You use your iPod every day, but do you know how it works? You know your dry-cleaning is clean, but do you know how it’s cleaned?
Most people have only a vague idea of the inner workings of many products and services they use everyday. For the majority of products out there this does not pose a problem. You may not know how your favorite product works in technical terms, but this doesn’t prevent you from using it.
However, it can be beneficial to have a better understanding of some products and services in order to use them more fully. Knowing how something works can help consumers to use a product in new and innovative ways.
Several companies are tapping in to the ‘knowledge is power’ movement and are actively educating their customers. This trend is evident among both business-to-consumer and business-to-business products and services.
Educating consumers is beneficial to the product provider as well as to the consumer. Customers are more likely to use products and services they feel comfortable with, and as a result will continue to use a particular brand they are fully educated about.
Educating consumers can be as simple as a brief tutorial or as extreme as an educational camp devoted to a product. The latter can be seen at Camp Jeep. The off-road vehicle manufacturer is educating their customers firsthand on just how off road their cars can be with a summer camp devoted to all things Jeep. Jeep drivers participate in activities such as Jeep Trail Rides and other adventure sports to learn more about their vehicles and get the full Jeep experience.
Business-to-business companies are also reaching out to their customers with educational tutorials to help them fully use their services. Innovatech Labs offers short courses that detail the analytical techniques they use in their materials analysis, failure analysis and research and development testing.
Innovatech customers can learn the theory behind materials analysis techniques and how the information they reveal can be applied to improve the customer’s products. This stronger understanding ensures customers have confidence in Innovatech’s services and allows them to use these services in new ways.
Consumers already have more access to information about products and services than ever before thanks to the Internet. Companies can ensure consumers have correct, relevant information by taking the steps to educate their customers themselves.