Customer Education: Is It Overhyped Or Worth It?

Customer Education: Is It Overhyped Or Worth It?
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Summary: This article discusses the many benefits of customer education for companies in today's competitive market.

The Benefits Of Customer Education

Customer education is the need of the hour, as so many products have pervaded the market. The companies that ensure customers are know how to use their products can win this cutthroat competition. Companies must measure the customer results from their training programs. Customer education programs must have a benchmark for satisfaction, and if they fail, they represent a loss of a company’s money. For example, the training might not be enjoyable for some customers, so net promotor scores must be measured after the end of the program. This can be done through surveys, including questions like, "how far would you to recommend this training to others?". You must measure whether the customers have finished the activity or not to evaluate the success of your training. Also, when the post-training survey is short, customers are more likely to complete it, rather than long questionnaires.

The term "customer education" first became popular when companies started realizing the urgency of customer training. This was because complicated products were being introduced in the market, which were difficult for customers ton work out how to use. Also, these products were subscription-based, so if a customer didn’t like the product, they were not likely to repeat the subscription. But the companies had to create a demand for these products, so it was necessary to teach customers about them. The customers not only want the product education to be interactive, but also easily accessible.

What Should Be The Forms Of Training?

With the development of technology, customers also want there to be better ways in which training is delivered to them. They want training to be given to them when they require it; in other words, they don’t want training to interrupt their jobs. Hence, customers should be able to access the information with utmost ease. It should be available as FAQs or short video bytes, downloadable on phones.

Benefits Of Customer Education

The companies have realized that it's not easy for customers to decide to purchase.

Easier Sales

Customers also expect a certain level of customer education. There is a rise in customer expectations, so companies can't fall behind the competition. Customer's minds are infiltrated with choices, but when a company opts for educating them, it makes choosing easier because of loyalty. Customers are motivated to buy a product when they are enlightened about its technical benefits. Moreover, customers can no longer quote skill gaps as an excuse for not buying a product. Companies get an edge over competitors through customer education and create a demand. It could be just a one-day workshop to bring together leads, but it can ensure that customers know how a product can be used to meet their expectations.

Reduced Customer Attrition

After a customer has purchased a product, they can face a lot of problems in using a product. The company can be bombarded with troubleshooting calls during this time, but these can be avoided when the customers have been trained. With the benefits of customer education, the users have a better experience with the product, and this increased satisfaction can lead to repeat sales. The customer's learning curve with the product is shortened, and hence, attrition rates are reduced.

Better Onboarding

Customer education also reduces the risk of accidents affecting a company’s reputation. Customers should be taught safe ways to use products, especially electrical appliances. Apart from in-person training delivered through workshops, customers can also be provided with troubleshooting guides so that they can browse the screenshots of products in different circumstances whenever needed. This workshop is held before the customer buys the products to build their commitment, apart from easing the onboarding process once they buy the product.

Conclusion

Customers can also forget the information they have imbibed in such programs. Hence, companies should refresh that knowledge. For this purpose, they must have an assessment, with a summary built in at the end, so that companies can test the customer's knowledge. If the customer cannot pass the test despite going through the summary, they should take the training all over again through a short-term JIT module. The companies can segregate such test data by different regions, to know whether the customers of a certain area must be given a refresher course to have a proper revision of the training.

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