Employee training is one thing, but what about training people outside your organization – like customers, clients, or partners?
External training strategies can help bridge this gap. When you create an effective training pathway, you'll enjoy higher adoption and engagement levels and stronger, more loyal partnerships. You'll provide users with value while ensuring higher retention rates and a healthier bottom line.
After all, acquiring a new customer can cost as much as five to seven times more than retaining an existing one. Plus, you want your partners to understand their roles and responsibilities so you can achieve joint goals. Providing them with the proper knowledge and tools will make that possible. Everyone wins.
Here are the most effective strategies for training external audiences. Let's begin.
1. Understand your external audience
You must know who you're creating training materials for. Taking the time to develop training materials for a specific audience will result in higher completion rates.
The first step is to understand the user so you can customize your strategy and content.
If you're creating a partner-focused learning track, consider their needs. What information are they seeking, and when?
The same applies to customers. Pinpoint where a customer is in their life cycle so you can deliver helpful resources at the right time. For example, you could create a customer enablement strategy for those who just purchased your product.
Involve team members who understand your target audience, including:
- Sales reps
- Account managers
- Your customer service team
These team members can provide valuable insight into the most pressing pain points, interests, and satisfaction levels. As you develop content concepts, think about the roles of audience members – how and why do they interact with your company?
Tip: To identify training gaps, quickly assess your intended audience. That data will help you shape your external training strategies to ensure high completion rates and a more optimal training ROI.
2. Focus on the design and create an outline
External learners want content that's engaging, effective, and relevant.
After you determine your objectives, create an interesting, easy-to-navigate training pathway. Start brainstorming what information each sequence will include so the content flows.
Making an outline will help you design an effective training course. Then, flesh out the outline, choosing relevant media and anything else that adds to the learning experience.
As you build out your outline, revert to your target user, thinking about their industry and expertise and what will grab their attention. For example, hook external learners using gamification strategies.
You can offer customized badges to drive motivation via immediate recognition.
3. Use advanced technology to enhance training
Leverage the technology available, focusing on a top learning management system (LMS).
Lean on systems that help you improve the quality of your training material while automating the process. For example, the top platforms will offer the power of artificial intelligence (AI). Whether adding interest-based learning or Smart Segmentation, these features can take your training to the next level.
Here are some of the ways AI is transforming the learning and development landscape:
- Virtual assistants and chatbots provide 24/7 tutoring.
- Natural language processing (NLP) personalized feedback, content creation, etc.
- Machine learning algorithms spot critical trends and aid in audience analysis strategies.
Case study: Instacart delivered specific content for a segmented audience within one platform, using the latest LMS technology. Read more.
4. Consider the best formats and delivery methods
A digital approach is common when creating training materials for external audiences. You can create content that's easy to share online, sending materials based on certain triggers.
However, the best approach will depend on your relationship with external users and where you most often engage with them.
For example, if you plan an in-person meeting with partners, you may prepare handouts and visual aids for them to take home. These can accompany the slide presentation, virtual instructor-led training, and video content you create, allowing for blended learning.
Remember, users will have different learning styles. You want each user to find the training material valuable, which is why it's beneficial to provide options – both in terms of content type and delivery method. This consideration should be covered in your learning and development strategy.
Many of the most effective training programs are created on a platform, so you can easily give customers or partners access links. They can then complete the training sessions on their own time. Finding the right learning management systems platform and delivery methods should be part of your partner or customer training strategy.
Resource: Consider these five steps to create impactful training videos. Once uploaded to an LMS, utilize all available features to make the learning experience as engaging as possible. Seek an LMS that offers integrations, including options to upload media easily.
5. Measure and analyze the success of external training initiatives
Use real-time tracking and custom LMS reporting to optimize your investment. For example, learning management systems can show you who's excelling and who may need a little nudge.
When you understand the impact of your training material, you can make more informed decisions moving forward. If you find engagement rates low across the board, you'll know you need to pivot. Alternatively, you can see what type of content or delivery method results in higher-than-anticipated completion rates.
FAQs
What are the most effective strategies for engaging external audiences in training programs?
When creating your training material for external audiences, consider these best practices: create easily consumed content,iInvest in LMS technology, and establish S.M.A.R.T. goals.
How can technology like AI and VR improve the effectiveness of external training?
Implementing AI and VR can improve external users' learning experience. This technology ensures training materials adapt to individual learning styles while providing real-time feedback. As the creator of training courses, AI can also automate many tasks, speeding up the development process.
Continu can help with external training
Are you seeking a platform for all of your training needs? Continu is it — and the numbers don't lie.
With Continu, enjoy:
- 92% learner engagement, compared to an 11% industry average
- 90% course completion rate, compared to a 40% industry average
- 96% user adoption rate, compared to a 79% industry average
- 96% customer service rating, compared to an 84% industry average
Want to learn more about Continu and how this leading LMS can make your life easier?
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