By Raeford Liebenberg
Many organisations spend significant amounts on software that is designed to boost productivity and help employees to be more efficient in their day-to-day jobs.
However, without appropriate training on the software, these benefits can often be eroded.
This can have a negative impact on business productivity as well as the effectiveness of the IT department, as their focus is pulled from critical tasks through a constant need for support and guidance on software-related issues.
Ensuring that all staff have been properly trained on the software they need to use is essential for optimising the business, enabling IT to be more focused, and empowering employees in their own learning and capabilities.
A little knowledge goes a long way
Many software tools have immense power to change the way businesses run and operate, as they can simplify tasks, facilitate collaboration, automate processes and more. However, when people are not empowered to use tools optimally, they may be unable to complete their tasks effectively and opportunities for innovation could be missed, which ultimately leads to potential financial loss. It can also be frustrating for employees to try and figure tools out on their own, creating friction that can decrease job satisfaction.
This lack of knowledge and/or confidence in their ability to use tools can result in an over-reliance on IT to solve the most minor of queries and problems. By delegating these tasks to IT, they hinder their own growth and limit their ability to fully leverage the software's potential. In addition, lack of software knowledge can burden an already-stretched IT department, as they are constantly required to provide support and guidance for software-related issues, which detracts them from focusing on more critical IT tasks such as security and system maintenance. This can result in reduced efficiency and delayed resolution of crucial IT concerns.
Setting up for success
Promoting and prioritising training can face challenges, as organisations may be reluctant to allocate resources and time to training initiatives, seeing them as optional or non-essential. In addition, employees may perceive software training as time-consuming or unnecessary, failing to recognise the long-term benefits and improved productivity that come with a deeper understanding of the tools they use.
The reality though is that training is more than just a tick-box exercise; it is an investment in the workforce's skills and the organisation's overall efficiency and competitiveness.
It is important for organisations to provide the resources to help employees learn more about the software they use.
By fostering a culture of continuous learning and promoting software training, companies can empower their employees, enhance productivity, and achieve better outcomes. This in turn reduces the burden on IT by enabling employees to independently address minor software-related issues and questions.
Leveraging maximum value from IT
When employees can use their tools effectively and troubleshoot minor issues themselves, it reduces the organisation's dependency on IT support, fostering employee independence and freeing up IT resources for more strategic initiatives. This allows them to focus on critical tasks like enhancing security measures, optimising system performance, and implementing strategic IT initiatives. Moreover, trained employees are more likely to follow best practices, reducing the occurrence of user-induced errors and minimising the need for IT intervention, which in turn enhances overall security posture.
Using software to its full potential also results in quicker and more efficient task completion, improved productivity, better resource allocation and enhanced employee satisfaction. It also supports innovation, potentially leading to process improvements and increased competitiveness. Additionally, faster task completion can enable the business to respond quicker to customer needs, potentially resulting in increased customer satisfaction and retention. Organisations need to recognise the negative impact that a lack of training can have and should ensure that they allocate sufficient resources toward comprehensive training programmes.
Raeford Liebenberg, Manager at Silver Moon IT, a Galix company.
BUSINESS REPORT