Do you know what your responsibilities are under the GDPR?

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) will finally come into effect on May 25 2018. That means you’ve still got a few months left to adjust your business to the new framework for EU data protection that was created way back in April 2016.

This is one of the most important changes to data protection there has been, which gives people in the EU more control over what happens with their personal data. We all know that businesses, whether you are big or small, are always responsible for customer data and to protect sensitive information.

With the GDPR, this is an obligation that is more important now than ever before.

There’s no way your business can ignore it or not take your responsibilities seriously. This data protection framework will introduce stricter and tougher regulations than before, which means bigger fines and more punishment for businesses that don’t comply with it.

Now you can face millions of dollars in fines or as much as four percent of your annual turnover to pay-out in punishment.

For a lot of businesses, there’s even a risk of insolvency when it’s combined with the possibility that customers can individually sue you for data protection breaches.

Naturally, businesses view the GDPR as a burden and something that’s complicated and going to make their life more difficult. But, you can actually use it to your advantage.

If you make it obvious to your customers that you’re compliant and following these new rules to protect their data, you might actually bring in more custom and be seen as trustworthy.

Of course, you might be thinking that the GDPR doesn’t apply to you because your business isn’t in Europe. But these regulations will apply to certain data controllers and processors if you offer goods or services within the EU and process EU citizen’s personal data.

With the internet and online businesses, this means an ever-increasing number of international businesses will be governed by the GDPR. So, you’ll likely need a representative for your business in the EU.

With the introduction of the GDPR looming on the horizon, it’s time to get your company ready. Let’s find out about the key changes that will be introduced by the new GDPR legislation so that you can make sure that your business fulfills its obligations.

Under the GDPR, its now going to be a mandatory obligation to appoint a data protection officer for your business in certain circumstances.

This will include if you are a public authority, your core activities include regular monitoring of data subjects or if you process large amount of data.

This will mean that you’ll need to hire a new data protection officer that has the knowledge and experience to ensure that all personal data is secure and collected properly. If you have someone who can fulfill this duty, you can simply promote them instead of hiring someone new.

Right now, it’s easy to hide consent away in the small print. But, the GDPR introduces a stricter definition of consent, which means that this now must be clear to customers – inactivity no longer counts as consent either.

The consent has got to be informed and freely given by your customers, which means you may need to make changes to your website or documentation going forward.

The GDPR is all about putting customer’s first and making sure their personal data is looked after. Under the new regulations, you’ve got to make sure that personal information is given to customers free of charge – you can no longer charge for it and it’s got to be delivered within one month.

Customers will have the right to see all of the information you have about them and will have more control over what happens to it.

This also means that customers can ask to have their personal data erased in certain circumstances. For example, this may be when consent has been withdrawn or it’s no longer necessary to keep it.

If you don’t follow the regulations in the GDPR, the worst thing you can do is ignore them and hope it goes away.

There’s now a rule that you must report breaches within 72 hours. That’s why it’s important to make sure that all of your employees know the processes and ways they can see if anything has gone wrong with data protection.

It should be made clear to all employees that they should report any mistakes or problems that they come across within 72 hours to avoid serious punishment.

The GDPR makes businesses more accountable for data protection. This means that you’ll have a lot more processes to introduce to show that you’re compliant with all of the regulations.

This includes keeping certain documentation, completing data protection impact assessments and introducing data protection policies in the office.

Now is the time to get your employees up to speed and offer training to get everyone on the same page in preparation for the GDPR. With big fines and tough punishments, it’s important that you follow all of the regulations closely.

These are only some of the changes that the GDPR has introduced – you’ll find there are lots of other rules and regulations that you’ve got to follow too.

Don’t panic - you’ve still got time to prepare and train your employees to ensure you know all the regulations before it’s introduced on May 25 2018.

Get started with Data Protection Courses in Go1 Premium today

False

What you need to know about the GDPR update

Does your company keep up-to-date with compliance training?

We all know that compliance training is important for business since it allows your employees to know how to act and work on a daily basis. In particular, training helps everyone understand the rules they should be following and the regulations that are necessary for your line of work.

In addition, compliance training creates uniformity in your organization and makes employees more efficient and productive at their job. Not only can they make the correct choices and decisions, but they can also avoid making costly errors.

But, let’s be honest – not a lot of people enjoy compliance training. It’s not going to have everyone cheering and excited on a Monday morning. Yet, it’s something that is necessary and vital for your company. Your business simply can’t run properly without it.

Despite this, compliance training is sometimes rushed and gets overlooked, especially when it comes to keeping up-to-date with the latest rules and regulations.

It’s important to realize that making sure your compliance training is relevant and keeps up with new rules and policies is even more important now than ever before.

Otherwise, employees are learning about aspects of business that are no longer relevant and missing out on what is really important. This is how mistakes happen.

That’s why you’ve got to make sure your compliance training is ongoing. So, the natural question is – how can your business keep up-to-date with compliance training?

Well, the answer is online learning courses. This is the new way of learning that businesses are incorporating into training because they’re easy to access and to use on demand.

Not only that, but online learning courses can actually make compliance training fun. Who thought that was possible, right? Well, through interactive features, as well as animated videos and colorful presentations, employees actually want to learn again.

Yet, like everything else, not all online learning courses are created equal. You’ve got to make sure you are getting quality courses that are going to cover everything you need for compliance training. So, how do you choose where to get your courses?

Well, thankfully you are in the right place! Let’s have a look at Go1 Premium and see what it’s got to offer your business and employees.

Go1 Premium can solve all of your compliance and employee training problems. We are an established leader in online learning and education, which means your company is going to have access to the best training there is.

It doesn’t matter what industry or field you are in, Go1 Premium is what you need for your compliance training and for keeping up-to-date with your needs. It’s got everything you need in one place.

So, let’s have a look at what Go1 Premium features you can use for your compliance training.

The amazing thing about Go1 Premium is that it covers all industries and fields.

We’ve got thousands of courses you can choose to incorporate into your employee training and professional development strategies, such as leadership, sales skills, customer service and IT training.

Of course, we also have off-the-shelf compliance training courses to meet your needs. They’re all kept up-to-date to keep up with the latest developments and changes.

Plus, they’re created by compliance experts so that your team can learn everything there is to know. There’s relevant compliance training based on the region where you make the purchase so that you know your team is getting the right information.

Whether you need a compliance course on manual handling or training for anti-money laundering, check out Go1 Premium!

It’s great to provide your employees with lots of training opportunities. But, you also need to know that your team are using them and are completing them correctly in order to learn.

This is especially true when it comes to compliance training. With Go1 Premium, you can track your training courses and the progress of your employees. Our tools let you examine reports and see who is doing well and who could do with a little extra help.

This is great for making sure all of your employees are meeting their compliance training goals and are at a competent level for their role in your business.

If you want to create your own compliance courses to suit your business, Go1 Premium also offers modern and easy-to-use tools so you can do it yourself!

You can build your own course right from the beginning and you can create content for your employees so that the course covers everything that you need.

The team at Go1 Premium are always on hand if you need them, no matter what day or time it is or what country you are based in.

The customer support team are friendly and know what they’re doing. So, all you’ve got to do is use the live help service when you need it the most and someone will be there right away to respond.

It doesn’t matter whether you are a small business or a large company – there’s always a plan for you at Go1 Premium.

This means that if you’ve got under 20 users or a higher volume of employees that you need to complete compliance training, you can choose a plan that works for you. Plus, why not take advantage of our free trial?

There you have it – the best parts about Go1 Premium. In today’s world, it’s important that your employees stay up-to-date with compliance training. Otherwise, not knowing the rules and regulations can come with some serious consequences.

So, why not try out Go1 Premium today and see what it has to offer your business?


How to keep up-to-date with your compliance training

Last week we hosted a webinar featuring ‘Bud to Boss’ author Kevin Eikenberry – thank you to everyone who attended and participated in the session, we hope you enjoyed it and got a lot out of it! And thank you to Kevin for sharing his time and knowledge with us all.

Weren’t able to attend the webinar? Or want a closer look at the content covered on the day? You can watch a full recap of the session here, for anyone who missed out.

On the day, we had Scott Cooper, Go1’s VP of Marketing, talking with guest author Kevin Eikenberry about how to make the successful transition to leadership. As Kevin’s book title suggests, effective leadership is all about knowing how to move from ‘Bud to Boss.’

Because sadly, 40% of new managers fail within the first 18 months of promotion. Why does this happen? Why are so many new managers stumbling at the blocks? The fact is, people get promoted because they’re good at their job—not because they can actually lead people.

Stepping into a leadership position doesn’t mean you instantly know how to be a good leader. For first-time managers and supervisors, it can be a tricky step to negotiate. You’re suddenly taking on new admin tasks, conducting performance reviews, dealing with upper management, and being responsible for employee professional development.

And often, new supervisors don’t get the training, support, and guidance they need to be successful. No wonder it can feel so overwhelming!

As you’ll see in the recap, Kevin talks frankly and honestly about:

The most common mistakes new leaders make (and some solutions)

The four perspectives that must change for a new supervisor to be successful

How to manage relationships and expectations during the transition – up, down and across the organization

How to make your first performance reviews far more effective (and less stressful)

In his book, and throughout our webinar, Kevin gives clear tips and strategies for new managers that can help them learn the kinds of things it usually takes people years to learn.

The webinar will also introduce you to the Bud to Boss Toolkit – a series of eLearning courses that will take you step-by-step through Kevin’s strategies for successful leadership. You can also download plenty of leadership resources from the Bud to Boss Community website, including a FREE online tool titled ‘The First 7 Things To Do When You Get Promoted.’

As Kevin says during the webinar, “if you’ve got ideas today that feel useful, go do something! It’s only when we take action that we really make any difference.”

Good luck putting your new leadership strategies into action!


This webinar was presented in conjunction with Vado.


Kevin Eikenberry is a recognized world expert on leadership development and learning and is the Chief Potential Officer of The Kevin Eikenberry Group. He has spent more than 25 years helping organizations and leaders from around the world, on leadership, learning, teams and teamwork, communication and more.  He was named by Inc.com as one of the top 100 Leadership Speakers and Leadership/Management Experts in the World and has been included in many other exclusive lists. He is the author, co-author or a contributing author to nearly 20 books, including Remarkable Leadership, bestseller From Bud to Boss – Secrets of the Successful Transition to Remarkable Leadership, with Guy Harris, and The Long-Distance Leader: Rules for Remarkable Remote Leadership, co-authored with Wayne Turmel. His blog is consistently ranked among the world’s best and most read on leadership.

From Bud To Boss: a full recap of our webinar with Kevin Eikenberry

As we celebrate International Women’s Day today, it’s a reminder to press forward and progress gender parity in the workplace. It’s also a reminder to make sure we continue challenging the issues of discrimination, bias, and sexual harassment.

Over the last twelve months, we’ve seen a lot of media focus and discussion around the pervasiveness of sexual harassment in the workplace.

During this time, many women have come forward to talk about their experiences. And we’ve seen a rise in global activism for women's equality, powered by worldwide movements such as #MeToo and #TimesUp.

Today we want to present you with some clear facts about sexual harassment in the workplace, as well as important steps you can take to address this issue within your own sphere of influence.

How prevalent is sexual harassment in Australian workplaces?

Earlier this week, findings from the first ever survey of attitudes to work by Australian women were released to the public, highlighting the facts about sexual harassment in the workplace.

The Australian Women's Working Futures 2017 study, undertaken by researchers at the University of Sydney, has revealed “shocking” levels of sexual harassment within the workplace for Australian women, with one in ten women experiencing sexual harassment in their current jobs.

This figure is even higher for particular groups of women, with 16 per cent of women from ethnically or linguistically diverse backgrounds and 18 per cent of women with a disability reporting sexual harassment. And it's important to remember that these numbers only reflect those women who have reported experiencing sexual harassment – the statistics could actually be much higher, with many instances unreported.

The study also reported that “less than a third of Australian working women feel they are being treated equally” in the workplace. While just 31 per cent of women surveyed believed men and women were treated equally at work, 50 per cent of men felt there was equality in the workplace.

Unfortunately, in 2018, some people are still unsure of what behaviours and actions constitute sexual harassment in the workplace.

They may think of sexual harassment purely in terms of unwanted sexual advances or inappropriate touching, however it can also encompass other more subtle forms of behaviour.

To clear this up: the Australian Human Rights Commission defines sexual harassment as “any unwanted or unwelcome sexual behaviour, which makes a person feel offended, humiliated or intimidated.” There are many ways that an individual can be made to feel uncomfortable or intimidated, without physical contact occurring. And they are all potentially damaging.

Unfortunately, in many workplaces, particularly male-dominated work environments, unacceptable actions or comments are often passed off as “jokes” or locker room talk, or just dismissed with a shrug and a “boys will be boys” attitude.

Regardless of whether someone is staring inappropriately, making sexually suggestive comments, telling inappropriate “jokes” or subjecting you to unwelcome physical contact – all of these examples are considered sexual harassment and are behaviours that are completely unacceptable in any work environment.

What can employers do to address sexual harassment?

The key to preventing sexual harassment from occurring within your organisation to have a clear policy on sexual harassment.

This policy must define what sexual harassment is, outlining unacceptable and inappropriate behaviours, as well as the consequences employees will face from those actions. You must make sure that your policy is compliant with all local, state and federal laws.

Developing and promoting this policy will make it clear to every employee that sexual harassment is 100% unacceptable in your organisation – at any time , whether during working hours or at any form of work-related training activities or functions. Get serious about cultivating a zero tolerance work culture, where sexual harassment is neither welcome nor tolerated.

In Australia, employers must create a safe and positive environment for their staff. This means that if you’re an employer or manager, you have a responsibility to look out for inappropriate conduct and to stop it right away. Make sure that you and other managers encourage the prompt reporting of incidents and always act immediately on any complaints that involve sexual harassment.

It’s also important to make sure employees are aware of their rights and are empowered with a clear idea of what constitutes sexual harassment, so they can feel confident in addressing and reporting it. 

What should I do if I see someone being harassed at work?

Even if you’re not in a management position, you have a responsibility to speak up when you see or hear something unacceptable in the workplace.

By speaking out against sexual harassment, and calling out inappropriate behaviour, you can challenge and change the dynamics in your own sphere of influence. You’ll also be encouraging other employees to do the same.

In group environments such as the workplace, sexual harassment can have an unfortunate cumulative effect on other staff who witness the behaviour, serving to reinforce and normalise negative male/female stereotypes – especially if the behaviour is not stopped.

Calling out sexual harassment in the workplace is everyone’s responsibility, so if you see someone being harassed, please have the courage to report it. Committing to progressive action will help women advance and progress towards gender parity in the workforce.

IWD 2018: the facts about sexual harassment in the workplace

On International Women’s Day, it’s important that we take the time to acknowledge and empower women working in traditionally male-dominated industries.

In both the tech and startup industries, there has long been an imbalance of gender, with the number of male employees outweighing women. In 2018, we hope to see more startups and tech companies doing their best to address this gender imbalance.

While we’re seeing global action in addressing diversity, gender parity, and sexual harassment in the workplace, driven in part by the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements, more work is needed to dismantle the unconscious bias that often exists towards women in male-dominated industries.

We talked to three women about their experiences working within the startup industry, to hear what advice they have for other women entering this space.

Lydia O’Sullivan, Digital Marketing Manager – Go1 

Throughout her marketing career, Lydia has seen first-hand some of the challenges facing women in the workplace, particularly the under-representation of women in leadership and executive roles.

When she moved over to the startup industry, she was quite conscious of the fact that she was entering a traditionally male-dominated environment. However, working with Go1, she’s seen how startups and tech companies can take positive action to address this gender imbalance.

“It’s great to see more women entering the company all the time, and being hired and promoted by Go1. Each month, I look around and see more female employees working in the office than the month before. I can see Go1 consciously working to address gender inequality, doing their best to move towards a more equal and diverse workforce.”

Within her own sphere of influence, Lydia aims to continue to Press for Progress and actively celebrate and support the achievements of women around her.

“It’s important to me that women feel comfortable and welcome in the startup industry. I actively maintain a strong network and regularly support and attend events organised and led by women. 

I also think it’s important to encourage my male friends and colleagues to support these events, so they can become better champions and allies for gender parity.”

Georgia Green, Head of Marketing, APAC & Americas – Head of Marketing, APAC & Americas – Totara 

Georgia knows the importance of having a strong support network of women within the industry.

“My sphere of influence is really these groups of women who work together to press for progress. We act as mentors, sounding boards, and cheerleaders. 

 “We push for gender parity, develop empowerment, challenge stereotypes, and work out how we can influence change or challenge prehistoric beliefs in our workplaces. If all of us can accomplish this, in whatever size, shape or form, then we’re expanding our reach to make change, and that’s a great thing.” 

When asked for her top tip for women who are entering the startup/technology industry, Georgia says:

“I think it’s critical to do your due diligence on an organisation before you jump in head-first. Look at the leadership and board structure; are there women? What’s the ratio? What kind of culture does the organisation have – does it look too blokey?

Use LinkedIn to see how many women work there, do a Google search to find any relevant news, read Glassdoor reviews, talk to former employees and find out what the culture is like, what leadership is like (because tone starts at the top), and make an informed decision. Do your research, determine what’s important to you within an organisation, and find your match.”

Pru Turnell, Associate Director – Kicker Communications

When working in male-dominated environments, Pru believes it creates a strong sense of solidarity between women workers.

“Working in a male-dominated industry is definitely not without its challenges, but working alongside brilliant women in the industry is extremely motivating and powerful. We all tend to stick together and empower each other because we have to stick together.”

Pru’s top tip for women getting into the startup or tech industry?

“The best piece of advice I can give to women just entering the tech industry is to be yourself, own your accomplishments, speak up, and have confidence in who you are. Find a mentor you gel with who is further along in their career than you and you will both learn from each other.”

Pru encourages women to not be deterred by traditionally male-dominated industries.

“If you are hesitating joining the industry because it is underrepresented by women, don’t. There are so many options open to you when you go into a tech career and the more females in startup and tech companies now, the more females we will see in CEO and leadership roles.” 

We thank each of these women for taking the time to talk to us about International Women’s Day and their experiences of working within the startup industry. By creating strong, supportive networks and celebrating women’s achievements, progress can continue to be made in this area.

IWD 2018: Supporting women in the startup industry

Go1, the world’s largest onboarding, compliance and professional development platform, has announced a partnership with the global leader in corporate learning, Skillsoft.

Under the agreement, more than 300 Skillsoft courses focused on building business and leadership skills will be added to Go1’s marketplace. Skillsoft’s Business & Leadership Skills content is multi-dimensional and micro-sized, which allows for flexible training and development solutions that can be targeted toward the needs of diverse populations. The content is ideal for busy managers both in their role today and as they plan for the next stage of their career – a critical issue facing organizations with growing workforce populations.

Additionally, the new offering will have a strong focus on soft skills. According to a Deloitte Access Economics report, soft skill-intensive occupations will account for two-thirds of all jobs by 2030 compared with half of all jobs in 2000.

New and existing Go1 customers will have access to the Skillsoft content in March 2018 via the Go1 Premium content offering, expanding the section’s content range to more than 1000 Premium courses. The content will be primarily aimed at the Australian and Asia Pacific markets, with plans to roll out in additional countries later in the year. 

Deloitte Access Economics said a workforce with a broad mix of skills is “crucial for business success and national prosperity. Businesses with more skilled staff have higher rates of innovation and productivity”.

Andrew Barnes, CEO and co-founder, Go1, said the partnership with Skillsoft would be of significant value to Go1 customers.

“Skillsoft is one of the world's largest corporate training providers, and we are excited to be able to offer our customers access to its award-winning content through our platform,” Mr Barnes said.

“It’s our ongoing mission to assist individuals and organisations to enhance their skills, whether for compliance or personal development goals. Working with Skillsoft means we can provide our users with an even greater range of content."

“Partnering with Go1, which has a strong presence in APAC, allows Skillsoft to meet the region’s growing interest and demand in providing business and leadership skills training,” said Melissa Ries, vice president & general manager for Asia Pacific at Skillsoft.

“We look forward to helping organizations build the skillsets their employees need to be successful in both their career and personal goals.”

Skillsoft is the global leader in corporate learning, providing the most engaging learner experience and high-quality content. We are trusted by the world's leading organizations, including 65 percent of the Fortune 500. Skillsoft's mission is to build beautiful technology and engaging content that drives business impact for today's modern enterprise. Skillsoft's 500,000+ multi-modal courses, videos, authoritative content chapters and micro-learning modules are accessed more than 130 million times every month, in 160 countries and 29 languages.


Want to access Skillsoft content on Go1? 

Go1 expands content offering through Skillsoft partnership

Do your employees truly know how to keep your company data safe?

In today’s world, every organization stores at least some of their important information digitally. Technology offers businesses so many more opportunities and now there’s no need to keep files and files of hard documents lying around the office.

Everything can be accessed and stored “in the cloud” these days.

However, as the use of technology in business rises, so does the risks of something going wrong. In particular, phishing scams, identity theft and third party fraud are common ways that unauthorized persons can get their hands on your important data.

Anything from customer details, employee records and financial transactions are targeted and at risk of being stolen, destroyed or used against you.

Of course, you don’t have to just sit back and wait for it to happen.

There’s lots of ways you can prevent this disaster from happening to your company. All you’ve got to do is be proactive and make sure you have proper measures in place to protect your company data.

The truth is, most data breaches can be avoided. This worst part is that a lot of employees knowingly or accidentally contribute to this risk. Yet, this doesn’t mean you should blame your employees – you’ve got to provide them with training so they understand their responsibilities.

So, this is where the starting point has to be.

It all starts with education and learning ways to prevent problems from happening in the first place. 

With a data privacy and information security course like we offer here at Go1, you can make sure your employees are knowledgeable and know how to stop data breaches.

With a skilled workforce, you’ll be able to protect all of your data from outside attacks and prevent the trouble and loss of productivity that is associated with data loss. Your customers will trust your business, you will avoid financial loss and your reputation won’t be tarnished.

With the help of our course, you can make your company security system a fortress!

This course is going to provide your employees with the resources and knowledge they need to understand and practice data protection and information security.

The content is kept interesting and will be useful for every kind of employee – from management to office employees. It will discuss the importance of data privacy and information security, as well as asset protection.

All of the information is relayed to your employees in an easy to understand way that makes it better to absorb and remember. It’s designed to be engaging so that everyone can learn.

This course will allow all employees to fully understand their roles and responsibilities when it comes to protecting data at work and keeping sensitive information safe and protected from third parties and threats.

Our course is great for compliance training needs and for creating an information systems security program for your company. There’s no better way to teach employees and make sure your business information and sensitive data doesn’t get into the wrong hands.

It’s easy to get started and this course can be incorporated into your LMS for simple learning. You can have your employees learning as soon as tomorrow!

Why is a Data Privacy and Information Security Course Important?

Data protection is more important now than ever before. Technology is always changing, which means that threats to your company data come in many different forms.

There’s always new malware, phishing attacks and ways that hackers are discovering to get into your information system. These malicious tactics are constantly evolving, which means you have to make sure your business keeps up.

With the installation of modern security controls along with teaching your employees all about data protection, you can make sure these threats aren’t a problem for your business any longer.

With the help of our data privacy and information security course, you can provide comprehensive training for your employees and provide them with the knowledge they need to make sure all data and sensitive information are protected.

At the end of the day, your customers trust you and this means that it’s your business’s responsibility to use every technique there is to protect their data and information. With the help of our course, your employees can learn how to do this effectively.

As we mentioned, a lot of data breaches happen as a result of employee mistakes. It’s not about pointing the blame – it’s about recognizing where there’s work to be done.

By provided training and teaching your employees their duties and responsibilities, these risks of data breaches can be minimized, if not completed eradicated from the workplace.

This way you can not only protect your customer data and employees but also your company’s reputation. You want to be known as the company that can be trusted and is serious about security and data protection – not the other way around.

Every penny spent on data protection and information security is worth it. In particular, our training course is money well spent and will make sure that you minimize your financial loss later down the line and comply with regulations.

So, it’s time to take back control of data protection. With a data protection and information security course, you can get everyone back up to speed and fully equipped on how to stay safe in this evolving technological age.

Don’t let the hackers winner – beat them at their own game and protect your company and customers once and for all!


Data privacy and information security training

Do you understand the real value of good customer training?

There’s no doubt that we’re all good at putting on a smile and convincing customers our business is the right one for the job in the beginning. It’s all about communicating your value, right?

Whether you’re selling a product or service, it’s sometimes too easy to focus on getting customers on board with your business. Unfortunately, this is often where the effort stops.

A lot of organizations think now the job is done – they’ve sold the product and that’s it. Since they’ve gotten this customer’s attention, they can now move onto the next one. They think that all of the “hard” work is over.

But, for the best companies, this is only the beginning of your commitment – you’ve got to keep that customer engaged to really retain their business and make your business a success.

So, this is where the problem lies with lots of companies. They’re treating customer service like a sprint when it’s actually a marathon. You’ve got to be in it for the long haul and work your way around the entire race to make sure you get to the finish line.

What we mean is that customer service is more than just getting someone in the door. It’s about making their whole experience positive and beneficial.

This is where real customer training comes in.

Making sure you have a proper customer training program in place means that you not only profit from that one customer, but you also make beneficial steps towards more business in the future.

When you attract a customer and convince them to invest in your product or service this is simply your starting point. This is a truly critical stage and it’s important to welcome them and make sure the product appeals to them personally.

People want to know how it’s going to make their life better. Taking the time to explain about the product and its benefits will attract customers and hook them in.

But, the next stage is just as crucial as the first. You’ve got to keep your customers engaged with your product for more than just five minutes. Instead of leaving them to their own devices, continuous customer training will solve your problem.

Customer training is going to make sure your product or service isn’t forgotten about. It gives you “sticking” power.

So, what you need to do is provide customer training that explains everything about the product. It goes deep. In addition, keep customers updated on the new features and latest additions so they can use the product properly and continue to benefit from it long after the sale is made.

It’s also about showing off your product and service and how it can continue to be of use to your customer. You’ve got to show that your “widget” is still relevant so it’s not thrown in a drawer and forgotten about.

Not to mention, the last thing you want is customers dropping out on you. You don’t want your churn rate to increase – you want it to decrease.

Usually, customers leave because they don’t feel they are being treated well and they’re left in the dark without support. No customer should feel this way and if you allow this to happen, it’s going to badly affect the success of your business later down the line.

You may have their money to begin with, but you’ll not have that important return on investment you’re really looking for.

How do you stop customers from leaving? The answer is simple – customer training. Again, it’s going to make sure everyone feels that they’ve made the right decision in your product and they remain interested in using it.

Good customer training will keep the wheels turning on your ROI cycle. 

What’s more, having engaged customers means less work for your customer service team later down the line. By answering all of their potential questions from the start, you can cut down the amount of support customers need.

By the way – doing this will also improve your chances of selling even more of your additional products and services along the way. This in turn will grow your business and lead to more success, which is exactly what every organization strives for.

Blog