With the Net, updating training materials is quick and inexpensive. It's also cost-effective for employers because it doesn't require that workers leave the office for training. Employees can train at a time or pace that best suits them. And when companies do choose to bring workers together at outside conferences and seminars, the lessons are much more highly focused. Because Net training is still in its early stages, there's no single model for how companies are using it.
Some firms link up with national trainers while others take customized Web courses on the road.
The company began emphasizing training a few years ago but was faced with the challenge of making training available to all employees, says President Ken Anderson. The company also uses Microsoft's NetMeeting for the same purpose. Employees in Blacks-burg can either go into the conference room or participate from their desks, just as employees do in other offices. Experient does a good chunk of its work in the pharmaceutical industry. Since drug company representatives are spread across the country, they rarely come in contact with one another, much less company headquarters.