(Michael Laff, T+D) A large pharmaceutical company planned to use a robot to dispense medication at retail outlets. To cut costs, the company decided to forgo formal training and provide stores with a simple user's guide. The plan backfired. Six months later, Doug Harward spoke with panicked executives from the pharmaceuticals company whose customers were unhappy with the product, being unsure how to use it. The company decided to reverse course and send a professional for three days to a large retailer to train employees.

Customer training-offering training outside a company's walls to representatives of partner companies or to buyers of a product or service-is distinct from employee training, which refers to a company's own employees. Organizations that sell technology products or services are more likely to emphasize customer training for reasons of complexity, according to Harward, CEO of Training Industry.