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After years of focusing on marketing efforts that were meant to bring new leads, companies finally realized there was more value to retention. That’s how customer education became almost an obsession in an attempt to increase product adoption and boost satisfaction.
However, if you had started customer education with traditional training methods (either just in-person or fully online) you wouldn’t be able to reach everyone, let alone meet the needs of today’s learners.
This is where blended learning steps in. 78% of North American organizations are using blended learning for staff development, enhancing flexibility and employee engagement while lowering training costs.
Let me dive into what makes blended learning training programs a must-have strategy for scaling and improving customer training.
What is blended learning?
Blended learning is a training approach that mixes traditional classroom and in-person instruction with digital, online learning. This hybrid model integrates the best of both worlds, giving learners the flexibility of self-paced online modules alongside the interactivity and personal attention that instructor-led sessions bring.
But blended or hybrid learning has been evolving too as the concept isn’t new. Traditionally it simply combined on-site with online learning.
Today, it reunites different delivery methods, technologies, and interactive tools to offer personalized, flexible, and engaging learning experiences. It also integrates adaptive learning, microlearning, immersive technologies, mobile access, collaboration, and data-driven insights to create a dynamic and effective learning environment.
In this article, we’ll hone in on how you can use blended learning for customer training.
Benefits of blended learning for customer education
This pathway between in-person and online training comes with its own set of advantages of blended learning for customer education:
Providing a flexible learning experience
One of the standout benefits of a blended learning approach is how flexible it is. Customers will get the chance to choose exactly how they want to get up to speed with your product and workflows with custom course materials that suit their individual needs.
Self-paced learning, for instance, is largely possible because blended learning exists. This format changes the way customers learn by letting them revisit modules, videos, group activities, or tutorials as often as needed. They can also take their time and choose when they want to go through the study materials based on their own schedules.
Example: A SaaS provider can offer new customers access to an online knowledge base filled with step-by-step tutorials and interactive videos, enabling them to master the basics before diving into more advanced training.
Keeping customers engaged without the extra efforts from your team’s side
To begin with, a blended learning model was needed because traditional training methods were boring. A major strength of blended learning is its ability to present information in diverse ways.
In fact, blended learning is what you make of it. Mix formats, create dedicated content for unique learning preferences; ditch text for videos; scenarios, and quizzes; try social learning; add in live webinars—your call!
Example: In your next product online learning experiences, include short videos explaining key features, quizzes to test understanding, and product walkthroughs to simulate workflows.
Improve knowledge retention for everyone, not just select customers
The biggest value I see with blended learning is that it allows you to reinforce strategies and put people in front of practical applications beyond the initial demos and training sessions. The on-demand online resources you create are the key here. These can further ensure that individual students learn after live training, for all customers, even if they weren’t present at the demo.
Example: A software company will consider creating a library of tutorial videos that explain key features of the product so users can use them to refresh their knowledge and keep up with product changes.
Personalizing learning pathways for customers you couldn’t previously reach
It’s easy to personalize learning materials when you have the right tools in place. However, you’re looking at automation and extra granularity if you want to deliver content for everyone—including customer segments you didn’t have the time for.
By leveraging adaptive technologies and data insights, blended learning platforms deliver content that aligns with a customer’s role, industry, and knowledge level. This personalized approach boosts engagement, enhances relevance, and ensures better learning outcomes for all customers.
Example: A health service provider offering customer training for a medical software platform might tailor content for different learning approaches and users. For instance, frontline staff will get modules on scheduling and patient management while doctors focus their training on accessing patient records, analyzing diagnostic data, and using more advanced tools.
Reach a global audience by staying relevant in all locations
Any blended learning model scales with your business so you can adapt to new markets and learner demands. Exceptionally, I see this as one of the only solutions that let you ensure uniform training globally. Plus, it’s a fundamental solution if your business needs to reach remote clients or accommodate diverse time zones.
Example: A global sports academy could offer online modules covering the basics of coaching, nutrition, and injury prevention.
Build long-term relationships and improve trust
I find the best way of building trust as a business is to get in front of your customers with personal, face-to-face sessions. This is one of the advantages of blended learning that’s possible digitally too as you can organize live workshops that provide learners with the opportunity to connect with instructors and peers, ask questions, and clarify complex topics.
Example: The Lokalise’s Online Academy combines a digital learning process with personalized interactions to build long-term relationships with its customers. With its self-paced modules on localization tools and processes, users can access training materials whenever they need them. The team also added live webinars, Q&A sessions, online discussions, and hands-on workshops to the mix to ensure learners can engage directly with experts, ask questions, and gain personalized insights.
Increase customer success and satisfaction
Blended learning programs help customers gain the skills and knowledge they need to maximize the value of the products or services they’ve purchased. Customer-focused companies saw 51% better retention rates. Additionally, 84% of companies with improved customer experience strategies saw revenue growth and 79% realized cost savings.
Example: Imagine a company that sells high-end home appliances, such as smart refrigerators, washing machines, and ovens. These products often come with advanced features that customers may not fully understand or use, which could affect their overall satisfaction.
A blended learning program for them will include self-paced online courses, interactive tutorials, and step-by-step guides for specific features. The company could also pair this with live webinars and in-person workshops for high-touch customers or those who purchased more premium models.
How to implement blended learning for customer education
Above, I’ve given a couple of examples of ways in which diverse companies can use blended learning in customer training. Now, I’ll show you how you can implement it yourself.
Ready to launch your customer education program?
You can use the four-step approach above to launch or scale your customer education programs.
By adopting LearnWorlds, businesses can automate customer education efforts, offering accessible content delivery and personalized learning paths.
With powerful features like interactive videos, course insights, and SCORM-compliant support, LearnWorlds is an ideal LMS for companies seeking to enhance their customer and corporate training and scale them effectively.
For more details, try LearnWorlds for free and help your customers use your platforms to their full potential!
FAQs
How does blended learning enhance customer satisfaction?
Besides providing flexible and personalized training experiences, it’s also important to let customers learn at their own pace while still having access to real-time support. Successful blended learning approaches for customer education led to an average revenue increase of 7.6%, largely due to enhanced product adoption, increased customer lifetime value, and improved customer satisfaction.
Can blended learning be used for SaaS product training?
Yes, a blended approach helps users at various levels—from beginners to advanced—master the software and use your SaaS product to its full potential. Achieving the latter is a must if you want to upsell your clients and grow your revenue using customer retention.
What tools do I need to deliver blended learning effectively?
To deliver a blended learning approach effectively choose tools like LearnWorlds that offer a flexible and scalable learning management system. LearnWorlds can guarantee you’ll create engaging, personalized learning experiences while still monitoring learner progress and tweaking additional resources for continuous improvement.
Alexandra Cote
Alexandra Cote is a SaaS growth marketer and online instructor who's worked with dozens of brands in the MarTech, HR tech, and productivity space. She's also a strong supporter of staying happy at work and choosing a healthy career path.
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