6 Reasons To Invest In An Extended Enterprise Learning Management System For Channel Training

6 Reasons To Invest In An Extended Enterprise Learning Management System For Channel Training
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Summary: It can be difficult getting the higher-ups to buy into extended enterprise online training. Are there any sure-fire reasons you can put forward to support your cause? In this article, I share 6 top reasons to invest in an extended enterprise LMS for channel training.

What Are the Extended Enterprise LMS Perks For Channel Training?

Is an extended enterprise LMS worth the investment? As a rule, your finance department decides what kind of training your team will receive. They’re not generally keen on the idea of advanced education unless it’s a tax write-off. Why? Because trainees with advanced skills tend to leave or the rewards simply don’t justify the monetary risks. Imagine how much harder it is convincing the money people to train people that aren’t even on your payroll! Such as external sales partners who work on commission, vendors, or consumers. And yet they’re a crucial resource. Here are 6 reasons why you should invest in their online training via an extended enterprise LMS.

6 Surprising Extended Enterprise LMS Benefits To Consider

1. Empowers Sales Teams

Sales is among the most challenging jobs out there, but it’s also the most rewarding. Many salespeople aren’t directly hired by the brand they push. Instead, they buy stock on credit and earn a commission on every sale. The nature of the sales funnel means you get maybe one closed deal for every 20 prospects. And since commissioned sales teams don’t actually cost you anything, you can "hire" as many as you want. However, you want these "leg-people" to properly represent your brand. An extended enterprise LMS allows you to train, guide and monitor them. It helps them do their jobs better, which boosts their earning. It also plumps your bottom line and offers you real-time reputation management. Pick an LMS with offline access and apps for tablets and mobile phones.

2. Raises Quality Standards

Once your business is big enough to run a franchise, you know you’ve made it. However, you want to ensure consistent service wherever your brand name appears. And yet you have no real authority over these "branches" of your company. You don’t even have a real way of monitoring or implementing your brand values and tenets. Unless of course, you get an extended enterprise learning management system. It lets you train and certify franchise members on relevant brand skills and trivia.

You can easily incorporate external training as part of your franchise agreement. This way, every shop, office, or ‘external employee’ will undergo the same training. This ensures uniformity and brand identity, which is what keeps customers coming back. One of the most notable extended enterprise LMS perks is that also gives franchisees direct, remote, real-time access to you in case of a crisis. It’s a great way to beat PR night terrors before they evolve into publicity nightmares.

3. Cuts Training Costs

Depending on how your business is set up, you’ll have different types of external teams. We’ve already mentioned franchises. FMCG companies are more likely to rely on grocery stores, kiosks, and local shops to distribute their products. Customers interact with your distributors rather than your staff. They may never meet your marketing manager or sales executives, but they talk to store cashiers every day. That’s why it makes sense to train these ‘staff members’. Many companies hold seasonal seminars for distributors, wholesalers, and retailers. Facilitating this training in person racks up a high bill. There’s transport, accommodation, venue fees, and most importantly, time, since your staff will have to stop their work to run the training. One of the top extended enterprise LMS perks is that it allows you to use a central system to train partners wherever they are.

4. Gets Customers Engaged

External training isn’t just for paid partners. Modern customers love to do things for themselves – hence the popularity of self-checkout and online shopping. At the same time, customer education is a good way to push native advertising. By offering brand education to your clients, you can build up their trust in your expertise. The key is to develop your customer training around soft sell and awareness. For example, don’t tell them why your mattresses are the best on the market. Instead, give them an interactive guide on mattress shopping. Explain all those technical terms like pocket spring or hybrid foam. Of course, the information will be skewed towards your brand, but it should nudge them over instead of shoving them through your doors.

5. Reduces Compliance Risks

Everyone has access to compliance online training that reduces the risk of violations. Which means that you don’t have to budget for costly fees and penalties. Not to mention, everybody stays safe on the job and upholds company policy. This enhances your brand image even further, as you’re able to fall in line with local laws and regulations, instead of being known as the company who racks up violations and doesn’t operate their business by the book.

6. Improves Customer Service Skills And Brand Loyalty

Every member of your team should know how to work with customers to identify their needs and overcome service challenges, such as customers who are unhappy with their purchase or feel they’ve been slighted by your brand. An extended enterprise LMS gives you the power to equip external channels with skill-building tools. For example, certification online training courses that feature all the customer service basics, from active listening to product knowledge. This not only enhances the customer experience but turns them into loyal brand advocates.

Conclusion

It may seem like a gargantuan task to get management on board with extended enterprise training. Still, it’s a great way to please customers, build goodwill, support distribution teams, and shore up profits. Empowering commissioned sales staff results in more money for everyone. External training cuts costs and ensures brand consistency. It also offers a means to resolve snafus before they explode into full-blown crises. It also allows customers to engage directly with your brand, which is always a good thing.

Have you already found the ideal extended enterprise LMS for your external channel online training? Search our free online directory to choose the perfect platform based on your use case, preferred pricing model, deployment type, and features.