Training.
Learning and development.
Education.
Organizational development.

No matter what organization – video has been transformational to your profession. It allows you to scale in ways you never could before and substantially increase efficiencies.

But there is still a lurking challenge with video. It’s a lean back and watch content medium. The viewer sits backs, watches and then what? Outside of completing the video, do you know what they do next?

Wouldn’t you rather have your audience lean in and engage with the video? What if while watching the training or educational video, the viewer could interact with the video and:

• Answer questions mid-play
• Be directed to the next video he/she needs to watch based on those answers
• Download training materials embedded directly in the player

Interactive video can be used for everything - from onboarding, Peer-to-Peer or SME training, to teaching process fundamentals. Use them for behavioral training, sales and product training, career and leadership development, and customer or partner training. Interactive training videos cross all departments, and offer a 90% reduction in managerial hair loss and hand wringing (statistic estimated).

This is the blog post you need to understand what interactive training videos are, what they can do, and why they are integral to increasing efficiency across the board. We all know that creating compelling training materials is a challenge to say the least. Employees new and current don’t often want to spend a lot of time reading dry manuals, or watching a talking head drone on and on in a small, poor-quality (or even high-quality) video. Self-guided learning requires discipline that people want to have, but rarely do. You know this, they know this, but what have you done to address this? Interactive video is not just a trick up your sleeve to make people pay attention, it’s a valuable tool for managing outcomes, and increasing your bottom line. Bring your viewers into your videos. Give them control, content, support, and choice – all while guiding them down the path you need them to be on.

Did you know?

• Employees are 75% more likely to watch a video than to read documents, emails or web art
• People retain 80% of what they see vs. only 20% of what they read
• Video will be 79% of all consumer Internet traffic in 2018

So how can you harness these statistics to affect not just your training processes, but your efficiency and bottom line?

Here are 6 reasons why interactive training videos save time and money:

1. Training is anywhere, anytime, and in tasty bites

Allow your viewer to find the content they need whether they’re at their desk, sitting at home on the couch, or commuting into the office. Eliminate the internal struggle of “I know I have to do this; I don’t want to find it to do it” by removing as many barriers as possible. A true interactive video platform integrates with any system of record – CRM, ERP, marketing automation and also, your LMS. In a nutshell? This means accessible video is watched video. And once you have your viewer watching, guide them through their experience with embedded actions. Allow them to pause and answer a question. Allow them to watch section four before section two. Whatever it takes, your video is available, easy, and interactive.

2. Your videos are engaging and *gasp* fun?

Want to get a baby to eat his peas, put those peas in an airplane and make that spoon hum. Want to get a new employee to learn process fundamentals? Put him in control of the video. With gamification, your viewer decides what happens next, and it’s easy to create incentives and rewards. We all like to win, and we all choose interesting over stale. Have your employees open up… the airplane spoon has all the dry information they need, but with the aerodynamics of a surprises and awards.

3. Just-in-Time training... just when you need it

It seems like magic when your training videos integrate with your CRM system and pop up right when your employees need them. Time for a product launch? Tracking a press release? Offer real-time videos with the whats, whys, and hows your viewers need to get the job done.

4. You can measure, track, and assess more than just clicks of the play button

Does your training work? Do employees retain any information? How much time are you spending on training? How much is all this affecting the bottom line? Interactive video gives you the tools to monitor, and answer, all of these questions. Embed exams, surveys and simulations directly into your videos for real-time course assessment – and see results immediately. Add feedback requests and evaluations to help streamline content. Track a participant’s performance and timeliness. Congratulations! Understanding video interaction and consumption helps you connect the dots between things like training time and increased revenue. Learn more about costs, risk, and churn. Your interactive video gives you tangible proof of your training’s impact on your bottom line.

5. Bring everyone together

Your eLearners don’t have to feel bored and alone. With interactive video you can add in a layer that includes social discussions, guidance, even encouragement. People are used to interacting with each other online, why not give them the ability to work as a team – or at least as a support group – while they’re completing important tasks. When everyone works together, everyone wins. Or at least they’re able to trash talk encourage each other while the winners trounce them all.

6. Real-time support flattens speedbumps

It’s very easy to hit stop when you have a problem. But why not click pause? Why not continue with your video while simultaneously downloading a context-sensitive FAQ? Giving your participants the ability to request support, offer feedback, or download help directly from the video they’re watching gives them the real-time support needed to prevent incompletes or dropouts. eLearner satisfaction and completion rates are improved, and time is managed more efficiently. Win win.

Having a captive audience doesn’t mean they’re going to be clapping their hands to watch your videos. So why not shoot for a captivated audience? Instead of passive eLearners, cultivate participatory ones. Whether it’s a quiz, links to reference materials, downloadable diagrams, social interaction, or even a game, engaging your audience retains your audience which means more training and more retention across the board.

When you’re looking to add interactive training videos that really pack a punch, look to uStudio.

Our highly configurable platform is designed to deliver any video to any device or destination, regardless of viewing environment, network configuration, or storage system. uStudio has also mastered the art of video processing and transcoding. Just drag and drop any video and uStudio’s intelligent infrastructure auto-magically does the rest. Our interactive player framework deepens audience engagement and loyalty, and produces measurable outcomes. Customizations and extensions are limited only by imagination.

Give your eLearners an easy to digest, fun training environment. Your employee satisfaction – and your bottom line – will become a little more appealing, too. No clones needed. (Yet.)