Your product or service is ultimately only as great as the consumer experience. And in today’s rapidly changing landscape, it’s critical to empower individuals to get the most value out of what you offer. That’s why customer training software has emerged as a game-changing solution for HR and customer service managers.
With a comprehensive platform that delivers training and upskilling to users, like a learning management system (LMS), you can considerably boost employee productivity, customer satisfaction, and overall business growth.
Read on as we explore the essential features and functionalities to look for in a robust customer training solution — from scalability and reporting to customization. Then, you can determine the right software to enable an improved customer experience and long-term business success.
Looking at the purpose and impact of customer training solutions
Customer training, also referred to as customer education, refers to the strategy teams can use to boost the customer experience through educational resources. The process involves educating and empowering learners to effectively use a company’s products or services. Training content is created to equip users with the information needed for positive product utilization. Long-term customer loyalty and satisfaction are dependent on this.
So, why are more and more organizations implementing product training? Here are some of the most common drivers of user education:
- To communicate important knowledge, skills, and understanding to potential buyers to maximize their experience, minimize customer support inquiries, and foster loyalty.
- To demonstrate the diverse range of features, functionalities, and applications of a product, helping them deliver value.
- To act as a retention strategy, proactively preventing user churn and reducing the likelihood of unhappy customers leaving.
- To delight customers and create brand advocates who promote and recommend the product or service to others.
- To gain valuable feedback from buyers, which supports product and customer experience improvements moving forward.
Key benefits of impactful customer training software
Integrating online training for customer success leads to several advantages, including:
- Enhanced customer experience and satisfaction: Among all customers, 73% claim that experience is an important factor in their purchasing decision — behind price and product quality.1 Providing users with the training material needed to fully utilize your product or service will result in a more positive and fulfilling experience.
- Increased efficiency in training delivery: If creating a training course seems daunting, rest assured that a robust solution will make it easy. An LMS, for instance, offers structured and scalable programs to help you deliver consistent and standardized education to users at scale. This saves your team time and resources.
- Streamlined customer onboarding process: With training software, you can help customers onboard quickly, accelerating time-to-value for users and fostering a positive initial experience with the brand. Efficient onboarding approaches can boost customer retention by up to 50%.[2
- Improved product or service utilization: By ensuring learners understand the full capabilities of your offerings, you’re likely to see increased adoption rates and improved product usage.
Choosing a comprehensive customer training software
While there are plenty of training solutions available, only a few have the essential features and functionalities that you need for effective customer education. Opt for a platform that includes the following elements for the best results:
1. Scalability and flexibility
Organizations need an education solution that can grow with the business. Scalable options, like learning management systems, accommodate evolving needs and expanding user bases with ease — and without compromising the user experience. Selecting software that can adapt to changing business demands enables teams to optimize training efforts, regardless of the number of users or their geographic locations.
2. Integration capabilities
Quickly advancing technology means that companies are leveraging digital solutions more and more. It’s important to consider how a potential learning platform will integrate with existing systems. This helps you foster a cohesive, efficient, and easily accessible training ecosystem.
An LMS integrates seamlessly with various tools, from CRM platforms to content management systems, to simplify training efforts and management. This empowers organizations to make use of comprehensive user data, tailor learning paths, and provide targeted learning material.
3. User experience and interface
Programs that are hard to navigate turn individuals away, which does little to support your long-term objectives. Look for a user-friendly system that enhances the learning journey for customers.
4. Reporting and analytics
Robust reporting and analytics capabilities are key to understanding training program outcomes. A data-driven approach ultimately helps organizations assess areas that need adjustment and understand the full impact of their initiatives.
5. Customization and branding
While seemingly simple, the functionality to align the training experience with your unique identity and brand supports user recognition, trust, and loyalty. This is the result of a seamless and immersive learning environment that boosts customer engagement and reinforces your brand message. For instance, an LMS platform offers a wide range of customization choices that let you adjust the content, layout, and appearance however you need.
6. Implementation and support
Explore service providers that offer comprehensive support during the initial setup, so you can enjoy a seamless transition and quick program deployment. However, keep in mind that customer education doesn’t stop at implementation — it’s an ongoing process. Select a system that ensures continuing technical support and prompt assistance as needed.
How can you assess your customer education?
Keeping an eye on your training program and implementing measurable business metrics is key to recognizing what’s working and making improvements accordingly. To determine the ROI of your customer training platform, consider the methods below.
- Product adoption rates: Measure the percentage of individuals who engage with your product or service after completing the online course or training session. Higher adoption rates reveal your efforts are effectively enabling customer success.
- Customer retention rates: Track the rate at which buyers continue their subscription or repeat purchases after product training. Finding a correlation between education and customer retention is a positive sign that your program is doing its job. This is crucial considering the success rate of selling to existing customers is 60-70%, as opposed to 5-20% with new users.
- Customer lifetime value (CLV): Analyze the total revenue generated by an individual over their entire relationship with your business. A higher CLV for trained users suggests that your course is contributing to customer loyalty and repeat business.
- Customer surveys: In addition to gathering facts and figures, ask for direct feedback from users that completed training to gauge their satisfaction, comprehension, and perceived value of the customer training platform. Surveys provide critical insights into learners’ perspectives on a program’s strengths and areas for improvement.
Empower your customers with Absorb LMS
Product training plays a pivotal role in maintaining and driving customer satisfaction, retention, and advocacy. And choosing a learning solution that meets your specific goals and unique requirements will set your organization up for success.
Absorb LMS is a highly capable platform that includes all of the features needed for powerful customer training. The platform offers engaging and individualized learning experiences with a user-friendly interface, numerous customization possibilities, sophisticated reporting, and extensive support. This ultimately helps you drive revenue and build a network of customer advocates.
For more information about Absorb LMS, reach out to our experts or request a demo today.
