Maybe you’ve had your screens for a while and feel pretty proficient at using your CMS. But nothing stays still for long in the fast-paced digital world, so it’s probably about time for a digital signage software training refresher so you can use your system to the fullest.
It’s a common misconception that once someone has been trained on something once, they know all about it forever. But this is simply not the case – without reinforcement, we tend to forget a rather astonishing amount of what we have learned. Back in the 19th century, German psychologist Hermann Ebbinghaus developed a useful tool for examining how memory works – the learning curve. This shows that the more experience someone has with something new, the faster they learn it. But he also developed two other tools that are often forgotten – the forgetting curve and the spacing effect.
The forgetting curve shows that information is lost over time if there’s no attempt made to retain it. If there’s no reinforcement of any kind, most people forget 80% of what they learn within a week. In the case of something like digital signage software, actually using the tools and workflows on a daily basis constitutes enough experience to help retain the information. But software tools that aren’t used will probably be forgotten rather quickly.
The spacing effect shows that information that’s reinforced over a longer period of time tends to be retained longer. So, cramming before an exam might help you in the short-term, but you will almost certainly forget most of what you studied, and so it can be argued that you didn’t “learn” it at all. And each time you reinforce learning, it takes longer to forget it (it “sticks” more).
From all this we can see that repetition spread out over time helps us remember information. That’s why getting a training refresh is an important part of effectively using any digital signage software.
One compelling reason to take another look at training options is that software is constantly being updated and improved, and there are probably some new features you don’t know about, or aren’t sure how to use. Workflows also tend to get improved with updates, and that five-step work around that you’ve been using may now only need one step to accomplish the same ends. And you may now be able to do things you couldn’t before, which might change whole aspects of how you create and deliver content to your screens.
Another reason is continuity planning. Chances are the same people won’t be around forever or won’t always be creating and scheduling content for your digital signs as part of their jobs. Many organizations will have a rota of people coming and going over time, and you want everyone currently working with your digital signage software to be on the same page and as up to date as they can be. Each time a new person joins the team, or an old one moves on, is a great opportunity to refresh training for everyone.
There may also be new content sources available, especially subscriptions like news, health tips, social media, etc. that you’ll want to get familiar with. And a digital signage system with alert capabilities certainly needs to be staffed by people who know the ins and outs of the software so well that they can react in seconds should an emergency occur.
If you’re following our monthly plan, you may have conducted an audit of your digital signage system and collected feedback from your audience in the form of surveys, etc. You’ll use this to tweak your offering, which in turn might require a little refresher training on how to do certain things better and more efficiently – everything from design standards to how to create a good call to action.
Some vendors offer training subscriptions, others write regular blogs with how-to tips and tricks for a more “self-help” approach. Visix has both a comprehensive training subscription service and a vast resource catalog that includes blogs, infographics, white papers, guides, podcasts, videos and case studies. This huge digital signage resource library is constantly being added to and is free to anyone via the web. Newsletter subscribers also see the newest blogs and tips, as do people who follow Visix on social media.
A software training subscription gives you and your team unlimited access to an online learning management system, as well as online classes with a live instructor. Sessions can be tailored directly for your needs, and there’s follow-up training after each session, as well. A subscription lasts a full year, and an unlimited number of people at your organization can make use of it. See our Training page for more details.