In Denmark, approximately seven hours a day are spent behind a screen. We check our smartphones more than 100 times a day, and one in three Danes have used e-learning such as educational videos, learning software or e-books within the past six months. It is therefore essential to have a communications platform that is optimised for mobile.
Communication in your pocket
Thousands of employees use Academy on mobile – the majority of them daily. Within the traffic sector, approx. 73% of Academy-users log on daily from their smartphones. It is imperative that the platform is built to be accessible on the go.
For many, Academy is the primary source of information and communication in the company. Particularly within distributed workplaces it is essential to have a central knowledge hub.
And let’s be honest: we are rarely without our smartphone in hand. With Academy on mobile you can keep up-to-date with the latest news and review key information precisely, when and where you need it.
Academy will always show you what’s happened since you last logged on. Unread news, new posts in forum, and fresh training modules are presented front and center for ease of access. That way you can stay in the know, whether you are just about to start a shift or in the middle of a busy workday.
As a manager you can send out a bulletin to your team or the entire company at once, while the system keeps track of who has received and read your message. Through various visual elements you can draw attention to an upcoming or ongoing campaign. And if your message is urgent, you can draw added attention to your post by sending a text message to all or selected users.
Employees using Nørrebro Bryghus’ Academy system spend, on average, 5 minutes per session. On mobile you can quickly find what you are looking for.
As a manager you can send out a bulletin to your team or the entire company at once, while the system keeps track of who has received and read your message. Through various visual elements you can draw attention to an upcoming or ongoing campaign. And if your message is urgent, you can draw added attention to your post by sending a text message to all or selected users.
Together, apart
99% of bus drivers in Nordsjællands Trafikselskab log on at least once a month. Over 50% log in every single day.
The COVID-19 pandemic has provided us with a newfound respect for remote work. Even when we’re not in the midst of a global lockdown, many of us work from home or in the field, either alone or in small teams. When you can’t share an office space, it’s nice to still be able to have your coworkers close at hand.
Academy is often used to send out information from HQ, but the platform is built to facilitate input from ‘the real world’ too. Whether it be comments in a forum, questions about a news post or signing up for the next company event, Academy shines a spotlight on the individual employee.
Academy is a platform where everyone can be heard and seen – as such, it’s important not to put up any barriers to accessibility. All employees can log on via their mobile; the device they are most comfortable with and always have at hand.
Giving space for social interaction is important in an age where we cannot be together as often as we’d like. On Academy the informal chat is flowing alongside the professional information – Academy is a break room, office party and monday briefing all rolled into one.
Micro learning on the go
Aside from being the company intranet, Academy is typically the place where old and new employees receive the necessary training to best complete their work. Training is structured as a series of mini-modules that test your knowledge, and repeat gems of wisdom automatically.
Mobile learning (mLearning) is particularly effective in small doses. Short, but sweet. For that reason, learning on Academy is segmented into microsessions, so an employee can take one step at a time. Training activities are great to complete on the move: on the train, during your lunch break or as a fun introduction to your work day.
Digital to-dos are of course accompanied with a series of workplace activities. Having Academy on mobile means that learning can be situational: a need arises, you log on to Academy to find out more. This kind of just-in-time learning has proven to be highly effective, as it strengthens the bond between theory and practice. What you learn isn’t just a series of “what ifs”, but instead a collection of lived experiences.
We are used to using our mobiles for interactive purposes, so naturally training on Academy is composed of images and video as well as text. This provides a platform for differentiated learning, where employees can complete training how they prefer. You may think the pandemic has only given rise to baking bread (pun intended) and other non-screen related activities, but studies show that we are using our smartphones like never before:
98% use their smartphone as much or more than earlier, during lockdown.
– DR Medieudvikling 2020
Why web-app?
Academy can’t be found in the App Store, as it is a web-app rather than a so-called native app. A web-app is accessed via the internet browser on your phone, and you can save a shortcut on your home screen, to have the site available in icon form, like an app. That way, you are only a click away.
The issue with making software that needs integrating with native apps is, that you have to develop two systems at the same time. When an update it rolled out it needs to happen universally, so you get the same great experience whether you’re on desktop, tablet or smartphone. Using a web-app ensures that our users are always on the latest version of our platform without having to lift a finger.
Academy is a fast mover: on average, we update our platform monthly with fixes and new features.
How about push notifications, can I get those?
Yes, when using Academy as a web app, users can allow notifications.
The same activities that trigger a notification on the system will be sent via mobile as push notifications. This can be anything from direct messages, reminders about deadlines in an onboarding programme or alerts of new posts in a forum. The notifications help to remind users to stay informed on the platform, even when busy schedules get in the way.
What if my users don't want notifications?
A good dose of gamification can be a great alternative that trains the habit of logging in: You get a digital pat on the back if you log in every day for a week. Right now, the record holder is an employee who has logged into Academy daily for 3000+ days in a row!
There is also the option to send SMS from Academy. While push notifications can be quickly dismissed, the read rate for SMS is incredibly high – around 98 %. So if you have something you want to draw attention to, you can send an SMS message with Academy. An employee can quickly get from A to B with direct links in the message or by logging in to Academy on their mobile phone with a fingerprint or face ID.
Whereas a push notification can quickly be swiped aside or disabled, the read rate of text messages is extremely high, around 98%.
A barrier often overlooked in IT is the fact that users are juggling numerous passwords, most of which they forget. With Academy on mobile you can save your password after logging in the first time, so you don’t need to trawl through your notes to get back in.
How it is used
Apart from ensuring information is always at hand, a mobile platform is also a good way to spread brand awareness to employees.
Academy is tailored to match your brand, values and ways of working. No two Academy systems are alike.
Would you like to hitch a ride in your employees’ pockets? Get in touch for a meeting to learn more.
