how to reach your customer base with online training
TRANSCRIPT
©20071080Group,LLC Page1
How to Reach Your Customer Base with Online Training
A 1080 Group White Paper Prepared for Citrix Online
May2007
What You Will LearnAproblemintheworldofcorporatetrainingisthattraditionalinformation‐sharingsettingssuchasanin‐personmeeting,classroom,orseminar,arebecomingmoreexpensive–bothintermsofmoneyandtime.
Further,globalizationisatrendwithincreasingimpactforall–evenfororganizationswhosecustomersoremployeesarenotoverseas.Historicallytheadvantageleanedtowardorganizationswiththeresourcestoabsorbthecostandtimeassociatedwithdistanceanddifference.
Howthendoesanorganizationreachincreasinglydistractedcustomerswithengagingcontentwhilefeelingthepinchofbudgetandheadcount?
Web‐basedmeetingsandseminars(i.e.,“webinars”)allowuserstomeet,train,orcollaborateeffectivelyandefficiently,eachindividualparticipatingfromtheirowndesktop.Webinars,andrecordingsofthosewebinars,giveorganizations–evensingleindividuals–theopportunitytoreachmorepeoplemorequicklythaneverbeforewitharichvisualcommunicationexperience.
Tolookathoworganizationstodayarerisingtomeettrainingchallenges,1080Group,LLCconductedbothquantitativeandqualitativeresearchintohowfirmsofallsizesareusingwebinarstoreachtheircustomerbase.
Thiswhitepaperfocusesonthreethings:1. Keyhighlightsfromtheresearchconducted2. Whatorganizationsshouldfocusonwhenplanningoraccelerating
theirownonlinetrainingprograms3. InsightfulinformationaboutCitrix®GoToMeeting®Corporate,
Webconferencingsoftwarethatcanquicklyandeconomicallyhelpindividualsororganizationsreachtheircustomerswitheffectiveonlinetraining
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Webinars Growing Beyond Replacing TravelInourrecent1080Groupsurvey,81percentofrespondentsareusingWebconferencingforsomepartoftheircustomertraininginitiatives.
Companieswereaskedtorankalistofbenefitswebinarsbringtotheirorganizations.Inorder,thetopthreeresponseswereasfollows:
• Reachingmoretraineeswiththesameheadcount• Presentingourselvesasthoughtleadersinourindustry• Beingmoreeffectivewithourbudget
Further,33percentofrespondentsnotedthattheironlinetrainingprogramsarereceivingahigherprioritythisyearversuslastyear.Another58percenthavethesameprioritythisyearversuslast.
Current Users Recommend Flexibility and Ease of UseOneopen‐endedquestionasked,“IfyouweregoingtogiveapieceofadvicetosomeoneevaluatingtheuseofWebconferencingforcorporatetraining,whatwoulditbe?”
Thoughanswersvariedinlengthandstyle,twodistinctthemesrepeatedlyemerged:
• Flexibility(50percentofresponses)• Easeofuse(40percentofresponses)
Examplesoftheseresponsesincludethefollowing:
“Ensurethatthesoftwareyouusehasmultiplefunctionstoservealldepartmentswithinanorganization(forexample,hastrainingANDmeetingcapabilities,dependingontheneed).Makesureitisuser‐friendlyforyouraudience,dependingontheirresources”
“Reallylookattheusabilityandfeatures.Ifitistoohardtouse,noonewilladopttheapplication.AvoidconferencingappsthatONLYprovideapplicationsharing”
“Maketheforumuser‐friendlyandappealing…Top‐of‐the‐linetechnologyisimportant.Moneyshouldnotbeanissueintheinterestofsuccess”
“Thinkaboutwhichcoursesyoutrulyneedtodeliverlivevs.ondemand.Thosethatrequirealotofinteractionwithpresentingexpertsrequired,orroleplayingandwhite‐boardingmayrequirelive,buttherestmaynot.Whatistheopportunitycostofaskingemployees,customers,andpartnerstotaketimeawayfromtheircorejobsduringpeaktimes?andhowmuchoftheirschedulecanyoudemand?”
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91% of respondents note the same or higher priority for online training this year versus last
Current Users Recommend Blending Live and ‘On-Demand’ SessionsRespondentswereaskedtoranktacticstheywouldrecommendthatworkbestforensuringoptimumexposureofkeytrainingmessages.Consistentwiththepreviouslynotedpreferenceof“reachingmoretraineeswiththesameheadcount”andthequalitativeanswersrecommendingflexibility,86percentofrespondentschose“deliverablendofliveandrecordedtrainingsessions.”
86%ofrespondentsbelieveblendingliveandon‐demandsessionsisbestforimprovingcustomerparticipation
Best Practices in Online Training ProgramsInordertoconductonlinetrainingprogramsthatwillaccomplishthegoalsyouareseeking,itisimperativetounderstandkeyelementsthatensuresuccess.Thissectionaddressesthesestepsandprovidesguidanceonhowtoaccomplishthem.
Plan and Set Up Your ProgramEffectiveplanningandsetuprequirescoordinatingseveraldistinctactivities.Theseinclude:
Create a Compelling Description and ScheduleAdultlearnersrespondbestwhenprovidedcleardescriptionsoflearningoutcomes.Ourresearchindicatesthatoffering“how‐to”informationorbestpracticesrelatedtothecustomer’sprofessionorindustryincreasethelikelihoodoftheirattendingasession.
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"Web conferencing enabled a number of our students to maintain course consistency when business travel interrupted their regular classroom attendance. The use of Web conferencing allowed a greater level of flexibility in the delivery of content and service to our students.”
John Willsea, former Director of ITWestern Seminary
86%
7%
2%5%
BlendedLive OnlyOn-Demand OnlyOther
Thirty‐ninepercentofsurveyrespondentsindicateditisbettertoholdlivetrainingsessionsearlierinthebusinessday.Eighty‐sixpercent,however,indicatedapreferenceforusingablendoflivewebinarsandon‐demandsessions–providingcustomersconvenientaccesstocontentatanytime.
Invitationsshoulddescribebenefitsandmakeiteasytoregister
Leverage Both Proactive and Passive AwarenessProactivelyinvitingcustomerstotrainingsessions,evenforthosewhodonotrespondimmediately,isanopportunitytoremindthemoftheexpertiseavailabletothem.LinkingtothetrainingprogramregistrationsitefromthecorporateWebsiteisrecommendedtomaximizethenumberofregistrantswhosignupfortraining.
Gather and Focus Invitees through Registration and RemindersCollectinginformationfromregistrantsisavitalfunctionoftrainingprograms.Ataminimum,anameandemailaddresshelpidentifythecustomerandwillallowawebinarconfirmationtobeimmediatelysenttotheregistrantwithinstructionsabouthowtologintothetrainingsession.
Plantorequestotherinformationthatiscriticaltoimprovingfutureserviceandsales,especiallyanopeninvitationtoregistrantstoprovidequestionsandcomments.Thisfeedback,sharedwithpresenterspriortothetrainingsession,mayassistthemintailoringcontent.
Monitorinvitationandregistrationactivityinrealtime
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By allowing on-demand access to registrant reports, GoToMeeting® Corporate helps trainers effectively manage programs through issuing additional invitations or reminders, or by adjusting presentation content to be optimal for attendees.
Planningtosendatleastonereminderapproximatelyonedaybeforethesessionismostcommon,andincreasinglyinviteespreferareminderafewhoursinadvance.Eachreminderemailshouldcontainalinkthatallowstheregistranttoinstantlyattend.
Remindersshouldpresentinstructionsclearlyandprovideone‐clicksessionentry
Create and Deliver ContentOneofthegreatestbenefitstobeingabletopresentanddemonstrateanylivecontentfromthedesktopisbeingabletointeractivelyengagewithanaudience.Inourresearch,threethingsoptimizethiseffort:easeofpreparation,effectivedeliveryofcontent,andabilitytomeasureandmonitorfeedback.
Practice Interactivity Using RehearsalsTrainingcontentisoftendeliveredbyseveraldifferentsubjectmatterexperts(SMEs)withinanorganization.Inourresearch,thetopusageconcernamongtrainersis“howquicklypresenterscangetuptospeed.”ProvidingSMEswithconvenientaccesstothe“room”wheretheywillbepresentingensuresthattheycanbefamiliarwithdashboards,polls,andquestion/answertoolsthatoptimizeinteractivity.
Use Live, Interactive Sessions to Engage the AudienceLive,onlinetrainingisbestwhentrainersandattendeesinteractsimultaneously.Trainersshoulduseablendofexperienceswiththeattendees,suchasthefollowing:
• Show/demonstrateanytypeofcontentthroughreal‐timescreensharing
• Usepointers,highlighters,andannotationtoolstokeepthemfocusedonkeypointsorlocations
• Askattendeesquestionsusingpop‐uppolls,Q&Aandsurveyforms
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“The most important thing is to make sure each learner is comfortable. I begin with something easy like a round of introductions using the Q&A or chat tool.”
Justin Panneck, M.Ed. Instructor AIU Online
Itisimportanttomonitortheaudiencethroughoutthetrainingsessiontomakesuretheyareengaged.Thiscanbedonebykeepinganeyeon,andrespondingto,informationabouttrainees’responsesinrealtime.
With“presentingourselvesasthoughtleaders”asignificantconcernforsurveyrespondents,wesuggestusinginteractivitywithspecificintenttogatheradditional,actionableinformationforpost‐eventreportingandimprovement.Answersgatheredoveroneormoretrainingsessions,forinstance,mayassisttheorganizationincreatingauseful“FAQ,”orfrequently‐asked‐questionsdocumentorprovideinsightintohowkeymarketing,sales,ortrainingmessagesarebeingreceived.
Record Sessions for On-Demand ViewingRecordingatrainingsessionandpostingittoaWebsiteprovidescustomerswhodidnotorcouldnotattendthelivesessionameansofaccessingthecontent.Overtime,acollectionofrecordingscanbecomeavaluablelibrarythatmakestrainingcontentinstantlyaccessible.
On‐demandsessionsmayalsorequireviewerstoregisterbeforeviewingthecontent.Oursurveysshowthattrainersusethisregistrationinthesamewayaslive‐sessionregistration:toidentifyregistrantsforfuturecommunication,togatherfeedback,andtoassessoverallinterest.
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GoToMeeting® Corporate allows trainers to monitor and respond in real time to active feedback, such as submitted questions, and passive feedback, such as “attentiveness.”
Learn and Improve through Reporting and AnalysisAnalysisofregistrantandtraineedataiscritical.Datashouldbeeasilyaccessibletoensureappropriatefollowup.Forexample,asalesteammayplanfirsttocalltheattendeesexpressingthegreatestdegreeofinterest.Amarketingorproductteammayuseevaluationstodetermineprioritiesforthenextversionofproductdevelopment.
Citrix® GoToMeeting® Corporate: Feature-Benefit Analysis
Goal Feature‐BenefitSetupwebinartrainingsessionsinminutes
Three‐stepwebinarsetupprocess
Trackwebinarregistrants On‐demandregistrantreports
Gather&focusattendees One‐clickentry,simpleattendeeinterface
Presentanddemonstrateanylivecontent
Real‐timescreensharing,annotation
Engageattendees Pop‐uppolling
Measureactivefeedback Q&A,surveys
Monitorpassivefeedback Presenterdashboard
Qualifyinterest One‐clickattendeereportsrankedbyinterest
Deliveron‐demandcontent Recordedwebinarstorageandunlimitedstreaming
Trackviewersofrecordings On‐demandrecordedwebinarviewerreports
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“Feedback, feedback, feedback. When they come to the event, we gather information that helps us design better programs to meet the needs of each constituent segment.”
Tonya Harris, Learning Manager Aetna