5 L&D Technology Predictions for 2022: Part II

By Roberta Gogos, VP Marketing, Fuse

In my last post, I described five predictions for L&D that I see rising to the top in 2022. Largely driven by the enterprise socio-economic response to the Covid-19 crisis, these trends are representative of both challenges and opportunities for companies, and in many cases, L&D will play the starring role in helping companies to adapt and prosper in the new way of working. 

Separately, I can foresee a lot of change from a technology perspective. In fact, some of this is already taking place and will become more entrenched throughout 2022. So, if learning tech is your bag, get set to hear the inside scoop from the trenches and make no mistake: 2022 is set to be a bigger and better year for learning tech than any year to date. 

Here are my top five L&D technology predictions for 2022.

1. Remote working will continue to drive consolidation and community amongst information and learning and development systems:

You may be thinking “consolidation…..yeah…whatever.”  I get you, but consolidation is more than just tidying up your technology infrastructure. 

Consolidating learning platforms and other applications can have benefits that extend far and wide. Our customer - Alliance Residential - had an LMS, an antiquated intranet, and vast volumes of emails. It brought the three channels together and its learners were able to access and engage with information in one system, rather than three. The cost-savings were significant in terms of employee resources, computing power and infrastructure.

Another Fuse customer, Joules, was able to retire its document management system, and move all documents to Fuse where they could more easily be shared. People were using Fuse as a hub for learning, internal comms, community-building, and wellness support, and that naturally rendered other platforms redundant.

Herein you see the second trend I’ve included in the sub-head: community. 

This testimonial from Lyn Warren, Retail & People Director at Joules, shows the power of community in learning platforms and beyond: 

“Fuse instantly became our learning, internal comms, engagement and wellbeing platform all rolled into one. The majority of our people were furloughed but it was important to us - and to them - to stay connected and show support. There was so much uncertainty that people really needed that and Fuse acted as the key facilitator.”

Another recent customer story demonstrates how Seasalt credits Fuse with being a critical part of maintaining a sense of community during lockdown, acting as not just a learning platform, but an internal comms, engagement and wellbeing platform helping employees to stay connected and show their support for one another. In 2022, even though we hope not to be in lockdown again, we predict that learning platforms will continue to drive a strong sense of community.

2. Analytics will take centre stage in the fight against attrition:

In my previous post on L&D predictions for 2022, I mentioned McKinsey and a report finding it published this year on organisational performance and what has become known as the Great Resignation. According to the report, companies don’t understand why their people are moving jobs.

But what if you could understand the true causes of attrition better? What if you had an analytical tool that could help track and visualise interactions with your learning platform and content - be that content views, engagement, social, or assessment data? 

With this type of data and analytics, companies would be able to see if their employees are engaged with learning, or on the flip side, if they are failing to find or use the knowledge they need. 

In 2022, we’ll see L&D data and insight used across businesses to better understand and engage employees as companies work to retain and attract the best talent. To learn more about how companies are using analytics in Fuse, with complete and transparent access to all 330 of our data points, click here.

3. AI technologies will revolutionise personalised learning:

In my post on L&D predictions for 2022, I already predicted a move to more personalised learning in the flow of work (read the post to find out why.) 

What’s equally important is how we get there. AI will fuel this journey in 2022 more than ever, in many ways: 

• By ‘reading’ and ‘listening’ to all the content users add or connect to learning platforms, AI-driven Knowledge Intelligence will help to identify and place the best and most relevant content as close to the learner as possible.
• AI is driving intelligent search, which puts users in an extremely powerful position to get the knowledge they need, at the exact point they need it. Search intelligence breaks the query down into sort, content type, topic and author, which means that users experience increased accuracy and relevance, getting the knowledge they need rather than generic answers. 
• AI is fuelling Language Intelligence, enabling more knowledge to be found regardless of a user's language. With Microsoft’s Cognitive Services, companies are able to use Language Intelligence to remove language as a barrier to sharing knowledge.

I’ll be honest - few platforms have come as far as Fuse when it comes to using AI to provide a faster, more accurate route to knowledge. If you want to understand more about how we are using AI to drive personalised learning, check out our new ebook, 4 Ways AI Can Power Up Digital Learning.

4. Predictive performance support will become embedded in the flow of work with hyper-personalised micro and macro recommendations:

Predictive performance support within learning is a new and unique category, and one set to deliver significant performance benefits in 2022 by shrinking learning time and supporting performance at the point of need. It’s about placing the best and most relevant content as close to the learner as possible so that they know it’s there as soon as they need it.

It’s a feature that Fuse customers will begin to see developed further in 2022, as we add predictive performance support based on the data companies collect in our Universal Analytics tool. It means companies will be able to predict and recommend what knowledge users may need, based on the patterns identified by the system.

5. Knowledge Intelligence will begin to reside within every application a customer uses:

AI is driving better context in learning, better search and breaking down so many barriers to make learning platforms almost like personal assistants. However, in continuing with the theme of learning in the flow of work, in 2022, we’ll see AI-driven learning platform functionality make the leap to other applications so that learners don’t even have to leave the application they are in to get the knowledge they need. 

Fuse Flow is a great example of this, giving our customers a one-stop-shop for learning in the flow of work. Whether you’re in Salesforce or other applications, you can get the Knowledge Intelligence you need in the flow of work. Think of it a bit like Google for business. If you’d like to learn more about Fuse Flow, check out our three-minute animated video.

In 2022, we’re going to see companies really turn a corner in how they embrace learning, collaboration and technology. If you’re open to new ideas and technologies and want to have a conversation about how your L&D department can transform your business in 2022, get in touch today.