Top Ways Of Expanding Your Customer Training Knowledge At No Cost
Employees may be the stars of the show, but they're nothing without a well-informed audience. For this reason, customer online training is an absolute must for SMBs and global organizations, alike. But there may not be room in your budget to expand your current customer training knowledge base. After all, custom content development isn't cheap and usually involves lengthy turnaround times. Have no fear, because there are numerous free resources to add to your customer support library today. Here are just a few secrets to help you beef up your repository without breaking the bank. Please note: active employee participation, a rapid authoring tool, and an existing online training library are required.
6 Tips To Enrich Your Customer Knowledge Base
1. Invite Employees To Contribute Resources
Employees work with products every day. They know which mistakes to avoid, how to care for the item and its unique selling points. Why not user their insider expertise in your customer training course? Encourage them to develop their own product knowledge resources based on past experience. For example, tutorials that highlight what to do when the item malfunctions or how to clean the internal components. They get extra credit (AKA badges and gamification points) for their hard work. Consumers get targeted resources made by your top talent. And you get to expand your customer training knowledge base for free. Everybody wins.
2. Incorporate Vendor Support Tools
Many vendors offer free resources for their suppliers and consumers. You can incorporate these tools into your customer training knowledge base, provide you give credit to the creator. For example, a video tutorial that shows customers how to operate the device or troubleshoot common user errors. If you don’t know where to find relevant resources, reach out to the vendor for more info. They may have exclusive libraries for vendors. Even if you can’t embed contact directly, you can still draw inspiration from it. Another great place to look for free support tools is video sharing sites. There’s no shortage of demos, walkthroughs, and tip clips you can incorporate into your knowledge base.
3. Extend Certification Programs
You probably already have certification paths that you offer your in-house staff. Some of these might be reusable for customer training with minor adjustments. As an example, you launched a safety training certification course last year for your sales staff. It covers all the basics for safe handling procedures and tips to avoid damage/contamination. Your consumers would benefit from this course because it extends the life of their product and prevents accidents. You simply need to revise certain aspects to make it ready for the masses. Such as removing the sales demo at the end, or substituting industry jargon.
4. Record Live Events
Do you have live online training events already booked? Record them and use a rapid authoring tool to edit the footage, then upload it to your customer training knowledge base for free. You can even break it into separate moment-of-need resources for consumers who need a refresher. For instance, a 2-minute clip that explores how to complete a factory reset. Or an anecdote that teaches customers a valuable lesson about regular upkeep. Along the same lines, hosting live events exclusively for consumers isn’t a bad idea. This makes the editing process much easier since it already features tips, tricks, and techniques they can use. And you don’t have to omit any sensitive information that’s intended for your employees. Also, give them an outline so they can follow along and determine if the event is right for them.
5. Repurpose Demo Videos
Most of your demo videos are probably geared toward staffers. Showing them how to work the POS terminal or deal with a tricky customer complaint. However, there are some you can integrate into your customer training knowledge base at no extra cost. Evaluate your demo video library and look for versatile assets that are easy to modify. You may have to record new voiceovers or add new images to make it customer-friendly. If you’re missing crucial demos, ask staffers to reenact the process, or use animation software. Try to keep videos short, given that consumers need quick and convenient references. It’s not mandatory, so they may not devote 20 minutes of their day to your product walkthrough.
6. Turn Modules Into Bite-Size Infographics
Since we’re on the subject of obligatory training, it’s important to remember that customers are voluntary participants. Unlike your employees who need to complete the training requirements to comply with company policies. Consumers can click away whenever they like without any negative consequences. So, you must make it stress-free for them to get the information they need and move on with their day. Convert training modules into microlearning infographics that recap key topics and issues. For instance, a graphic that tells them everything they need to know about your company background. Or why they should purchase a service plan that costs extra to get the most from their investment.
Conclusion
These free techniques can help you expand your online training knowledge base and improve customer loyalty. It’s a group effort. So, get your team involved and invite them to contribute their own resources. Use vendor support tools to your advantage and make certification programs available to the public. You should also convert those online training webinars into JIT support resources using your trusty rapid authoring tool. Customer education resources don’t have to cost an arm and a leg… you just need to know where to look.
