Elisa has been using e-learning as a tool for a good ten years now, and the experience and benefits gained are extensive. Many things have become clear in that time through experience and learning on the hoof. Today, e-learning is a valuable ingredient in Elisa’s business operations.
Elisa has been using e-learning since the end of the 1990s; to start with, it was applied primarily in product training and also to support multi-discipline learning in lengthy training programmes. Currently, e-learning is also used for other ends, such as induction training for the entire staff, managerial coaching and teaching data communication technology and financial and economic matters. To some extent, staff also participates in e-learning courses managed by an external provider.
Clear benefits from flexibility
- Elisa is a company with nationwide coverage. For us, e-learning provides the key benefit of flexibility, says Development Manager Merja Ranta-aho, in charge of developing e-learning services at Elisa.
- Network-based study is not tied to a certain location, and for us the accessibility to training is important. Because the web serves us 24 hours a day, people can fit the learning into a slot that suits their own particular schedule. The flexibility of the service comes into its own also in respect of the amount of time used – some people take longer than others, and the network allows everyone to proceed at their own pace.
Elisa is a major company, with a staff of more then 4,800. Does the size of the company have a bearing on the training, and what sort of challenges does it bring?
- Terminological nuances, for instance, become more pronounced in written material than they do when spoken by a trainer. Because a large organization like ours has a number of different occupational groups with different perspectives on matters, the material that is produced has to be read and commented by a representative sector of people, in order to verify that it is expressed in intelligible and precise language from the point of view of all the users, says Ms Ranta-Aho. As for organizing content management and reusability, that is yet another issue.
Training need is the decisive factor
E-learning solutions vary greatly depending on the training required, the target group requiring it and the operation of the commissioning organization. The implementation is always customer-led, but where do we find the correct solution for our training needs?
- I think material-based e-learning is the best solution when factual information, such as changes in products or tools, needs to be absorbed. It is also well suited to a situation that involves a sudden need to learn something, when mere information is not enough and a person or persons need to learn a fairly small fact as quickly as possible. A typical situation would be the need to learn about new software.
- We use the network extensively when we need to convey an overall picture about some issue, for which there are also more detailed, subsequent instructions. The network is also very useful when we want to measure how well information has been absorbed.
- Process-based e-learning - based not so much on network material but more on discussions, etc. – is, on the whole, better suited to full-time study, but it can also be used to support study in a project format, says Ms Ranta-aho.
Do you believe that the role of e-learning will grow in the future?
- Yes, I do, but not to the madly exaggerated extent that was predicted five years ago, says Ranta-aho.
Study requires time and monitoring
There is a lot of talk in connection with e-learning about time management. Is time really a problem insofar as e-learning is concerned?
- On the one hand, yes it is, but it really should not be any more of a problem than in face-to-face training. It depends on your attitude – we have to remember that even in learning that is not dependent on time, time does have to be invested at some point. In respect of some tasks, we have managed to find an excellent solution by actually scheduling e-learning, so that it becomes a part of the working day, just as in the case of face-to-face training, says Ranta-aho.
- What is more, the trainees have to be guided through the study process just like in other forms of independent and self-motivated learning. It is vital that the training is monitored and the results measured.
Challenges faced in implementing e-learning
The process of producing an individual e-learning package requires specialists in many fields; it involves producing content and designing concepts as well as visualization and technology - not forgetting the coordination of the entire project. Time is also a factor that generally strongly shapes the overall implementation. Whether everything is done in-house or in collaboration with external partners, there are various alternative ways that you can divide labour and the different roles.
- Generally, we find that in certain scenarios an urgent implementation schedule becomes a great challenge as does in the end the task of drawing out the essence of the subject matter – with a wealth of material it is sometimes difficult to distinguish the core elements, says Ms Ranta-aho.
- We work on our projects in collaboration with external partners. They can act as sparring partners and urge us on to learn to do things for ourselves, if necessary. Being capable of doing things for yourself, however, does not remove the need for an external partner.
- There is no doubt that a good partner is solidly competent in both concept design and technical implementation. For us, however, the best players are distinguished by their ability to understand a customer’s language and culture and adopt a flexible approach, Merja Ranta-aho stresses.
A demanding customer who values competence
Elisa and Prewise have collaborated in e-learning for a good 12 months. Prewise’s Iiro Pohjanoksa has been involved in the consultation stage and the design of the e-learning services provided by Prewise.
- Elisa is a demanding customer, and therefore it has been both challenging and interesting to produce network-based training services for the company. Elisa has solid expertise in e-learning, but the challenge they face is distributing the competence it brings ever more extensively to other parts of the organization. A centralized development organization is also able to chart external competence. Consequently, Elisa knows to expect the highest level of competence from its suppliers – what is so refreshing in Elisa is that they also value competence, Iiro Pohjanoksa is adamant about this.
- Elisa’s multi-tier organizational structure and the large number of customer service personnel employed present a particular challenge. How do we design and implement an effective training project, while ensuring optimum success in reaching everyone in the target group? This is a question that, in the case of a large organization, requires much more thought than in a smaller organization, says Mr Pohjanoksa.
A competent customer is a satisfied customer
Currently, Elisa uses e-learning mainly for training its own personnel. How would you rate the chances of extending the coverage to target groups outside Elisa?
- Those of Elisa’s partners who are involved in customer processes can be trained alongside our own personnel; the required flexibility and efficiency can be found in the network. It is also important to encourage our customers to learn new things, and in the case of consumer customers in particular, it is difficult to reach them for training purposes by any means other than the web, says Merja Ranta-aho.
Can you remember when you last learned something through e-learning?
- Two weeks ago, says Ms Ranta-aho.
Text: Jaana Raaska