3 Tips for Training Employees to Use New Software

Training employees on new software is a necessary evil in any business. Though your fresh software solutions may streamline important tasks, any change in routine is jarring for habit-driven individuals. Ease the transition to a new product with smart training strategies.

Cover the “Whys”

Learning a new piece of software is often frustrating for employees who were perfectly comfortable with previous methods. Ease them into the training process by explaining key points:

• How will this software make the company’s job easier?
• How is it customized to help the company?
• What are the key differences that make this product better than its predecessor?

Focus on Essential Tasks

Most software products handle a multitude of tasks. It’s exhausting and overwhelming to attempt to cover it all. Identify the essential tasks that each type of employee will use the software for, and customize your training to suit their needs.

You’ll have more success providing a laser-focused one-hour training session that’s customized to each department than you will with a day-long seminar that goes over everything a new product can do. Teach employees only what they need to know, and expand on this knowledge later when they’re more familiar with the software.

Offer Key Reference Materials

Draft cheat sheets, quick guides, and other easy reference materials that summarize the info from your training session. These handouts will make implementation easier, helping employees easily recall key points when need them most. If your software provider offers online tutorials or other resources, point your employees toward these as well so they have what they need to succeed.

If you’re looking for a new project management system to ease your daily efforts, UNIM will build a personalized solution that’s tailored to your company’s needs. These one-of-a-kind CRM solutions make implementation easier by focusing on the functionality you need most.