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LMS platforms: how to improve notifications to trainees?

Let's find out how to improve the effectiveness of corporate training course invitations and reminders: tips, rules and templates

Due to the absence of physical interaction, when corporate training takes place online, it is more crucial than ever that communication is immediate and timely, in order to keep the level of involvement and participation of the employees involved high.

With this in mind, many LMSs offer powerful systems for managing automatic notifications that allow for active and continuous communication and exchange of information between the company and the employee involved in the training. For example, these systems can be used to automate

  • e-mail invitations to courses
  • course start-up reminders (to be sent close to the start of lessons)
  • the calendar of lessons and/or exams;
  • course deadline reminders, to remind employees of the date by which they must complete the training;
  • questionnaires on the satisfaction of the courses held.

But, however automatic, it is always good to personalize these communications and work to improve their effectiveness. In this article, we will provide some useful guidance in this regard, focusing in particular on:  

The 5 W's of a course invitation email

The purpose of a course invitation email is to persuade the employee to take the training assigned to them on time.
For your email to be effective and sufficiently clear, we recommend that you borrow the 5w rule from journalism and structure your text to answer these five key questions: 

  • Who: Who should be the sender of this communication?
  • What: What do you want your employee to do after receiving the email? 
  • Where: Where will the course take place?
  • Why: Why is it important for the employee to participate in the course?
  • When: When should you send the email inviting them to the course? 

Who
First, consider who should be the sender of the course invitation. Remember, in fact, that the sender is the first element of the email, together with the subject, that the user will see and that he will use to classify the priority level of the message (deciding if and when to open it).

Depending on the type of course, and the importance you place on it, you might set your company's HR manager or CEO as the sender. Delivered by these high-profile figures, the message will carry more weight in the eyes of your employees, as will the call to action it contains.

If the courses are intended for a new hire, it may be preferable to set the sender as the head of the department or selection team (or others they have already met and interacted with). In this way, the message will be more personal and natural, as part of a broader onboarding process.

What
At this point, focus on what is the heart of your communication: what do you want your recipient to do? Participate in their assigned course. 

So try to make your communication as clear as possible by highlighting:

  • the title of the course
  • the date by which it must be completed

In addition, if it is a mandatory training course, we recommend that you specify it clearly, so that the employee knows immediately that participation is not optional.

Where
At this point, outline how the course will be delivered. First, specify whether it is delivered online, in a classroom or blended mode. Next, explain how to participate.

For example, if it is a classroom-based course, give the address of the venue and any other useful information for the participant (directions on how to get there, break times, etc.).

If it is an online course, provide instructions for accessing the delivery platform, including the URL, login credentials and any technical requirements (headset, microphone, operating system, etc.).

Why
Now that your recipient knows what they're supposed to do, explain why it's important for them to take the course. 

If it's an invitation to a mandatory training course, for example, this email gives you a chance to engage employees by explaining the purpose of the training, the regulatory requirements that make it necessary, and the difference it will make on an individual and company level.

If, on the other hand, this is an optional course, we recommend that you include some additional information aimed at piquing the employee's interest and prompting them to attend the course. For example, you might include one or more of the following in your invitation message:

  • testimonials from people who have attended the course
  • statistics that illustrate how useful and effective this training is. 
  • video trailer 

When
Once the communication is ready, be sure to send it out in advance of the course start date so that employees can plan time to complete it while meeting internal and external deadlines. 

Be careful not to send it out too early, however. If you do, the email is likely to be set aside and forgotten.

Improve the effectiveness of course deadline reminder emails

If you want to improve your course completion rate, a reminder email is what you need. Through this type of message, in fact, you can send employees who haven't completed the course a reminder to invite them to do so by the set due date.

But how to write an effective and convincing reminder email? First of all, we invite you to recover the 5w rule we presented about course invitation emails, with a few tricks.

In particular, we recommend that you keep your email as direct and concise as possible, including only the course deadline and details on how to access the delivery platform. Eliminate the superfluous and make sure all the information included in the email is relevant. In fact, unlike course invitation emails, these messages don't need to include as many elements. 

Also, consider carefully when to send this type of communication. The standard approach is to send these emails two or three times before the course deadline. That said, when and how often to send the reminder email will also depend on a number of additional factors.

For electives, for example, a reminder a week or two before the course deadline might be sufficient. For required courses, on the other hand, you may need as few as two or three mailings.

Email templates for corporate training

Example 1: eLearning Course Invitation

Subject: Attend [COURSE NAME] course

Dear [EMPLOYEE NAME],
We invite you to take the [COURSE NAME] online course.

Below are the credentials to access the delivery platform:
- [URL]
- [USERNAME]
- [PASSWORD]

We ask that you complete the course by [DEADLINE].
Thank you in advance for your efforts.
[SIGNATURE MAIL]


Example 2: Invitation to videoconference course

Subject: Attend the [COURSE NAME] course scheduled on [COURSE DATE].

Dear [EMPLOYEE NAME],
we invite you to participate in the online course [COURSE NAME] scheduled on [COURSE DATE] from [COURSE START TIME] to [COURSE END TIME].

To access the training, go to [URL] and enter the following information:
- [USERNAME]
- [PASSWORD]

Thank you in advance for your commitment to [COMPANY NAME].
[SIGNATURE MAIL]


Example 3: Reminder to complete the course

Subject: Reminder: complete course by [DEADLINE].

Dear [EMPLOYEE NAME],
Please note that your registration for [COURSE NAME] is valid until [EXPIRY DATE].

Therefore, we ask that you complete the training by the expiration date.

Below are your login credentials:
- [URL]
- [USERNAME]
- [PASSWORD]

Thank you for your attention.
[SIGNATURE MAIL]


Example 4: Reminder to complete the course

Subject: 3 days left! Please complete the course [COURSE NAME].

Dear [EMPLOYEE NAME],
Please note that you have until [DEADLINE DATE] to complete the [COURSE NAME] course. 

To access the training go to [URL] and enter the following information:
- [USERNAME]
- [PASSWORD]

Please note that the goal of this course is to protect us from cyber attacks. By participating in this course, you will learn how to quickly identify security threats and what procedures to follow in the event of an attack.

It is therefore essential that we all complete this training. This way, we can help maintain a safe and compliant environment.

Thank you in advance for your commitment.
[SIGNATURE MAIL]


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