IntroductionStarting a customer education program at the right moment can make all the difference for a SaaS startup or scaleup. Move too early, and you might strain your team and resources. Wait too long, and you risk losing customers who don’t fully grasp the value of your product. So, how do you know when the time is right?
As a business leader, this decision often comes down to a few critical indicators.
Your product needs to be stable. If customers are regularly running into bugs or if features are still in flux, any educational content you create may quickly become outdated. Once your product has reached a level of maturity where its core features are reliable and the value proposition is clear, that’s a strong sign you’re ready to start educating your customers.
But it’s not just about stability. Your customer education program should also align with your product roadmap. As new features and updates are planned, proactive development of educational content ensures that customers are prepared to fully utilise these advancements from day one. This alignment helps maintain customer engagement and satisfaction as your product evolves.
Pay attention to what your customers are telling you—directly and indirectly. If your support team is overwhelmed with basic questions, or if users are consistently confused about key features, it might be time to consider formalising an education program. This can help reduce the burden on your support team and ensure that customers can unlock the full potential of your product.
The onboarding phase is crucial. If you’re noticing that new users aren’t engaging with the product as deeply as you’d like, or if churn rates are high shortly after sign-up, these are clear indicators that your customers aren’t fully understanding how to use your product. An education program can address this by providing the guidance they need to get up and running quickly.
Launching a customer education program isn’t just about recognising the need—it’s also about ensuring that the benefits outweigh the costs. Early on, you might start with a small, focused initiative that targets the most critical areas of customer education. As your company grows and your resources expand, you can scale these efforts.
To measure the success of your customer education program, it’s important to define clear metrics. Consider tracking key performance indicators such as reduced support tickets, increased feature adoption, and improved customer retention. These metrics will help you assess whether the program is having the desired impact and provide insight into where further improvements can be made.
When done right, customer education doesn’t just improve customer satisfaction—it can also significantly reduce the load on your support team, lower churn rates, and help your business grow more sustainably.
The decision to launch a customer education program isn’t one to take lightly, but by watching for these signals, you can make an informed choice that aligns with your company’s growth and goals.
Ready to get started? Take a look at our Strategic Customer Education Service or Reach out to us at The Learning Stack to discuss how we can help you build and scale your customer education program.
