Customer trends and preferences are ever changing, and one of the best ways for customer experience professionals to keep up with these changes and learn new skills is to attend training classes.
Customer experience training courses help individuals do their jobs better. Beginners can gain an understanding of what a CX professional does and learn the fundamentals of how to do the job. More experienced professionals can gain a refresher of some of the key concepts they might have forgotten over the years, keep up to date with industry trends and discover new and more efficient ways of working.
Businesses that focus on customers generate up to 60% more in revenue than those that don't, according to a Deloitte report. Being customer-centric not only benefits the customer but also the company's bottom line.
While customer experience continues to be a fundamental component of successful companies, businesses need the right vision and employees with the right skills.
Top customer experience training courses
CX beginners and established professionals will have differing ideas about which skills are necessary to improve, and a good course will make the distinction between expertise levels clear.
Good CX training courses also need to be an appropriate length. CX professionals are likely to have at minimum a bachelor's degree, and many are already full-time employees. Therefore, a course shouldn't be so long that it takes up all their time, nor should it be so short that they don't gain anything valuable from it.
Here are some of the top customer experience training courses available online:
21-Day CX Challenge
- Where to register: Experience Investigators
- Price: free
- Length: 21 days
- Overview: The 21-day CX Challenge is a 21-day email series that will break down everything professionals need to know about the world of customer experience -- including how to plan, pitch and execute a customer experience strategy. This course will explore how to properly use customer feedback, the ins and outs of doing customer research, and how to improve communication and use technology to meet CX requirements.
The CX Foundations
- Where to register: Customer Experience Professionals Association (CXPA)
- Price: $149 for recordings
- Length:75 hours
- Overview: This introductory course from the CXPA explains some of the basic concepts of customer experience and shows how all they fit together within an organization. The course explores six concepts for customer experience professionals to find success in their organizations. Concepts covered include CX strategy; customer-centric culture; metrics, measurement and ROI; experience design; improvement and innovation; voice of the customer insights and understanding; and organizational adoption and accountability.
Omnichannel Customer Experience Management (CX)
- Where to register: Udemy
- Price: $94.99 (subject to change)
- Length: 3 hours
- Overview: This course outlines ever-changing customer behavior and explains how CX professionals must adapt. Attendees will learn what they need to create customer experience management strategies, deliver omnichannel customer experiences and use tools such as customer journey maps and buyer personas.
Branding and Customer Experience
- Where to register: Coursera
- Price: free
- Length: 11 hours
- Overview: This course explores the link between branding and customer experience. There are many approaches to branding strategy, but how well that strategy is implemented will have an effect on the customer. With a framework developed from customer journey mapping, this course showcases how branding and customer experience activities can be aligned.
Build Your Skills in Customer Service
- Where to find it: LinkedIn Learning
- Price: free with premium LinkedIn subscription
- Length: 5 hours
- Overview: This learning path includes a total of eight courses that explain various aspects of customer service. These aspects include learning how to make customers feel valued, how to solve customer problems, improving relationship building with customers and understanding how to handle customers in various scenarios and mediums.
Another good way to keep up with customer experience trends and other tips is to attend an industry conference. Learn about 2021 CX conferences here.