eBOOK
2021 STATE OF CUSTOMER EDUCATION
More Revenue, Less Churn as Customer Education Builds Momentum
In early 2021, Claire Schooley of Forrester and Thought Industries CEO Barry Kelly conducted an industry survey of the Customer Education space.
The results? Customer Education is rapidly increasing spend to support customer experience and net revenue growth – but facing challenges with measurement and monetization.
The full results of this survey provide the foundation of our third annual 2021 State of Customer Education Report. Get your copy today!
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Respondents At a Glance
Robust participation from the computer software (61.3%) and manufacturing industry (13.9%), with remaining responses no higher than 6% from 13 other industries. Over 200 respondents overall.
49% of companies also train channel partners, extended enterprise (20%), outside professionals (31%), and continuing education markets (19%).
Programs range in scale. 37% reach 5,000 or more learners, while 19% serve less than 500.
Respondents employ a mix of business models, with 83% employing B2B, 29% B2C, 16% B2B2C, and 9% B2B2B.
40% of respondents reported into Customer Success or Customer Experience, while 12% were standalone Customer Education departments.
Investment in Customer Education rose across the board, with 60% of programs increasing spend by more than 30%.
About the Authors
Barry Kelly
Barry is co-founder and CEO of Thought Industries. He is an external training champion, marketer and digital learning innovator. His career has focused on supporting businesses to deliver impactful training experiences that increase customer lifetime value.
Paul Merrylees
Paul is Senior Director of Thought Leadership at Thought Industries. Prior to joining the company, Paul led research and product development programs at The Advisory Board Company and United Health Group for 14 years. His focus has been the intersection of human capital development and learning technology.
Claire Schooley
Claire is an expert in corporate learning, recruiting, and performance management technology. Previously, as a principal analyst, Claire led Forrester Research Inc.’s strategic HR practice worldwide in the areas of employee development and selection.
Daniel Quick
Daniel Quick is Vice President of Learning Strategies at Thought Industries. Before joining Thought Industries, Daniel led customer education at Asana where he designed learning strategies that nurtured customers across the lifecycle. Daniel is a former video game designer turned educator who is passionate about creating delightful digital experiences that enable people to do their best work.