Updater’s Crawl, Walk, Run, Fly Strategy Takes Flight to Create a Robust Digital Customer Education Program

Updater, an app and technology developer specializing in moving services, has transformed how traditional moving service companies engage with government-authorized moving operations. By deploying robust digital training solutions that adhere to stringent compliance and security standards, Updater has equipped these companies to smoothly transition into servicing highly regulated sectors like military relocations. This strategic move not only extends their market reach but also boosts their operational capabilities, enabling them to meet the unique demands of government contracts effectively.

Updater elevated its mover education strategy to prepare for its scaled training program. With a methodical “Crawl, Walk, Run, Fly” approach, Updater meticulously set up foundational milestones before expanding their program to train and onboard a mass number of moving service companies to qualify as authorized providers for military families.

Updater faced a complex challenge in transforming US Military moving operations. As a forward-thinking company known for its app that streamlines the traditional pen-and-paper moving process, Updater was selected to serve as a pivotal partner for the US military, tasked with handling over 350,000 military family relocations each year.

Unlike typical moves, military relocations involve intricate logistics that extend beyond the capabilities of many providers in Updater’s network. These moves require meticulous planning, packing, and a heightened level of sensitivity and compliance not demanded in civilian relocations. The scale of this operation is vast, involving coordination with more than 2,000 moving companies, 15,000 service providers, and six branches of the military—all accustomed to conventional moving methods.

Updater required a detailed, compliance-focused approach to meet the diverse needs of the military’s logistical operations. Rupal Nishar, Head of Customer Success at Updater, highlighted the complexity, noting, “We had to address the needs of unique military personas, spanning all branches, each with different roles ranging from approvals to reviews. The process is incredibly intense.”

The diversity of the user base, with its unique operational roles and high-level security requirements, added significant complexity to the service requirements, training, and platform implementation. This scenario demanded not only the adoption of new technology but also the careful authorization of personnel capable of meeting the military families’ specific moving needs with the utmost precision and care. With thousands of traditional moving service providers in its network, Updater needed to facilitate a transition that would equip these companies to handle and comply with strict government regulations.

Updater’s Crawl, Walk, Run, Fly Strategy

Updater’s approach to authorizing traditional moving companies for highly-regulated military operations was a deliberate and phased process. One-on-one training wasn’t scalable, and merely relying on honor-code compliance for reading training documentation was insufficient for the military’s stringent requirements. In response, Updater developed a secure, scalable, and comprehensive on-demand training program called the HomeSafe Connect Academy. This academy was meticulously structured around a “crawl, walk, run, fly” strategy, ensuring that traditional moving providers could successfully manage and complete military moves in accordance with the strict regulations and requirements of their military contracts.

Crawl Phase: Initially, Updater focused on perfecting the curriculum—understanding the specific needs and daily challenges faced by different personas involved in military moves. This foundational step was crucial in designing training that resonated with the actual needs of the military families. Rupal Nishar described the initial engagement process: “One of the first things we did was sit down with all the different personas we identified to understand their unique needs.” This phase also included piloting one standard training demo and delivering it through a live training simulation, allowing them to customize the curriculum in order to authorize multiple providers across various requirements so they could expand their network of work opportunities.

Walk Phase: Next, Updater initiated the rollout of a centralized knowledge center and launched their learning management system (LMS) using Gainsight CE to begin addressing the identified training needs. This phase was about building on the insights gained during the “crawl” stage and integrating these learnings into a structured educational framework. It laid the groundwork for more sophisticated training tools and methodologies, preparing users for advanced functionalities.

Run Phase: The transition to the “run” phase marked a significant escalation in the deployment of the HomeSafe Connect Academy, where automation and personalized learning paths came to the forefront. The objective was to enhance user engagement and ensure that the training was not only accessible but also aligned with the specific operational roles of military personnel and contractors. The system began to reflect a deeper integration of user feedback, optimizing the learning experience in real-time.

Fly Phase: Finally, the “fly” phase represents Updater’s ongoing journey towards excellence, where they aim to scale their solutions, fine-tune their educational offerings, and explore new technological frontiers. This stage is characterized by a proactive approach to innovation, continuously evolving in response to user needs and technological advancements. It’s about solidifying the gains made in earlier phases and pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in digital education for complex logistical operations.

The Perfect Tech Match

As Updater advanced through the strategic phases of transforming their customer education, selecting the right technology partner was crucial. Gainsight’s Customer Education platform, Gainsight CE, provided the ideal tech solution and instilled confidence in their ability to execute their customer education program effectively. Updater chose Gainsight for its comprehensive capabilities in security, modularization, and automation, which aligned seamlessly with the unique demands of Updater’s complex operational environment.
According to Nichar, “We chose Gainsight’s CE—after vetting several other vendors—because it’s unmatched from a security and integration perspective and it’s accessible across all devices.” This choice was pivotal for several reasons:

Security: Gainsight CE offered a secure and scalable foundation essential for handling the sensitive nature of military data and accommodating the diverse technological needs of Updater’s user base. This security capability ensured that all data remained protected, complying with the rigorous standards required by military contracts.

Modularization: The modular design of Gainsight CE’s learning paths enabled Updater to develop customized training modules that aligned closely with the specific roles and responsibilities of various user groups. This customization was crucial to meeting the precise needs of the users, ranging from military officials to moving company employees and service providers. Nishar emphasized the strategy behind this approach, stating, “We made things very self-paced, modular, and bite-sized so that users could engage with the content when they had time and when it was most relevant to them.” This method ensured that the training was not only effective but also conveniently accessible to users, who often dealt with unpredictable schedules.

Automation: Another critical feature of Gainsight CE was its automation capabilities, which enhanced the efficiency of training delivery and tracking. By automating the invitation to enroll and the follow-up process, Updater ensured that users were consistently engaged and reminded to complete their training in a timely manner. This automation facilitated a seamless integration of new users into the program and maintained high engagement levels across the platform.

These technological attributes of Gainsight CE allowed Updater to deliver a highly effective, secure, and user-friendly training program that could scale with their operations while meeting the stringent standards required by military contracts. The deployment of Gainsight CE was a key factor in Updater’s successful transition from traditional methods to a sophisticated, digital-first approach in managing military relocations.

Implementing Gainsight’s Customer Education platform has had a transformative impact on Updater’s customer training and overall operational efficiency. Using Gainsight’s Customer Education platform, Updater has achieved remarkable expansion in its network of authorized movers—increasing tenfold within a year. Additionally, they have significantly exceeded industry standards by achieving a 55% training completion rate among invited learners, compared to the typical 5-15%. This success has also led to a reduction in the number of training and onboarding-related support tickets, demonstrating the efficacy and impact of their educational initiatives.

The program’s success not only underscores the effectiveness of their tailored training approach but also reflects the high level of enthusiasm, engagement, and commitment from the users. This results serves as a testament to the user-friendly design and relevance of the training content, which was crucial for a workforce dealing with the complexities of military moves.

A key indicator of success has been the dramatic expansion of military-authorized moving service providers. Initially starting with a very small group, the number of government-authorized moving companies increased tenfold, significantly broadening the options available to military families for relocation services. Rupal noted, “More moving companies could be part of the military relocation program because we were able to scale access to training and get more companies approved quickly in a compliant manner.”

The high completion rates also had a ripple effect on operational efficiencies. With more users effectively trained, Updater observed enhancements in the accuracy and speed of the moving processes, reducing the errors and delays that were prevalent with the old paper-based system.

Updater’s comprehensive and cautious strategy not only effectively opened new market avenues for traditional moving businesses but also ensured that Updater could meet the surge in demand with high standards of quality and compliance.

As Updater builds on its success in digital customer education, the focus shifts towards integrating real-time support through in-app engagements with Gainsight PX. This new phase will provide just-in-time information and guided experiences within the app, specifically designed to reinforce training and minimize time to value for users actively engaged in the field. This initiative aims to alleviate customer friction by enhancing the learning process with practical, on-the-job support.