Do You Teach Procedures or More?

In the "All Systems Go" article in the August 2016 issue of TD magazine (Elkins and Elkins), the authors describe six decisions to make when creating online software training. The article is intended for an audience who needs to train employees. I'd like to unpack those decisions for an audience that trains vendors and customers, whether it is for customer marketing, onboarding, or support strategies.

The first decision has to do with context. “Do you teach just the procedures, or more?” This is especially relevant if you use online videos or training as a marketing tool. You want your customers to get the most value possible out of your product to not only keep them as customers, but to make them so happy, they refer their friends and colleagues to purchase or subscribe to your product as well.
 
Providing a step-by-step procedure in online help or even a training video can be quite helpful. But you think about how you are providing context for that procedure? Would creating a common scenario or other contextual online learning situation provide more impact or more meaning?

​Consider that simply telling your customers why they should use a certain feature may not be enough to motivate them to learn how to use it.

You can use online learning to show not only how a feature solves a problem for them, but how they can perform the procedure. Providing practice through a simulation can go one step further to change the customer’s behavior and increase the chances that they become and remain satisfied customers.
 
Next time, we’ll discuss the second decision from the article-“what can you cut?”