When we think of education for businesses, most people focus on employee training. A knowledgeable workforce is important, but there are other ways that a solid training program can benefit your organization. One of those is through customer education.
Customers want to work with businesses that know what they want. According to a SalesForce report, around 76% of consumers expect companies to understand their needs. Expectations and competition are at all-time highs for many industries. That means you need to connect with your target audience to stand out.
That’s where a customer education program comes in. This tool gives your customers a deeper understanding of your product or service. It also encourages more sales, upgrades, or ongoing use of whatever it is you have to offer.
The first step is understanding what a customer education program is and why it is important.
Building a Basic Customer Education Program
A customer education program does exactly what it sounds like it does – it trains your customers. This type of program is designed to onboard, engage, and help retain your customer base. This applies to both new and existing customers.
How you organize your customer training is up to you. You may need to create different learning paths or modules for different groups of customers.
For example, new customers may need a course that discusses the basics of your product while existing customers may benefit from more advanced information about long-term use or care. You can apply some of the same tips for building role-specific employee training, but with customer needs and expectations in mind.
This is an idea that has been used for years, but online training has made it much easier to implement and distribute. It’s also far more cost-effective. You can easily reach thousands of customers almost effortlessly.
Online training is easy to update, so you are always delivering the most recent and relevant information.
Training customers also tells them that you care about their experience. Not only does it give them the instruction they need to get more value out of your product or service, but it also sends a positive message about how your business views its customers.
The Benefits of Customer Training
As with any training program, customer education requires a time and resource investment. You will have to create your course content, which should match your brand and look professional. You should strive to build trust with your customers. Distributing content that looks poorly crafted won’t achieve that goal.
With online training being so cost-effective, the benefits of customer education outweigh the costs. Why do you need a customer training program now?
- Shortens the Time-to-Value Factor
When a customer buys your product or service, they want to get value as quickly as possible. A training program helps shorten the time-to-value factor. Consumers who engage with your educational content will understand the best ways to use what you sell. That means they can start getting value much sooner than if they were left to figure it out on their own.
You can also increase the value of your product or service by providing greater insight into how it works and how it can be used. You may share information that the customer didn’t know about, expanding the functionality of what you are selling.
- Fewer Customer Support Requests
Customer support is essential to building a positive reputation. You have to back up what you are selling and be there to provide assistance if you want people to buy.
A customer education program provides detailed instruction so that customers are more likely to use your product or service correctly, preventing confusion and lowering the number of support requests. It also reduces the chances of an error or mistake, which might have also resulted in a request for support.
While you will likely still receive some requests, you can decrease the total number submitted just by sharing information with your customer base.
- Low Cost with High Earning Potential
eLearning makes it possible for almost anyone to build a professional-looking training course in a scalable format that can be distributed instantly at a low cost. The right learning management system makes all the difference. If you don’t have one yet, you should read LMS reviews on LMS.org to learn more about popular platforms.
Investing in your customer education program now can increase your earning potential. You are more likely to retain customers and gain new ones because you can provide immediate access to information that increases the value of what you are selling.
- Higher Customer Engagement and Retention
Every business wants to keep its customers coming back for more. Engagement is also important because it keeps your brand in the consumer’s mind.
A customer education program helps work toward both of those goals. Customers are more likely to return when you provide good information and support that enables them to get the highest value possible out of your product or service.
Receiving training updates and information also increases engagement. It gives customers another reason to return to your website or learning portal or to share on social media.
Getting Started with Your Customer Education Program
If you don’t have one already, now is the time to start working on your customer education program. The sooner you have that up and running, the sooner you can begin reaping the benefits of a well-informed customer base.
Just like with employee training, you should begin with research. Perform an audit that will give you the information you need. This should include learning about available educational platforms and resources. Look at how customers access these resources. This will help you decide the best way to get your training content in front of the right people.
You should also:
- Make the Most of Your LMS Features
Each LMS has a unique list of features. Some core functions exist in all or most platforms along with more detailed or advanced tools.
Look at what your platform includes and find ways to leverage it. Some have built-in video tools with options for interactive videos that are good for engagement. Others may include support for the third-party tools you use that might be helpful, especially if you sell digital products on another platform.
- Know Your Customer’s Knowledge Gaps
Make sure your customers have access to the information that they don’t know. That means being aware of their knowledge gaps.
Closing those gaps will give your customer base a well-rounded understanding of your product or service. It empowers them to get more use out of it and increase the value of their investment in your business.
If you aren’t sure if you are missing a knowledge gap, it doesn’t hurt to ask. Many LMS platforms include survey and feedback forms that let you ask your customers questions directly. Find out what they would like to know to help guide the customer education process.
- Avoid Overloading Customers with Training
Your training content should be well-organized and concise. Make sure you are giving customers information that’s relevant and actionable. Pushing too much material out there can have a negative impact.
If you know how to prevent cognitive overload in employee training, then you should apply those same rules to your customer education program.
- Choose a Platform That’s Scalable
Chances are you plan to grow your customer base. Most businesses want to make as much profit as they can, and that means reaching new audiences. If so, you should work on an LMS platform that is scalable.
Scalability will allow you to adapt quickly and easily without having to jump to another platform. Your customer education program should be able to grow along with your customer base.
Get started on your customer education program now so that you can increase profits and strengthen relationships with consumers.
