The coronavirus and the forced transition to online have forced companies to actively introduce new technologies and software – video calls, task tracking, collaboration tools. The ability to quickly train employees to use unfamiliar programs and platforms has become a matter of survival for many businesses.
Therefore, many employers or companies turn to an educational software development company, which is able to create a powerful product from scratch that can solve various problems in the education system of company employees, promote professional development and increase their skills as a specialist.
Any software training (as well as training in general) should have clear goals and objectives – each case needs its own methods and approaches. But if we summarize the main needs of companies in this area, we get two broad categories: the introduction of new software and the training of new employees. Both categories have their own difficulties and peculiarities:
- All people have different levels of digital literacy, and the software learning tool should take this into account;
- It is important to remember that employees may need help if they have forgotten how this or that functionality is implemented in the software, or if they perform some process relatively rarely;
- When new software is introduced, it is necessary to overcome the effect of resistance – people rarely accept innovations well when they are already used to something;
- In the case of training new employees, it is important to make the process as simple, understandable and comfortable as possible.
If a newcomer is uncomfortable in the very first days of work, then he can simply quit, and the company will again have to spend time and money on recruiting and adapting an employee.
What learning tools exist and how do they differ
A number of learning tools, both traditional and relatively new, can be used to solve the problems listed above:
- Instructions;
- Offline courses;
- Webinars;
- Software simulators;
- Screencasts;
- Digital platforms.
Each tool has its pros and cons. Instructions are the most understandable and common option. It practically does not require financial costs and solves all the necessary tasks. The problem is that no one likes to study manuals on their own, and often everything ends with an increased workload for technical support or endless questions for more experienced colleagues.
Offline courses bring good results, but they are time consuming and expensive with low coverage. When the training ends, employees return to their jobs and often have little understanding of how to apply the new knowledge.
Webinars provide wide coverage, are much cheaper, but also do not solve the problem of practical skills. Software simulations and screencasts are well suited for mass learning and provide a complete picture of the use of software in real work environments.
At one point, almost every company faced the task of transferring all work processes online, introducing new tools and teaching employees how to use them.
In companies that were already doing well with digital literacy and using many online platforms, this transition was quick and smooth. The rest seriously thought about gradually transferring as many processes as possible online.
How to reach the maximum?
Five main rules for effective software training for employees:
- The faster the introduction of new software or training of new employees, the better. This helps not only to reduce costs, but also to begin to recoup investments in employees faster. The best option is when training does not take separate time, but takes place in practice and is woven into the daily workflow;
- The most effective training is when an employee does not need to leave the workplace or exit the program at all, and all the necessary information is available inside the software;
- Software training should cover both the initial mastery of information and functionality, and support in the event that an employee has forgotten something or new features have appeared in the system;
- You need to choose the best tools for learning software, focusing on the level of digital literacy of employees. Therefore, try to make both initial and subsequent training as personalized as possible;
- Microlearning is everything. No need to try to cram all the information into a person at once. Instead, make the learning incremental – dose it out depending on what features of the software a person uses at the very beginning and what they will encounter later.
Don't be afraid to try different tools and approaches, even if you're not used to it. The market does not stand still, and every day there are ways to solve your problem in a new way.
Moreover, many employees choose companies in which there is an opportunity for development. And software can be the deciding factor in attracting good employees.
