In the modern information age we live in customers do their research well before they decide to buy a specific product, and if the organization or brand making that product has the digital presence to make that information available to the customer and have marketed it correctly, the sale is as good as done. But not all customers are the same. Some customer, for example, may wish to ask a loaded or complex question about the product from the brand’s customer service, or some customer may ask the brand’s customer service to solve a problem pertaining to the product. In these situations, if the said customer executive doesn’t have the proper product knowledge to answer the customer’s query, it will not only reflect badly on the brand or organization, it may even lead to the customer changing their minds about the buying the product, or worse destroy the trust they had in the brand or organization.

Thus it important for not only all customer-service employees but all employees of an organization to have proper product knowledge. As to what organizations should do to develop proper product knowledge in their employees, there is a simple answer. Digital learning is only learning/training methodology that is suited to train modern employees in product knowledge, and that is what organizations should implement. In this article, we’ll discuss 5 digital learning approaches that will help organizations improve their employees’ product knowledge.

1. Microlearning

The latest digital learning approach on the block, as well as the most efficient is microlearning. Most employees complain that they have no time to sit down for hours and learn about products. Microlearning destroys this excuse, as it is usually coupled with mobile learning to provide employees with just-in-time learning using 5 minute courses that cover what they need to know, on their smartphones. Now they can look up the exact problem or query they are faced with on-the-job and answer it within minutes.

2. Game-based or Quiz-Based Training

Another complaint that employees have with certain types of training is that it is boring. Well, game-based or quiz-based training targets exactly that, and as their names suggest, are eLearning courses that either turn learning/training into games which engage learners with elements like points, levels, badges and leaderboards, OR quizzes that challenge learners with questions about the products that assess and increase their knowledge. In fact, quiz-based training can be infused with game mechanics to turn them into game-based quizzes, which offer the best of both digital learning approaches.

3. Video-based Learning

This is another hot digital learning approach that it being used by successful organizations to develop better product knowledge in their employees. Videos are the most popular as well as the most consumed content type among modern individuals, particularly due to the fact that it engages both the visual and auditory faculties of the learners. This makes video-based learning something which grabs and holds the attention of the learners, while helping them learn about the product in great detail.

4. Virtual Classes

Product knowledge can sometimes be complex, particularly if the product involves complex technology. Such knowledge is hard to teach learners using simpler approaches like microlearning, game-based training or video-based learning, as they are not suited to teaching complex subjects. In such a situation, learners can be called upon to attend virtual classes using their mobile devices anytime, anywhere. Virtual classes work just like normal classes, with an instructor explaining complex, product-related information to the learners who all attend at one time on their mobile devices without being actually present in a classroom.

5. Blended Learning

Blended learning is the most appropriate method if full-fledged product training is required for employees. Like virtual classes, these are also meant when products are complex, for example, smartphones, cameras and other such technology. Blended learning combines the benefits of both traditional classroom training as well as eLearning, which means that learners can attend proper lectures to learn complex concepts about the product, which they can refresh using eLearning approaches like microlearning, video-based learning and gamification.

We hope these 5 digital learning approaches help you improve your employees’ product knowledge and increase sales while helping customers with their queries and build trust in your brand or organization.