Whether you're hiring new staff members or just starting to use small business software for your operations, you'll need to train your employees to be comfortable and effective with the tools. One of the most important steps in adopting technology is ensuring the people who use them can do so efficiently, confidently and accurately. Particularly with small business accounting programs, training workers to enter information correctly and run reports efficiently can be a real game-changer.
Even for software solutions that are simple and intuitive, such as the CashManager suite, you'll most likely need to get your team members up to speed on its features and functionality so they can use it independently. Here are a few tips to keep in mind:
- Strive for simplicity. Choosing an intuitive program can make a huge difference in how much your workers get out of it. In addition, keep in mind technological skill level when setting up features. Especially for beginners, start with the basics before you introduce them to advanced techniques, such as Excel shortcuts.
- Explain the "why," too. Showing employees what to do and how to accomplish key tasks is the basic foundation of training, but it's incredibly valuable to share with them why things are done and why it's important to complete processes in a particular way. Not only will these insights help the rest of the information to stick, it'll also empower them with a broader view, which can be useful for problem solving.
- Keep communicating and establish mentors. Even after the initial training sessions, make sure your employees are comfortable asking for guidance. If another employee is already comfortable with the program, make the most of this internal resource - it's also a great opportunity for the "mentor" to develop leadership and instructional skills.
- Take advantage of training resources. Particularly when you're a small business and don't have a team of designated trainers, leveraging instructional resources can be a major boon. Accomplish, for example, offers web training, scheduled group courses and one-on-one sessions so you can choose the right assistance for you and your team.