How to get the most out of your software
How to get the most out of your software
One of the best ways we have found over many years to get the best from software is to meet with the users of that software in your company and review the menus.
Let’s take a look at a typical menu on Microsoft Word for example:
Start in the top left of the menu and ask if each person understands how to use the function represented by each icon. In this case: Save, Undo and Refresh.
Then drop down each of the menus : File | Home | Insert | Design etc.
Ask the same question each time – does everyone know how to use this button/function?
If someone does not know how to use it there is usually a person in the group who can demonstrate the use of the function. There will often be advanced elements of a software application that as a group you will decide that they are too advanced and not required to be understood in the context of how the software is used in your organisation.
This will serve two purposes:
It will teach software users more about using the software at their disposal
It will establish one or more experts in your organisation others can refer to if they know the software can do something but just cannot figure out how to make it do that thing.
Not everybody needs to know every function to get value from a piece of software. Microsoft Excel is amazingly capable and it is used in completely different ways by engineers and real estate agents, but they both get value from it. It is the same within your organisation. Make sure each of your team knows well how to use the tools so they can do their job the best way possible. Beyond that the knowledge is beneficial but not requisite. Eg Sales Support Staff need to know different things from the Sales Agents
Train your team so that the individuals know what they need to know and the training process is not cluttering their heads with irrelevant stuff. You are not selling them the software so you don’t have to point out all the features and benefits – just what they need to know.
Check on a cyclical basis – each 6 months, that they are still using that piece of software the correct way.
They may have forgotten stuff so reverted to doing things the long way
They may have found better ways to do things that are worthy of teaching to other members of your team
The guru. Most offices have a person who just has an affiliation with technology. They get across all the features of a new software product really quickly and can navigate software better than everybody else. Get them to “Road Test” new software that you get and then tell the others the cool things that this new software does. Train the guru to specifically think about the parts of the software that will be valuable to different members of your team and bear this in mind when they are revieing the new toys.
