President Trump Robot Speech - Parody

Source From: https://youtu.be/FH19J-q2hMg

President Trump Robot Speech - with Lincoln, Washington, Obama. This is a parody from the audio from Donald Trump's Tulsa, Oklahoma rally speech. Original Editor: Steven Rosenthal Editor Twitter: https://twitter.com/Rosenthaltweets Editor Website: https://stevenrosenthal.net

President Trump Robot Speech - with Lincoln, Washington, Obama....

President Trump Robot Speech - with Lincoln, Washington, Obama. This is a parody from the audio from Donald Trump’s Tulsa, Oklahoma rally speech. Original Editor: Steven Rosenthal Editor Twitter: https://twitter.com/Rosenthaltweets Editor Website: https://stevenrosenthal.net

► A2 Hosting (Free Moodle LMS): https://bit.ly/a2hosting-3 ►...

► A2 Hosting (Free Moodle LMS): https://bit.ly/a2hosting-3 ► Kinsta Hosting: https://bit.ly/kinsta-yt ► Another Great Host (Free Moodle LMS on Cloud): https://bit.ly/cloudhost-yt ► LearnDash: https://www.learndash.com YouTube Channel - https://www.youtube.com/WesDavis Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/wessness/ Distance Learning - How to Make an Online Classroom Platform that can support an entire organization with thousands of users. Don’t forget to Subscribe! ***COMMENT BELOW***

Distance Learning: How to Make Your Own Online Classroom Platform ($3+)

Source From: https://youtu.be/jdqvpa2Z33A

► A2 Hosting (Free Moodle LMS): https://bit.ly/a2hosting-3 ► Kinsta Hosting: https://bit.ly/kinsta-yt ► Another Great Host (Free Moodle LMS on Cloud): https://bit.ly/cloudhost-yt ► LearnDash: https://www.learndash.com YouTube Channel - https://www.youtube.com/WesDavis Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/wessness/ Distance Learning - How to Make an Online Classroom Platform that can support an entire organization with thousands of users. Don't forget to Subscribe! ***COMMENT BELOW***

Empty Shelves? Coronavirus Panic? In this video, we will discuss...

Empty Shelves? Coronavirus Panic? In this video, we will discuss the COVID-19 panic and what you should do to prepare for the coronavirus while the grocery stores shelves are empty. People online are price gouging and selling hand sanitizer and disinfectant sprays at extremely inflated prices due to the fear and panic. Many people are literally hording products while trying to turn a massive profit. We will make a DIY disinfecting hand sanitizer from products that have likely not sold out and are still available to the public. Also, we will be making a disinfectant spray that you can use at home that is not only safe to use on most items, but is also safe to use on yourself or your hands. This DIY project will result in usable disinfectants that are more than 60% alcohol by volume. These disinfectants are more effective against killing viruses than many of the products available in stores. Don’t forget to Subscribe! Follow Me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wessness/ ***COMMENT BELOW***

Empty Shelves COVID-19 Panic (What You Should Do) *DIY Hand Sanitizer

Source From: https://youtu.be/KPHcYbR4LaA

Empty Shelves? Coronavirus Panic? In this video, we will discuss the COVID-19 panic and what you should do to prepare for the coronavirus while the grocery stores shelves are empty. People online are price gouging and selling hand sanitizer and disinfectant sprays at extremely inflated prices due to the fear and panic. Many people are literally hording products while trying to turn a massive profit. We will make a DIY disinfecting hand sanitizer from products that have likely not sold out and are still available to the public. Also, we will be making a disinfectant spray that you can use at home that is not only safe to use on most items, but is also safe to use on yourself or your hands. This DIY project will result in usable disinfectants that are more than 60% alcohol by volume. These disinfectants are more effective against killing viruses than many of the products available in stores. Don't forget to Subscribe! Follow Me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wessness/ ***COMMENT BELOW***

Podcast 33: Training ROI in Action – With Ajay Pangarkar

WELCOME TO EPISODE 33 OF THE TALENTED LEARNING SHOW

To find out more about this podcast series or to see the full collection of episodes visit The Talented Learning Show main page.

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EPISODE 33 – TOPIC SUMMARY AND GUEST:

If you want to communicate with business leaders about the value of learning programs or technology, training ROI can be a powerful tool. But if you’re not entirely sure what that term means, today’s podcast is for you.

No one I know is more uniquely qualified or passionate about this topic than Ajay Pangarkar, CTDP, FCPA, FCMA. For years, he’s been helping L&D practitioners develop the financial acumen they need to work effectively with decision-makers.

Ajay is an accomplished author, instructor and consultant with credentials in both finance and learning. And today, he shares some of his most useful advice and examples with us.

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KEY TAKEAWAYS:

• Every learning practitioner can benefit from understanding business and financial fundamentals – regardless of whether your programs serve internal or external audiences.

• It’s not necessary for learning specialists to be experts in corporate finance. But basic knowledge can give you the competence and confidence to work more effectively. 

• As other organizational functions rely more heavily on data analysis to inform their decisions and improve their impact, expectations for increased business fluency in L&D are also on the rise.

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Q&A HIGHLIGHTS:

We both focus on the intersection of business and learning, but we come at it from different angles. What led you down this path?

Like many people of a certain generation, I got into training by accident. Originally, I wanted to go into investment banking. So I went to university and studied finance and accounting. Then to my dismay, they told me I was too old to get into currency trading.

So I started a small business training company where I taught startup management teams how to understand business concepts in finance, accounting and marketing. That’s when I pursued a CPA designation here in Canada.

Now fast forward 20-plus years. I was so involved in training, I decided to get a graduate degree in adult education.

I see…

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Around that same time, the training ROI movement started ramping up. So I started reading all the books I could find on this topic. And I could see that it was leading people down a bad path because it didn’t communicate ROI in terms that business leaders want.

How so?

When L&D people spoke with business leaders about training ROI, there were clearly two different mindsets and two different languages. So I decided to focus on the truth as a foundation for training ROI. And that foundation is based on finance and accounting rules that business leaders know.

As you can imagine, this has been controversial. But my goal isn’t to make L&D practitioners look bad. I want them to have more credibility by helping them communicate more effectively with leaders.

I was part of that ROI movement, where we were taught to position learning systems purchases through the lens of training ROI. Why was that approach wrong?

Let’s start with the widespread misunderstanding about return on investment as a concept. The term ROI refers to the DuPont model of ROI analysis. It’s a specific calculation that’s widely used by business and accounting people.

However, many of us use ROI generically when we’re simply asking, “What should we expect from this?”

Got it.

Yet for decades L&D had been desperate to gain more business credibility. That’s because leaders tended to think of it as a necessary evil. “Why do we need this, anyway?” Their budgets were always cut first because learning is intangible. You don’t see direct results.

So when training ROI arrived, it almost became a little magic pill for L&D.

Yep.

Here’s a quick analogy. I was a nerd in school. But I wanted to fit in with the cool kids, so I would listen to their conversations, trying pick-up on terms they used.

One day, I decided to chime-in by using one of their terms and they all looked at me like I was an idiot. Right?

So think of L&D as that nerd in the schoolyard, trying to fit in with the cool-kid business leaders. L&D people have picked up on the term ROI. But despite good intentions, they’ve been using it incorrectly.

So how did this training ROI misunderstanding start?

First, business people have been formally programmed to think of ROI as a literal, specific calculation. It’s not a figurative term.

Right.

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Second, training and development – as a service activity – is seen as a cost by accounting and finance people. But L&D practitioners take this the wrong way – as if cost is a four-letter word.

I want to help people realize that speaking of training as a cost center is not an insult. It’s a way to categorize how budgeted funds are allocated. It’s also a way to measure cost center performance. Because organizations basically have three centers.

What are they?

A profit center, an investment center and a cost center.

And as an activity, training is a cost. It’s an expense. It’s a line-item for a specific reporting period. It can’t be measured in the long-term.

Sure, over the years if you train people well, you’ll see progress in the value of your business. But three years from now, can we say that an employee’s performance improvement is the direct result of a specific training experience? Perhaps it is. But can we actually prove it? No.

So you can’t prove training ROI in this case. Even though it’s a valid investment in people, it’s not a tangible investment.

Makes sense…

You also mentioned something about technology. Here’s where it gets a little convoluted. Even when companies make tangible investments, the balance sheet of the financial statement won’t include a line item for learning.

Maybe that should change. Actually, I’m a proponent of accounting for knowledge because most of today’s successful businesses are knowledge-based organizations.

But the balance sheet is old-fashioned. So you won’t see any type of knowledge accountability there. But you will see the value of the tangible investment – the property, plant and equipment. That’s anything tangible.

Mmhmm…

As you know, L&D often purchases expensive systems like LMSs and devices like laptops or tablets for many people. Those major purchases are capital investments and the expense is measured in the true tangible accounting sense of ROI. Because you can document it on a balance sheet, you can see the value each investment adds over time.

So how does that shape the business case for a major purchase like an LMS?

When you build a business case for learning, you’ll have two components:

• The expense activity – Meaning I trained employees in a particular situation. That is not part of ROI. That’s an expense.
• The technology used – This includes dedicated training and reporting software like an LMS, or hardware like a tablet that delivers content. These are tangible, so their value to the organization can be tracked.

People need to understand how to distinguish these two components from a financial perspective. Now, of course, L&D specialists don’t need to be financial experts. But they should be financially literate. They need some basic understanding. And they need to partner with the right people in their organization like the CFO, so they can work together to build a proper business case for learning.

So how does L&D prove its worth, if you can’t do it through classic ROI methods?

Well, we’re not alone in this, John. Other business functions are support mechanisms, too. One of them is marketing. Another is finance. And there’s HR. These are all intangible to the organization.

What can we learn from them?

Marketing is a good example. Marketing professionals discovered several decades ago that they could spend millions on an ad campaign, but couldn’t necessarily translate that into revenue growth.

Super Bowl commercials are a good analogy. Companies drop $10 million for a Super Bowl spot. But did one ad convince you to buy a bag of Doritos at a store the next day? Can we prove that direct connection? No.

Agreed.

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So what did marketing do? Marketing found technology. Now tracking software captures data about every detail of our online behavior. There are metrics that indicate how a specific marketing activity changes behavior.

Doritos can now analyze this data in detail and create a strategy that helps focus their advertising expenses so they can convince target customers to buy more. This makes it tangible.

Okay…

L&D does the same thing, right? Let’s say you completed a training course and you become more effective at your job. But can I tie that new knowledge in your head to your improved performance? Like the Doritos ad with no data, chances are there’s a connection, but there’s no proof.

We’re trying to make a tangible connection in L&D, but we’re maybe about 10 years behind marketing – not in technology but in our thinking.

We’re using learning systems to figure out how we can track an individual’s progress over time. And the best LMSs are tied into major enterprise systems, which tie into performance management frameworks. These frameworks are driven by senior leadership and they have all the key performance targets and metrics. Everything in there cascades down through the organization.

So at the end of the day, if I train employees to perform better in ways that roll-up through key performance metrics, it should result in more business revenue and profitability, depending on what I’m trying to accomplish.

Could you share an example?

Sure. I love Starbucks. Not just their coffee, but the way they go about serving you the coffee.

The next time you go to Starbucks, think about what happens after you order. First of all, Starbucks already lists custom coffees on its menu, so you can easily pick what you want. But there’s always someone in line ahead of you who wants to customize it even further. That’s fine.

But what’s remarkable is that whatever you order, three minutes later, that coffee will be at the end of the counter for you to pick up, exactly as you want it.

That should impress you for several reasons. First of all, learning technology helps make sure that every barista is skilled enough to make each custom coffee as intended. But it also helps baristas learn how to further customize every coffee, so you get it precisely the way you want it.

Yep.

OK, let’s say you’re not yet impressed. Think about this. At any Starbucks, anywhere in the world, you can order the same coffee, and you know it will be exactly the same, every single time. That’s got to blow your mind.

I’m sold.

OK. So if you believe L&D isn’t getting any credibility, think about Starbucks. That company sees the power of organizational learning. They see the power of equipping baristas with the knowledge and skill to deliver consistent quality every time. And that commitment has led Starbucks to record revenues.

But this is not just about what employees learn. If you tell me how much someone has learned only by looking at test results, that’s not a performance outcome.

Learning needs to help someone improve something they do on the job that leads to a meaningful business result. “Learning is about doing – not about learning.” If I could create a bumper sticker, that would be mine.

It seems to me that extended enterprise learning is closer to the level of sophistication that marketing has achieved than employee-focused training. Do you see that?

I think we may be segregating individual things to measure, when in reality, an organization is made of parts that work together as a whole. It’s not one thing or another. It’s all the elements.

Hmmm…

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Here’s an example. A number of years ago, we worked with Apple’s Worldwide Customer Support Center, also known as AppleCare. At one point Consumer Reports told Steve Jobs, “You don’t even fall in the top 10 of the best customer service companies in the world. People complain about Apple.”

So Steve Jobs decided they we’re going to become number one worldwide – not just with products, but with customer service.

Now, other companies would probably deploy a customer service training program to all employees and hope something sticks. Spray and pray, right?

Sure.

Okay, Apple didn’t do that. Instead they had a fantastic L&D team that decided it was imperative to first analyze and identify support staff weaknesses. How did they do that? They conducted very precise skills gap assessments.

So they did what other L&D professionals do – but backwards. We usually do testing after we do training, but they did testing up-front to benchmark 8000 employees, worldwide.

They deployed these assessments through their intranet – quizzes, exams and tests that employees were asked to complete during their downtime. And in an era before big data, they drove all this data into their servers, so the L&D team could conduct a comprehensive analysis of all the responses.

Wow!

So let’s say Ajay is an AppleCare employee who’s on a call with someone who wants to connect an iPhone to a MacBook. His exam responses show that he lacks sufficient knowledge to help the customer with that need.

Apple can choose to deploy the best resource to help Ajay with that topic. It could be coaching or a tutorial – whatever would offer an immediate fix. But it doesn’t stop there. Apple actually continues to test Ajay iteratively – identifying the right resources to help improve his performance over time.

At the peak of this program, Apple was gathering data from 1.5-2 million tests a year to inform the analysis and content recommendations for its 8000 employees.

Impressive.

Now, Apple isn’t perfect. But I’ve found that AppleCare representatives almost always solve my problems to my satisfaction. And that speaks about the value of knowledge and learning in that organization.

However, that’s not an easy fix. And in my experience, L&D practitioners often want a quick fix. It’s not necessarily their fault. It’s just that they’re under a lot of pressure. But it’s important to push back. We need to look at the process more holistically.

I know you say it’s smart to take a step back and first consider the bigger business picture. I agree. Remember, L&D is a business activity. We’re an internal support activity that exists to help grow a business.

In that respect, we’re just like marketing or HR or finance. So we shouldn’t forget to push back and say, “First of all, we need to understand your objectives and how they tie-in with the business…”

So let’s say you’re assessing a client’s needs. How do you know if that organization has business acumen? What are the telltale signs…?

…For complete answers to this question and more LISTEN TO THE FULL 30-MINUTE PODCAST!

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How to Scale Customer Education Beyond the Classroom

Struggling to train more customers without bringing your team to its knees? How can you expand your reach and add more value in a profitable way? Learn from experts in this virtual roundtable!

Join our Lead Analyst John Leh as he talks with customer success experts Brittany Tamul, of ArrowStream and Barry Kelly of Thought Industries as they share strategies from high-growth companies. You’ll learn:

• How to build an effective blended learning ecosystem
• Guideline for optimizing your content mix
• Strategies for educating customers at each stage in the relationship
• Tips for choosing a technology foundation that adapts to fluctuating needs

REGISTER NOW

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Looking for a learning platform that truly fits your organization’s needs?  We’re here to help!  Submit the form below to schedule a free preliminary consultation at your convenience.

The post Podcast 33: Training ROI in Action – With Ajay Pangarkar appeared first on Talented Learning.

Podcast 33: Training ROI in Action – With Ajay Pangarkar original post at Talented Learning

Are You Overlooking Today’s Hottest Corporate Learning Trend?

Perhaps it’s just me. But I’m beginning to think that an astonishing number of L&D practitioners aren’t paying attention to today’s most promising organizational learning trend. And here’s why…

A Top Learning Trend Hidden in Plain Sight?

Every January, it’s the same story. We’re bombarded with “learning trend” headlines from all corners of the industry. So by the end of the month, our heads are swimming in a flood of forecasts.

I understand the appeal. New and popular stuff can be compelling. Even our own Lead Analyst, John Leh, gets in on the action with annual learning trends commentary of his own. And year after year, those posts zoom straight to the top of our site’s traffic charts.

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However, this year’s wave of learning trend articles seems more tsunami-like than ever. Maybe it’s because we’re entering a new decade. Or maybe it’s because so many information sources are tracking so many interesting learning tools, technologies and techniques.

Whatever the reason, processing all those opinions can be mind-numbing. That’s why it helps to focus on a small cross-section of industry experts.

For example, one of my favorite resources is the annual “L&D Global Sentiment Survey” from Donald H. Taylor, Chair of The Learning Performance Institute.

It started in 2014 as a simple one-question blog poll: “What will be hot in L&D this year?” Although the survey’s simple structure has remained the same, participation has grown dramatically over the years. And along the way, Donald’s analysis has become a must-read barometer for learning professionals all over the planet.

Where in the World is Extended Enterprise Learning?

The 2019 learning trend “hot list” was based on responses from more than 2000 people in 92 countries. As always, the results revealed that learning professionals remain focused on a variety of legitimate issues and opportunities.

SEE THE FULL 2019 L&D TRENDS SURVEY REPORT

No surprises there. But here’s what concerns me…

Extended enterprise learning was nowhere to be found on the L&D “hot” list in 2019 – or in any prior year. It’s also missing from this year’s list of suggested answers.

And I can’t help wondering why.

After all, learning practitioners are widely known for saying they want to consult more deeply with business leaders, align with strategic objectives and even earn a seat at the executive table. Plus, it’s no secret that today’s organizations are obsessed with improving customer experience in the hope of establishing a competitive advantage. Yet serving external audiences still doesn’t seem to be a priority for L&D.

Do learning professionals think of customers, channel partners and other external audiences as “ugly stepchildren”? Or is some other factor suppressing widespread enthusiasm for extended enterprise learning?

Last March, we sought answers directly from the source. Here’s what Donald Taylor said in a Talented Learning Show podcast interview:

JOHN LEH: I’m curious how much interest you see in extended enterprise learning?

DONALD TAYLOR: It’s not a big topic right now. I’d say the U.S. leads in this because of its scale. It’s a huge country with one language and one currency. Large U.S. companies may be dealing with tens of thousands of customers, compared with only thousands at large U.K. companies.

The need for U.S. companies to reach so many customers from a distance has led to a lot of innovation in the “e” space – elearning, ecommerce and so on. If U.S. companies can gain a competitive advantage by getting extended enterprise learning right, the cost can be worthwhile.

And once the rest of the world sees how it’s being done, we’ll pick up on it and start to implement it.

JOHN LEH: Interesting…

DONALD TAYLOR: It is actually being done outside the U.S. now. For example, hardware stores in the U.K. don’t want their sales staff tied-up describing how things work, so they try to make that information widely available for self-service customer learning.

But something with the kind of sophistication you describe isn’t yet “hot” in the rest of the world. It surged for a while in the 2000s and is just starting to come back now. It’s definitely one to watch and I’m looking forward to seeing it…

JOHN LEH: Yes. I think it would be good to add to your learning trend survey. But I’m a bit biased…

Maybe I should include extended enterprise learning on the list next year? We’ll see.

Extended Enterprise Learning – Not Just for Big Companies Anymore

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I see what Donald was suggesting. Apparently, learning practitioners tend to equate extended enterprise solutions with massive corporations and big budgets.

This was certainly true in the past. But digital innovation has turned that equation on its head. For example, some of the most dynamic LMS market growth is happening in customer education.

A decade ago, the upfront cost of developing, coordinating, delivering and supporting traditional classroom training for customers was far too steep for many organizations. But now, even tiny companies operating on shoestring budgets can set-up successful customer education portals, thanks to inexpensive high-speed internet connections, widespread mobile device access, cloud-based learning systems, adaptive content and other technology breakthroughs.

We see this every day in case studies from a variety of vendors who focus on customer-facing business needs. For example:

• Solutions that support customer onboarding and ongoing education – such as Learndot, LearnUpon, Northpass, Skilljar and Thought Industries.

• Online instructional business platforms – such as Kajabi, LearnDash, LearningCart, LearnPress, LearnWorlds, LifterLMS, Teachable and Thinkific.

All of these solutions are proven and reliable. But what makes them particularly viable is their ability to scale with demand. In fact, many even offer free “getting started” levels of service.

Because these systems are nearly risk-free to try, they’re opening the door to millions of subject-matter experts and small businesses that otherwise could never offer training to their prospects or customers. So again, I can’t help wondering why this trend isn’t top-of-mind among L&D professionals.

Will Extended Enterprise Learning Ever Break Through?

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Perhaps I’m preaching to the choir. After all, if you follow Talented Learning, you’re probably already delivering some form of extended enterprise learning – or at least it’s on your radar.

But what will it take for members of the broader L&D community to agree that essentially, every organization is an extended enterprise? When will they recognize that educating external audiences is strategically important? And when will they see that, as instructional specialists, they’re uniquely qualified to create measurable business value this way?

It’s disappointing to see that extended enterprise opportunities still aren’t visible on the L&D radar. But given the surge of momentum in this segment of the LMS landscape, I believe training for customers, channel partners and other external audiences will soon receive the recognition it deserves.

Awareness Starts Here and Now

Extended enterprise learning may still be L&D’s best-kept secret. But no matter what surveys say, it is clearly on the rise. We see impressive results every day. And we think you deserve to see what’s possible, too.

That’s why we’ll be publishing new case studies this year that illustrate what extended enterprise education is accomplishing in the real world. We hope these stories will inform and inspire you as you chart a course for your organization. So stay tuned!

SPECIAL NOTE:  Do you have a story that would help others learn how to succeed at extended enterprise education? Please tell me about it in an email. We look forward to hearing from you and sharing your experiences. Thanks!

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How to Scale Customer Education Beyond the Classroom

Are you struggling to train more customers without bringing your team to its knees? How can you expand your reach and add more value in a profitable way? Learn from experts in this virtual roundtable!

Join our Lead Analyst John Leh as he talks with customer success experts Brittany Tamul, of ArrowStream and Barry Kelly of Thought Industries as they share strategies from high-growth companies. You’ll learn:

• How to build an effective blended learning ecosystem
• Guideline for optimizing your content mix
• Strategies for educating customers at each stage in the relationship
• Tips for choosing a technology foundation that adapts to fluctuating needs

REGISTER NOW

---

Need Proven LMS Selection Guidance?

Looking for a learning platform that truly fits your organization’s needs?  We’re here to help!  Submit the form below to schedule a free preliminary consultation at your convenience.

The post Are You Overlooking Today’s Hottest Corporate Learning Trend? appeared first on Talented Learning.

Are You Overlooking Today’s Hottest Corporate Learning Trend? original post at Talented Learning

How to Measure Customer Value (And Why It Matters)

EDITOR’S NOTE:  Because extended enterprise learning involves multiple disciplines, we sometimes ask other experts to share their insights with our readers. Today we feature advice about customer value metrics from Laura Patterson, President of VisionEdge Marketing.

Laura is widely recognized as an authority in marketing measurement and performance, content management, marketing operations and data analytics. Business-minded learning professionals will find her guidance practical, relevant and useful.

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For several years, I’ve been exploring the concept of marketers as “value creators.” The C-suite considers these individuals indispensable because they excel at proving how their marketing initiatives contribute to business impact.

But what exactly does it mean to create value? And how can you reflect this in customer-focused metrics?

The Power of Value Creation

Every business is based on the principle of value creation. In essence, we create value whenever we deliver a product or service that provides utility to others, and in turn generates additional economic return for our organization.

In his classic Marakon Commentary, Ken Favaro explains why putting value creation first is such an important strategy:

“Understanding where, how and why value is created within your company and your markets is the best, most objective way to identify which of your activities and assets are distinctive enough to provide a platform for sustainable and profitable growth.”

Why Value Creators Put Customers First

As Favaro frames it, value creation is more than calculating the optimal price customers will pay for a good or service you offer. And it’s not just about reducing costs or increasing productivity. Rather, it’s about attracting incremental customer revenue streams by delivering something entirely new or improving something in a compelling way.

This distinction is important because it underscores the fact that value creation is determined by your customers – not your company.

People purchase a product or service only when they perceive that they will benefit from the transaction. Therefore, it’s essential to understand what your customers value most. Usually, this extends beyond core product features, functionality and price point.

Keenly understanding what customers value is a characteristic that distinguishes “marketers as value creators” from their counterparts. These professionals continuously prioritize product and process innovation that customers will find relevant, important and useful.

How can you join the ranks of these value creators? Start by calibrating the value you currently deliver to customers. Then identify what you can do differently to add more value.

Below are tips for a successful analysis…

The Psychology of Customer Value

Organizations everywhere can benefit from measuring value creation.

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Most business leaders have come to accept that customers drive shareholder value. So it’s not surprising that customer metrics are featured in many CEO scorecards. But which customer metrics matter most?

If we work from the perspective that value is determined by the customer and that value creation is derived from customer relationships, then it makes sense to consider customer relationship value as a key metric.

Not to be confused with customer lifetime value (LTV) – which reflects the net present value of a relationship over its entire lifespan – customer relationship value measures whether each interaction moves a relationship forward or backward.

Factors that Influence Customer Value

Viewing the customer as a primary driver of shareholder value naturally leads to a variety of underlying questions about customer mix, defection rates, relative profitability of each segment, average new customer acquisition costs and more.

Often, marketing isn’t prepared to answer these questions. That’s because we tend to emphasize front-end performance indicators (such as new lead volumes or campaign conversion rates), rather than focusing on the depth and longevity of existing customer relationships,

It may seem obvious that valuable customers tend to buy more frequently, buy in larger volumes and buy more products over time. But it’s important to quantify these behaviors in a specific way.

Exploring these four questions can help you develop a useful customer value metric:

• Which of our existing customers buy repeatedly – and how often do they buy?
• How can we segment customers by frequency, volume and variety of products purchased?
• What is our customer defection rate?
• How do customers rank in their likelihood to buy again?

Answering these questions will likely require extra research and data analysis. However, the effort is worthwhile because it helps you make better decisions about investments (like training and support) that can help you improve customer relationships.

Creating a Customer Value Metric: 3 Variables

To apply customer relationship value as a key leading indicator, you’ll need access to relevant data points. Typically, organizations focus on these underlying metrics:

• Revenue per customer
• Profit per segment
• Customer lifetime value
• Satisfaction (as it relates to repurchase intent)

To make this data more meaningful, consider these three variables:

• The set of all interactions between your customers and your company
• The cost of each of these interactions
• The direction and distance in which a relationship moves forward or backward in response to each interaction

Creating a Customer Value Index: 7 Variables

For next-level insight, it’s worth developing a customer value index. This is a type of composite measure that summarizes and rank-orders specific variables in a way that represents a general dimension (in this case, customer value).

Essentially, an index is an accumulation of scores from a variety of individual items. This is helpful because it lets you evaluate these elements in a systematic and consistent way.

By indexing customer value data, you can compare the relative attractiveness of customer relationships in an “apples-to-apples” fashion. This can be particularly helpful when deciding which individual customers or segments are worthwhile targets for additional investment.

When creating your customer value index, consider incorporating these 7 variables into your formula:

• Total number of purchases over the customer’s lifetime
• Average purchase value
• Purchase frequency
• Number of products/services purchased
• Time between each purchase
• Number of referrals generated
• Length of customer relationship

There are several ways to combine these variables in a customer value index. The simplest approach is to define a standard method for “adding up” the values for each variable. Then establish an index score.

This means you’ll need a common way to “rate” each variable. For example, you may choose a 1-10 scale, with 1 = lowest score and 10 = highest score.

Next, for each of these scores, specify a multiplier based on the relative “weight” of each variable. For example, you may choose a multiplier scale of 1-5, with 1 = lowest weight and 5 = highest weight.

Once you establish your indexing model, you can transform data from each customer into a standardized score. Customers whose scores rank above the index “average” are considered higher value, while conversely, below-average scores represent lower-value customers.

Now you’re ready for the next-level performance metric – customer asset value.

Creating a Customer Asset Value Score: 5 Variables

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Like any financial asset, it’s vital to understand the value of customer relationships in terms of the future profit they’re expected to generate. This is why customer asset value is so useful.

By subtracting related costs from projected future profits, you can determine the net asset value of an individual customer or set of customers. And if you can increase any of these expected profit streams, you’ll add new net value to your business.

Of course, no company has unlimited funds for marketing, service or support. That’s why it’s important to focus and prioritize customer-related investments. Scoring customer asset value is an excellent way to differentiate customers, so you can determine which ones represent the highest potential return.

Multiple variables can help you create an objective, reliable customer asset value score. Start with these five:

• Current revenue streams
• Purchase frequency and recency
• Referral rates
• Share of wallet (% of category spending that you capture, relative to competitors)
• Potential future revenue

After calculating asset value for all customers, you can map their scores on a multi-tiered scale and then prioritize your resources, accordingly. In addition, you can use these scores to build a profile of your “ideal” customer.

Fundamentally, this analysis indicates an organization’s effectiveness at creating customer value. That’s why it’s helpful to put this metric at the heart of your customer value measurement strategy, no matter how small or large your customer base may be.

For more ideas about how to develop and apply metrics that will help you improve the business impact of your extended enterprise training programs, see related posts and other resources at VisionEdge.

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EDITOR’S NOTE: This has been adapted, with permission, from a post published on the VisionEdge Marketing blog.

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How to Cultivate Sustainable Business Growth Through Customer Education

RSVP NOW FOR OUR JANUARY WEBINAR

What exactly does it take to build a successful customer education program that naturally grows hand-in-hand, along with your business?

How can you win executive approval for this approach?

Join our Lead Analyst John Leh as he talks with customer education experts Khalid Shaikh of DataStax and Bill Cushard of Learndot about customer training models that make a lasting business impact.

You’ll get practical advice based on real-world examples, including:

• How to understand and evaluate scalable customer training models
• Must-have elements for a winning business case
• How to weigh costs and benefits accurately
• Common mistakes and best practices for sustainable growth
• Lessons learned from real-world programs
• Success metrics that matter most – and why

REGISTER NOW

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Looking for a learning platform that truly fits your organization’s needs?  We’re here to help!  Submit the form below to schedule a free preliminary consultation at your convenience.

The post How to Measure Customer Value (And Why It Matters) appeared first on Talented Learning.

How to Measure Customer Value (And Why It Matters) original post at Talented Learning

Podcast 32: Building a Customer Education Business Case – With Bill Cushard of Learndot

WELCOME TO EPISODE 32 OF THE TALENTED LEARNING SHOW

To find out more about this podcast series or to see the full collection of episodes visit The Talented Learning Show main page.

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EPISODE 32 – TOPIC SUMMARY AND GUEST:

If you’re a fan of Talented Learning, you know I’m obsessed with customer education. It’s not just because it’s the hottest segment of the extended enterprise learning market, but because it’s a fascinating specialty that blends marketing, instructional design and business strategy.

And if you share my enthusiasm for customer education, you’ll want to listen to every word of advice from today’s guest, Bill Cushard, General Manager of Learndot by ServiceRocket.

Bill is one of the few people in the world who truly has a finger on the pulse of customer education. With more than 160 episodes of his own podcast, Helping Sells, he is one of the best-known experts in this field. And today, Bill and I examine what it takes to develop a successful customer education business case.

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KEY TAKEAWAYS:

• Customer training is unique – not just because it targets external audiences who participate at their discretion – but also because its business impact is relatively easy to measure.

• When building a case for customer training, it’s important to recognize that data is never perfect or complete. The best models are based on assumptions that are continuously tested and adjusted over time.

• The process of developing a customer education business case may seem intimidating or tedious. But it’s well worth the effort, because this is the most effective way to boost leadership confidence in your team, your mission and your methods.

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Q&A HIGHLIGHTS:

Before we dig into today’s topic, could you tell us how you got involved with customer education?

My career started at eTrade, where I talked with customers about how to manage their stocks. This was in the late ’90s boom times and they were expanding rapidly. One day, they asked if one of us would teach new hires a class in investment basics. I volunteered to do it and I’ve been involved with training ever since.

What led you to customer education, specifically?

I focused on employee L&D for the first 10-12 years. But eventually, I lost interest in being considered business “overhead.” I also wanted to be closer to customers, so I started moving toward customer-facing training, where people pay to learn.

That’s where the action is…

Yeah. For example, I worked on elearning projects for customers at Accenture. Also, I was Chief Learning Officer at The Knowland Group, a hotel software company, where I developed customer training. Eventually, I joined ServiceRocket in 2013, where I focus on helping software companies improve and sell their customer training.

So now, I don’t have to worry about Kirkpatrick’s 4 levels of employee training evaluation. Instead, I evaluate training with invoices. That’s it.

Fantastic!

Yep. My life is simple.

As one of the world’s few customer education experts, how would you describe the state of the industry? Is growth still accelerating? What do you see ahead?

I specialize in the software industry, so that’s what I know best. And in this industry, open source companies are the customer education leaders, in my opinion. There are several reasons why:

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•  When software is free, you have to make money with services. And training is a service. At open source companies, a customer training person is often an early hire and customer education becomes one of their first sources of revenue.

•  Open source companies typically develop highly innovative technologies. In that situation, customer training doubles as marketing. They hire a fancy developer as an evangelist who also teaches the class. Fanboys sign-up to learn from these rockstars, then they walk away with your t-shirts and spread the word about your brand.

Interesting points…

In other words, to build market momentum, open source companies lead with training. For customer success, they need product adoption and that’s a direct result of education.

Are there enough open source software companies to influence the direction of customer education, overall?

If you search Crunchbase for enterprise SaaS and cloud software vendors – and maybe even on-premise – you might find 5000 total companies in the world. Open source vendors are only a subset of that niche, with maybe hundreds of companies.

Mm hmm…

I’m generalizing, but many SaaS companies tend to treat training like an afterthought because they want to be scalable from the beginning. For example, they don’t even have enterprise sales teams. They want everything to be self-service.

Think of Dropbox. A company like that is certainly not likely to hire a training team and pay money for a learning management system. Instead, they’ll just post some help files online, produce some videos and that’s all they do to “train” customers. Because their business model is self-service. Right?

Well…

At least until General Motors wants an enterprise-wide license. GM will say, “When are you going to send someone to train us?” And vendor team members will look at one another and say, “Us? Are you crazy?”

Yep!

So generally, there are two camps. One camp includes open source software companies like MongoDB, which may lead with training because it’s a service they can monetize. And if it’s 2009, who knows what MongoDB is? So they have to educate the market.

Meanwhile in the other camp, you have SaaS companies that want to lead with training – if they offer it. But training is going to be free because it’s part of the service. After all, service is the second “s” in SaaS.

Eventually, these two worlds meet in the middle.

One reason why customer education is so attractive is that it is highly measurable. You can quantify progress. What do you think are the most important customer education metrics?

It helps to map metrics to stages in the training management process. Here are three key metrics:

1)  Enrollments
When you launch a training course, you need to know who intends to show up. So you track registrations or sign-ups or completions. Any of those will work.

Of course, if your strategy is video-first, and you deliver through YouTube and embedded online clips, you don’t really know who’s consuming your content. You just see clicks. But if you build-in some kind of registration capability, you can start seeing who signs up and who shows up.

2) Contacts Created
You’ll also want to know when new people are signing up for training. Of course, this doesn’t apply if you gate all your training content and give access only your active customers. I think that’s usually a mistake, by the way. But you need to know when new people are signing up.

3)  Sales
Did someone buy the course you’re offering? Of course, if you don’t actually sell training, you won’t need to track transaction volume or value. But otherwise, this is critical.

I would ignore all of the Hotjar heatmaps, and click-through data and drill-down analysis about “How long did someone spend on slide 17 of a 19-slide video?” That’s important when you’re optimizing a mature customer training program. But at the outset, keep it simple.

Are people signing up? Are they participating in training? And are they paying for it?

Agree. That will get you out-of-the-gate. What about the next stage? What if people want to know which new contacts lead to renewals or incremental sales or complementary sales? 

Yeah, those are phase two metrics, where you want tie training to an outcome, and you have to define that outcome precisely. Are they renewing more? Are they upgrading more? Are they buying more product?

Frankly, I think very few software companies are actually doing this. And if someone could solve this problem – which we’re working on – it would be a big deal for the customer education market.

Absolutely.

Think of it this way. We help customer training professionals measure and analyze their program impact in a simple manual way, so they know how to do it themselves. Because working with databases and data scientists and business intelligence analysts is difficult and expensive. Plus, customer education teams usually have to wait in line for access to data experts, because software companies have other priorities.

Would you briefly walk through this DIY approach?

Sure. You’re’ going to create several lists, so you’ll need a spreadsheet or even just a pencil and paper.

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1)  Make a list of customers that took training over a specific period of time. It can be last month, last quarter or last year. Just pick a timeframe that works for you. Let’s say you’ve trained 50 customers in the last 6 months. Enter this list on a spreadsheet in column A.

2)  Make a list of customers that did not take training during the same timeframe. Enter them in column C on your spreadsheet.

3)  Now for columns B and D, pick the outcome you want. Maybe you want to focus on opportunity size or deal size for each customer account.

You can find this in a CRM like Salesforce. This number is indisputable. Even if it changes, you know the value was $50,000 for X users of whatever software application they bought. So find the corresponding deal size for each account and enter those numbers in columns B and D.

4)  Now you can calculate the average deal size for both columns of customers. Let’s say that among customers who took training, the average deal size is $10,000, but it’s only $5000 for those who didn’t take training.

Maybe a statistician would laugh and tell us that’s not very scientific. But you have to start somewhere and anyone can do this exercise.

Agreed.

So if you see a difference in average deal size, you need to decide if it’s a good difference. That’s a judgment call.

But you could take your spreadsheet to a data analyst and ask for a more informed interpretation. Chances are, the data scientist will offer more guidance. It may be, “There’s a better way to do this – let me help you.” That’s progress.

Right.

At least you can start looking for a difference on your own. If you don’t see it, a difference may not be there. Or perhaps it’s there, but your data just doesn’t show it. That’s possible. Or you might wonder if the training, itself, is effective. Or maybe the customers who took the training were already good at whatever skill the training was designed to teach.

Now you’ve generated all kinds of reasons to do further analysis, right?

Also, you’re not limited to columns B and D. You can look at other account characteristics like days sales outstanding or the number of opportunities. You can even combine multiple factors to see where training makes more impact.

Totally right. But here’s a mistake people make with analytics like this. Often they want to tie training to an outcome, but they aren’t precise enough about how they define that outcome.

So they may want to include 10 different columns, each with a different metric. The numbers themselves may or may not be accurate. But the metrics they choose should be clear and specific. Because precision matters.

So let’s say a quick analysis reveals that deal size is 5x larger for trained customers who also have obtained certification. Excellent! But when you tell senior management, they say, “Put it in a business case.” Building a customer education business case scares many training professionals…

Yeah, customers ask us all the time, “Can you help me do that?”

Been there…

OK, let’s run with your example. We see that trained customers have 5x higher deal size, so we immediately conclude that we should do more training. How do you develop the business case?

First, state your hypothesis. It should be a question. For example, “If more customers take training, will average deal size increase?” You start with a premise like this because you have some data to support it.

Next, establish a related goal. Again, precision matters. Obviously, the goal here is to increase customer deal size. But it could be different. For example, it could be getting more customers to take training, because that could lead to having more customers with a higher deal size. It doesn’t really matter which concept you prefer, as long as it’s precise.

Sure.

So let’s say your goal for 2020 is to double the number of 2019 customers who completed training. And in this case, a customer is an account. So that’s a total of 50 x 2 = 100 additional accounts. Or you may want to focus on increasing training among individual users within accounts, because that can make a bigger impact on your business.

Makes sense.

The next part of your business case should be that ROI-investment-payback thing. So you say, “If we get those extra 2x accounts to take training, we think the average increase in deal size will be $10,000. So 100 accounts x $10,000 = $1 million total increase.

Or say you want to increase aveage deal size from $5000 to $7000. So now you have an increase in dollar amount going through the system. That’s your hypothesis, and hopefully you can beat it. But that’s your plan. Your goal is to move the “return” part of the ROI calculation – to increase deal size by $2000 on average.

Okay. For this $2000 increase in average deal size, what next?

Do the math. Look at what will drive that extra $2000 per account. Obviously we have to do more training. So we’re going to have to do something more to produce those results. But maybe we don’t have enough technology or people or content to make that happen.

So you must decide what you’ll need spend to achieve your goal. Say you’re prepared to spend half of the incremental return – in this case $1,000 per account – to achieve your ROI of $2000 more per account.

Or you might say you want to invest $1900 per account. However, your CEO pushes back and says you don’t get any additional budget. So you have to figure out how to increase training participation without spending more money. Fine. $0 investment. You’ll use free software and hire a contractor from Upwork.

Good luck with that!

Right. It could happen. And the final step in the business case has three parts:

• A clear action plan
• A staffing model
• A fairly detailed forecast

Could you briefly walk us through those elements?

Sure. First, outline specifically everything you must do to execute your plan.

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For example, say your strategy to train an extra 2000 customers depends on making more educational videos. However, you don’t have a video authoring tool.

So your plan starts with buying that software. You may also need to hire an instructional designer with video expertise. And so on…

Got it…

Next, build a staffing model. It’s a huge mistake to simply tell your boss, “We’re busy. We need to hire somebody.” If you want support, you’ll need to identify who, when and why new resources must be added to achieve your goal.

For instance, when will you need to add an instructional designer to ensure that new content is ready to roll-out in September? And if you’re expanding live training, when will you need an additional classroom instructor?

You know the volume of training required, so you can work backward to map-out the resources you’ll need over time. This is the same way sales executives and call center managers develop hiring plans for business expansion. Even an estimate is helpful.

Right…

And the final step is the forecast, which is the demand part of your staffing model. This needs to reflect your expected training growth rate.

So, if you’re currently training 5000 customers a year, that’s 400 a month. To reach your new annual goal, you’ll need to add more customers, incrementally, each month. And as that growth volume cascades through the schedule, you can predict when new content, instructors and other resources must be in place.

How do you map content to this customer education business case? How do you choose the best content mix for your target ROI?

That’s where your spreadsheet model gets complicated. Actually, each row represents a different content approach. For example, if one row is a certification exam, who’s going to write the exam? That takes time, so you need to insert it.

As your program grows over time, you’re creating new content, whether it’s video or instructor-led or other content. Plus, you’ll need to account for maintenance of existing content, over time. It’s important to track each separately, so you can look at how each contributes to your goals.

So the model is continuously changing?

Periodically, you’ll need to evaluate and adjust your forecast. It’s important to remember that these models aren’t perfect. However, they should give you some basis for prediction and a reference point for conversations you need to have with your management team.

A strong business case also helps you to plan, so you’ll know with some certainty what you need to do in June of 2020, for example.

You’ll have to make a lot of assumptions. But guess what? That’s what math is.

And how often should you check your roadmap?

You’ve got to look at it regularly. I’d say at least monthly, because forecasting is typically based on monthly business cycles.

Is that when you should tweak it?

Right. Be prepared to adjust your spreadsheet a bit as you move forward, because it’s a model. It’s intended to shift along with your circumstances.

For example, you might find that you can buy courses must faster than your model originally estimated. Or much slower. Or maybe it’s March and you didn’t lock-in that second instructional design hire you expected in February.

So to keep the model up-to-date, you’ll need to redo your whole cascade down into the formulas through the rest of the year. Because when you change the variables, other things need to change.

Makes sense. So do you recommend any templates or tools to help organizations plug-in these numbers and manage this process…?

…For complete answers to this question and more…LISTEN TO THE FULL 30-MINUTE PODCAST NOW!

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WANT TO LEARN MORE? JOIN OUR JANUARY WEBINAR

How to Cultivate Sustainable Business Growth Through Customer Education

RSVP NOW FOR OUR JANUARY WEBINAR

What exactly does it take to build a successful customer education program that naturally grows hand-in-hand, along with your business?

How can you win executive approval for this approach?

Join our Lead Analyst John Leh as he talks with customer education experts Khalid Shaikh of DataStax and Bill Cushard of Learndot about customer training models that make a lasting business impact.

You’ll get practical advice based on real-world examples, including:

• How to understand and evaluate scalable customer training models
• Must-have elements for a winning business case
• How to weigh costs and benefits accurately
• Common mistakes and best practices for sustainable growth
• Lessons learned from real-world programs
• Success metrics that matter most – and why

REGISTER NOW

---

Need Proven LMS Selection Guidance?

Looking for a learning platform that truly fits your organization’s needs?  We’re here to help!  Submit the form below to schedule a free preliminary consultation at your convenience.

The post Podcast 32: Building a Customer Education Business Case – With Bill Cushard of Learndot appeared first on Talented Learning.

Podcast 32: Building a Customer Education Business Case – With Bill Cushard of Learndot original post at Talented Learning

Interesting University Presentation

Today, I was doing some research into the transportation safety industry for one of my education projects.

I found an interesting device I wanted to save and bookmark:

UCO Web Presentation

Towing Safety - What's the Best Way to Safely Tow a Trailer? Simple Answer - University of Central Oklahoma

Towing Safety - What's the Best Way to Safely Tow a Trailer? Simple Answer - University of Central Oklahoma

2020 LMS Trends: An Analyst’s Extended Enterprise Learning Predictions

New year. New decade. No better time to step back and look at the big picture. And today’s learning systems market definitely gives us plenty to consider. But which 2020 LMS trends really deserve your attention?

Based on my work as an independent advisor to learning tech buyers and sellers, I’ve outlined 16 key extended enterprise learning trends and related predictions.

Certainly, other factors are shaping the extended enterprise landscape – and we’ll dig into those as the year unfolds. But now, let’s start with the issues and opportubities at the top of my watch list…

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2020 Extended Enterprise LMS Predictions

1) Industry Consolidation Rolls On

Ever since cloud technology burst onto the scene a decade ago, hundreds of new learning solutions have entered the market. These are mostly “specialist” platforms. They differentiate themselves not only through innovative functionality, but also industry-specific expertise, integration capabilities, professional services, accessible pricing and other unique characteristics.

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For years, fresh variations on an LMS theme have been popping up in every imaginable niche. But the industry’s unbridled expansion started to lose steam a couple of years ago, when vendors began seeking growth through acquisition.

This consolidation trend remained front-and-center in 2019, with M&A headlines like these:

• Absorb Software Acquires Extended Enterprise LMS Provider, eLogic Learning
• Absorb Software Acquires Torch LMS
• Absorb Software Acquires Cloud-Based Learning Tech Company, ePath Learning
• Access Group Acquires Unicorn, UK’s Leader in Learning Technology Solutions
• Besomebody Acquires Pixelbug to Add AI, AR and VR to Its Skills Training Products
• Bridgepoint Education Acquires Coding Bootcamp Fullstack Academy
• CompTIA Acquires Assessment, Certification and Training Company, Metacog
• Degreed Acquires Adepto to Add Skills Insights to Learning Platform
• EdCast Acquires Leapest, Online Marketplace for Corporate Training
• Engagedly Acquires eMentoring Solution Provider, Management Mentors
• Instructure Acquires Portfolium to Build Stronger Ties Between Students and Employers
• Learning Pool Acquires HT2 Labs, Maker of Learning Locker LRS and Curator LXP
• Surgent Expands into Healthcare Professional Education Market Through Acquisition of PharmCon
• Thoma Bravo Acquires Instructure, Maker of Canvas and Bridge LMS Platforms
• Thompson Reuters Acquire HighQ Legal Collaboration Platform
• Transforce Buys The CDL School, The Nation’s Premier Commercial Truck Driving School
• Wiley Acquires Knewton, a Provider of Affordable Courseware and Adaptive Learning Technology

2020 LMS TRENDS PREDICTION
Despite ongoing consolidation, the learning systems market as a whole will continue to grow at a rapid pace. And as vendors focus more heavily on gaining market share dominance, buyers should prepare for further M&A confusion, uncertainty and disruption.

Service continuity is always a top LMS purchasing concern. But now, selecting the right partner with longevity is more important than ever.

2) Talent Management LMS Platforms Struggle With Extended Enterprise

Old-guard talent management LMS providers are in a quandary. You know the names – Cornerstone, Oracle, Saba Software, SAP SuccessFactors, SumTotal Systems and Workday. They offer powerful employee learning management systems that are integrated with broader talent management suites.

In comparison to specialized extended enterprise solutions, these vendors rarely (if ever) spend R&D dollars on pure extended enterprise innovation. And it shows.

Old-guard LMSs do compete for extended enterprise opportunities, and sometimes they win. But success is limited mostly to highly complex scenarios where organizations must serve both employees and external audiences, and advanced HR/compliance functionality is mandatory.

On the other hand, these systems are often considered too powerful, costly and unfocused for pure extended enterprise deployments, or for SMBs that need to serve employees and external audiences with a single LMS.

2020 LMS TRENDS PREDICTION
Talent-suite LMS vendors will continue to get their extended enterprise clocks cleaned while they struggle to land a diminishing number of large-scale employee-focused opportunities.

3) Specialists and Cloud LMS Vendors Win the Extended Enterprise Race

Which specialized LMS vendors are stealing thunder from big-name talent-suite LMS vendors? Good question.

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Strong contenders include pure-play extended enterprise solutions like BlueVolt, Community Brands, Learndot, NetExam, Skilljar and Thought Industries. But because these platforms are designed specifically for external audiences, they may be too limited for some scenarios.

This is why we see increasing interest in cloud LMS platforms that are flexible enough to support any type of enterprise-class solution – internal, external or a combination of audiences. Leaders in this category include Absorb, Adobe, Docebo, LearnUpon, Litmos and TalentLMS.

These vendors (and many more) offer modern, turn-key solutions that are highly engaging, affordable and scalable. So when LMS buyers compare these solutions with talent-suite platforms, the choice is easy.

2020 LMS TRENDS PREDICTION
This year, talent-suite LMS vendors will still focus on employee-specific business needs, while the rest of the LMS industry feasts on an abundance of extended enterprise opportunities.

4) Customer Education Remains a Golden Ticket

Try to name a corporation without customers. Good luck! That’s why customer education is such a hot segment of the extended enterprise universe.

Training now plays an essential role in attracting new prospects, converting them to customers, empowering them to use products successfully, convincing them to increase product use over time and encouraging them to become brand advocates.

It’s a fact that educated customers are more profitable customers. Training is proven to reduce churn, increase retention and improve satisfaction. So, what business wouldn’t want to achieve measurable benefits like these?

2020 LMS TRENDS PREDICTION
Corporations that don’t invest in customer education will lose many of those customers to competitors who make education a priority.

5) The Association LMS Segment Becomes Even More Distinct

For years I’ve said that associations are a unique LMS segment. Now, winning business from professional associations is difficult for generalist cloud LMS providers and impossible for talent-suite vendors.

That’s because innovative continuing education specialists are leading the way. For example, BenchPrep, Blue Sky eLearn, Community Brands, EthosCE, WBT Systems and Web Courseworks have made significant inroads in this segment.

All of these vendors bring tremendous domain expertise, along with support for certifications and blended learning experiences, integration with association management systems, B2C and B2B ecommerce capabilities and pricing strategies designed specifically for non-profit organizations.

2020 LMS TRENDS PREDICTION
The association LMS segment will become more clearly defined, as consolidation continues to narrow the number of vendors in this space.

6) B2B Commerce is an LMS Innovation Hot Spot – With Good Reason

When we began analyzing this market six years ago, many vendors thought they could create the perfect extended enterprise solution by adding a shopping cart and content pricing to their existing employee-focused LMS. Times have changed!

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Now, LMS buyers expect sophisticated B2B capabilities for bulk content sales to resellers, corporate partners, customers or corporate association members.

Bulk sales functionality is important because content development costs are fixed. It makes strong economic sense to package and sell every piece of content in as many ways as possible before they become dated.

To support this strategy, ecommerce-savvy LMS vendors now incorporate automation that makes it easy to create branded customer sites, populate them with pre-purchased content and promote relevant selections to users with CRM and marketing automation integrations.

They also deliver content instantly through advanced transactional capabilities such as pre-assigned tokens. In addition, visual dashboards now make it easy for administrators to monitor individual and aggregate training progress, licensing usage and even ROI.

2020 LMS TRENDS PREDICTION
As training businesses strive to squeeze even more “juice” from every piece of content, ecommerce LMS providers will further enhance and automate their platforms in useful new ways.

7) Training and Marketing Lines Blur Further

Way back in early 2014, I noted that extended enterprise training professionals are a hybrid breed. I called them “instructional marketers.”

Since then, the overlap between instructional specialists and marketing professionals has become even more pronounced, and the need for cross-disciplinary training can no longer be ignored.

This kind of cross-training isn’t formally available from universities or employers, so individuals need to educate themselves. Fortunately, it’s not too hard. I did it.

Start by developing strategic know-how in market segmentation, competitive analysis, customer journey mapping, content marketing and product positioning. You’ll find excellent guidance from sources like Content Marketing Institute and MarketingProfs, along with online courses from sites like Coursera, Digital Marketing Institute and LinkedIn.

It’s equally important to develop hands-on skill with top digital marketing tools. Leading vendors typically offer free training to all. Examples include:

• Customer relationship management systems (Hubspot, Infusionsoft, Salesforce)
• Email and campaign management platforms (Constant Contact, Drip, MailChimp)
• SEO and pay-per-click ad management tools (Google Analytics, SEMrush, WordStream)
• Data integration software (Automate.io, IFTTT, Tray.io, Zapier)

2020 LMS TRENDS PREDICTION
If instructional specialists don’t embrace the marketing side of learning strategy, marketing folks who gain instructional design and content expertise will move the ball forward. It’s not a question of if, but when. And progress is already past due.

8) Integration, Integration, Integration

For successful business results, extended enterprise learning platforms must be integrated with an organization’s broader tech stack. Integrations are critical because they ensure that an LMS seamlessly “snaps” into your ecosystem so it can leverage available data and functionality.

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However, integrations are not created equal. Generally, there are two approaches:

•  Custom integrations
These are designed and built on top of whatever APIs an LMS vendor makes available with its platform. They come with initial set-up costs and ongoing maintenance fees.

•  Productized integrations
Increasingly popular, these pre-built connectors are available as standard LMS functionality. They’re activated simply by entering a code from the target application. Common examples include:

• Marketing automation
• Customer relationship management
• Customer service management
• Data integration software
• Virtual classrooms
• Ecommerce platforms
• Learning record store
• Content authoring
• Gamification
• Proctoring
• Finance
• Fulfillment systems
• SEO

2020 LMS TRENDS PREDICTION
Adoption of productized integrations will accelerate rapidly as organizations abandon the concept of custom integrations.

9) Skills and Competencies are Back Again

Skills and competencies management is the training industry’s “white whale.” For the entire 25 years I’ve worked in this industry, we’ve been chasing this elusive beast, with little success.

The concept sounds promising enough:

• Assign appropriate skills to each job role in your organization.
• Create relevant training content for each role, so employees can develop the necessary competencies to perform effectively.
• Include evaluation tools so employees and their managers, peers and customers can rate their performance.
• Add robust reporting to track individual and collective progress.

For decades, talent-suite platforms have offered this kind of functionality. But most organizations never even touch these features. Why?

Developing an accurate skill profile for every role takes a tremendous amount of time and effort. Plus, mapping and updating training content for each of those skills is even more time-consuming and difficult. As a result, few projects ever even get off the ground. And those that do often implode from their own weight.

At last, however, we’re seeing several promising breakthroughs on this front:

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• Rather than relying on individual employers to create and manage their own skills models, solution providers like CrossKnowledge, Degreed, LinkedIn and Schoox are predefining competency frameworks and mapping their training content to these models.

• Also, associations are leading the way with targeted industry skills models, so members can manage their professional development throughout each stage in their careers.

2020 LMS TRENDS PREDICTION
Both of these innovative approaches to skills and competencies will be more widely embraced, as employers abandon their DIY obsession of yesteryear in favor of more highly leveraged solutions.

10) Open Source Gains Legitimacy in Extended Enterprise Learning

Over the years, open source has become associated with strength in the academic LMS space. But this perception is rapidly changing, as platforms like Totara, Moodle Workplace and Open edX make a serious dent in the corporate extended enterprise marketplace.

Why? Because these systems are robust, highly flexible and generally provide high-end capabilities for a lower total cost of ownership than many commercial systems. Plus, they’re configured, deployed and supported by partners who offer specialized expertise in every imaginable market niche.  Examples include eThink Education, Extension Engine, Kineo, MindQuest Learning, Raytheon Professional Services, Remote Learner and Synegen.

Open source is particularly attractive for extended enterprise scenarios because licensing fees are usually non-existent. In other words, a training business can scale rapidly without incurring any incremental licensing costs. This means that more of the budget can be invested in content and marketing that move a business forward.

2020 LMS TRENDS PREDICTION
Look for much broader adoption of open source as a backbone for large-scale, corporate extended enterprise learning solutions, as decision-makers recognize the benefits of this approach.

11) Differentiation Matters More Than Vendors Think

As an analyst, I’ve personally seen hundreds of learning systems demos. And as a recovering LMS sales guy, I constantly wonder why vendors choose not to lead with their unique strengths. The answer may sound surprising, but too many vendors don’t accurately recognize their key differentiators!

It’s not easy for any vendor to calibrate others’ capabilities accurately. The market is confusing, life is busy and public information is often incomplete or outdated. As a result, vendors are more in-the-dark than you (and they) would think.

In presentations, I always ask vendors to describe the business problem they solve and the kind of customers who gain the most value from their systems. Yet too often, these discussions focus on “me too” features, while discounting capabilities that distinguish their platforms. For example, nearly every vendor emphasizes its modern user interface and instant access to content (minimal clicks), even though this kind of functionality is now commonplace.

Perhaps they’re too close to see what seems obvious to me.

2020 LMS TRENDS PREDICTION
Buyers and sellers, alike, will increasingly turn to independent research sources for help in understanding the dynamics of the LMS landscape and the position of individual vendors. Fortunately, that means job security for me.

12) The Learning Experience Platform Niche Remains Visible But Limited

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Learning experience platforms (LXP) like Degreed, EdCast, Filtered, Fuse, Percipio and Valamis have made quite a splash. An LXP is a powerful aggregation tool that provides a single point of access to relevant content from various systems. This has tremendous value in organizations with multiple learning systems and other content sources.

LXPs have definitely taught clunky LMSs a valuable lesson about how to up their game in user interface design and content personalization. They’ve rekindled interest in skills development and real-time performance support.

But it’s important to understand that an LXP is not an LMS. For example, LXPs don’t manage compliance, training assignments or scheduling deadlines.

What’s the bottom line for buyers? Most modern cloud LMS platforms now include LXP-level functionality. So if you have only one LMS, adding a third-party application is probably overkill. And if you’re purchasing your first learning system of any type, you’re likely to need a full LMS.

However, if you have multiple employee LMSs and other content sources (as many larger organizations do), an LXP is a must-have.

2020 LMS TRENDS PREDICTION
Extended enterprise interest in standalone LXPs will fade, as LMS platforms further improve their experience design and personalization functionality, and as talent-suite vendors enhance their front-end and integration capabilities.

13) AI Is Still On Its Way, But Don’t Wait Up

Most vendors I interview claim that their products include some level of machine learning or artificial intelligence. However, I’ve found that these capabilities are still fairly limited.

On the backend, reporting and analytics automation is where AI is making the most progress. And in terms of user experience, AI-powered content recommendations are improving learning engagement.

For example, suggested content can reflect a user’s professional interests, training history and progress, media preferences and preferences of a user’s peers. Even data from external systems (like a CRM) can be factored into the mix.

Although these advances are promising, vendors remain slow to discuss their AI “special sauce” in detail. Plus, it’s still impossible to see AI or ML at work when evaluating an LMS platform, because sufficient data is never available in a sales environment. Convenient!

2020 LMS TRENDS PREDICTION
Artificial intelligence and machine learning will increasingly influence learning content and systems. However, I recommend that buyers proceed with caution, because truly “intelligent” LMS capabilities are more on the theoretical bleeding edge than in the mainstream.

14) xAPI May Never Arrive

I’ve helped more than 60 organizations complete a thorough learning system selection process. Almost every one of those organizations said they wanted an xAPI-compliant LMS.

My reply is always the same. “Great. How are you using xAPI now?”

Then I wait to hear buyers say, “We aren’t using it yet, because we don’t have an xAPI-compliant system.” Right. This leads to my next question: “So how do you plan to use xAPI in the future?”

The answer is invariably some form of the following: “We have no idea. But if it finally arrives, we don’t want to miss it.”

Folks, don’t hold your breath. xAPI won’t be mainstream anytime soon (if ever). But that doesn’t mean you can’t measure and analyze learning behavior, anyway. Here’s why:

The big promise of xAPI is that it tracks specific informal learning activities and associates those activities with individual users. For example, did John Q. Learner read a book, visit a website, download a white paper or attend a tradeshow?

Well, guess what? The business world already has systems that track all that. They’re called CRMs. They don’t use xAPI – and they never will.

2020 LMS TRENDS PREDICTION
HR and L&D professionals who focus on employee training will continue to wait for the xAPI train to arrive. Meanwhile, extended enterprise learning systems will double-down on CRM integration.

15) LTI Gains Traction as an Extended Enterprise Standard

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If you’re still concerned about xAPI, you’ll be glad to know there’s another much more promising standard in town. It’s called LTI (learning tools interoperability).

LTI is actually an academic LMS data standard that is starting to make inroads in corporate environments.

Basically LTI is like SCORM, but it doesn’t require content to reside on the same server as an LMS. This gives B2B content sellers the opportunity to maintain content in a central location, and serve it on-demand to any LTI-compliant LMS upon request.

For training content providers, this approach is logistically far superior to sending a file to customers who must load it on their LMS and then update it on an ongoing basis. SCORM offers a workaround to this file-sharing problem through cross-domain “stub” files. However, LTI is a much cleaner solution.

2020 LMS TRENDS PREDICTION
Corporate reliance upon the LTI standard will eventully surpass xAPI usage.

16) Full-Tilt Learning Experiences Come Closer

Not long ago, video content and mobile-responsive design were at the leading edge of learning experience design. Now they’re the norm. So what’s next?

We all want richer digital experiences. And just as learning platform innovators took cues from online consumer sites a decade ago, it’s vital to keep rising to user’s expectations. But which next-level advances will add value? Keep an eye on these three:

•  Mixed Reality
Experiential learning supported by AR (augmented reality), VR (virtual reality) or MR (mixed reality) is not just an extension of today’s video content. It involves a much deeper level of engagement – immersive, real-time and interactive in ways that on-demand or streaming video, alone, can’t touch.

Early applications are proving to be highly valuable, particularly in medical education, manufacturing, aviation and other high-risk environments.

•  Natural Language Processing
Consumers are already driving a massive wave of conversational computing adoption. (Hey Google, Alexa and Siri!) The failure of many first-generation business chatbots demonstrated the limitations of voice-driven automation. However, early lessons learned have led to a resurgence of improved applications.

For extended enterprise training providers, the potential upside is significant. By overcoming the design complexities of screen readers and digital keyboards, conversational computing technology can make learning experiences far more accessible to a much broader market.

•  5G connectivity
5G is one of today’s hottest technology trends – and with good reason. Imagine how nearly instant online response time will transform not just training experiences, but every aspect of our lives! 5G isn’t expected to be widely available for several years. But once it does kick-in, significant return on investment won’t be far behind.

How should you prepare? Smart companies are starting to think ahead by outlining goals, strategies, concepts and pilot programs that can be tested as infrastructure upgrades become available.

2020 LMS TRENDS PREDICTION
Few organizations will take the time and energy now to consider the future implications of very early-stage emerging technologies. But these forward-thinking organizations will be better prepared to adjust and gain first-mover advantage when the time is right.

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2020 LMS Trends: An Analyst’s Extended Enterprise Learning Predictions original post at Talented Learning