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Our thoughts about all things related to strategic education programs.
Building Stronger Education Programs with Competency Frameworks
Getting started with a competency framework can feel complex, but the benefits are clear. As Echtus CEO Vicky Kennedy shared in our recent webinar, a well-structured framework defines the knowledge, skills, and behaviors needed for success in any role. It acts as a blueprint for growth, helping you measure proficiency, close skill gaps, and design scalable training programs. By aligning learning with real-world outcomes, competency frameworks drive both employee development and customer success.
How to Build a Customer Education Program in 90 Days with a Minimum Viable Academy
Too many customer education programs stall before they ever launch waiting for the perfect platform, flawless content, and complete stakeholder buy-in. A Minimum Viable Academy (MVA) changes that. By focusing on high-impact objectives and launching in just 90 days, you can prove value quickly, reduce onboarding time, and build momentum with your customer education program without a massive budget. This blog shows you exactly how to scope, build, and launch an MVA that delivers measurable results fast.
Introducing the Customer Education Competency Model™: A Strategic Guide for Growth
Explore the Customer Education Competency Model™, a research-backed customer education framework outlining seven key skill areas—Business, Strategic, Leadership, People, Process, Andragogical, and Technical. Designed to cover roles from CE associate to CE leader, this model provides clear proficiency statements to empower you and your team to grow.
How to Run Content Discovery Sprints to Improve Your Customer Education Program
You don’t need to start from scratch to build or improve your customer education program. A Content Discovery Sprint helps you uncover, evaluate, and repurpose this hidden content fast, so you can save time, align teams, and launch impactful customer education initiatives without reinventing the wheel.
Myth-Busting: Should You Outsource Your Customer Education?
Think outsourcing your customer education won’t work? Think again! The truth is, partnering with experienced instructional designers and education consultants can help you launch high-quality programs faster, free up your internal teams, and deliver better learning outcomes. In this post, we bust the top myths about outsourcing customer education and show how the right partner can drive product adoption, reduce churn, and improve customer loyalty without sacrificing quality or control.
Seven Dimensions of Customer Education Strategy that Smart Companies Prioritize
Does your organization have a clear customer education strategy to teach customers about your products, solutions, and industry practices? A well-defined customer education strategy ensures that your programs are aligned with business goals while delivering meaningful learning experiences. Whether you’re designing onboarding programs, certifications, or partner training, implementing effective customer education strategies can build trust, improve engagement, and maximize ROI. In this article, we explore how organizations can develop and execute mature customer education strategies using a structured framework to drive measurable results.
Should Learning & Development Oversee Your Company’s Education Strategy?
Who should own your company’s customer education strategy? While it might seem like a natural fit for Learning & Development, the reality is more complex. Discover the key differences between learning and education strategies, and why finding the right home for customer education could be the strategic game-changer your business needs.
"Making a List, Checking it Twice" An EOY Checklist for Customer Education Program Managers
Closing out the year with a solid plan is essential for customer education leads and program managers. This post provides a practical end-of-year checklist, helping managers wrap up key tasks like auditing course content, reviewing engagement and performance metrics, gathering stakeholder feedback, and setting preliminary goals to improve your customer education program for the coming year.
Where Customer Education Should Fit in a Company Structure and Organizational Best Practices
Where should your customer education team sit within your organization? From customer success to marketing, the right placement can significantly impact business outcomes. Discover key strategies for designing an effective structure that maximizes ROI and drives cohesive learning experiences
Top Features to Look for in a Customer Education Platform
Looking for the best customer education platform to elevate your training programs? A well-designed customer education solution ensures seamless learning experiences, high engagement, and measurable business impact. In this guide, we break down the top features every customer education platform should have, from user-friendly interfaces and content management tools to AI assistants, gamification, and scalability helping you choose the right software to build a successful customer education program.
How to Budget, Plan, and Build a Winning Customer Education Strategy
Launching a structured customer education program can be daunting for growing software companies. This guide breaks down the essential costs, from hiring key roles like Directors of Customer Education and Instructional Designers to choosing the right technology.
Why Program Managers Are a Critical Customer Education Role
Program managers play a critical role in aligning customer education initiatives with business goals, driving measurable outcomes, and ensuring strategic success. Learn how investing in skilled program managers can transform your educational programs and propel your organization forward.
Reference or Competency-Based Education: Which Should You Offer in your Customer Education Program?
Struggling to decide the best approach for your customer education program? Explore the key differences between reference-based and competency-based learning, and discover how to tailor your strategy to meet your goals and your learners' needs. Find the perfect balance to enhance your customer training and achieve impactful business results.
Could You Benefit from a Measurement Framework? Customer Education Metrics and Strategy
Struggling to prove the impact of customer education and training on your company's success? You're not alone! Dive into our guide and learn how to connect the dots between learning initiatives and business outcomes with ease. Say goodbye to guesswork and hello to measurable results!
Are you Ready for an LMS?
Is your company ready for a learning platform? Before diving into this significant investment, consider these crucial steps to ensure you're maximizing the potential of a learning platform. From crafting a program strategy to honing in on audience segments and personas, this checklist will guide you through the essential preparations needed for a successful LMS implementation. Don't get lost in the features; get prepared with a strategic approach!
Mastering Customer Education: How to Build a Holistic Customer Education Strategy
Discover why education strategy is the missing piece in your business puzzle. Uncover the dimensions of a holistic approach and learn how to align your content, delivery, audience, measurement, and communications strategies for maximum impact. From mapping existing programs to avoiding common pitfalls, elevate your education initiatives to drive business success.
Gamification in Customer Education: A Strategic Approach to Engagement and Success
Discover how advanced gamification is revolutionizing customer education, transforming traditional engagement tactics into strategic tools for driving revenue and fostering true learning.
Hiring Your First Customer Education Leader: 5 Questions to Assess Customer Education Role Applicants
Interviewing your company’s first customer education leader can be daunting if you’re coming from a non-education background. Here are 5 questions to help you focus the interview on the right skills, each with green flags and red flags to watch out for.
Customer Education Strategy: 3 Mistakes to Avoid and Best Practices for Success
What does it take to launch a customer education initiative from the ground up? Where should you start, and what pitfalls can you avoid? Here are three of the most common mistakes companies make when it comes to launching their first customer education platform.
5 Signs It’s Time to Refresh Your Customer Education Strategy
A proactive approach to refreshing your customer education strategy is essential for staying ahead in a dynamic business environment. Here are 5 signs it’s time to revisit your strategy.