Product Education for SaaS: 6 Ways to Educate and Delight Your Users

Imagine a world where your users don't just use your SaaS product, but fall in love with it.

A world where they can't wait to explore every feature and unlock its full potential. 

That's the power of great product education.

In this post, we'll share six proven ways to educate users with a solid product education strategy. You'll discover how interactive demos can make learning fun, how webinars can create "aha!" moments, and how user communities can spark connections and ideas.

But product education isn't just about the honeymoon phase. It's about being there for your users every step of the way, from their first login to their 100th. 

Ready to create a product education strategy that turns users into lifelong fans? Let's dive in.

What is product education?

Product education is the process of educating potential buyers and existing customers about your product’s use cases and capabilities. By delivering guidance at every step, the goal is to help users realize your product’s true value and minimize friction in the user experience. 

With a strong product education strategy, companies can also reduce the load on customer support and help users succeed using your solution.

Sandi Lin, the CEO of Skilljar, explains the importance of product education:

“The value of investing in customer education is clear. Trained customers are your best customers because they’re more satisfied, renew more often, and cost less to support. Companies who deeply value their customers realize the power of learning to drive better business outcomes.”

What product education is not

Product education is a continuous effort to engage and educate users. It can drive conversions, maximize customer satisfaction, and improve retention. 

However, product education isn’t:

• Meant only for new users 
• Just technical documentation
• A sales pitch for potential customers
• An optional tactic to reduce churn

Let’s look at the best ways to educate customers and how you can leverage each one for your business.

6 tried-and-test tactics to deliver product education [+ examples]

Want to kick-start your product education efforts, but don’t know where to begin? Here are six tactics to launch your product education strategy. 

1. Interactive demos and tutorials

Best for: Users who are new to the product or those who prefer learning by doing. It's particularly effective for products with visual or hands-on elements.

Offer interactive demos or guided tutorials that allow new users to experience the product hands-on.

Interactive demos and tutorials allow new users to engage directly with a product through a self-guided walkthrough. These can be in the form of interactive step-by-step guides that walk users through your product’s core features or use cases.

This approach involves users in the learning process to make the experience more engaging and memorable. By directly interacting with the product, users can better understand how it works and how it can benefit their daily tasks.

For example, we created this interactive demo to help new users get a hang of Floik and navigate the interface effortlessly. 

How to educate users with interactive demos

• Simplify the process: Ensure that demos and tutorials are easy to follow and not overloaded with information. Each step should be clear and concise.
• Incorporate feedback loops: Allow users to give feedback during the tutorial to adjust the learning experience to their needs.
• Track progress: Include checkpoints or milestones to help users see their progress, which can increase their motivation to complete the tutorial.

2. Webinars and live training sessions

Best for: Intermediate or advanced users looking to deepen their understanding of the product or specific features. Also great for users who appreciate real-time interaction.

Webinars and live training sessions are valuable for real-time interaction and in-depth learning. They allow users to ask questions and receive immediate answers. Plus, these sessions often cover more detailed aspects of the product, particularly complex features.

These can be invaluable for deep dives into more complex features, addressing user questions in real time, and providing expert tips and strategies. It's also a great way to build a community feel by connecting users with each other and with experts from your company.

For example, Asana has created YouTube playlists for its French, Spanish, and Portuguese users. Each playlist includes several webinars briefing viewers on the best practices to use Asana.

How to educate users with webinars

• Schedule regularly: Hold these sessions at regular intervals to maintain engagement and continuously support new users.
• Record sessions: Provide access to recordings so users who cannot attend live can watch later at their convenience.
• Interactive elements: Incorporate polls, quizzes, and interactive Q&A to keep the audience engaged and cater to different learning styles.

3. Comprehensive knowledge base

Best for: Users who prefer self-service information access, suitable at any user proficiency level from beginner to expert.

A comprehensive knowledge base is an organized collection of resources like articles, FAQs, video tutorials, and troubleshooting guides related to a product. Given that 60% of customers believe video is the best self-service tool, it’s good to include more videos in your knowledge base. 

It serves as a self-service portal for users, allowing them to find answers and solve problems on their own. This can increase user satisfaction and reduce the load on customer support.

Develop a searchable knowledge base and make sure that the content is easy to understand and accessible for users at different levels of proficiency. 

For example, Miro has a searchable help center with six main topics to explore. Within each category, you’ll find a list of questions answered in detailed using rich content like videos, GIFs, and guides. 

How to educate users with a knowledge base

• Keep content up-to-date: Regularly update the knowledge base to reflect new features and changes in the product.
• Easy navigation: Organize content in a user-friendly way and include a robust search function.
• Include multimedia: Use videos, diagrams, and screenshots to cater to different learning preferences and improve understanding.

4. Onboarding emails

Best for: New users who are just starting out with the product and need structured guidance to get acquainted with basic features.

Onboarding emails are a series of messages sent to new users to guide them through the initial stages of using a product. These emails can help users learn at their own pace and prevent information overload by gradually introducing features and functionalities.

Here’s the welcome email Coda sends to its new users. This email includes quick links to the company’s help center and learning hub. Users can also learn more about key capabilities like project tracking, building wikis, and collaboration.

Use a series of onboarding emails to guide users through the early stages of using the product. 

Each email can focus on a specific feature or tip, helping to gradually build the user's competence and confidence in using the product without overwhelming them.

How to educate users with onboarding emails

• Segment users: Tailor email content based on user roles or usage levels to make the information more relevant.
• Engaging content: Include tips, links to further reading, and calls to action that encourage users to explore the product.
• Follow-up: Monitor user engagement and send additional support if users do not engage with the emails.

5. Customer support and chatbots

Best for: All users, especially effective for handling common queries and issues quickly, enhancing user satisfaction.

Provide robust customer support through various channels such as live chat, email, and phone. Implementing chatbots can also be effective for answering common questions instantly, guiding users through basic troubleshooting, or directing them to appropriate resources in the knowledge base.

Remember that effective customer support ensures users feel supported and valued, which can enhance their overall satisfaction and loyalty to the product.

For example, Ahrefs has this built-in chatbot where you can search the knowledge base to find quick answers. Or use the “ask a question” option to chat with a support agent. 

How to educate users with chatbots

• 24/7 availability: Use chatbots for round-the-clock basic inquiries, ensuring users get help even outside of business hours.
• Train support teams: Ensure that customer support personnel are knowledgeable about the product and skilled in communication.
• Feedback loop: Use insights from customer interactions to improve the product and the support process.

6. User communities and forums

Best for: Engaged users who seek peer interaction and community support, and for those looking to contribute to or gain deeper insights from other experienced users.

Communities and forums foster a sense of belonging and can be a goldmine of user-generated insights and feedback, which can inform product development. 

These are platforms where users can interact with each other, share experiences, and provide customer education. They can be hosted on forums or social media groups.

Create and nurture a user community platform, such as forums or dedicated social media groups. These platforms allow users to share tips, discuss best practices, and provide peer-to-peer support. It can be particularly beneficial for gathering user feedback and insights for future product improvements.

For example, Wix has a community for its customers. They host virtual and in-person events, networking shows, webinars, and more for people to connect with each other. 

How to educate users with communities

• Moderate actively: Ensure the community is a safe and welcoming space by actively moderating discussions.
• Encourage engagement: Run regular challenges and Q&A sessions with experts and provide exclusive content to keep the community active.
• Leverage for feedback: Use these platforms to gather user feedback on features and bugs, which can be invaluable for continuous product improvement.

Over to you: Build your product education strategy today

Product education goes beyond the basics; it transforms user experience, slashes support calls, and turns newbies into loyal fans. You can change how your customers learn and interact with your product with a good product education plan. 

Bookmark this guide filled with practical tactics that will not only educate but also enchant your users, ensuring they unlock the true value of your product.