239 - Customer Learning Growth; Peoplesoft Enters Learning & LMS Field

#239 - - - August 1, 2002 - - - 43,698 Readers
*** Elliott Masie's TechLearn TRENDS ***
Training, e-Learning and Collaboration Updates
Published by The MASIE Center www.masie.com
Host of: TechLearn 2002 - Oct 27-30 - Orlando, FL

1. Customer Learning Growth
2. Peoplesoft Enters Learning & LMS Field
3. Dave Barry & Learning Careers at TechLearn 2002

1. Customer Learning Growth: I just returned from a Customer Learning
Seminar in Chicago at a CRM conference. It is amazing to watch the rate
at which e-Learning is being deployed in the Customer Learning arena. We
are seeing three major trends in Customer Learning implementations in the
past ten months:

a) Revenue Growth - Upselling Through Learning: The deployment of
Customer Learning as a strategy to enrich the prospects full understanding
of the products they are considering purchasing. Salesforces, both field
and office based, are being equipped with targeted e-Learning modules that
can be launched at customers to help close the deal or upsell additional
products. A learning customer is a highly engaged customer and a best
prospect customer.

b) Expense Reduction: The use of learning as a tool to reduce the labor
intensive dimensions of call center and other forms of pre and post sales
support. If a learner can access high quality, engaging learning modules,
as an alternative to long-duration support calls (or waiting on hold for a
while), the company wins in both satisfaction and reduction of labor
costs.

c) Customer Loyalty: The use of learning as a tool to increase customer
loyalty and to position the corporation as a source of affiliation and
knowledge. This is even extending to the building of communities of
practice amongst customers, to provide peer to peer persepctives and
support.

We will host a major sub-conference at TechLearn 2002.

2. PeopleSoft Enters Learning & LMS Field: PeopleSoft Inc. announced the
acquisition of Teamscape Corporation, a learning management systems
provider. PeopleSoft's entry into this marketplace is noteworthy. The
role of Enterprise Software or ERP companies in the learning field is
expanding and PeopleSoft was rumored to be poised to enter. They plan to
use the core of Teamscape's software and redeploy it, with significant
additions, as a PeopleSoft solution. This once again puts learning more
into a Human Capital Management context for many buyers. Go to
www.peoplesoft.com for details.

3. Dave Barry & Learning Careers at TechLearn 2002: We are going to be
announcing our 2002 keynoters at TechLearn over the next several weeks.
We start with Dave Barry, well known author and comedian, who will talk
about the funny ways in which people use technology and also learn. Dave
Barry will be the afternoon relief on Monday, after an intense series of
case studies and dialogues about learning issues.

Your Learning Career will be the focus of an interactive Keynote at
TechLearn. We will walk the thousands of attendees through a learning
careers futuring and planning session, to see some of your key choices in
the training and learning fields (and beyond) in this changing economy.
Three dozen senior learning executives will facilitate this session. Only
a TechLearn 2002 would a ballroom of learning professionals ask the risky
questions about their career futures ... and be in a non-commercial
setting to get some honest and creative answers from peers and mentors.
Reserve your spot at TechLearn now at http://www.techlearn.com

Upcoming MASIE Center Event:
Skills for e-TRAINERS: Saratoga Springs, NY, September 2002
http://www.masie.com