Software User Training Best Practices: Lesser Mistakes, Higher Productivity

1. Software User Training Best Practices: Lesser Mistakes, Higher Productivity • If your team is still making the same errors in QuickBooks, Sage, or Xero: messing up invoices, entering them twice, and getting locked out of their own accounts, it’s not their fault. Poor software training bleeds hours of lost productivity, costly mistakes, and endless frustration for businesses. • When training appears critical, whether it’s onboarding new hires or rolling out updates, the appropriate training is the difference between smooth workflows and chaotic meltdowns. This guide outlines the proven strategies you can use to train users more effectively, fix common mistakes and instill confidence in your tools. By the end, you’ll understand how to create training that sticks, look out for common mistakes and build a team that actually likes using your software. • The Reason Most Software Training Fails (and What We Can Do About It) • Let’s be real: giving someone a manual, or a 2-hour Zoom lecture, doesn’t work. Without application, it’s common for learners to forget 70% of new knowledge in just 24 hours. Add stress, tight deadlines or complex workflows, and errors compound quickly. • Some top reasons training is not effective: • Information overload: Providing excessive information at a time is overwhelming to users. • Absence of Practical Sessions: Practice what you preach. • It is a one-size-fits-all approach: New hires require a different type of help than those that have been around. • Failing to address common mistakes: Your training is not on target if 40% of help desk tickets are password related.

2. As teams are not taught how to effectively use the QuickBooks Password Reset Tool, and this often leads to QuickBooks login issues. So let’s look at how we can fix these gaps. • They have data up to October 2023. • Identify where users are struggling before designing training. Send a 5-minute survey asking: • What are you avoiding in your work, in your life, that’s confusing? • How frequently do you require assistance during the use of [specific software]? • What is the most painful part of your how you get your work done? • Answers reveal patterns. If lots of people mention “getting locked out of accounts,” emphasize password management tools. Are invoice approvals a pain? Then, focus training on automation features. • Microlearning: Brief But Targeted Lessons That You Retain • People absorb better in bite-size chunks. Train for 5–10 minute sessions on individual tasks, instead of block marathon sessions. • Example Structure: • 2-min Video: Create an invoice in QuickBooks • Interactive quiz: Find the mistake in this sample invoice. • Keyboard shortcuts for your data entry process. • Loom / Canva — It allows you to make short tutorials. Save them in a shared drive so people can review them at any time. • Practice False Failures in a Controlled Setting • The user can screw up—on purpose. Build a sandbox version of your software for them to practice without it impacting the live data. Give them tasks like: • Restoring a deleted transaction. • Fix a reconciliation error. • Utilizing the QuickBooks Password Reset Tool to reset a password • Mistakes guided Mistakes teach problem-solving techniques and help when mistakes occur. • Transform Common Mistakes into Learning Moments • Monitor for help desk tickets or user complaints to spot recurring problems. If “forgotten passwords” are a top problem, run a 15-minute session demonstrating how to: • Configure password recovery methods. • QuickBooks Password Reset Tool (With Screenshots) • Two-factor authentication — if you are not on it yet, do set it up! • Post a one-page FAQ for these scenarios, pinning it in your team’s Slack or Teams channel.

3. Skills or Role Specific Training: Teach What Job Actually Needs • Your AP clerk shouldn’t receive the same training as your CFO. Divide users into role-based groups and tailor the content: • Role Key Training Topics • Data Entry: Shortcuts, error checking, batch entries • Managers: Approvals, reporting, access controls • Admins: User permissions, security settings This keeps training focused and avoids the fluff. • Add a Game Element to Measure Progress • Include some light competition to encourage participation. For example: • You can have badges that are awarded to you when you complete the modules. • Display a leaderboard of high scores in quizzes • If people are found to go the whole week without an error, offer small rewards (e.g., coffee gift cards) once a week for everyone involved. • Gamification works because it harnesses our innate desire for achievement — and doesn’t require any cool new technology. • 3 Common Questions About Software User Training • How often should we retrain software for our staff? • Update train when you deploy any major software upgrade or 6 monthly. Even minor changes (a new layout for the dashboard, say) can baffle users if they’re not prepared. • What do you do with the employees who don’t want training? • Connect the learning to their daily pain points. Demonstrate how they save 30 minutes a day by learning a shortcut. Resistance is often banal in not seeing the “what’s in it for me.” • Does training help minimize cyber risk? • Absolutely. Finance teams are often the target of phishing attacks. A training on how to identify a fisherman email or setting up tools like the QuickBooks Password Reset Tool correctly reduces breach risks significantly.