How to train your staff to capitalize on technology

Rough Notes, Jan 1999 by Anderson, Steve

Agencies of all sizes must contend with the challenge of keeping up with technology. And keeping up is no small undertaking because the pace at which technology is changing is not slowing down-in fact it seems to be accelerating. Figuring out how to keep up with the changes is frustrating.

This is especially true as more agencies make the move to a Windows computing environment. What's more, increasing numbers of programs are being used in a typical agency. While an agency management system is still the primary program used by agency personnel, the system vendors are relying more and more on other programs to accomplish tasks within their management systems.

But this is a good trend. We should not expect our management system vendor to write a really great word processing program. This is not what they do well. Agency management systems handle client and policy information very well.

The separate programs that management system vendors integrate into the systems they offer provide us with the ability: to send and receive faxes directly from our workstation to develop a quote for a prospect to use a spreadsheet to create a five-year loss history to find information on the Internet with a browser to store scanned images electronically, and to e-mail clients and underwriters The Windows computing environment makes it easy to quickly switch between these programs.

All of this would work great if we only knew how to use each of these programs. The problem with all of the computing power that we have available to us is that most of us don't have a clue about how to actually use most of the programs we already have in our agency. If we understood the functionality that is available in the programs we already use, our lives would be much easier. We just don't know what is included in these programs, or if we do know, we don't know how to use all the functions.

Yet there are those among us who buy new technology and layer it on top of the unused technology we already have, thus creating even more unused technology. Until we learn how to use the power we already have at our fingertips, it doesn't make any sense to go out and buy more.

So, before you invest in more technology, invest in some training to get the most from what you already have. First, identify the areas of weakness. Here are a few of the typical areas where individuals need additional training:

Keyboard training One of the basic skills necessary to be successful in this technology age is the ability to use a keyboard to key in and access information. The keyboard is still the primary means of getting information into and out of the computer. The best training tool for learning to keyboard is practice. While new input methods have been developed in the last several years, the keyboard is still the most efficient. Voice recognition may make it easier for people to interact with a computer, but it will take several more years before it becomes a commonplace tool.

Basic Windows skills Perhaps the next most important area that needs to be developed is a basic understanding of how to use a computer. The most basic skill is how to properly turn the computer on and off. I encounter people all the time (including my wife) who are too impatient to wait for the computer to complete a task and just turn it off This is not a good way to shut down any program, including Windows!

Other basic skills include: how to start programs how to use a mouse to move around in a program how to close down one program and start another how to manage files and folders how to have multiple programs running at the same time and move back and forth between them, and how to change options to make a program work the way you want it to work

Basic program training Most agency management systems now integrate Microsoft Word and Excel into their programs. Yet few of them provide much training in how to use these programs. With more of us relying on these programs in our daily activities, it is very important to learn how to get the most from these programs. You and your staff can realize immediate dividends in increased productivity and improved quality of the documents and proposals your agency produces.

Agency management system We should at least mention your management system in this discussion of training. Most agencies use only a small portion of the capability of their particular system. This isn't because the capabilities are difficult to learn. Owners and staff members have forgotten all that's included in the system. After the initial training that was completed when the system was new, most agencies do not have any kind of ongoing training. Your staff gets comfortable with what they know and how they do daily tasks. They don't look for different-and possibly better-ways to complete activities. The best way to learn how to improve is to be involved with the users group for your system. Other agents and staff are your best source of information on how to get the most from your system.

It is fairly easy to identify the specific areas where additional training is necessary. But how you actually go about providing the training to your staff is another matter. Here are some tips we have found useful.