When I began at Finchloom a few months ago, I was relatively unfamiliar with the systems that the company used, and the products we offered. Instead of taking the time to learn them as I go which was not really an option, my manager recommended that I try using the Microsoft Learn program. I used a program similar in the past when I was first using a CRM, but never knew that Microsoft had their own platform. If you would like to use Microsoft Learn yourself, click the link here.
Why learn the new stuff?
Before I go over the sheer amount of information and different ways of digesting said information, I want to talk about why you should use the Microsoft Learn platform for any/all Office apps. Office apps are updated about once every month. If you are an Office 365 or Microsoft 365 subscriber, you will always be running the most up to date versions as your apps are updated automatically. These updates can be anything from bug fixes to new features, and unless you check the update/patch notes, you would never know what new features you are missing out on.
New Feature Releases
New features are created in 2 ways. The first type of update are those ideas that are created by developers and rolled out over time. These are generally larger changes to the apps that you work with, so they are released less frequently. Conversely, the second type of update are those features that are suggested or requested by the community of users. There is a Microsoft Community that is consistently asking questions and making suggestions about specific items in certain programs, trying to figure out the best way to utilize new changes and modernize workflows for apps that have been around for years. Sometimes the community will vote for these suggestions, and with enough likes, upvotes, comments, and shares, the suggestion will become an ‘ask’ to Microsoft. Once approved, new features are developed and added to the requested program.
This system is amazing because businesses discover areas of improvement and suggest them to an audience. When enough people/companies agree, they are created. Instead of a dev team brainstorming what the newest features of an app should be, they instead are given a laundry list of asks by the community, and those at the top are discussed for feasibility and then created; ideas are crowdsourced and brought to the customers upon proof of concept.
Microsoft Learn
This is where Microsoft Learn comes in. For starters, it teaches you how to use every app, and every feature within. If you use Office products daily and still do not know what certain buttons do, it might be time to train yourself or your employees on the newest features. Microsoft Learn can improve productivity, decrease time wasted on repetitive tasks, and save your employees organizational loyalty and happiness in the process.
If you are hiring and do not have the time or resources to provide in person training to employees, Learn can be super helpful. Let us say that a company hires 5 new sales staff and need to get them up to speed and selling ASAP. What most companies do is delegate a senior salesperson to teach the new people how to sell, their CRM, and about the products that they offer. Microsoft Learn allows companies and employees to take guided courses on specific programs. There is a Learn Path in dynamics specifically for teaching sales staff how to manage and create contacts and accounts, build out quotes, and even call customers directly from their computer. Companies will still be responsible for some training, but with the bulk of technical training already created and easily accessible, a lot of the burden is taken off the shoulders of businesses.
Learn with Finchloom!
Outside of the realm of Microsoft Learn, there are several other ways to learn about your business programs to make your employees as efficient and effective as possible. Finchloom offers Microsoft Training to companies of any size, whether you need help adding and/or removing users, or very specific technical guidance, we offer a plan that suits any size and budget. To learn more about Finchloom Office Training and Microsoft Learn, visit our Office 365 Training Page!