Case Summary
New learning ecosystem empowers global resellers
“This is a game-changer for our channel partners – and will enable us to reach aggressive sales goals in this challenging economy.”
− VP Americas Channel Sales, global software company
Challenge
Software companies often rely on a network of partners to sell their products − so naturally, revenues and profits depend deeply on resellers’ collective product knowledge. Recognizing the strategic importance of partner education, one market-leading software publisher sought a smarter approach when major product upgrades began fueling increased training demand.
Top Priorities:
Consolidate access to course information and registration in a coherent online community
Support a diverse, global audience (10 languages and 13 geographies) with a unified brand experience
Recommend relevant courses for each learner’s role and region
Establish seamless end-to-end self-service − including eCommerce
Key Issues:
Training was available in multiple forms, but lacked a central point of access
Individual resellers couldn’t create a complete, customized view of recommended courses
Online payments couldn’t be accepted − making self-service enrollment impossible
The IT infrastructure was disconnected − multiple resources operated in isolation
Looming deadlines in the product release plan left no margin for error − the schedule was fixed
Despite its limitations, the legacy reseller site had to remain intact during migration to a next-generation environment
Solution
Using the ExpertusONE learning platform as a foundation, Expertus rapidly combined training-related data and content from four unrelated enterprise systems to deliver a fully blended, personalized reseller learning ecosystem. This solution echoes the look-and-feel of its parent site − while drawing intelligence from multiple sources − to deliver the most relevant learning paths and information for each learner’s role, interests, history and goals. It also incorporates useful social features (such as interactive course ratings and comment capabilities) so resellers can share opinions and knowledge with others in the community.
Impact
ExpertusONE provided a robust, engaging, online learning ecosystem
Despite an impossibly aggressive timeline (less than four months), ExpertusONE provided a robust, engaging, online learning ecosystem optimized for the resellers’ interests. Now, for the first time, this global software company can share critical new product information and personalized training plans and content − quickly and easily − all under one dynamic, networked roof. As a result, learning rollouts are 30 – 40% faster, while classroom training hours have decreased by up to 85% in many regions.
This unprecedented level of access to the most up-to-date knowledge and support makes new product launches faster, more effective and far less expensive to manage. Moreover, with full access to better product knowledge, the global reseller community is equipped to sell more software to more customers, sooner than ever. And as first-year usage metrics reveal, this social learning environment is rapidly gaining popularity.
