The importance of product training for a software-as-a-service (SaaS) company can’t be overstated. If people don’t understand how your software works, they won’t use it. It’s as simple as that. That’s why you need a product training strategy.
But you shouldn’t settle for any old product training program. No, if you’re truly interested in fulfilling your product training objectives, your best option is to create a program based on active learning. Let’s talk about why.
What is Active Learning?
Also known as hands-on training or experiential learning, active learning is pretty much exactly what it sounds like. Instead of passively reading a product manual or watching a demonstration, active learning has participants “learn by doing.” In the context of SaaS, it can involve any or all of the following:
- A virtual environment that participants can freely explore.
- Guided product walkthroughs.
- Exercises and simulations that highlight your product’s key features.
- Quizzes and polls.
- Collaborative projects.
- Problem-solving challenges.
How Can Active Learning Enhance SaaS Product Training?
Remember when you first learned to drive? Many of you probably started with a written exam, memorizing the various traffic signals and laws. Did that exam prepare you in any way, shape, or form to actually operate a motor vehicle?
Probably not.
You needed time behind the wheel. You needed to experience the road for yourself so that you could develop the necessary skills. That’s the basic idea behind active learning as it applies to the SaaS space.
While you can learn how to operate an app entirely through reading, experiential learning tends to be far more effective, owing to its many benefits.
Higher Engagement
Picture two salespeople. Both are incredibly knowledgeable about your software and skilled at cultivating strong customer relationships. The only difference between the two? The demo they will be delivering to their prospect.
One is taking the traditional approach, showing a video demonstration to prospects. The other has spun up a personalized virtual lab to simulate how your software might fit into each prospect’s environment. All else being equal, which of the two do you think will be more successful?
Active learning is simply the more compelling option — and it makes learners far more likely to complete their training.
Improved Comprehension and Recall
Most people find it easier to remember something when they’ve had a chance to apply it in a practical context. It’s more or less the same with comprehension. You can read all about how a particular software feature works, but words on a page are no substitute for actually using the feature yourself.
This means that active learning not only has the potential to help your onboarding process go more smoothly but also reduces the workload of your support team. After all, customers will have a better understanding of how everything works, so they’ll be less likely to need technical assistance.
Increased Customer Retention
Active learning is also an incredibly powerful way to demonstrate your software’s value, especially if you’re able to personalize it to each customer’s environment. People no longer need to take you at your word that your software can help them. They’ve witnessed firsthand what it can do.
Moreover, because a hands-on approach helps customers see the value of your software both faster and more clearly, it drives adoption, encourages continuous use, and ultimately, improves retention — all things that are incredibly valuable in today’s hyper-competitive landscape.
Learner Autonomy
Traditional customer education and onboarding programs are usually pretty rigid in terms of what participants can and cannot do. That doesn’t need to be the case with active learning. Instead, trainees can be given complete freedom to explore your software however they see fit, making it more likely they’ll walk away from the training satisfied.
Better Feedback Mechanisms
Because active learning typically involves real-time participation, it makes it a lot easier to assess each individual learner’s performance. Someone who’s struggling in a passive learning environment might fall behind before anyone realizes it. With experiential learning, it’s a lot easier to identify someone who’s having trouble and proactively reach out with aid.
Supports Microlearning
Rather than delivering content in large, uninterrupted chunks, microlearning breaks it down into highly focused segments. Each microlearning module requires a few minutes at most to complete and can be delivered contextually to trainees. For example, if someone is exploring a new feature of your software, they could be provided with an active microlearning module to help them get their footing with the feature.
The nature of microlearning is much less compatible with passive training methodologies. After all, it takes a lot longer to memorize how a feature works compared to just practicing with it. It’s less engaging, too.
Learn How to Bridge the Gap Between Onboarding and Adoption
Now that you understand how active learning can enhance product training, let’s talk a bit more about its end goal: Product adoption. Check out How to Increase Product Adoption with Customer Training. Then, when you’re done, have a look at 5 Key Metrics to Align Training and GTM Teams.
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