Updated: June 2, 2025
Training large numbers of employees is a big challenge.
There are several factors working against you. Employees are spread out over multiple locations. You need to keep people running the operation while employees are getting trained. And, the logistics of coordinating a large number of participants involved can be daunting.
Some people thought e-learning could solve this problem. The problem is it's boring. A lot of e-learning is nothing more than an amateurish voice over PowerPoint.
The future is in video. Short, engaging, and beautifully produced video that's incredibly scalable. You can use video to train 35, 350, or even 35,000 employees.
For example, more than 1 million people have taken my Customer Service Foundations course on LinkedIn Learning. Now in it's third edition, the course has earned a 4.8 star rating from over 10,000 reviews.
Let's dive deeper to see how video can work for your team.
The Power of Video
Video offers a number of distinct advantages over other forms of training.
It's engaging. People enjoy watching video. According to Statista, adults in the U.S. spend 17 hours per week watching online video.
You want training to be engaging enough so employees enjoy the process. Here are just a few comments from people who have taken the Customer Service Foundations course:
"This course has really been an eye opening in all aspects of customer service.. I enjoyed every bit of it."
"He did a great job keeping the material interesting."
"The author's positive attitude is contagious."
And, it's always good when a participant feels the training made a difference:
"I am about to start my first working day as a customer service representative and thanks to this course I feel myself more confident and equipped with essential knowledge on making my customers feel satisfied."
It's easy to access. Employees can watch training videos from their computer, their tablet, or even their smartphone.
LinkedIn Learning videos are broken into short segments, usually about five minutes each. This allows employees to watch a specific module and then immediately apply what they learned before going back to the next video.
Check with your team. They're already doing this now with YouTube videos.
It's faster. Employees can complete training much faster than a traditional class. Customer Service Foundations has a total run time of 1 hour, 11 minutes. Factor in team to complete activities and quizzes and it's still far less than the eight hours the live version requires.
There's no set-up, scheduling, or logistics to handle either. It's ready to go right now—your employees could easily start the training in the morning and finish before lunch.
It's inexpensive. Here's a cost comparison between live training and using video. Video can cut your costs in three ways:
Delivery is less expensive per person.
Development is less expensive (if you buy pre-packaged courses).
You spend 50-75 percent less on employee wages since video-based training goes faster than a live course.
LinkedIn Learning has an impressive array of features to improve how companies can manage video-based training.
Quizzes to test participants' knowledge.
Certificates of completion that can be added to your LinkedIn profile.
Management features like custom playlists and LMS integration.
Don't Forget the Special Sauce
There's one danger of using video. It's a problem called Popcorn Learning where participants just consume the training and then do nothing. (This problem exists for classroom-based and e-learning programs too.)
You can avoid this problem by adding this secret sauce to the mix:
Set clear objectives for the training
Prepare your team using this guide
Customize the training using these five techniques
I've created guides to help you facilitate my most popular customer service courses with your team:
Getting Started with Training Videos
You can access a wide range of customer service training courses on LinkedIn Learning or explore many of their other topics such
You'll need a LinkedIn subscription to view full courses, but you can check everything out with a 30-day trial.
In the meantime, here's a preview of Customer Service Foundations.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
How can organizations ensure that video-based training leads to real behavioral change, rather than just passive consumption?
Training is more likely to be used if you have an implementation plan. This is true for training videos, e-learning, and even live training. Use the Workshop Planner tool to create an action plan for your team. I’ve also created a comprehensive guide to getting the most out of training videos.
What are the best practices for customizing pre-packaged video training to align with a company's specific needs and culture?
You can combine training videos with other content like your customer service standards, policies, and procedures to tailor the training to your unique situation. Get more ideas from this guide.
How does the cost-effectiveness of video training compare to traditional in-person training in the long-term?
Training videos are initially far less expensive than live training since you save on content and labor. They have a big cost advantage over in-person training over the long-term. You can easily ask your team to review specific video modules without spending money to gather everyone in one place. Combine them with my free Customer Service Tip of the Week email newsletter to create weekly reminders.
What features should organizations look for in a video training platform to maximize engagement and learning outcomes?
A good training video platform should include high-quality, professionally produced videos. Look for courses divided into short segments, quizzes, and hands-on activities.
How can companies measure the success of video training programs in improving customer service performance?
The success of any training program is ultimately measured by whether people apply new skills and achieve better results. Set clear objectives for the training and then measure progress. You can get more ideas from this guide to measuring customer service training.