Trim your software training budget – ditch the classroom

by Brian J. Nichelson 

The rapid advance of technology forces most companies to upgrade their software every one or two years. With each upgrade or replacement, it’s critical that employees handle the transition as seamlessly as possible. Failure to do so often results in a drop in productivity as well as possible long-term employee frustration and resistance to the new software. 

Many organizational leaders believe that classroom training prior to the software implementation is the best way to maintain high productivity. Unfortunately, classroom software training is expensive, and it is seldom as effective as many people think. In fact, depending on which report you read, studies show that people use only 10 to 30 percent of what they learned in the classroom once they get back to the job.

Other concerns revolve around what to do with new employees who come aboard after the formal training sessions. Do you send them to outside training, or do you wait until you have enough new hires to justify bringing a trainer into your organization? 

Either option means an additional expense for the organization.  Worse yet, while people wait for training, their productivity is on hold. So whether you send them out or bring training in, your costs are continually climbing. 

The problem with classroom training
Structured classroom training doesn’t stick because it seldom includes enough hands-on time, because it takes place at a time convenient for the trainer instead of the learner, and because learning and using new software is a very personalized process. Additionally, some users may have a false sense of confidence after completing the classroom training that lulls them into thinking they don’t need continued study and practice. 

Any type of software training works best when it’s customized to the learners. For example, if you’ve ever looked over someone’s shoulder while he or she used an application (Word or Excel, for example), you probably noticed that the person did many tasks different from you. Some people prefer keyboard shortcuts, for example, while others rely more on the mouse, yet others like a mix of the two.

In short, there are usually two or three ways to accomplish any task. Because of this, learning to use new software is highly individualized, which is precisely why most classroom software training misses the mark. Classroom training can’t possibly accommodate the wide range of learning styles and user preferences that you’ll find in any typical room full of people. 

Learning on the job
What leaders need is a way to give each employee quick and easy access to information, tools and other resources that provide assistance, training and guidance while the employee is performing the job. The goal is to help individuals find the answers they need in five minutes, instead of the typical scenario of several co-workers being tied up for an hour or so as they look through training manuals, call the help desk and consult with each other.

Most likely, the software you purchased includes many of the resources your employees need. At worst, you might have to pay a bit more to have some features added to your new software, but they will pay for themselves quickly. Such training tools are becoming more common in all software (not just Microsoft Office products), and they’re becoming more effective. By encouraging your employees to get training and support on topics they need, when they need them, your organization will accomplish more. Additionally, you’ll have motivated learners who will retain more information in less time away from the job. 

As you shop around for new software solutions, look closely at the availability and the quality of the following types of resources. They should be significant factors in your decision.

The Help feature
Few programs do not have Help, but the quality varies widely. The better ones have multiple ways of accessing information.  Microsoft Word, for example, has Contents, Answer Wizard and Index. These allow for a great deal of flexibility and accommodate different learning styles. 

The Tour feature
Not every application has this feature, but when it is available it gives a good overview of what the application does and how it differs from earlier versions.

The Tutorial feature
Tutorials show (and sometimes tell) how to do a task and then let you practice that task – a very sound instructional technique. The user can select only those topics he or she needs to learn at the time. The tutorial then shows how to perform the task while a voiceover talks you through it. If you are interrupted or called away, you can pause the program until your return.  

The product Web Site
Many software developers provide tips, answers to questions, troubleshooting and sometimes even training modules on their Web site. You may have to pay for the latter, but the instant accessibility is well worth it in terms of minimizing your employees’ time away from the job.

Have a plan
As soon as you decide to start looking for new software, you also need to start thinking about how you are going to maximize productivity and minimize resistance and frustration when you implement it.

Here are a few guidelines:
• Use vendor training when it’s offered (or required) as part of a package deal, but don’t stop there.
• Provide an overview of the tools available to the end-users, as well as written instructions for accessing them (laminated cards work well). You may ask that this overview is incorporated into the vendor training, or you may want to develop and present your own.
• If you customize the application, spend a few more dollars to customize the Help features. Nothing is more frustrating than finding Help instructions you can’t follow because you’ve been locked out of certain features or because the program has been changed significantly in that area.
• Create an atmosphere that encourages learning on the job. All the tools in the world won’t do you any good if your employees aren’t encouraged to use them on the job.

By taking this approach to software training you’ll ensure a smooth transition and minimal disruption to the flow of work when you load new software. You’ll also put yourself in an excellent position to train employees who join your organization after the initial software rollout. The easier you make software training for your staff, the quicker they’ll master the skills and increase their productivity.

Brian Nichelson, founder and executive director of the TechMatters Institute, consults with organizations that want to maximize the technology in their workplace. You can reach him at or .

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