Product Knowledge Training tips for 2021

If you are searching for a learning solution that can help your sales team level up their skills and improve customer experiences, you might want to consider investing in product knowledge training. The customer service experience is now one of the top differentiators consumers consider before they make a purchase. Increasing your team's sales skills and ensuring that they have an in-depth knowledge base to answer questions quickly and easily can improve customer satisfaction.

However, Covid19 has significantly changed the world of L&D. Much of the training methods that were effective just a year ago no longer suit the needs of modern learners. To help you better navigate these changes, we will share with you the top tips for delivering effective product training in 2021.

Develop Remote Friendly Training

The recent shift in workplace environments is something leading organizations should not ignore. The pandemic caused businesses in nearly every industry to change their workplace models to allow some form of remote work.

55% of businesses globally offer some capacity for remote work currently (1). Interestingly, 99% of employees who work remotely want to continue to do so in the future (2) How does this impact product knowledge training?

Many organizations are considering adopting hybrid workplace models. This is where employees have more flexible schedules that alternate working in the office and remote locations. Traditional training methods such as face-to-face instructor-led activities like role play are no longer effective strategies. This is why today's most successful product training programs are remote-friendly and offer online training courses and activities.

Use a Blend of Training Modalities

Although instructor-led programs are declining in popularity, utilizing a blended approach is still a solid strategy for training success. According to LinkedIn's Workplace Learning Report for 2021, blended online learning programs will become more popular as we move forward this year (3).

Utilizing a blend of remote-friendly modalities increases engagement and knowledge retention rates in your product training programs. Virtual instructor-led courses can replace in-person instruction while providing the same social aspects. Integrating a blend of eLearning such as scenario-based simulations, video content, and gamified activities will also help engage learners.

Use Experiential Learning to Create Context

To provide exceptional customer service, your sales teams must know the ins and outs of your organization's products or services. Your customer-facing employees need to have a deeper understanding of how your companies' offerings provide solutions for different customers.

You can leverage experiential training methods such as scenario-based learning to show sales reps real-world examples. They show learners how different features and benefits can be of value for varying customer types. This form of online training helps to create context around different subjects. It also allows learners to practice their newly learned skills without risk in a simulated environment.

Provide Support Materials to Reinforce Learning

One tough challenge L&D teams deal with today is finding new ways to increase knowledge retention. The Ebbinghaus Forgetting Curve suggests that people forget 90% of the information they learn just a month later (3). This can significantly impact the effectiveness of your sales training programs. High program completion rates don't matter if your employees cannot remember what they have learned.

One of the best ways you can increase your product training programs' effectiveness is by providing support materials that learners can reference after the initial course is completed. These materials include printable PDFs, short refresher videos, posters, pamphlets, and infographics. These materials provide support to employees while they are on the job. They can fit into the workday flow, making it easier for learners to apply these skills in real life.

Utilize a Microlearning Approach

Another highly effective strategy modern organizations can use to develop quality product training programs is the microlearning approach. Microlearning is when training concepts are broken down into bite-sized pieces of content that can be easily digested. When you use this approach, each part of the training focuses on a single product or topic.

This approach to delivering training content increases the effectiveness of product training programs in two different ways. The way microlearning is segmented makes it both engaging and memorable, increasing knowledge retention. Much of the online content we consume every day is broken down into short, engaging bursts of information, making the format familiar.

Microlearning content is also effective because it increases the relevancy of the training. The bite-sized format allows learners to look up and watch content about the specific or product they want to learn more about. This makes it possible for learners to use it as just-in-time training material or reference guide on the job.

EndNote

Implementing an effective product knowledge training program can give your organization a competitive edge and provide several business benefits. Product knowledge training can help your organization improve sales performance, enhance customer experiences, boost upselling and promote customer loyalty. Learn how Infopro Learning creates learning solutions that produce business results and read the case study, Product Knowledge Training for Sales Efficiency.