Why aren't businesses investing in talent management software rather than wasting money on training?

This may sound like a strange opening line for someone who has spent her working career in L&D. However, talent management software is often rejected in favour of training packages; and it astonishes me just how many of the businesses I walk into have invested thousands into Learning Management Systems that nobody uses. With the advent of technology, many of us have access to state of the art video training, e-learning, webinars, and a plethora of other resources; but relatively few people actually use them. One business I spoke to spent £250,000 per year on the learning content for their LMS and only 10% of the course material was accessed more than once a year by 10% of staff. That meant they were spending £2,500 per head for 60 minutes worth of generic e-learning – not a great use of money.

Now, I have no issue with e-learning in principle; in fact, I think it is a hugely time and cost effective method of knowledge transfer. However, I do still have to be convinced that it is the most effective method of transferring skills, and that an LMS system without a supporting talent management software is effective.