5 ways to Boost Training ROI with Evaluation Tools

Today’s competitive and dynamic landscape presents different market challenges every day. This progressive environment increases the need to align business objectives with employees’ skills.

However, re-calibrating employees with other aspects of the industry requires consistent investment and effort. Continuous training and development help expand employees’ knowledge base, and understanding the effectiveness, reliability, and outcomes of these training programs offers a benchmark for future improvements.

In this article, we will discuss the impact of training evaluation tools and how you can improve the ROI they offer. 

Table of Contents 

I. Why Do You Require Training Evaluation Tools?

II. How Can Training Evaluation Tools Help You?

1. The Kirk-Patrick Training Model
2. Reaction
3. Learning
4. Behavior
5. Results

III. In Conclusion

While training employees is one aspect of an organization’s growth, it remains incomplete if the impact of the L&D program isn’t evaluated. Evaluating the efficacy of training programs helps organizations make key changes in their L&D programs, thereby improving knowledge retention and employee performance. 

Today, professionals in every industry are expected to adopt a culture of constant learning. In fact, statistics show that 94% of employees are open to staying at an organization longer if it actively invests in developing their skills and careers. 

In this competitive environment, not knowing the influence of training eliminates the scope for improvement and further enhancement.

Fundamentally, a poor training experience reduces the overall training ROI, decreases employee engagement (Here are 8 Best Employee Engagement Strategies), and affects employee motivation. As a result, organizations must make use of training evaluation tools to measure the following markers:

• What was the long-term influence of training on employees?
• How successful was the training in improving your employees’ knowledge?
• Is it possible for the employees to utilize this learning in their work?
• What changes should be made in future training programs?
• Was the organization able to meet its learning outcomes via the training modules?

The Kirk-Patrick model of training can help you measure training ROI. It’s among the most globally recognized approaches to measuring the results of training and learning programs across a host of industries. It takes into account both formal and informal training, and rates are based on four criteria, which we’ve discussed below. 

The reaction to the training measures the participants’ response to it. It involves knowing the participants’ sentiments about training, along with its convenience and importance. 

You can include questionnaires, reviews, and personal interviews to understand your employees’ “reaction” or retrieve feedback. The questionnaire or personal interviews should contain the following aspects:

• Identifying if the content and context of training were convenient, relevant, and easy for the audience to understand
• Understanding the course’s strengths and weaknesses
• Understanding whether the training matches the learning style and training perspective of the learners or employees
• Identifying the key learnings and takeaways of the training program

At the end of this stage, it becomes necessary to evaluate the gaps in the training modules, which is the primary motive behind evaluating employees’ “reactions.”

For instance, your employees could have the content or the vocabulary used to be heavy on jargon and tough to grasp. Another potential reaction could be that the delivery of the content lacked the ability to engage the learner, leading to a decline in attention spans and information retention.

Such feedback can help organizations make crucial changes to their training modules to make them more effective.

The “learning” stage involves a deep dive into the impact of training to identify how much the employee was able to learn from the program. Some of the best means of assessing the impact of the learning include:

• Evaluate the scores at the end or middle of the learning module.
• Assess this knowledge in a practical environment.
• Take a closer look at the consistency of attendance or how many employees dropped out until the end. Another approach is to evaluate how many employees completed the course relative to the number of employees who originally started the course. 

After evaluating the metrics mentioned above, the Kirk-Patrick model involves conducting an assessment in the next three months with an enhanced questionnaire. However, a key suggestion is to incorporate practical learning and evaluation to help employees implement their learning in real-world conditions.

Every session of the training program is conducted with the aim of achieving a specific outcome. For instance, if lack of engagement stands out as a key problem area in the workplace, organizations can conduct collaborative sessions that can help engage and motivate their employees. 

The key is to understand the extent to which employees could implement the training in the workplace. This requires a complete review from managers, supervisors, and peers incorporating some of the following questions:

• How was the training implemented in the office?
• Were the trainees able to improve their abilities and improve their performance based on the training?
• If it was training related to behavioral change, did the employees see any relevant change?

The last part of the training evaluation process is focused on identifying the results of the training on the employees’ technical abilities and behavior. Here, organizations compare the employees’ performance levels before and after the program to gather data and understand the results across a range of criteria, including:

• Team performance
• Knowledge retention
• Employee morale
• Performance-related results

Boosting training ROI offers businesses a range of benefits and can significantly impact their bottom line. From improving employee performance and skills to ensuring better retention, the list is endless. 

However, the key to ensuring high ROI is to curate high-quality learning modules that are delivered via the best mediums. At KITABOO, we offer the best digital publishing solutions that leverage technologies like AI and AR to offer the highest standards of learning material and content across the education sector and in the labor market. 

Check out our website for more information on how you can leverage the latest tools and technologies to boost your training ROI and improve retention.