5 Tips to Train New Admin Staff on Technology

Having a system in place to retain existing staff and easily onboard and train new employees is critical, especially in our existing economy. Onboarding is vital to staff retention and can predict whether the employee will stay long-term. 

According to Brandon Hall Group’s research, companies that have strong onboarding improve new staff retention by 82% and productivity by 70%. Here are some tips on how to best train your new staff.

1 - Choose the Right Trainer

The first, and maybe the most important tip, is to make sure the trainer knows your software. New employees will know if the trainer doesn’t know the software themselves. Nothing is worse than a person trying to train someone in technology they don’t know. Think lost productivity and time. 

If the software “expert” is not another company staff member, find a representative of the software company to assist. This may incur a cost, but it will be worth it in the end when your new hire is well-versed in the company software.

2 - Develop Training Goals

After choosing your trainer, develop your training goals, which are valuable for many reasons:

• Improve employee performance and productivity
• Assist in designing better training materials
• Result in employee retention

Set your training goals by creating SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Time-bound). These are the most effective goals to set because they allow you to keep track of your progress and identify areas of improvement.  

Be sure to make your goals visible and evaluate them on a regular basis. Set both short-term and long-term goals. 

3 - Choose the Right Format

Be sure to choose the right training format for the person you are training. Many companies still use the classroom format, but in most cases, lecture-based training is not effective in today’s world. Make sure you design your training with a variety of formats, that may include one or more of the following: 

• Interactive Demos
• Gamified Learning (using game-like elements)
• Videos
• Infographics
• Simulations 
• Tutorials/Support Articles
• Job Shadowing
• E-learning Materials
• Hands-On Training

Some people learn better with visual aids, others are more hands-on or learn audibly. Take into consideration your new employee’s learning preferences as well. 

4 - Provide Ongoing Support

It is just as important to keep training going as it is to have onboarding training. Software changes constantly and updates are needed. Make sure your Admin staff keep other office support staff informed of changes in the software. Set up meetings with staff to go over and demonstrate new features. 

Make sure your software provider has a way to contact them as it pertains to support. Many now have in-app chat buttons where you can contact customer support within office hours. Utilize any training resources available, including their Help Center, FAQs, tutorials, etc. 

5 - Invest in Quality Software

One of the most overlooked areas can be the area of quality software. Software is very important for completing day-to-day administrative tasks of the schools. You will want to make sure you get software that will do a myriad of things instead of just one or two. 

A great software package for schools or other educational organizations should include:

• Billing & Invoicing
• Enrolling/Admissions 
• Attendance
• Communication 
• Reporting

This means the software should be all-encompassing so new staff don’t have to learn multiple applications, instead focusing on one and learning it well. 

If you are looking for software for your school/educational organization, Enrollsy may be just what you need. Schedule a demo to see how we can assist your new Admin staff.

Enrollsy Clients

If you are a current Enrollsy client and have a new Admin staff member, download our free Admin Turnover Training Guide that tells you how remove and add new Users to Enrollsy, as well as:

• Logging into Enrollsy
• How to get started using Enrollsy (Get Started Guide)
• Help Center and Chat Support resources
• All-in-one resource for Account & Enrollee management
• One-on-Training opportunities