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Our thoughts about all things related to strategic education programs.

How to Build a Customer Education Program in 90 Days with a Minimum Viable Academy
Customer Education, EdTech Vicky Kennedy Customer Education, EdTech Vicky Kennedy

How to Build a Customer Education Program in 90 Days with a Minimum Viable Academy

Too many customer education programs stall before they ever launch waiting for the perfect platform, flawless content, and complete stakeholder buy-in. A Minimum Viable Academy (MVA) changes that. By focusing on high-impact objectives and launching in just 90 days, you can prove value quickly, reduce onboarding time, and build momentum with your customer education program without a massive budget. This blog shows you exactly how to scope, build, and launch an MVA that delivers measurable results fast.

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Introducing the Customer Education Competency Model™: A Strategic Guide for Growth
Customer Education, Leadership Vicky Kennedy Customer Education, Leadership Vicky Kennedy

Introducing the Customer Education Competency Model™: A Strategic Guide for Growth

Explore the Customer Education Competency Model™, a research-backed customer education framework outlining seven key skill areas—Business, Strategic, Leadership, People, Process, Andragogical, and Technical. Designed to cover roles from CE associate to CE leader, this model provides clear proficiency statements to empower you and your team to grow.

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How to Run Content Discovery Sprints to Improve Your Customer Education Program

How to Run Content Discovery Sprints to Improve Your Customer Education Program

You don’t need to start from scratch to build or improve your customer education program. A Content Discovery Sprint helps you uncover, evaluate, and repurpose this hidden content fast, so you can save time, align teams, and launch impactful customer education initiatives without reinventing the wheel.

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Seven Dimensions of Customer Education Strategy that Smart Companies Prioritize

Seven Dimensions of Customer Education Strategy that Smart Companies Prioritize

Does your organization have a clear customer education strategy to teach customers about your products, solutions, and industry practices? A well-defined customer education strategy ensures that your programs are aligned with business goals while delivering meaningful learning experiences. Whether you’re designing onboarding programs, certifications, or partner training, implementing effective customer education strategies can build trust, improve engagement, and maximize ROI. In this article, we explore how organizations can develop and execute mature customer education strategies using a structured framework to drive measurable results.

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Should Learning & Development Oversee Your Company’s Education Strategy?
Customer Education, Leadership Vicky Kennedy Customer Education, Leadership Vicky Kennedy

Should Learning & Development Oversee Your Company’s Education Strategy?

Who should own your company’s customer education strategy? While it might seem like a natural fit for Learning & Development, the reality is more complex. Discover the key differences between learning and education strategies, and why finding the right home for customer education could be the strategic game-changer your business needs.

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Where Customer Education Should Fit in a Company Structure and Organizational Best Practices
Customer Education, Leadership Vicky Kennedy Customer Education, Leadership Vicky Kennedy

Where Customer Education Should Fit in a Company Structure and Organizational Best Practices

Where should your customer education team sit within your organization? From customer success to marketing, the right placement can significantly impact business outcomes. Discover key strategies for designing an effective structure that maximizes ROI and drives cohesive learning experiences

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Top Features to Look for in a Customer Education Platform
Customer Education Vicky Kennedy Customer Education Vicky Kennedy

Top Features to Look for in a Customer Education Platform

Looking for the best customer education platform to elevate your training programs? A well-designed customer education solution ensures seamless learning experiences, high engagement, and measurable business impact. In this guide, we break down the top features every customer education platform should have, from user-friendly interfaces and content management tools to AI assistants, gamification, and scalability helping you choose the right software to build a successful customer education program.

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How to Budget, Plan, and Build a Winning Customer Education Strategy

How to Budget, Plan, and Build a Winning Customer Education Strategy

Launching a structured customer education program can be daunting for growing software companies. This guide breaks down the essential costs, from hiring key roles like Directors of Customer Education and Instructional Designers to choosing the right technology.

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Reference or Competency-Based Education: Which Should You Offer in your Customer Education Program?
Customer Education, Instructional Design Vicky Kennedy Customer Education, Instructional Design Vicky Kennedy

Reference or Competency-Based Education: Which Should You Offer in your Customer Education Program?

Struggling to decide the best approach for your customer education program? Explore the key differences between reference-based and competency-based learning, and discover how to tailor your strategy to meet your goals and your learners' needs. Find the perfect balance to enhance your customer training and achieve impactful business results.

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Are you Ready for an LMS?
Customer Education, EdTech Vicky Kennedy Customer Education, EdTech Vicky Kennedy

Are you Ready for an LMS?

Is your company ready for a learning platform? Before diving into this significant investment, consider these crucial steps to ensure you're maximizing the potential of a learning platform. From crafting a program strategy to honing in on audience segments and personas, this checklist will guide you through the essential preparations needed for a successful LMS implementation. Don't get lost in the features; get prepared with a strategic approach!

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Mastering Customer Education: How to Build a Holistic Customer Education Strategy
Customer Education Vicky Kennedy Customer Education Vicky Kennedy

Mastering Customer Education: How to Build a Holistic Customer Education Strategy

Discover why education strategy is the missing piece in your business puzzle. Uncover the dimensions of a holistic approach and learn how to align your content, delivery, audience, measurement, and communications strategies for maximum impact. From mapping existing programs to avoiding common pitfalls, elevate your education initiatives to drive business success.

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Customer Education Strategy: 3 Mistakes to Avoid and Best Practices for Success

Customer Education Strategy: 3 Mistakes to Avoid and Best Practices for Success

What does it take to launch a customer education initiative from the ground up? Where should you start, and what pitfalls can you avoid? Here are three of the most common mistakes companies make when it comes to launching their first customer education platform.

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Rethinking the “Trained Customer”: A Modern Approach to Customer Education
Customer Education Vicky Kennedy Customer Education Vicky Kennedy

Rethinking the “Trained Customer”: A Modern Approach to Customer Education

The term "trained customer" stems from a traditional on-the-job training approach where employees are expected to perform specific functions accurately. This concept originated from the binary distinction of trained versus untrained in contexts. However, in the modern customer interaction landscape, the idea of a "trained customer" is a myth as customer behavior has become nuanced and spans a spectrum of competencies rather than a binary distinction.

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6 Places Education Shows up in a Technology Company
Customer Education, Certification Vicky Kennedy Customer Education, Certification Vicky Kennedy

6 Places Education Shows up in a Technology Company

The word ‘education’ carries a heavy context, as it’s commonly used in reference to formal schooling. Yet the practice of education can be highly valuable outside of the academic classroom. Education is unique, and when leveraged as a unique discipline, it can contribute to a business’ success in quite a variety of ways.

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How to train your customers and partners using adaptive learning experiences
Customer Education, Product Training, EdTech Vicky Kennedy Customer Education, Product Training, EdTech Vicky Kennedy

How to train your customers and partners using adaptive learning experiences

Personalized learning is an effective approach to tailoring learning experiences to the level and abilities of each of your learners. It has powerful implications for large-scale enterprise learning programs like customer academies, partner training, and product education. Yet, it’s underutilized in these areas. This article dives into the requirements necessary to make adaptive learning technology work for you, including tips on leveraging frameworks for adaptable content structure.

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