Talk About Service

PODCASTING: The Latest Technology Trend for "Staying In Touch" with Your Employees and Customers
By
Nov 10, 2005, 16:55

We are at the start of a HUGE title wave. If you are not on the Podcasting bandwagon yet, it's time to get on board. Don't wait to take advantage of the fastest growing trend in communication and learning today.

We'd like to tell you about one of the most exciting innovations to come along in quite some time that combines content, convenience and learning. It's called PODCASTING. Leading edge companies are recognizing the endlessly varied universe of audio content that can be shared with employees and customers when they want it at any time. As such, Podcasting has become the fastest growing trend in learning today.

Ed Horrell, the nationally known motivational speaker, author, columnist and talk show host of "Talk About Service" has the unique background to produce learning products for your employees and customers by combining radio format learning with the emerging power of "Podcasting". The conversational nature of a fast-paced radio medium is compelling and creates a learning environment that your employees and customers will respond to enthusiastically.

Did you Know?

According to the Pew Interenet and American Life Project, more than 22 million American adults own iPods or MP3 players, and 29 percent of them have downloaded podcasts.
Podcasting is the new wave of disseminating content by corporations, i.e. capturing executive interviews, training of a new product or service, reinforcement of corporate values and brand.
Classroom style corporate training programs are tedious, boring, takes people out of their strategic work, and in most cases are ineffective.
Research shows that the most important rule to remember for effective corporate training is to make it engaging and entertaining. The best learning is conversational, entertaining, and interesting...like a radio talk show.
67 million American workers (half the US workforce) will be working remotely or telecommunting by 2006, making it more challenging to stay-in-touch and keep your employees and customers informed.
The number one concern from employee and customer feedback surveys is 'Lack of Communication'.

PODCASTING + RADIO = LEARNING

Audio programming is now eassily available to anyone with a computer and access to the web. Companies are turning to the hot trend of "Podcasting" as an effective training and communication method. Not only is podcasting reducing the cost of training, evidence is showing that it is also a very effective and popular learning tool among today's mobile knowledge workers.

Companies like IBM and Capital One have discovered the power of podcasting as an effective new way to train and stay in touch with their employees and customers.

IBM uses podcasting to distribute a weekly radio show straight to the iPods of its employees. Recently Capital One distributed 3,000 iPods to its employees and made available MP3 audio files on everything from training classes to important executive messages.

From a learning and retention standpoint, evidence has shown that the fast-paced, entertaining radio-style format of a podcast can hold people's attention as they drive to client meetings or clean the house. Like IBM and Capital One have learned, podcasting is a management dream! They can communicate directly to the ear of their employees without taking them off productive work. Podcasting has allowed employees to absorb corporate information and learning materials where and when they want.
For individuals that don't have an MP3 digital audio player, yet (like an iPod, Palm OS Handheld, Pocket PCs), you can simply post the MP3 file on your intranet or learning portal, so that they can download and listen on their computers at their convenience. For those individuals who have an MP3 player, they can "Podcast" - which means that the content is sent to them automatically, so they can listen anytime, anywhere. These MP3 products and topics can also be customized for your company as well, using your business or company logo.

Here are some of the unique benefits of Podcasting:

Audio files, usually in MP3 format, can be listened to at your employee's/customer's leisure and easily reviewed for understanding.
Podcasting is asynchronous and mobile....you reach people when and where they are.... just-in-time and just-in-place....in context and on-demand.
Podcasting is low-cost and on-demand channel straight to the ears of your target audience - with the exact message you want them to hear.
Podcasting enables employees/customers to learn while communting, walking the dog, running on the treadmill, driving to work, etc.
Subject-matter expert interviews are powerful learning tools for podcasting.
Customized conversational podcasting is more engaging, more fun to listen to, and holds the attention and interest of listeners.

How can podcasting benefit my customers?
You can also use Podcasting to stay in touch with your cusotmers as well. One of the most common complaints we hear is how hard it is to stay in touch with customers without actually trying to sell them something. Trust is built when your customers know that you care and actually value them as a customer, not just calling on them when you want to sell them something. With Podcasting you now can let them know that you care about them, even if they are not buying anything from you a the present time.

Ed can work with you to customize MP3 products that will allow you to educate and stay in touch with your customers and prospects. These will be conducted in a conversational, radio format with Ed interviewing one of your experts on a topic you feel would be interesting and entertaining for your customers to hear.

Your customers will appreciate listenting to interviews with product managers, company executives, and experts on topics such as: Industry Trends, Regulatory Issues, and "How To's" to help them run their business more effectively. You pick the topic that would be interesting to your customers, provide Ed with the questions, and together we produce a product that your customers can listen to and enjoy when it is convenient for them, not you! It's a great way to provide (that elusive) value-added service for your customers. They will appreciate it, because the content will be informative and they can listen when it's convenient for them. In less than a few days, you can have an informative and topical MP3 product on your website to share with your customers. This results in a website that your customers will want to look at frequently, since they are learning as they go to your site.

Contact us at www.edhorrell.com and learn more about a "Podcasting" and how it can enhance and improve "communications" with your employees and customers.

Email this article