Online Learning Perfect for Technology Providers

If you’re a technology provider, you’re probably pretty familiar with this challenge: your organization works with several resellers and end users, but very few employees working full-time.

This can be a problem if you’re pushing several releases a year or launching new products regularly. It’s vitally important for every person involved in the sales process to have the correct information about the new product. It’s equally important that the end users are supported. But how can you make sure your partners and users are trained without straining your staff?

How big are technology companies, really?

When most people think of technology companies, their thoughts usually go to one of two extremes: the tiny startup and the tech giants. That’s not quite the case, however. Data from the U.S. Department of Commerce shows that most tech companies are somewhere in the middle; 99% of tech firms have fewer than 500 employees.

Even if tech companies want to hire more staff, it’s difficult to find the right people. The tech sector also suffers from a talent shortage exacerbated by both the pandemic and the Great Resignation. According to poll data from MIT Technology Review Insights, 64% of tech leaders say candidates for their IT and tech jobs lack the skills or experience they’d need for the role. Another 56% say there’s an overall shortage of candidates for open jobs.

It’s no surprise that so many technology providers rely on their resellers and partners to deliver their product to end users.

Tech companies and the partner economy

Research shows that more than half of businesses rely on their partners to bring in new customers, and according to a Hubspot study 50% of respondents attribute a quarter of their revenue to their partners. With that much income riding on partner sales, it’s critical that partners receive regular training. And once products are delivered, there’s also usually a need for some amount of product training.

In the past, tech companies would provide this training in person. Trainers would fly to various global locations upon the launch of a new product, meeting with resellers and sometimes end users together to update them on the new products and releases. Even before the pandemic shut down travel in 2020, this was not a sustainable way to run product sales training. It was a time-consuming and expensive process, and there was no guarantee that vendors would retain the knowledge.

That’s why an LMS (Learning Management System) can be such a benefit for technology providers.

Online learning for partners and users

Your partner program is tasked with quickly bringing your vendors up to speed, training them quickly and effectively so they can start hitting their targets as soon as possible. Rather than wait for a twice-annual in-person training, an LMS allows trainers to direct partners to learning materials that are always available.

This means you can offer your partners a central portal with access to the latest product specs, advertising material, step-by-step guides, and training modules. Not only does this take the burden off your staffers, it also allows your resellers to access the training when they need it, or just need to refresh their memories.

An LMS also lets you see which partners have been taking training modules, which need more support, and where the gaps in your training are. Access to custom dashboards that provide this information will allow you to strengthen your partner training program, while also giving you the tools you need to demonstrate the ROI of partner training to key stakeholders.

Being able to offer training online works seamlessly with the ethos of the technology industry; you are developing and selling cutting edge technology products to make people’s lives easier. By delivering partner training online, you can offer the same benefits to your partners and vendors.