Training employees has always been a challenging task.

It takes a lot of time, energy, and effort to create an effective and professional training program.

That’s why it’s no wonder that companies would like to simplify the process and look for solutions to do that.

One such is using screen recording software.

Let’s dive into the topic of screen recording, discuss its benefits for employee training, and see how you can create a tutorial for your team members.

Traditional Methods of Employee Training Disadvantages

For years, traditional employee training methods have been the go-to for introducing new tools and processes. While they’ve worked well in simpler scenarios, they present significant challenges when it comes to complex systems like supply chain management platforms.

1. Inflexibility in Timing

Traditional training often relies on in-person sessions or fixed schedules. Employees must make themselves available to attend, which can potentially disrupt their regular workflows or even force them to work overtime.

This is especially problematic in global teams spread across time zones or when dealing with high turnover rates that demand frequent training sessions.

2. High Costs

In-person training involves considerable expenses, including hiring trainers, renting venues, printing materials, and covering employee travel costs. Moreover, the need for repeated sessions due to new hires or updates to software can raise expenses even more.

3. Engagement Challenges

Long lectures often fail to capture and keep employees’ attention. Without engaging visuals or interactive elements, employees may struggle to retain the information, leading to repeated errors or inefficiencies.

4. Inconsistent Knowledge

The quality of live training can vary depending on the trainer’s expertise or presentation style. This inconsistency can lead to knowledge gaps, particularly when different trainers handle different groups.

These issues highlight the need for other training solutions, especially for software-heavy tasks like those in supply chain management.

Screen Recording Benefits for Employee Training

Screen recording provides a great solution to the issues of traditional methods. Let’s take a look at some benefits that capturing your computer screen can provide.

1. Cost-Effective

Using screen recording software significantly reduces the costs of training. Once a video is created, it can be reused indefinitely, cutting down on trainer fees and resource expenses.

Moreover, companies can get a screen recorder for free, as there are plenty of options that don’t require a purchase.

2. Flexibility for Learners

Screen-recorder tutorials give employees the opportunity to watch them at their own pace and convenience, making it easier to balance training with daily responsibilities. 

It’s especially useful for remote teams or organizations with multiple shifts.

3. Enhanced Engagement

Text-based materials are rather outdated and don’t work for any types of team members.

The video format of screen recordings allows employers to combine visual demonstrations with audio explanations. This offers employees a great way to grasp complex concepts quickly. 

4. Consistency Across Teams

With screen recording, every employee receives the same training by watching the same content. This solves the issue of different trainers and maintains uniform standards in supply chain operations.

How to Use Screen Recording for Employee Training

Creating effective training materials using screen recording involves more than just hitting the record button. It requires careful planning and some tools. Here’s a guide on how to do it:

1. Select the Right Screen Recording Software

Try looking for software that meets the following criteria:

• High-Quality Video and Audio Capture: The software should be able to record in at least 1080p and allow capturing both the microphone audio and your device’s one.
• Editing Features: Look for programs that allow you to add annotations or shapes, trim clips, or include subtitles.
• Cross-Platform Compatibility: Select software that works on both Windows 10 (or any other Windows version you have) and macOS to match your team’s devices.
• Cost-Effectiveness: Free or affordable software options provide excellent starting points.

2. Plan the Content

Effective screen recordings require thoughtful preparation. And a plan is one of the best ways to stay organized at work.

Define objectives and identify what employees should learn by the end of the video. For example, teaching how to create purchase orders or analyze inventory levels.

Break down the training process into clear, manageable steps. Highlight your software’s features that might be helpful while creating a training video.

3. Set Up Your Recording Environment

Clean your desktop so that no unnecessary icons or files are there. Adjust display settings for every important element to be visible in the video. 

Use a quality microphone for clear voiceovers. And don’t forget to test everything before you start recording.

4. Record the Screen

It’s finally time to create the video.

Select the capture area: it can be the entire screen or a specific part of it. Speak clearly while recording, use simple terms, and pay attention to the pacing. It shouldn’t be too fast so that viewers can follow; it shouldn’t be too slow so that the training video remains engaging. 

Try to use realistic data or examples that employees can relate to, which makes the tutorial more practical.

5. Edit the Video

Trim unnecessary parts, remove pauses and errors from the video.

If your software has this feature, add arrows, shapes, and highlights to draw viewers’ attention to certain details.

Think about including subtitles, since it makes the video more accessible to employees who prefer reading along or are working in noisy places. 

Sometimes the audio needs adjustments, too. Make sure that all audio levels are balanced, and it’s easy to hear the speech. 

6. Share the Tutorial

There are different ways to share the tutorial, but first you need to export it. We suggest choosing the MP4 format, since it’s the most commonly supported one. This way, you won’t need to convert the file to use it later in other software or on a different platform.

You may share the video in your learning management system, cloud storage services, or on such social media platforms as YouTube. Just don’t forget to set the video visibility to unlisted, so that only your team members can watch it via a link. 

7. Gather Feedback and Evaluate Effectiveness

Encourage employees to share their feedback on the video. Are there sections that need clarification? Did they find it easy to follow? Use this feedback to adjust the way you handle future tutorials.

Bottom Line

Screen recording offers a flexible and effective approach to employee training that traditional methods can’t provide. It allows employees to learn at their own pace and saves companies plenty of money on creating training materials.

It’s important to choose the right screen recording software, plan everything carefully, and remember about editing. When done right, screen recordings can reshape the way you approach employee training.