how to reach your customer base with online training

©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


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?”


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.


"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


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


“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.


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


“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

how to reach your customer base with online training

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