We recently released the eBook “The 3 Stages of Customer Training Development,” where we broke down the process for building a customer training program. So far, we have discussed stages 1 and 2. In this post, we will be discussing the third stage in the training development process.
So what are the components of a well-established training program? To start, organizations have a built-out team, as well as a large audience, which consists of a number of already trained customer advocates. At this stage, customer-facing teams should also have a full understanding of the benefits of training. Moreover, they will know what your training addresses and how to best market it to their contacts.
Another sign that you’ve reached the third stage of customer training development? Fully evaluated payment models. In other words, you know what works and how to best price and package your training to drive further growth. This often means using one of the options below:
- Free – All training is provided, free of charge.
- Blended – Some training is for a fee and other training is free (i.e. on-demand vs. instructor-led training or basic vs. advanced training). Cost may be based on the customer tier or support package, too.
- Subscription – An “all you can eat” model, customers pay a flat fee for a year of full access to training resources.
- A la carte – In this model, you charge per course, and customers purchase training as needed.
In addition, it’s common to see a wider variety of course offerings and more extensive marketing. Rather than relying on one channel, for instance, customer training professionals may utilize a combination of strategies, including in-app notifications, direct outreach from Customer Success Managers, and email campaigns.
Now when we say email, we don’t mean just notifying users of new course offerings. It’s important to understand that people are busy and training is not always top-of-mind. For this reason, drip campaigns can be extremely effective. This type of campaign deploys after a specified time (i.e. one week after a student registers for your course) and serves as a friendly reminder for them to continue training. These emails can relate to their point in the customer lifecycle and include key activities that you want to encourage.
Another option is to email any unengaged students via marketing automation. As a result, you can promote users’ progress in the training portal. Taking things one step further, you can even streamline this process by integrating your marketing automation software and CRM with your LMS.