Are you new to using job management software and looking for some software training tips?
We understand it can feel overwhelming when you’re starting out, but a methodical approach will work wonders for your team.
Join us as we cover tips to help you get to grips with your job management software.
When you’ve spent a long time choosing and testing new software, we get that you’ll want to hit the ground running!
By following these software training tips, you can significantly reduce the amount of time it takes to master job management software.
Let’s dive in:
1. Having a Teacher is a Big Help
It’s possible to pick up a new skill through trial and error: it’s actually a great way to learn! But is it the most efficient use of your time?
Not at all.
That’s why you need a teacher to help guide you.
While you’ll be able to figure out some things on your own, odds are you’ll overlook some functionality or methodology that could save you a lot of time.
You can definitely learn a lot by playing around in a system for yourself, but it helps to have a guide who can help you do things properly.
If you’ve ever been an apprentice, you know the value of having a more experienced person showing you the ropes. It’s not just about reading the manual, but there’s all the tips and tricks that experts know through experience.
At the same time, if your apprentice got sloppy, you’d want to help them, right?
A good teacher will make sure you’re on the right track and ensure you can avoid forming bad habits that may be hard to break later on.
Sometimes, people may think a system isn’t working the right way for them, but on closer inspection, it turns out they didn’t take the time to learn how to use the tool properly.
Fortunately, it’s an easy problem to avoid if you work with a teacher who can demonstrate the best way to use the tool. From there, you can practice, learn, and refine how to properly use all the tools in a job management software’s arsenal.
Virtual Learning Tools
Virtual teachers can work well, too.
For instance, Commusoft has the Academy: a virtual hub of lessons designed to help users learn more about the system. There’s also the Help Centre, which gives users detailed walkthroughs on how to use the system, too.
Altogether, they make for a potent learning combo that will help you make the most of our software.
2. Learning by Example is Always Easier
Witnessing how something is done is always a big help. Much like learning from an expert, education through training and visual demos is precisely what will help you and your team to learn better and faster.
If you’re interested in a particular topic or feature, you may decide to try a hands-on demo for yourself. This lets you test out a product before committing to buying.
Surely that sounds wiser than buying untested software outright and throwing yourself in at the deep-end?
Chances are that whoever is training you or taking you through demos has a lot of experience with companies like yours.
It’s always useful to hear from their experience some examples of the best software training tips that help you to make the most of your chosen tool.
One popular feature we still people testing during a Commusoft demo is our invoicing software.
Automated invoices can be customised with your company’s branding (think colours and logos) but they also have a few options when it comes to text.
Many people are tempted to put a lot of red markers on it, even red text.
However, our client services team always points out that it’s a good idea to stick to black text on a white background for important information, since the person it’s addressed to might have an eyesight disability and red text is not easy to read.
In this way, learning by our team’s example can be helpful.
Practical advice, shown with hands-on examples is a fantastic way to learn and having someone show you exactly what the end result looks is going to help you when it comes to working with real customers.
3. Always Ask Questions
Training is an opportunity to learn and if you’ve taken on board tips 1 and 2, you’ll find that you’ll inevitably still have some questions. Which is great!
After all, you want to figure out the best way to use the software for your business needs, on top of generic field service processes. If you’re asking questions, you’ll get specific software training tips to help you.
While job management software is designed to work in particular ways, it doesn’t mean that it’s inflexible, and if you ask questions, you’ll find answers that reveal a particular solution you’re after actually does exist.
By calling support or writing a quick email, you may find the software you use already has a solution, but if you hadn’t asked, you wouldn’t know!
In a way, it’s a learning opportunity for everyone and a two-way street. Your training rep will no doubt ask you questions, too, but it’s all so they can make sure that you’re getting the best experience. This makes training rewarding, and if you’ll excuse the humblebrag for a moment, it’s easy to see why.
This is just one of the great responses we’ve had from customers interacting on training and onboarding calls at Commusoft:
Above and beyond. [Daniel] is very calm and clear and makes sure we are understanding what he is showing us. He always responds quickly with all my many questions, and makes me feel confident that we will be using the software to its full advantage for our business.
If there were a better quote to help reiterate the importance but also an open attitude of training, I’d like to see them!
Ultimately, if you go into training with an open mind and plenty of questions, it’s always going to be a rewarding experience.
4. Engage your Employees
Do you know what a major cause of high employee turnover is? Boredom. At least, according to Forbes, and they usually know what they’re talking about.
Training is a great way to engage them, make them feel challenged, and also, attract new people!
Engineers talk and share ideas, it’s part of what makes the industry so great, but if a handful of engineers are enthusiastically talking about the fantastic tool they’ve been using to make their lives easier than ever, another engineer from elsewhere might just find themselves curious about this “game-changing tool” they’re hearing about.
It might be that they want to make use of this tech themselves and after seeing the benefits first hand, it can have a similar impact in helping you attract new hires.
If you’re looking to recruit new field service engineers and can share that you’re making use of tools that make day-to-day life so much easier, what’s not to like?
As more of your staff get to grips with the software, they can share their knowledge and skills, too, so that software training tips don’t just come from outside the company, but from within, as well.
5. Master the Basics Before Advancing
This is particularly important to consider if you’re brand new to the software or making the jump from disconnected tools to an all-in-one platform.
By starting with the basics, you can more confidently build up from a solid foundation and better get to grips with advanced solutions that come later.
Sure, you can jump in at the deep end and go all-in, but you risk getting bogged down early and the temptation to throw your hands up and quit will be strong.
If you were an apprentice plumber, you wouldn’t demand they let you fix a 15kg Keystone boiler on your own.
By taking the time, to transition a few staff at a time, you can more confidently build up the skills, data, and knowledge to educate other members of your company more quickly, later.
Growing your business is a marathon, not a sprint.
Sure, there’s competition, but to grow confidently you shouldn’t rush into using new tools, as this will far more likely damage your business than help you grow quicker.
Bear in mind as well that staff will probably have different levels of confidence in using software, with some adapting faster than others, depending on how eager to learn they are.
Either way, all employees will benefit from training.
As we said earlier, any new skill, system, or process will take time to adjust properly, and by getting a handle on the basics, in the long run, you can ensure that everyone is prepared to adapt to new working conditions.
That’s a big help as you look toward the future of your business…
6. Anticipate Customer Demands & Plan for Growth
Your job management software should fit into your growth plan. If you’re confident it can grow with you, you’ll find your business in a strong position.
Expert trainers are the ones who will help you unlock this potential, so if you want to make the most of your software, make sure you ask the people training you plenty of questions, including how different tools might adapt and change as you grow.
For instance, Commusoft has a core suite of features, but plenty of add-ons (like Analytics+ and AI:den+) which are designed to go further than the core tools. We don’t recommend people adopt these right away, not if they’re start from scratch, but they’re important to be aware of as your business grows.
With the right software, you can rest easy knowing that when the time is right you can expand the opportunities available to you, in support of growth.
Such plans are a great way to help businesses plan more confidently for the future, and rather than overwhelm users with everything in one package, they can opt to build-up up the tools they need when they need them.
As a result of taking the time to research your options, as well as discussing how upgrading can work for you in the future, you can properly prepare and be confident that your solution will be as impactful 10 years down the line as it was when you first signed up!
Software Training Tips you can Take Away
We hope the software training tips we’ve broken down help make the benefits of training more apparent.
These tips highlight not just why training is so important, but the best ways in which you and your team can ensure you’re getting the most out of your job management solution, no matter the option you go for.
Finding “simple to use” software may be more complex than you think, but it’s a no-brainer that training to use field service management software—not to mention a helpful guide—is a necessity if you want your business to thrive.
Don’t forget: if you’re a Commusoft user, you can access the Academy via the app, and use the Help Centre (as well as AI:den) to learn more about using the software!
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