How to train your employees on new technology

How to train your employees on new technology

Today, technology is everywhere. Society’s growing reliance on modern tech has become, well, unprecedented. For example, everyone has a mobile device or smartphone in their possession, and they also carry it with them wherever they go.

As a business, it’s important that you incorporate such technologies in your operations if only to accommodate your customers. But this also makes it vital that your workforce understands the systems and technologies in use and can leverage them. Sometimes, further training is necessary for select systems, software, and devices.

There are technologies to ease sales, customer support, order processing, and business intelligence to name a few. Your employees will need to know how to use these platforms and how they fit within day-to-day operations.

How do you optimize a training regimen that garners engagement and builds the necessary skills and expertise to succeed?

Establish a dedicated technical assistance crew

One of the many failings of an IT or tech support crew is that they don’t offer the best help or advice to the rest of your workforce. But ineffective solutions and software issues can set back productivity.

You must establish a system that affords your workforce aid, right when they need it and in the appropriate terms. If they need help installing or configuring a particular toolset, then you should have a technical support crew ready to be there. If hardware or server solutions experience malfunctions, you need an IT maintenance crew to respond as soon as possible. Only dedicated teams are at the ready to achieve such a thing.

The concept may seem simple and obvious enough but many companies, unfortunately, overlook the idea. Your workers will need help with the technologies they use, and it makes sense to have a dedicated party available — be it in-house or outsourced.

According to a Gallup survey, 93 per cent of respondents feel satisfied with a technical support team’s resolution and assistance because of how they were treated, and how quickly a company found an answer. While this survey does involve consumers, it highlights how important response speed and dedication matter when it comes to technical support. If you can establish an efficient and reliable tech support team your employees will thank you.

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Install the bare necessities to train your employees

As much as 60 per cent of software features are never used. It happens so much that the term “shelf-ware” is used to describe software plagued with ineffective features.

To combat this, install only the bare necessities – which is what you need and what your users will actually leverage. You can discern this information through user audits, worker polls and surveys, and monitoring what tools are used on a regular basis.

If a lot of an app’s features aren’t used, you should look for an alternate solution. It’s also necessary to consider what departments have access to tools and systems. Some features may not even be useful to specific groups.

Automation can go a long way in alleviating some of the tedium your employees deal with. It may be worth looking into automated solutions and AI-powered tech to replace some of your operations. By 2030, automation is expected to replace 20 to 50 million jobs. That doesn’t mean you have to replace your workers, but it does show how powerful the technology is.

Crowdsourced training and assistance

In every work environment, there are influencers and professionals who stand out from the crowd. Either they excel at a particular skill or they have prior experience with a piece of technology. Whatever the case, you can leverage these skilled workers to help train and assist the rest of your workforce. It’s an asset or resource that you already have available and will cost you nothing extra.

Many of them would be happy or enthusiastic to share their expertise and will jump at the opportunity to fill a leadership-type role.

Use existing tech to train your employees

For some tools and systems, the best way to learn is to have hands-on time. You can double-up training by leveraging new technologies and platforms for training purposes. For example, when installing new workstations, you can outfit a few with training courses, videos, and guides for your employees.

Perhaps you’re issuing a new mobile device or in-field solution? You can also deploy training curriculums to include said devices so your workforce can become acquainted with them.

Always-on training and resources

Thanks to mobile and cloud solutions, you can take your training processes and materials and make them available on-demand. Your workers can then decide when and where they will consume content, whether at home, in the office or during a commute. It also helps them continue their training as they see fit. For example, some may not be keen on continuing their training at home, and that’s fine, but for those who want to the option is there.

Believe it or not, employees love training so this is an ideal solution for many.  87  per cent of millennials claim that professional development and career growth are very important to them while 76 per cent of employees are looking for the same career growth opportunities, many of which can be offered through proper training and education. But even more insightful, is the fact that 74 per cent of employees say that lack of training is the biggest hurdle stopping them from reaching their full potential at work.

Leverage online tools and mobile app solutions to train your employees so they have the opportunity to learn and grow. Above all, ensure training solutions are convenient, easy-to-use, and provide highly relevant no-nonsense experiences.

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