Why Prove ROI in Customer Learning?
Proving the ROI of your customer learning program is critical to gaining momentum and scaling over time – but it’s also one of the most challenging hurdles you’ll face. In fact, “Communicating training value to our organization” was one of the top challenges identified in our 2022 State of Customer Education report. Without the buy-in that comes with clear value ascribed to your team, you’re likely experiencing obstacles like low bandwidth, strain to keep up with the product, or an underpowered team and a growing backlog.
But, there’s good news. In our research on the growth and maturity of learning organizations, we found that those who were able to successfully measure and showcase the ROI of their programs had a very different reality. In fact, they benefited from a fully-staffed team, a versatile tech stack, and easy access to cross-functional partners.
To help bridge this gap and break down the steps to winning buy-in, we built a series of helpful tools, job aids, and resources that could help any customer learning program rise to the next level of investment. We call it the ROI Toolkit. From choosing the right KPIs, to measuring and tracking those results, to building a business case to your most critical stakeholders, our ROI Toolkit can help you no matter where you are in the process.
Customer Learning ROI = Measurement and Advocacy
There are two key components to proving ROI and securing buy-in for customer learning: first, measuring the true value and impact of your program, and second, using that data to tell a story that others can get onboard with from the beginning.
These two components don’t happen in a vacuum – and often, program leaders might find themselves caught in a trap between measurement and advocacy, not knowing where to start. After all, how can you advocate for your program without great data? And yet, how can you afford sophisticated measurement technology without buy-in to begin with? This may certainly feel like a can’t-win scenario.
But, we’ve found achievable ways to uncover the data you need and prove the value of your program – without a BI connector or a high-tech data warehouse built into your learning tech stack. And, the process all starts with choosing the right KPIs to measure against and having a clear vision for your ultimate learning program.
Our ROI Toolkit: 5 Steps to Measure Customer Learning ROI and Secure Buy-In
In this toolkit, you’ll find everything you need to take the guesswork out of proving customer learning ROI and securing stakeholder buy-in. We’ve included great content to inspire you along the way, plus downloadable templates to jump in and get started right away.
Our toolkit follows a simple 5-step methodology you can use, even if you’re starting from the very beginning:
- Identify meaningful business impact outcomes. You’ll need to choose impact metrics that are both relevant for your business and achievable for your program.
- Choose your KPIs and source your data. Organize your data (and know who you’ll collaborate with to track it down) to choose KPIs that really tell a story to stakeholders down the road.
- Establish a learning score to differentiate trained & untrained. Knowing how to define cohorts of customers in a meaningful way will be a huge step in demonstrating overall impact.
- Analyze and visualize the data. Build a dashboard to show off the results you’ve worked to collect.
- Advocate in 360 degrees. Know how to strategize and share your value story with different groups across the organization.
For more on these 5 steps, and our downloadable templates and tools, check out the ROI Toolkit now.
