Look to Your Employees for Inspiration to Maximize Enterprise Software
We Throw Away Money and Waste Valuable Time
We tend to use the same programs in our enterprise software over and over again for the same tasks. We spend very little time learning about all of the other features that the software we paid for may have. We rarely dig for the gold hidden within the software we use on our desktops or even our smartphones.
Employees tend to use enterprise software for specific purposes: accounting software for finance, word processors for business and creative writing, and so on. Because each division within a company usually specializes in what they do, no one really uses all the software features available to them.
This is where employees and managers can learn from each other.
Innovation Resides Within Your Employees
Newer, less experienced employees may be learning the nuances of their job, but outside of work, they are tuned in to what their devices can do. Look at the rise of apps like Instagram and TikTok. Unlike the flashy social media upstarts of a decade ago, the biggest apps today drive brand positioning and marketing efforts for companies that know how to use them.
Most small businesses can’t hire a multimillion-dollar advertising firm to maximize their presence on these apps. But their employees can help to get attention on the biggest apps like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest.
Don’t just turn to your newer, younger employees. More experienced employees know their preferred software inside and out. Your accountant, for example, probably knows every shortcut available in Microsoft Excel. They can tell you, in just a few seconds, how to set up an equation to figure out the data points you’re putting together. Your office manager or administrative assistant can whip up a macro in Word that takes care of their most repetitive tasks with a single command.
If your company employs engineers, there’s no doubt that they have in-depth knowledge of the software they use for design work. Likewise for web developers, or for project managers. The marketing and sales staff likely use task-specific software to help the company stay on track.
Find Enterprise Software Features That Save You Time
There are also cool little features in Excel that can spice up your presentations. Do you know about sparklines? They’re available when you right-click in a cell and select “Menu”. Instantly create a cell-sized representation of the data points you’re comparing.
In Microsoft Word, you can insert Excel charts right into a document. You can do this in PowerPoint as well. You can digitally watermark your work. You can add a table of contents, an index, and custom numbering. It’s one of the most versatile word processing programs on the market and has been for three decades.
Maximize Software to Keep Business On An Even Keel
Where the hidden features of these software programs really shine is at inflection points in a company’s progress. If nothing else, 2020 has provided ample evidence of this. As companies transitioned their entire workforce to remote status, the ability to share files easily, and securely, as well as maintain meaningful communication with employees became a challenge.
Different teams within companies had to collaborate in ways they never thought of before. What they learned from each other about different ways to use software for their respective task made everyone more knowledgeable. This collaboration made teams more agile, and increased performance, even though they were away from the focused environment of the office.
Deep Dive Into Software Tools
Set aside 15 minutes to an hour each day to explore the features hidden in the software you already own. Or chat with your employees to learn how they use software. You may be very surprised at what you find.
Whether you are a small company or an organization of hundreds, there’s value in learning the additional features in your existing software.