Why It’s Important to Survey Partner Portal Feedback

It is important that vendors get pertinent feedback regarding partner portals from their channel network. This is because it is only through clear and accurate feedback that a vendor can gain insight on what’s really going on in its channel and whether or not partner portals are working the way they should be. They will be able to gather enough information and details to guide them in the design or redesign of the application.

Usually, vendors conduct surveys for website feedbacks around three to four months after the launch of the newly designed partner portal. Surveys would include questions that allow vendors to reflect on the state and performance of their channel. Examples of questions would be: “Has the partner tried accessing the portal?”; “If the portal has already been accessed, for what reason was it accessed?”; “Is the content and information provided in the portal helpful or useless?”; “Is it easy to understand?”; “What section is the most interesting or helpful for channel members?”; “What are the top downloads of the website?” and; “What other suggestions do partners have for the website?”.

The answers that vendors would be able to gather from partners for this survey will help them determine if their portals are worth their investment. They would likewise be able to discern what areas would need modification and improvement if necessary. Furthermore, there will be increased transparency regarding where the focus of respective partners lie. The partners that participate actively and constantly download training and sales materials are the ones that are focused on the parent company and show valuable loyalty. This is something all parent companies should encourage.

It is important that such a practice or strategy is followed. It should become a standard for all vendors so that all of the abovementioned benefits can be enjoyed. Requiring channel members to answer surveys regarding a newly launched portal is a vital step for a successful PRM or partner relationship management which would lead to increased generation of revenue.

Elearning in the Eyes of a Learner

I was in my early college days when I had my first encounter with elearning. Technology in the field of education has long been commonplace by then, since I was fully aware that mailing lists, chat groups, and even class websites were being used by students to update each other on lessons and activities. But I never expected that a fully functional classroom setting is possible to set up online.

The class was part of the last leg of an IT-related subject. We were given accounts that gave us access to our enrolled courses, remaining units for the school year, and schedule for available online classes. There was also an online classroom with chat feature for teacher-student interaction. I was impressed and amazed, but got disappointed when it ended abruptly.

I later learned that we were the first batch to test the school’s venture into elearning. The school was planning to make online classes regular, as part of their efforts to produce graduates that are as technologically literate as possible. This was a bold move, as the world now heavily relies on technology for a lot of things, including office tasks.

Technologically-enhanced learning has been widespread and undoubtedly rapidly improving. While my first encounter few years ago may be considered outdated in today’s standards, I believe it was able to give me some basic ideas about what makes it an attractive learning method:

1. It is a fresh, high-tech, and advanced learning approach. Let’s face it; younger learners get more interested and motivated when presented with something new and high-tech. Electronically-enhanced education taps on this fact to catch the interest of learners and allow them to absorb lessons at their own pace.

2. It is interactive. I’m pretty sure that there are learners like myself who find interactive learning more appealing than the usual autocratic or one-sided teacher-student experience. Modules can be designed to require learners to participate in activities and discussions. Not only is interactivity present in modules with chat feature during classes; it may also come in the form of “after-class” learning or feedback groups in forums or discussion boards.

3. It strives to create a rich learning environment. Elearning modules utilize multimedia and carefully thought-out instructional design to create an online environment that is as conducive to learning as possible. Educators and trainers can easily incorporate in their modules whatever audio-visual learning aids they think is necessary for best information retention.