Last week, I, along with several other Skilljar team members, traveled down to sunny San Diego for the Technology & Services World Conference (TSW), hosted by TSIA. TSW is a one-of-a-kind event bringing technology Services, Sales, and Product Teams together to network and learn about the latest tech industry trends.
This year, I was honored to be part of a panel discussion about Education Services Technology. Hosted by TSIA’s Maria Manning-Chapman (who was also featured on Skilljar’s April webinar), I was joined by Mike Raley, Vice President of Marketing at Coveo, Mal Poulin, Vice President of Strategy and ANCILE Solutions, and Erica MayShar, Solutions Consultant at Bold360 – LogMeIn. Here’s a recap of the panel discussion:
Data as the Lifeblood
During this panel I discussed the importance of data and analytics and, more specifically, how collecting and analyzing data is one of the biggest challenges Education Services organizations face today. We also discussed how companies can use technology to streamline education operations and delivery, and do so in a manner that provides the best possible customer experience.
Value realization was another focus of the panel and conference overall. Based on my experience at Skilljar, data and analytics play a key role in supporting value realization.
In other words, does your customer understand how your product will bring them value and see that value coming to fruition? This value extends beyond your product and into other areas of your organization like the experience your Support Team creates for customers. Do customers feel like their Support Team has their best interests in mind and is taking an informed approach to assisting them? Is the team proactively helpful? If customers fail to see your product’s value and your team’s value, the opportunity for churn is much greater.
Picking the Right Technology
As was reiterated by several speakers, data and analytics functionality should be one of, if not the key factor when purchasing an LMS system. Although I’m admittedly biased, I was easily able to make the connection to Skilljar’s Analytics Dashboard.
Our Analytics Dashboard not only enables users to track learner progress and evaluate the efficacy of their training content, it also integrates with a number of other business systems like Salesforce to tie training data directly to business impact. These connections enable our customers to glean insights about how their education efforts affect things like churn, renewal, and expansion.
It was truly a pleasure to participate in this conversation with TSIA, Coveo, ANCILE Solutions, and Bold360 – LogMeIn, as well as to connect with peers in the broader Education Services sector at the conference. For anyone interested in learning from technology leaders across Customer Success, Services, Sales, Product, and Marketing Teams, I highly encourage you to attend TSW. And we hope to see you at TSW Las Vegas in October!
If you’re interested in learning more, I encourage you to check out our eBook, Choosing the Right Technology for External Training, or download our webinar with CEdMA President, Pat Durante about Driving Customer Health Through Education.
Sara Robba is the Director of Customer Success at Skilljar.