5 ways the simPRO Learning | Toolbox is optimising operations

At simPRO we see enormous benefits in providing our customers with learning resources as part of their subscription service.

The simPRO Learning | Toolbox is a valuable tool available to all simPRO customers. It consists of self-directed materials and courses that our users can complete at their own pace to support their success in implementing, learning, and mastering simPRO.

Below are five of the most common ways the Toolbox has directly helped our clients better use simPRO.

1. Implementing simPRO

After bringing simPRO into his business, Shaun Gray, owner of Gray Hydraulics, faced the issue of learning and implementing this new management system while still working in a busy hydraulics and engineering business.

Knowing that the learning provided in the Toolbox is quick and easy, Shaun and his Office Manager, Rachel, began learning simPRO through the materials and courses available.

Pretty quickly, Shaun learnt the best practices when it came to using simPRO and his scheduling has been top notch ever since - employees and customers are always informed and a job or service is never missed!

When asked about the system he now uses to manage his operations, all Shaun could say was: “I love [simPRO]. It’s seriously the best thing that’s happened to my business. The Toolbox really helped us get the most out of our implementation".

Shaun Gray from Gray Hydraulics

2. Onboarding new people

It's common to have a 'champion' for any business systems. They are knowledgeable about the product, can easily field questions from other staff, and can educate new team members.

However, many businesses don't realise the risks in a single person holding such responsibility.

Consider these two issues:

• What happens if a system 'champion' suddenly leaves a business?
• What if the way they are using a system is incorrect, or it could be done better?

The simPRO Learning | Toolbox standardises learning when it comes to onboarding new employees. It is a learning tool, not a person, that is regularly updated with current materials and courses that teach staff best practices when using simPRO..

With the Toolbox, and simPRO's other learning features, staff are supported throughout the learning process.

“I use the simPRO Learning | Toolbox, Help Guide and Walk Me Through a lot,” says Ann, an Office Administrator at Appleby Engineering, “The learning tools are easy to find within simPRO, and right there when you need it.”

“We are really thirsty for knowledge here,” says Mojgan, CFO at Appleby Engineering, “Having user-friendly help tools and short learning materials that our managers and technicians can access anytime, and for free, is great. It has helped us greatly with our onboarding journey.”

Mojgan Sotodeh and Ann Timlin from Appleby Engineering

3. Upskilling staff

The simPRO Learning | Toolbox also has the ability to upskill staff members so they are a source of knowledge for anyone using simPRO - like Shanae Miles from Smart Sparks Electrical.

There are currently over a hundred materials in the simPRO Learning | Toolbox, and this Sales and Business Development Manager has already completed 89 of them - and counting!

Shanae found herself having to learn simPRO quite suddenly following the departure of an administration employee. As she began exploring how to use the tool on her own, she began to find ways that the system could be used more effectively in the business.

So, instead of doing things the way they had been handed down to her, Shanae decided to delve into the simPRO Learning | Toolbox. There, she taught herself the correct (and best!) processes and in doing so, optimised not only her own but also the business' use of simPRO.

“I like the videos showing how things are done and the simulations that I can practise in my own time,” says Shanae. “There were a few lightbulb moments with the tips and shortcuts I picked up in the simPRO Learning | Toolbox.”

Shanae Miles and Nicky Wadsworth from Smart Sparks Electrical.

4. Learning new features and updates

It can be a hard task for office managers and other high-level staff to ensure they are keeping employees on top of new technologies and updates to systems.

The simPRO Learning | Toolbox regularly updates its materials and courses with information relevant to new releases and features or products from simPRO.

This easy-to-access and easy-to-complete online learning means high-level operators can quickly gain insights into new products and updates and then relay them to staff as they deem fit.

Just like Plumbworx Office Manager Raewyn Saxon.

Coming onboard around the same time as simPRO, Raewyn had to learn to use the system fast.

“I wanted to learn all about [simPRO], and used any downtime to complete the courses in the simPRO Learning | Toolbox,” she says, “The materials are easy-to-follow, and the knowledge checks at the end of each material reinforces my learning.”

With this newfound knowledge and understanding, Raewyn is now planning on how she can extend her learning to the rest of her team, “I am planning to show the guys a video on how to use the Timesheet module when they come in for Friday drinks, so we can learn as a team.”

Darryl (Operations Manager), Mike (Director) and Raewyn (Office Manager)

5. Improved business management

Bronwen Wieden of Diverse Worx was searching for a consistent form of training.

When employees encountered gaps in their skills, just reading through the Help Guide wasn't always enough to get to the other side. And when only one staff member had attended formal training, it was difficult to get everyone's knowledge up to the same standard.

Bronwen decided to give the Toolbox a try, and was excited to find a wealth of knowledge at her fingertips.

The Toolbox presented Bronwen and her team with learning through images, videos, practices and knowledge checks so they could understand the content in a clear and logical way. The style of learning used throughout the Toolbox helped to reinforce new concepts as they were being taught.

The Toolbox provided Bronwen with a way to practice using simPRO in a realistic environment - allowing her to optimise her workflows within the system without using live information.

Quite quickly, Bronwen and her team found that they could use the Toolbox to easily and efficiently dispense knowledge to team members - meaning that everyone would be able to learn workflows the same way. With this in mind, now they're doing much more than just bridging the skill gap.

"We are currently seeking ISO 9001 quality certification and will be using the Learning Toolbox to develop the required knowledge and skills for our staff and to comply with mandatory record keeping for the certification," says Bronwen.

"An unexpected bonus is I also used the information I learned from the Workflows material to create workflows for other parts of our business for the Certification process."

You can advance your simPRO understanding in minutes using the simPRO Learning | Toolbox, so why not get started today?

Click here to login to the Toolbox and level-up your simPRO knowledge today!