Is language training an investment or an expense? What criteria should you use to evaluate its effectiveness? Faced with the (necessary) requirements for return on investment, the 7Speaking teams provide clarity. Discover the essential KPIs to manage your programmes and convince your decision-makers of their strategic value.
#1 – Individual progression: transforming learning into performance
What to measure: evaluate the evolution of language level according to the CEFR before, during and after training. Complement this assessment with measurements of the acquisition of specific skills related to the professional context (business vocabulary, fluency in typical professional situations).
How to use it: analyse individual progression to identify the strengths and areas for improvement of each learner. Use this data to adapt training paths and offer targeted reinforcement modules. Highlight skill gains (e.g., moving from B1 to B2 level) and link them to business performance indicators to demonstrate your ROI.
Recommended tools: standardised CEFR tests (such as TOEIC or CLOE), assessments of professional skills (role-playing, simulations), learning platforms with integrated progress tracking, self-assessment questionnaires, structured interviews with trainers.
#2 – Adoption rate: converting registrations into engagement
What to measure: calculate the ratio between the number of licences allocated, and the accounts actually activated in the first weeks of the programme.
How to use it: analyse adoption gaps by department or hierarchical level to identify specific barriers to engagement. Focus on groups with low activation rates to deploy personalised onboarding that clearly explains the concrete benefits of the training. Use this comparative data to adjust your communication strategy and optimise the integration process for new learners.
Recommended tools: account activation dashboards, targeted surveys of non-adopters, presentation sessions adapted to different learner profiles.
#3 – Attendance: transforming initial engagement into a learning habit
What to measure: track the rate of active learners on a weekly, monthly, or quarterly basis, and look at the average time devoted to learning and adherence to established educational pathways.
How to use it: segment the data by learner profiles to identify success patterns and deploy targeted motivation actions. Implement automated reminders or team challenges for groups with low attendance.
Recommended tools: platform login statistics, tracking of module completion rates, number of hours spent in courses or on the platform, measurement of intervals between learning sessions.
#4 – User satisfaction: transforming experience into lasting commitment
What to measure: evaluate users’ perception of the determining aspects of the programme: quality of trainers, relevance of teaching methods, professional applicability of content.
How to use it: use this data to refine your system and negotiate adjustments with your provider. Identify endorsed trainers and methods to capitalise on best practices across the organisation.
Recommended tools: satisfaction surveys at the end of key courses or modules, qualitative interviews with a representative panel of learners, evaluation questionnaires comparing initial expectations and perceived results.
#5 – Operational impact: transforming language skills into competitive advantage
What to measure: evaluate tangible changes in the daily professional activity of trained employees. Focus on concrete indicators such as the evolution in the number of meetings conducted in a foreign language, taking on new international responsibilities, reducing execution times on multicultural projects, or decreasing reliance on external translation services.
How to use it: establish correlations between language progress and business performance indicators. Depending on the function, analyse the evolution of international customer satisfaction, the development of new foreign markets, or the increased participation of your teams in international events.
Recommended tools: structured interviews with managers, self-assessment questionnaires on confidence in a professional context, tracking of the volume of documents produced directly in a foreign language, comparative analysis of translation costs before/after training, and a dashboard of international initiatives taken by trained employees.
