Building A Customer Education OS: 7 Tools to Educate & Delight Users 

Shreelekha Singh
November 27, 2023
This is some text inside of a div block.

Happy customers who know all about your product’s best capabilities stick around longer. Not only that, they also tell others about it.

That means, you spend less on ads and aggressive sales to acquire new customers. Instead you rely more on referrals and upselling to boost your bottom line. 

That’s why you need a customer education program to help users succeed with your SaaS. In this guide, we’ll give you our seven best customer education tools to hit the ground running. 

But first, let’s get the basics out of the way.

What is customer education?

Customer education is instructing users on effectively using a software to maximize its benefits. It includes providing resources like tutorials, webinars, and documentation that help users understand the product features and navigate the interface. 

A good customer education strategy aims to:

  • Enhance the user experience
  • Increase product adoption
  • Reduce support inquiries 

It empowers customers with the knowledge and skills needed to navigate your product independently, ensuring they can fully leverage all capabilities to meet their needs and goals.

What customer education is not ❌

Customer education is not simply about fixing problems retroactively or answering questions only when users are stuck. It's not a one-time help session or a quick fix for a specific issue. 

It's not a sales pitch either. The focus of customer education is on teaching and helping, not on selling more features or products. 

More importantly, it's not a passive process where users are left to find relevant information on their own. A customer education program actively guides and supports users through their journey.

Why you need a customer education tech stack 

So, how do you build a customer education program? With a good tech stack. 

The right customer education platforms can make a huge difference for your team and users alike. Here’s how 👇🏻

🌊 Streamline customer onboarding for reducing time-to-value

A good tech stack automates and personalizes the onboarding process. This means customers can quickly learn exactly what they need to start using your product effectively, cutting down on the time it takes for them to see the value in your service. 

Tailored onboarding paths based on user roles or industries can make this process even more efficient.

💪🏻 Increase customer retention by improving product understanding

You can strengthen users’ understanding of your product with a full-fledged academy—a learning hub with relevant courses, webinars, and resources for your users. 

When customers understand the ins and outs of your product and find answers exactly where + when they need, they're more likely to become long-term users. This deep understanding transforms them from casual users into product champions.

🚴🏻‍♀️ Offer contextual guidance for continuous product adoption

With the right customer education tools, you can deliver timely in-app guidance and help users not just use your product, but master it. This kind of contextual guidance encourages continuous engagement with new features and more advanced functionalities of your product. 

The result? Higher success for your users, and deeper product adoption for you.

⛰️ Provide scalable support through self-service resources

AI chatbots, in-depth knowledge bases, and community forums make customer support scalable. Users get instant answers to common questions, reducing the need to contact a support agent. This self-service approach empowers users to solve problems independently and improves their confidence in your product.

🙋🏻 Reduce long-term support costs and build a community

Investing in good customer education platforms can save money in the long run. Fewer people will need to call for help, and you can build a community of users who help each other, sharing tips and advice. This creates a supportive environment around your product.

Our picks for the 7 best customer education platforms

We’ve shortlisted these seven tools to build your customer education program from the ground up. 

1. User onboarding: Appcues 

Appcues is a flexible and user-friendly platform for creating personalized product experiences, particularly for user onboarding. You can create tailored onboarding processes to guide users to discover the value of a product more quickly and maximize user activation. 

The tool also offers detailed reporting to stay on top of user behavior. What’s more, you can access multiple targeting options to tailor your onboarding processes to specific user segments, such as new users or trial users. 

What makes Appcues a top choice for user onboarding

  • Feature adoption tools: Use interactive tools like slideouts, tooltips, and hotspots to highlight new features, boosting user engagement and feature usage.
  • User feedback collection: Easily collect user feedback with in-app surveys and NPS tools, providing valuable insights for product improvement.
  • No-code setup: Simple, no-code integration using JavaScript or Segment, making it accessible for teams without extensive technical resources.
  • Impact measurement: Comprehensive reporting features to track the effectiveness of onboarding flows and feature adoption strategies, aiding in continuous improvement.

Other user onboarding tools to check out

  • UserGuiding
  • Rocketlane 
  • Userpilot
  • Userflow 

2. Self-serve support: Floik 

Floik is an all-in-one solution for creating interactive product showcases to educate and delight users. You can create explainer videos, step-by-step guides, and walkthrough demos to make your SaaS fully self-serve with:

  • Quick onboarding tutorials 
  • A full-fledged knowledge base
  • In-app tooltips linked to resources
  • Monthly product update emails
  • Changelog page

You can create your self-serve setup in minutes by capturing different aspects of your product in action. Then edit these resources to fine-tune your messaging and convert your recording into multiple formats.

 

What makes Floik a top choice for self-serve support

  • Multilingual content: Create resources in 20+ languages with the AI voiceover feature and speak your users’ language.  
  • Work with your team: You can bring your entire team together on Floik to create product how-tos and knowledge base content.
  • Embed and share: Sharing Flos is a cakewalk. You can share your showcases with a URL and embed them anywhere with a code.
  • Publish folders: You can also curate multiple Flos in a single folder and publish this folder to share with a single link. 
  • Multiformat content: Create product how-tos in different formats, like explainer videos, clickable demos, and step-by-step guides. Convert one file into any format in a single click!

💡 Check out the Floik Academy to see how we’ve used Floik to create our knowledge base.

Other self-serve support tools to check out

  • Gitbooks
  • Archbee
  • Help Scout
  • Document360

3. Learning management system: WorkRamp 

WorkRamp is an all-in-one platform to fulfill employee and customer learning needs. You can centralize learning resources for various functions, including talent development, customer education, sales enablement, and compliance training. 

WorkRamp uses AI to streamline and enhance the learning process, making it a forward-thinking choice for businesses aiming to educate their customers and partners effectively. You can also create content in several formats and get detailed analytics to understand the ROI of your training programs. 

What makes Workramp a top choice for an LMS

  • Centralized LMS: Offers a centralized platform for employee, customer, and partner training, ensuring consistency and efficiency in learning delivery.
  • AI-enhanced learning: Utilizes artificial intelligence to create, deliver, and manage impactful learning programs, saving time and enhancing content.
  • Interactive learning experiences: Supports various formats, like quizzes, micro-learning modules, interactive videos, and certifications, for engaging and interactive learning, catering to diverse learning styles and needs.
  • Detailed analytics: Provides analytics to track the effectiveness of training programs and understand their return on investment.

Other LMS tools to check out

  • Skilljar
  • Docebo
  • TalentLMS
  • LearnUpon

4. Community building: Slack 

Slack is a widely used communication platform for creating organized spaces for conversation, collaboration, and knowledge sharing. You can create a dynamic community for users to interact with each other and with your team. 

It's also a space where users can get quick responses to their queries, share feedback, and stay updated on product developments. Besides, you can integrate your Slack workspace with multiple platforms and automate routine tasks to build a low-maintenance community ecosystem.

What makes Slack a top choice for community building

  • Organized channels: Create dedicated spaces for different topics, user groups, or discussions, making it easy to manage conversations and keep them relevant.
  • Integration with other tools: Seamlessly integrate with a wide array of tools and services, enriching the community experience with additional functionalities.
  • File sharing and collaboration: Easily share files and collaborate on documents within the platform, fostering a collaborative environment.
  • Customizable notifications: Tailor notifications to suit user preferences, ensuring that members stay informed without being overwhelmed.

Other community building tools to check out

  • Mighty Networks
  • Discourse 
  • Discord
  • Circle

5. In-app guidance: WalkMe 

WalkMe is a Digital Adoption Platform (DAP) that specializes in enhancing the in-app user experience. Its primary function is to overlay on any SaaS application, identifying points where users may encounter difficulties and providing real-time, personalized guidance. 

You can use this tool to streamline the user journey, reduce friction, and improve overall user engagement. The platform also allows you to meet users where they are, whether on desktop, mobile, or web.

What makes WalkMe a top choice for in-app guidance

  • Workflow optimization: Identifies and addresses friction points in workflows, streamlining processes for better efficiency.
  • Detailed analytics: Provides insights into how users interact with the software, enabling continuous improvement of the user experience.
  • Cross-platform support: Works across desktop, mobile, and web applications, ensuring a consistent user experience.
  • Automation: Automates mundane tasks within the app, allowing users to focus on more important aspects of their work.

 Other in-app guidance tools to check out

  • Pendo
  • Userlane
  • Whatfix 
  • Chameleon

6. Product changelog: Rapidr

Rapidr is a product feedback platform ideal for capturing, analyzing, and prioritizing customer feedback. You can collect user feedback from various sources, ensuring that all customer insights are centralized and easily accessible. 

The platform's ability to analyze and prioritize feedback is a key feature, helping product teams focus on building features that align with customer needs and expectations. On top of that, Rapidr also provides a public product roadmap, enhancing transparency and managing user expectations effectively. 

What makes Rapidr a top choice for product changelog 

  • Feedback analysis and prioritization: Analyze feedback to identify the most impactful ideas and inform product decisions.
  • Public product roadmap: Share upcoming features and engage customers with a simple, transparent product roadmap.
  • Product changelog: Announce updates and feature releases, keeping customers and teammates informed.
  • Feedback widgets and boards: Collect feedback with public or private boards and embed feedback widgets in-app.

Other product changelog tools to check out

  • Frill 
  • Notion
  • Beamer
  • LaunchNotes

7. User feedback: SurveyMonkey

SurveyMonkey is a feedback collection tool known for its ease of use and flexibility in creating surveys are its standout features. With SurveyMonkey, you can quickly design, distribute, and analyze surveys to understand your users' needs, preferences, and experiences. 

SurveyMonkey also provides robust analytics tools to help you interpret the data effectively, turning responses into actionable insights. You can use this data to rapidly adapt and evolve your product based on user feedback. 

What makes SurveyMonkey a top choice for user feedback

  • Customizable templates: Access a wide range of templates and tailor them to fit your specific feedback needs.
  • Diverse question types: Utilize various question types to gather comprehensive and relevant data.
  • Multi-channel distribution: Distribute surveys via email, web, social media, and more to reach a wider audience.
  • Integration capabilities: Seamlessly integrate with other tools and platforms for efficient data management and analysis.

Other user feedback tools to check out

  • Typeform
  • Survicate
  • UserVoice
  • Hotjar

Now you’re ready to empower your customers

You need a customer education program to foster long-term relationships and sustainable growth. By equipping users with the knowledge and tools they need to fully leverage your product, you can enhance their experience and build a community of power users! 

With these seven customer education platforms, you have all the options to build a robust tech stack. Start building your customer education ecosystem today! 

CTA Floik