You or your company just purchased a new software product, and it’s now your task to learn how to use it. To tackle the training, first decide which one of these learning styles are you?
The button pusher: I don’t have time for training, so I just jump in, push buttons and see what happens, clicking around until hopefully, I get the desired result.
Instructions exist for a reason: Everything I need to know is in this fifty-page manual, so I’ll spend the next several days (or weeks!) reading every page and hope by the end it all makes sense.
Sign me up! I want the visuals and ability to ask my questions from an expert, so an in-person or web-delivered training class is my speed.
Hope for the best: Ignore the new software and hope no one asks me how to use it.
Now, depending on what you’re doing, any of those (except the last one, let’s be honest) could be an effective method, but when it comes to discovery and trial software, is it really a time saver to guess your way through a new product? Or spends hours plowing through manuals with no applicable knowledge? Are you maximizing the technology’s full capabilities? Is it more frustrating than helpful?
Of course, not all software providers offer training, but here at IPRO, we want our customers to be efficient, confident, and satisfied, to get the most out of their product investment.
If you want to be the Sign me up! person (and you should), here are a few tips to getting the most out of your product training session.
Come prepared to learn. Sounds obvious, but very often it can be challenging to tune out the work waiting for us and clear the mental space to absorb new information. Time to turn off those email notifications for a few hours.
Share your knowledge and business usage. Being able to discuss how you use or will use the software in your business can help the trainer ensure you get the information you need. As an added bonus, you may be helping someone else in the room think about their own application of the product. Win-win.
Consider how you learn best. At IPRO, we offer several methods to get the training you need from our online IPRO Community to webinars to in-person training both at our location or yours. Take a moment to assess the best way for you to get the training. Maybe it’s coming to an IPRO location to remove office distractions. Or maybe it’s better to schedule training at your location to include more key players. Maybe you learn well using online tools and a webinar would suit your needs. Setting yourself up on the right platform is one sure way to succeed.
Take notes. In addition to the material a trainer may provide, be sure you are taking specific notes on how the product or solution works in your environment. Keep track during the training to be sure to ask how a section may be applicable to your work. Never be afraid to ask questions. That’s what training is all about.
Following these simple but important tips can help ensure you get the most out of your time investment when attending product training.
