You or your employer may have spent hundreds or thousands of dollars on new office software and upgrades. But what good is it if you never learn how to use it effectively and efficiently?
"It may still work, but you may not be taking advantage of the new features, thus your productivity may not increase compared with your investment," says Dan Rugg, vice president at Kelly Services, a temporary help company that is marketing its own software training program called PinPoint. In fact, your productivity may have dropped.For example, in one large company more than half of the 14,000 calls employees make to an internal help desk each month involve the same questions about operating a computer system that is no longer new, Rugg says.
There are many ways to upgrade computer skills: Reading books, attending classes, working with an experienced coworker, using tutorial software or viewing training videos. What works for you depends on what you need to learn, how much time and money are available and how much flexibility you need.
Here are tips on getting the most from these training methods. They are from Clint Argyle, president of KeyStone Learning Systems Corp., a Provo, Utah, company that produces more than 300 software training videos and concise reference booklets on dozens of software programs; and Rugg, of PinPoint and Kelly Services in Troy, Mich.:
- Make sure your training program helps you assess what you know and don't know and helps you zero in on areas you need to work on. For example, PinPoint provides an assessment quiz and then trains you only on the items you need to know. KeyStone numbers the topics covered on each video and shows that number on the screen so you can fast-forward to the section you want.
- Choose a training method that allows you to review the material whenever you need to.
- Look for a program that will let you use your computer as you train. If you take a class, ideally there should be enough computers for everyone to use while they learn. If you use an online tutorial you're already at your computer. If you use a video try to watch it while you're at your computer. Some companies lend employees portable television-VCR combination machines so they can view videos at their workstations, Argyle says.
- Check the credentials of the trainer. How much experience does he or she have with the software being taught?
- Check the quality of the training presentation. For videos, this means checking that the production company uses broadcast-quality equipment for sharp on-screen visibility.
- Make sure you can get the training you need when you need it. Does the company deliver training materials promptly? Are courses offered frequently?
(Paula Ancona is the author of `SuccessAbilities! 1003 Practical Ways to Keep Up, Stand Out and Move Ahead at Work' (Chamisa Press, 1995). She has been writing about workplace and career issues since 1988. Write her c/o this newspaper or send e-mail via to 73537.3367 compuserve.com.)