How to Train Your Customers

We recently had a member come to us with a question on a topic we don’t hear that often—customer or end-user training. This member was in the midst of a transition in their customer training approach, going from primarily in-person, to an increasingly technological method of delivering training to customers—and wanted to learn how other companies had incorporated technology into their end-user training models.

After a broad set of conversations across our member base, we profiled four companies that deliver end-user training and specifically how they use technology-enabled training processes. The training delivery channels used for end-user training were much the same as standard virtual training channels including: webinars (live and virtual), e-learning modules, and YouTube (or other online videos).

Among the customary virtual training channels, there were a few standouts that were particularly interesting, not only for end-user training, but also for sales training in general:

Virtual Conferencing Platform: A virtual platform capable of hosting full-scale conferences complete with exhibit halls, networking lounges, and social and gamification capabilities.
Virtual Classroom: Training intended to mimic classroom training through an entirely online platform.
Remote Classroom: A training session in which attendees gather in one physical location and are connected to a virtual instructor via webcast.
Peer-to-Peer Network: A network of highly engaged and knowledgeable end users recruited to deliver end-user training.

These end-user training channels were successful for the members who implemented them but remain reliant upon infrastructure and end-user capabilities. The most important elements of end-user training that were echoed by all of the members we profiled include:

Blended Learning Approach: The profiled organizations employ a combination of face-to-face and technology-based product training to reach end users; however, virtual end-user training occupies an ever-growing proportion of the overall consumption of content. This blend helps to satisfy all customer types.
Trade-off between in-person and self-paced end-user training: Interviewed executives report that the majority of end users were willing to trade the loss of some face-to-face training for the additional flexibility of online content
Content management: Interviewed executives noted the importance of both posting as much content as possible for online consumption, as well as the need to keep that content up-to-date.

CEB Sales Members, check out the full report: Incorporating Technology into End-User Training and use the company profiles to compare your organization’s automation potential.