You have just spent thousands of pounds on new equipment and software. It’s installed and ready to go, but are your employees ready to use it?

When new technology is brought into a business, it is essential that the employees are ‘on-side’ right from the start. You have invested a great deal of money and failure to ensure that employees are confident to use the technology can result in  hold ups and a break down in morale.

The complexity and sophistication of new technology means that all too often, the equipment and software has a far greater capability than the users can cope with and the company will not benefit in the way it anticipated when the equipment was sold to them.

The first step then is to make sure that all the staff are fully aware of the benefits that can be achieved for them and the company, so that they are open to the changes that will undoubtedly be made to their working lives. Any disruption caused by their lack of support or co-operation could be extremely damaging. By pointing out the benefits long before the installation is made, the chances of a smooth transition is more likely. 

So what are the benefits of End User Training?

Increased productivity.

When employees are confident with the new technology, they will achieve far greater productivity. They will understand processes and functions that they would not previously have had the skills to perform and they will learn to complete tasks far quicker. Sage Research has reported that ‘Unified Communications’ enables staff to save, on average, 55 minutes per person per day. If this sort of saving can be achieved across the board, it will result in far greater productivity for companies and give their staff the satisfaction of knowing they have added additional skills to their repertoire.

Increased Efficiency

Involving the company from senior management to junior staff can increase efficiency in a number of ways. When senior management understands the potential locked up in their new systems, they can develop new processes, time management procedures and redeployment of staff that can result in more effective operations saving both time and money. 

Growing the Business

Investing in new technology and training staff to use it to its full potential can often allow the company to grow its turnover and its profitability without the need to increase staffing levels. In today’s uncertain economic climate anything that can help to increase growth while maintaining overhead levels has to be worth considering. 

So how does it work?

Training can take several forms and ideally should involve all to be truly effective. Classroom style training would typically involve a full day broken down into several hour sessions.  Another vital tool in the training company’s armoury is the Floor Walking. Trainers are available to the staff on a walk around basis, providing the reassurance they need in the early part of the learning process. Customer guides can also be provided at the end of training to make sure employees are aware of all the functions and features at their disposal.