In today’s world, technology is a leading source of communication. Employees are moving out of cubicles to work remotely, and management and business owners are flourishing with online promoting, training, and communicating with their staff and clients. There are so many benefits to this new workforce atmosphere that it has brought on a more broad need for online coaching programs.
Online coaching stemmed from coaching in general. Known initially to mentor or train one or more people in an athletic setting, the coach’s role slowly evolved. Thomas Leonard started the chain reaction when he took on his first “client” and began providing financial advice to those around him. He gradually included emotional coaching to overcome life’s obstacles, often associated with financial decision-making.
The ability to coach a team online holds value for every aspect of a business that uses them. Thanks to advanced coaching client management software, the business owner gets updates out faster, and in real-time, the staff members all get the same updates, the client has the most up-to-date information. Why wait for information when it’s at your fingertips. There are many benefits to using online coaching that apply to any location, whether the business is remote or staffed in-house.
Communication and Clarification
Communication is crucial to success! As mentioned above, real-time updates are a significant benefit to all parties. Additionally, everyone is updated when using a coaching platform like Skype or Zoom for conference calls and meetings. Now everyone is on the same page, can provide the same information to your clients, and errors decrease. If your business runs on Microsoft platforms, Microsoft Teams is another excellent way to keep everyone up to date when the “office” is their living room.
Accountability and Efficiency
Before the big wave of remote offices and working from the home hit, personal trainers were doing this with their clients who couldn’t make it to the gym. They found great ways to keep their clients and staff accountable for “clocking in” and providing the best services while remaining remote. Businesses of any calibre can take this knowledge with them to the rest of the workforce. There are platforms like Coach Catalyst that keep a trainer connected in real-time to every client, thus training and keeping each client simultaneously accountable.
Remote Learning
It’s true. More and more employees are looking to work remotely from their home or on the road. Nomad living is on the rise, and the cost of living is spearheading those to stay at home when they can. Today, businesses have found a way to provide such a luxury to their staff, but what about training them first? Virtual classroom or one-on-one training is now available with virtual classroom platforms. Managers can use Google Docs or Spreadsheets to share training documents and write real-time comments as trainees complete each lesson. Platforms like Lessonly can provide a newly hired employee to read your handbook and take quizzes as they progress.
Feedback in Real-Time
Managers and trainers can’t improve or know their material’s effectiveness if they don’t receive quality feedback. What better way to do that than to give staff and clients a way to provide on-the-spot feedback? Sure there are surveys one can take after receiving the services, or an email can be sent asking for clarification, but those aren’t real-time reactions. They are an afterthought, and ninety percent of the time, they are based on the last few minutes of the entire session, not the whole experience. Now presenters of a meeting can incorporate feedback platforms like sentiment analysis to plug in a feedback request right in the middle of presenting. If most viewers show concern or confusion, the presenter can review or clarify right away.
Flexibility Equals Efficiency
Efficiency is worth mentioning twice. Providing flexibility in employees’ schedules allows them to create a workflow that better suits their environment, thus increasing productivity. Not every member can work in the same direction as each other, and when you allow one to work “off the norm” of a typical day, you may find they can get more done by moving tasks around. Don’t set scheduled break times, but impress upon them the high volume times and allows them to break when they need to during slower hours.
As technology changes, as must we in the business world. Remote learning and online coaching programs can open an entirely new workforce you might never have thought otherwise. Embrace the benefits such as web-based meetings and virtual classrooms and watch your employees flourish along with your business.
