With the development of new technologies, many things have become available to people all around the world. This drastic leap is, perhaps, best seen in learning. Online schools, courses, and even colleges have made learning accessible to everyone no matter where they may be, which opens a slew of possibilities for all generations.

When it comes to learning in the business context, the flexibility online courses offer is second to none in terms of efficiency. While there are numerous pre-recorded courses aimed at a larger audience, there is also another option: creating online courses.

This especially makes sense for specific topics typical for your business culture. If you haven’t tried it already, give it a go. Statistics show overwhelmingly positive feedback for topics like clean tech, especially, or looking into health topics, such as using saltwraps .

Let’s take a look at why many companies keep creating online courses for their employees and beyond.

Establish Themselves as an Expert in Their Field

First of all, online courses don’t have to be strictly academic. For a business taking education seriously, little chunks of necessary knowledge bound nicely together in an engaging course is just the way to inspire employees.

The practice also shows that the business is an expert in the field and counts on education, which can easily attract new talents. Long past are the days when people were looking for a 9-5 employment alone; the perks a company offers play a large role in employee motivation.

Businesses continually educating the workforce are deemed professional by both the employees and the competition, so tailor-made online courses seem to be a perfect fit.

Bring in Potential Customers

Further out, creating a course that fits the niche can attract customers. There are many examples. Let’s say your business offers email services. Learning about email programs is a natural thing for employees and customers who value knowledgeable and supportive sellers.

Make Their Business Relevant

By extension, the practice will make your business relevant. Using the example from above, if your business offers email services but nothing makes it stand out from the competition, for customers, it will always be just one of many similar businesses.

To make it truly shine, educate your employees.

For Team Members

Custom-made online courses for employees’ continual learning will help them continue their education and take on larger roles in the company. Obviously, this is another benefit that will motivate people to perform better, and they will certainly be more satisfied.

Customized e-learning is crucial in making a difference and sends a strong statement that your business values effort and cares about its employees.

This type of learning will go a step beyond Standard Operating Procedures and even setting OKRs. So, be sure to be clear on the difference in expectations.

Enhancing Flexibility

Online courses are flexible. When you upload them online, everyone will be able to access them at the time that suits them best. This is, actually, the greatest benefit of e-learning that makes continual education viable, even for busy people.

In addition, employees can choose where to access the courses. Some people learn better while at home while others prefer different settings. Online courses can be accessed from any location; people can learn even when on vacation.

Finally, different people have different learning styles. Contrary to popular belief, not everyone thrives in the university setting, but that doesn’t mean these people are incapable. Their brains simply operate differently, and there's nothing wrong with that.

As long as employees keep learning — no matter in which way this learning takes place — everything is just fine. In fact, you may just add this to your list of top productivity hacks.

Courses for Customers

Finally, it is perfectly professional to offer online courses to customers, especially if your business deals in modern technologies. Similar to offering an online tutorial, you can go one step further and create a short course for the specific product or service.

This can be a huge step to make your business different from competitors. Coupled with stellar customer support, this strategy is certain to create returning customers and keep generating new ones.

However, think a step ahead. Many people access courses on their mobile devices while on the go rather than on their computers, so make the courses mobile-friendly. That is to say, choose a format that is easy to view on mobile phones and tablets.

Here are some tips:

• Make a responsive website
• Use a larger font that is easy to read on mobile devices
• Go easy on the bandwidth — compress the videos

Additional ideas may come to mind, but basically, provide smaller chunks of a course that is easy on the eyes and bandwidth.

Conclusion

Custom-made online courses are, as you can see, suitable for multiple purposes and can serve both the employees and the customers. They’re not just for freelancers or digital nomads! Their greatest benefit is that they provide flexibility to the learners, so that they can optimize their time and truly enjoy the content without being forced to do anything in a way that doesn’t suit them.

Consider creating a pilot online course, whether it’s for sustainability or eCommerce email marketing, and ask learners for feedback. This is the safest way to keep everyone happily educated.

Portions of this article were originally published on Business2Community.