
• Assists Frontline Workforce in upskilling and hence advancing in their careers

Implementing successful microlearning for frontline workforce: An Approach

The microlearning approach is surely a win-win for both the employees and the L&D professionals. L&D teams can create impactful programs in less time, and frontline employees can learn the same without stressing about time at their ease, regardless of their location.

A) Implement a Mobile-First Approach:

Convenience is the core essence of microlearning, and a mobile-first approach is the best way of providing it as Microlearning is easier to fit into a learner’s day through a mobile device.

The byte-sized short and crisp content fits best on the screen of a mobile or tablet or any smart device that the frontline workforce can use at any hour of the day ensuring the learners can make the most of their time through microlearning on mobile to enhance their skill set or stay updated with new products or policies.

B) Explore & Exploit microlearning formats:

Microlearning can be made interesting to ensure that learners absorb the concepts, recall and apply relevant information into real-world scenarios. Utilization of a wide array of formats is one of the best ways to garner interest both for the L&D team and also for the learners. Hence, a mix and match of various different microlearning formats in the form of short blogs, videos, flashcards, infographics, etc. can be put into use as learning materials.

C) Have a Set-defined Objective for each microlearning module:

Frontline learning and development is comprehensive, but a microlearning module shouldn’t be cluttered with too much information. Microlearning needs to be simple and precise. Hence, focus to emphasize on only one key point per module, so as to deliver targeted information, which assists in avoiding cognitive overload.

D) Leverage microlearning with experiential learning:

Microlearning must be simple, but it doesn’t have to be so extremely simple too. Using creative elements such as Gif, images, statistics, etc., to make learning resources visually appealing, which fosters interest and hence adoption via leveraging on presentational graphics and illustrations. Along with visuals, when paying equal attention to audio & video is also ensured, engagement is enhanced.

E) Ensure to have a two-way feedback loop:

It is very important to give and receive feedback to find answers to questions. Analyze the employee’s learning progress and give timely feedback. Attempt to try and find out what’s holding back frontline workers from performing. Which part of the microlearning strategy is ineffective?

Amassing frontline employees’ opinions is crucial to improve all aspects of training. Hence have meaningful one-to-one interactions with employees and incorporate their feedback to design better micro-learning programs, which will remain resourceful , over a period of time.

Conclusion:

Frontline workers need a unique training/learning solution that blends in with their unique requirements. For instance, as the distributed workforce do not have time to learn, they need an OJT platform that is mobile-friendly as they are always on-the-go.

With micro-learning, it is possible to train the distributed workforce regardless of where there are. However, it is imperative to have the technology to make the microlearning initiative successful.

Upskilling Frontline workforce is crucial to get the most out of this valuable resource. By creating a culture of continuous learning through on-the-job training for the frontline staff via m-Learning with LXP tool from mPowerO, a frontline workforce enablement solution, can help train the frontline and take them to the desired next level.

mPowerO platform can assist in managing the complete lifecycle of a frontline, from onboarding to moving them up the career ladder by empowering them with the right skills and knowledge, with an improved performance.

OJT with the right mix of the latest technology via an automated skilling platform creates uninterrupted learning/training and seamlessness in a hybrid work model/environment, thus promoting impactful learning experiences.

An LXP can be a definitive helping hand in providing impactful personalized learning/training experiences in order for the employees to be successful and also the organization.

An LXP powered by the latest AI could further keep up the Frontline workforce up-to-date through micro-learning content merged with AI content recommendations along with an advanced data analytics platform to showcase the outcomes for better learning/training outcomes and learning/training experiences.

For upskilling Your Frontline workforce, mPowerO provides continuous support and is an end-to-end offering to Online Learning Platforms/Solutions, Digital Publishing Solutions, Upskilling/ReSkilling and Skilling training opportunities for medium to large companies.

mPowerO has evolved from being an Online Learning Solution (LMS) to serving as LXP in order to accommodate larger targeted audiences for educational/publishing and skilling requirements of various medium to large organizations/enterprises.

Talk to our expert team members for a deeper understanding and more related information.

Reach out via email at info@mpowero.com or visit us at https://www.mpowero.com/ for more information.

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