How to Reach Your Customer Base with Online Training
A 1080 Group White Paper Prepared for Citrix Online
May
2007
©
2007
1080
Group,
LLC
Page
1
What You Will Learn
A
problem
in
the
world
of
corporate
training
is
that
traditional
information‐ sharing
settings
such
as
an
in‐person
meeting,
classroom,
or
seminar,
are
becoming
more
expensive
–
both
in
terms
of
money
and
time.
Further,
globalization
is
a
trend
with
increasing
impact
for
all
–
even
for
organizations
whose
customers
or
employees
are
not
overseas.
Historically
the
advantage
leaned
toward
organizations
with
the
resources
to
absorb
the
cost
and
time
associated
with
distance
and
difference. How
then
does
an
organization
reach
increasingly
distracted
customers
with
engaging
content
while
feeling
the
pinch
of
budget
and
headcount? Web‐based
meetings
and
seminars
(i.e.,
“webinars”)
allow
users
to
meet,
train,
or
collaborate
effectively
and
efficiently,
each
individual
participating
from
their
own
desktop.
Webinars,
and
recordings
of
those
webinars,
give
organizations
–
even
single
individuals
–
the
opportunity
to
reach
more
people
more
quickly
than
ever
before
with
a
rich
visual
communication
experience.
To
look
at
how
organizations
today
are
rising
to
meet
training
challenges,
1080
Group,
LLC
conducted
both
quantitative
and
qualitative
research
into
how
firms
of
all
sizes
are
using
webinars
to
reach
their
customer
base. This
white
paper
focuses
on
three
things:
1. Key
highlights
from
the
research
conducted 2. What
organizations
should
focus
on
when
planning
or
accelerating
their
own
online
training
programs
3. Insightful
information
about
Citrix®
GoToMeeting®
Corporate,
Web
conferencing
software
that
can
quickly
and
economically
help
individuals
or
organizations
reach
their
customers
with
effective
online
training
©
2007
1080
Group,
LLC
Page
1
Webinars Growing Beyond Replacing Travel
In
our
recent
1080
Group
survey,
81
percent
of
respondents
are
using
Web
conferencing
for
some
part
of
their
customer
training
initiatives. Companies
were
asked
to
rank
a
list
of
benefits
webinars
bring
to
their
organizations.
In
order,
the
top
three
responses
were
as
follows:
• Reaching
more
trainees
with
the
same
headcount • Presenting
ourselves
as
thought
leaders
in
our
industry
• Being
more
effective
with
our
budget Further,
33
percent
of
respondents
noted
that
their
online
training
programs
are
receiving
a
higher
priority
this
year
versus
last
year.
Another
58
percent
have
the
same
priority
this
year
versus
last. Current Users Recommend Flexibility and Ease of Use One
open‐ended
question
asked,
“If
you
were
going
to
give
a
piece
of
advice
to
someone
evaluating
the
use
of
Web
conferencing
for
corporate
training,
what
would
it
be?” Though
answers
varied
in
length
and
style,
two
distinct
themes
repeatedly
emerged:
• Flexibility
(50
percent
of
responses) • Ease
of
use
(40
percent
of
responses) Examples
of
these
responses
include
the
following:
“Ensure
that
the
software
you
use
has
multiple
functions
to
serve
all
departments
within
an
organization
(for
example,
has
training
AND
meeting
capabilities,
depending
on
the
need).
Make
sure
it
is
user‐friendly
for
your
audience,
depending
on
their
resources” “Really
look
at
the
usability
and
features.
If
it
is
too
hard
to
use,
no
one
will
adopt
the
application.
Avoid
conferencing
apps
that
ONLY
provide
application
sharing” “Make
the
forum
user‐friendly
and
appealing…
Top‐of‐the‐line
technology
is
important.
Money
should
not
be
an
issue
in
the
interest
of
success” “Think
about
which
courses
you
truly
need
to
deliver
live
vs.
on
demand.
Those
that
require
a
lot
of
interaction
with
presenting
experts
required,
or
role
playing
and
white‐boarding
may
require
live,
but
the
rest
may
not.
What
is
the
opportunity
cost
of
asking
employees,
customers,
and
partners
to
take
time
away
from
their
core
jobs
during
peak
times?
and
how
much
of
their
schedule
can
you
demand?”
91% of respondents note the same or higher priority for online training this year versus last
©
2007
1080
Group,
LLC
Page
2
"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 IT Western Seminary
Current Users Recommend Blending Live and ‘On-Demand’ Sessions Respondents
were
asked
to
rank
tactics
they
would
recommend
that
work
best
for
ensuring
optimum
exposure
of
key
training
messages.
Consistent
with
the
previously
noted
preference
of
“reaching
more
trainees
with
the
same
headcount”
and
the
qualitative
answers
recommending
flexibility,
86
percent
of
respondents
chose
“deliver
a
blend
of
live
and
recorded
training
sessions.”
5% 2% 7% Blended Live Only On-Demand Only Other
86%
86%
of
respondents
believe
blending
live
and
on‐demand
sessions
is
best
for
improving
customer
participation
Best Practices in Online Training Programs
In
order
to
conduct
online
training
programs
that
will
accomplish
the
goals
you
are
seeking,
it
is
imperative
to
understand
key
elements
that
ensure
success.
This
section
addresses
these
steps
and
provides
guidance
on
how
to
accomplish
them.
Plan and Set Up Your Program
Effective
planning
and
setup
requires
coordinating
several
distinct
activities.
These
include: Create a Compelling Description and Schedule Adult
learners
respond
best
when
provided
clear
descriptions
of
learning
outcomes.
Our
research
indicates
that
offering
“how‐to”
information
or
best
practices
related
to
the
customer’s
profession
or
industry
increase
the
likelihood
of
their
attending
a
session.
©
2007
1080
Group,
LLC
Page
3
Thirty‐nine
percent
of
survey
respondents
indicated
it
is
better
to
hold
live
training
sessions
earlier
in
the
business
day.
Eighty‐six
percent,
however,
indicated
a
preference
for
using
a
blend
of
live
webinars
and
on‐demand
sessions
–
providing
customers
convenient
access
to
content
at
any
time.
By allowing ondemand 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.
Invitations
should
describe
benefits
and
make
it
easy
to
register
Leverage Both Proactive and Passive Awareness Proactively
inviting
customers
to
training
sessions,
even
for
those
who
do
not
respond
immediately,
is
an
opportunity
to
remind
them
of
the
expertise
available
to
them.
Linking
to
the
training
program
registration
site
from
the
corporate
Web
site
is
recommended
to
maximize
the
number
of
registrants
who
sign
up
for
training. Gather and Focus Invitees through Registration and Reminders Collecting
information
from
registrants
is
a
vital
function
of
training
programs.
At
a
minimum,
a
name
and
email
address
help
identify
the
customer
and
will
allow
a
webinar
confirmation
to
be
immediately
sent
to
the
registrant
with
instructions
about
how
to
log
in
to
the
training
session.
Plan
to
request
other
information
that
is
critical
to
improving
future
service
and
sales,
especially
an
open
invitation
to
registrants
to
provide
questions
and
comments.
This
feedback,
shared
with
presenters
prior
to
the
training
session,
may
assist
them
in
tailoring
content.
Monitor
invitation
and
registration
activity
in
real
time
©
2007
1080
Group,
LLC
Page
4
Planning
to
send
at
least
one
reminder
approximately
one
day
before
the
session
is
most
common,
and
increasingly
invitees
prefer
a
reminder
a
few
hours
in
advance.
Each
reminder
email
should
contain
a
link
that
allows
the
registrant
to
instantly
attend.
Reminders
should
present
instructions
clearly
and
provide
one‐click
session
entry
Create and Deliver Content
One
of
the
greatest
benefits
to
being
able
to
present
and
demonstrate
any
live
content
from
the
desktop
is
being
able
to
interactively
engage
with
an
audience.
In
our
research,
three
things
optimize
this
effort:
ease
of
preparation,
effective
delivery
of
content,
and
ability
to
measure
and
monitor
feedback. Practice Interactivity Using Rehearsals Training
content
is
often
delivered
by
several
different
subject
matter
experts
(SMEs)
within
an
organization.
In
our
research,
the
top
usage
concern
among
trainers
is
“how
quickly
presenters
can
get
up
to
speed.”
Providing
SMEs
with
convenient
access
to
the
“room”
where
they
will
be
presenting
ensures
that
they
can
be
familiar
with
dashboards,
polls,
and
question/answer
tools
that
optimize
interactivity.
Use Live, Interactive Sessions to Engage the Audience Live,
online
training
is
best
when
trainers
and
attendees
interact
simultaneously.
Trainers
should
use
a
blend
of
experiences
with
the
attendees,
such
as
the
following: • Show/demonstrate
any
type
of
content
through
real‐time
screen
sharing • Use
pointers,
highlighters,
and
annotation
tools
to
keep
them
focused
on
key
points
or
locations • Ask
attendees
questions
using
pop‐up
polls,
Q&A
and
survey
forms
“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
©
2007
1080
Group,
LLC
Page
5
It
is
important
to
monitor
the
audience
throughout
the
training
session
to
make
sure
they
are
engaged.
This
can
be
done
by
keeping
an
eye
on,
and
responding
to,
information
about
trainees’
responses
in
real
time.
GoToMeeting® Corporate allows trainers to monitor and respond in real time to active feedback, such as submitted questions, and passive feedback, such as “attentiveness.”
With
“presenting
ourselves
as
thought
leaders”
a
significant
concern
for
survey
respondents,
we
suggest
using
interactivity
with
specific
intent
to
gather
additional,
actionable
information
for
post‐event
reporting
and
improvement.
Answers
gathered
over
one
or
more
training
sessions,
for
instance,
may
assist
the
organization
in
creating
a
useful
“FAQ,”
or
frequently‐asked‐questions
document
or
provide
insight
into
how
key
marketing,
sales,
or
training
messages
are
being
received.
Record Sessions for On-Demand Viewing Recording
a
training
session
and
posting
it
to
a
Web
site
provides
customers
who
did
not
or
could
not
attend
the
live
session
a
means
of
accessing
the
content.
Over
time,
a
collection
of
recordings
can
become
a
valuable
library
that
makes
training
content
instantly
accessible. On‐demand
sessions
may
also
require
viewers
to
register
before
viewing
the
content.
Our
surveys
show
that
trainers
use
this
registration
in
the
same
way
as
live‐session
registration:
to
identify
registrants
for
future
communication,
to
gather
feedback,
and
to
assess
overall
interest.
©
2007
1080
Group,
LLC
Page
6
Learn and Improve through Reporting and Analysis
“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
Analysis
of
registrant
and
trainee
data
is
critical.
Data
should
be
easily
accessible
to
ensure
appropriate
follow
up.
For
example,
a
sales
team
may
plan
first
to
call
the
attendees
expressing
the
greatest
degree
of
interest.
A
marketing
or
product
team
may
use
evaluations
to
determine
priorities
for
the
next
version
of
product
development.
Citrix® GoToMeeting® Corporate: Feature-Benefit Analysis
Goal
Set
up
webinar
training
sessions
in
minutes Track
webinar
registrants
Gather
&
focus
attendees Present
and
demonstrate
any
live
content Engage
attendees Measure
active
feedback Monitor
passive
feedback Qualify
interest Deliver
on‐demand
content Track
viewers
of
recordings
Feature‐Benefit
Three‐step
webinar
setup
process
On‐demand
registrant
reports One‐click
entry,
simple
attendee
interface Real‐time
screen
sharing,
annotation Pop‐up
polling Q&A,
surveys Presenter
dashboard One‐click
attendee
reports
ranked
by
interest Recorded
webinar
storage
and
unlimited
streaming On‐demand
recorded
webinar
viewer
reports
©
2007
1080
Group,
LLC
Page
7
Summary
Saving
on
travel
costs
is
an
undeniable
benefit
to
delivering
training
programs
online.
Further,
many
hidden
costs
associated
with
travel
such
as
lost
productivity
time,
are
easily
overlooked.
In
our
research,
however,
we
found
other
benefits
that
respondents
appreciated
even
more
–
regardless
of
the
size
of
their
organization. Reach More Customers More Often Many
organizations
face
a
constraint
on
headcount,
which
means
a
limit
to
how
much
they
can
reach
customers
with
key
training
messages.
Use
of
online
training
increases
how
frequently
training
sessions
can
be
effectively
conducted
by
any
given
individual.
Add
to
this
the
ability
to
record
training
sessions,
and
that
content
is
now
available
to
be
accessed
over
and
over,
around
the
clock.
Increase Organizational Productivity Many
instructors
bear
more
responsibility
than
just
training,
and
often
executives,
sales
staff,
marketers,
and
others
are
presenters
and
subject
matter
experts. Further,
many
organizations
find
it
does
not
make
sense
to
purchase
or
support
multiple
applications
if
one
vendor’s
solution
has
the
flexibility
to
support
their
needs
for
live
online
training,
recorded
‘on
demand’
training,
meetings,
and
marketing
webinars.
Intuitive
one‐click
meetings
and
do‐it‐yourself
webinars
that
accommodate
multiple
usage
models
mean
the
organization
spends
less
time
on
planning
and
managing
activities. Deliver Impact Globally and Measurably Online
training
“levels
playing
field”
by
giving
even
the
smallest
organizations
the
opportunity
to
securely
reach
customers
in
disparate
locations,
all
at
the
same
time.
Through
real‐time
registration,
attendance
tracking,
polling,
Q&A,
and
surveys,
assessing
and
responding
to
customer
interests
and
needs
is
instant
and
measurable.
Additional
data
gathered
from
customers
registering
for
on‐demand
recordings
allows
organizations
to
respond
to
ever‐changing
market
conditions.
©
2007
1080
Group,
LLC.
All
rights
reserved.
This
document
may
not
be
reproduced
in
any
manner
either
wholly
or
in
part
for
any
use
whatsoever
without
express
written
consent
from
1080
Group,
LLC.
©
2007
1080
Group,
LLC
Page
8