For years, quality assurance (QA) in learning and coaching has relied on observations, surveys and self-assessments. These approaches can offer useful insights, but they’re often subjective, inconsistent and time-consuming to manage at scale.
A human observer’s interpretation of what ‘good coaching’ looks like can vary depending on their experience, their biases or even their mood on the day. Surveys also are prone to bias, and can miss the nuance of what actually happens in a coaching session. While human feedback remains invaluable, it’s increasingly clear that traditional QA methods alone aren’t enough to ensure consistency, fairness and accuracy – especially when training delivery is geographically dispersed, hybrid or fully remote.
That’s where AI in training quality assurance can make a measurable difference to the success of your live training and coaching programmes.
When it comes to learning and coaching, we know that technical knowledge is relatively easy to test. You can check facts, mark quizzes and track successful task completion. But soft skills, like communication, coaching and active listening, are far harder to measure objectively.
Yet these are precisely the skills that make the biggest difference to learning outcomes. A technically knowledgeable trainer who struggles to build rapport or respond to learner cues can unintentionally undermine engagement and retention. Not having the right soft skills can hinder the success of even the most knowledgeable, experienced coach, as they may struggle to get learners on side and engaged in the material.
The challenge lies in capturing those subtle human behaviours that separate good coaching from great coaching, without relying on personal interpretation. As we mentioned above, relying on humans to assess the soft skills of coaches introduces bias and misses the nuance of great coaching. So what’s the answer?
Helix, 5app’s AI skills intelligence platform, is designed to close the coaching soft skills gap.
By joining virtual instructor-led training (VILT) and real online coaching sessions, Helix applies a consistent framework to evaluate behaviour, tone and delivery. It continuously identifies key coaching competencies, such as how well the coach builds trust, encourages reflection or adapts their style to suit the learner’s needs.
Rather than focusing on isolated moments, such as a single human-assessed coaching session, Helix looks at the coach’s live training sessions over time to create a balanced and objective profile of performance. This also accounts for soft skill patterns over time, not just those demonstrated when they’re on best behaviour in front of a human assessor.
The result is clear, data-driven insight into what’s working and what could be improved, without the subjective variability of human observation. This doesn’t replace human feedback – it enhances it with real performance data, giving the L&D team a holistic view of each coach’s strengths, growth areas and overall skills profile.
The real power of AI for QA lies in balance. AI algorithms bring consistency, scale and objectivity. Humans bring empathy, context and professional insight. Together, we get the full picture.
Helix provides the data, highlighting trends, strengths and outliers, while L&D professionals interpret, add context and act on that information. The partnership between AI and human L&D teams allows for smarter, evidence-based decision making with the benefit of human understanding. With solutions like Helix, L&D professionals responsible for coaching QA can spend less time on manual review and more time on meaningful conversations around real performance improvement.
It also helps overcome unconscious bias. When assessments are based on consistent data rather than personal perception, everyone is held to the same fair and transparent standard. But an AI algorithm can’t know if a coach is having a bad day,
AI-powered coaching QA offers tangible benefits at every level:
With Helix, coaching QA evolves from being a reactive process into an ongoing cycle of continuous learning, feedback and growth.
The goal isn’t to judge your coaches and trainers – it’s to support them.
Helix gives trainers and coaches access to clear, actionable insights that promote self-awareness and confidence. Instead of one-off, generic observations, they receive objective, highly personalised feedback that highlights patterns in their own coaching behaviour over time. That helps them understand their strengths, recognise blind spots and refine their approach in a constructive, developmental way.
In this sense, AI isn’t replacing human expertise – it’s amplifying it. Coaches get deeper insight into their practice, while organisations receive assurance that learners are receiving the best possible coaching experience that adheres to their quality standards.
Quality assurance in learning is entering a new era.
As organisations demand greater transparency, consistency and measurable outcomes, AI tools like Helix are setting a new benchmark for how training quality is defined and maintained.
By combining the speed and precision of AI with the nuance and empathy of human judgement, 5app’s Helix enables organisations to elevate their coaching standards, build trust in their QA process and, ultimately, deliver more meaningful learning experiences.
Objective, scalable and insightful – AI-driven QA isn’t just the future of training quality. It’s the new standard for coaching excellence, and that’s exactly what you’ll achieve with AI skills intelligence solutions like Helix.