4x4 Series: Training Your Users

I was asked to participate in the CRMUG 4x4 webinar series. These are quick webinars with multiple speakers sharing tips and answering questions. I also wanted to document my tips here for future reference.

Training is an integral part to any implementation because you cannot have user adoption if they do not know what to do! Here are some of my tips. What other tips do you have?

Quick Reference Guides

Create quick reference guides for each user group or functional role. If possible, this should be kept to one page with all the steps they need for their primary job functions. This will give them something to keep handy and look at for their primary tasks.

You can build a repository of key functions with their step by step directions. These can be items such as searching for a record, scheduling an appointment, adding an address, etc. Then for each group you can just grab out the pieces that are relevant for them to build your document quickly.

Make Training Accessible

You also want to make sure you training materials are accessible for everyone. Part of each training should be showing the users how to get more training. This needs to be easy to get to and have details about the commonly used features but also the items they only need every once and a while. Make sure there are pictures and procedures incorporated where necessary.

There are many exciting ways to use the CRM 2016 Custom Help features to assist with keeping your training relevant and accessible.

Frequent Reminders and Tips

My last tip would be to keep the tips coming. Give user frequent tips to remind them of functionality and guide in the correct procedures. Make sure you find the balance here so your tips do not become too frequent (and therefore ignored) but stay relevant and helpful.

Other Tips

Here are some of the other tips discussed in the webinar:

• When using a Train the Trainer approach make sure your trainers are accountable to their teams and available to for doing training and helping others
• Keep training fun
• Try optional lunch and learns - people will come out for food!
• Tailor your training for specific groups and roles. Also make sure your training style matches up with company culture
• Very related to User Adoption! Make sure you have executive support to encourage other users to learn the system and use it well

CRMUG Members can access the Recording here: 4x4 Training your CRM Users (Panel 2)

Please post your training tips in the comments! How do you help your users?