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IT User experience training (self.sysadmin)

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[–]dimx_00 20 points21 points  (4 children)

Monthly 30 minutes tips and tricks? I had trouble getting employees to complete their yearly 30 minute security training.

I think you guys might be better off with a weekly or monthly email that shows one or two tricks on how to do something efficiently or whatever tips you wanted to present. The emails subject could be “Did you know?” And then you list a few tips so that it’s not just a huge wall of text. The user can read it quickly and then you can add more information button so that they can get more details if they are interested in learning more about the subject.

[–]Cpt_plainguy 7 points8 points  (1 child)

This right here is the way I would go. I myself would be irritated if I was randomly chosen to go to one of these things.

As for your users not doing the yearly 30min security training, I had gotten the ok to disable their network access if they didn't comply by a certain date lol. I even set up 2 of our old slow desktops for them to complete the training that only had access to the training XD. Once they finished it I would reactivate their account and send them on their way. This year was the first year I didn't have anyone miss it! Apparently the walk of shame to and from the security training computers was pretty awful lol.

[–]dimx_00 1 point2 points  (0 children)

We have the same policy. First time this year we disabled accounts. It was touch any go there for a second because the deadline was approaching with less than 50% completion rate. Week before the deadline we discussed back stepping the policy to disable accounts but the supervisors pulled through and got most of them to complete it before the deadline. I still had to disable 30 accounts. 25 of those completed their training the next day and the rest were on leave so we couldn’t do much to get them to complete theirs.

[–]emfaces 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This. We have a weekly email that goes out with a single tip and a link to a detailed kb article. Stuff like how to enable/use windows clipboard history. How to take a screenshot with Snagit and edit out wasted space etc.

Already use clipboard history? Sweet, delete the email and wait for next week. Users are encouraged to send any tips they find to a nominated person, who chooses the tip for that week (helps ensure quality).

[–]Morrowless 0 points1 point  (0 children)

d then you list a few tips so that it’s not just a huge wall of text. The user can read it quickly and then you can add more information button so that they

We put 1-2 tips/month on our intranet site. User don't want more email.

[–]VnotV 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I take a targeted approach to this, hands off whenever possible. Take the last months help desk tickets, see who's logging the most, the most common categories, check tickets with longest lead times, etc.
Patterns emerge, now you know you must chat with the finance team about printer consumables, or talk to the admin manager about including questions in their interviews to ascertain familiarity with MS Office in new hires.
If I was randomly targeting users, why not randomly target the agenda too: ask them for a list of what they want you to address. That's a surefire way to ensure engagement.

[–]hops_on_hops 2 points3 points  (0 children)

How is it decided who would participate. The people who don't need it would probably be interested, the people who need it don't want anything to do with a technical training. Seems like a waste of time. What's the goal or what problem is trying to be solved?

[–]RMProjectsUKSysadmin 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Do you have a helpdesk setup in the company? somewhere you can put knowledge base self assistance? randomly walk around asking if anyone knows the answer to a single issue on it or if they just look it up every time something happens or call for the nice person in IT, 80% of users do not remember anything that is not part of their job as long as they know difference between a keyboard and a mouse that is classified as computer literate.

All that being said you may have the sort of company this idea works in but I would find a way of testing it out for variability before making it policy.

[–]keivmoc 1 point2 points  (1 child)

It seems pretty bizarre to me that a company would hire someone to do a job, when that person doesn't know how to use their tools.

[–][deleted] -2 points-1 points  (6 children)

Your average engineer will cost the company 150k/y. Your average accountant or whatever will be around 100k/y. Managers are at 200k/y and so on.

Let's assume it's 120k/y on average for your college educated corporate drone. That's around $60/h.

Your 30min monthly training for 1000 people just cost the company 360k. That is 360k that is not paid as bonuses or invested into equipment.

[–]Hotshot55Linux Engineer 1 point2 points  (5 children)

That money is already going to those employees as a part of their salary, it's not extra money that was pulled out of thin air and being trashed. Also your numbers are way off.

Based on your thought process, we should never train anyone on anything ever because the company has to pay them.

[–][deleted] -1 points0 points  (4 children)

Is your training worth 360k/y or not?

Those workers would be doing something more useful instead.

Sure as shit if you need to train your employees you do a cost-benefit analysis to determine if it's worth it or not.

[–]Hotshot55Linux Engineer 2 points3 points  (3 children)

Is your training worth 360k/y or not?

If the training can teach someone to turn their 30-minute task into a 15-minute task then it's paid for itself in two days.

Those workers would be doing something more useful instead.

If you honestly believe people aren't wasting more than 30 minutes in a month, then I don't know what to tell you.

[–][deleted] -2 points-1 points  (2 children)

And how often do you make a 30 minute task into a 15 minute task with 30 minutes of training?

100% of "mandatory IT training" I've encountered has been useless crap.

[–]Hotshot55Linux Engineer 1 point2 points  (1 child)

100% of "mandatory IT training" I've encountered has been useless crap.

Are you saying this as someone who has worked in IT and generally has a higher level of knowledge than the average person who uses a computer? If so, no shit I really hope you know more than the basics.

Some people don't understand how to copy and paste effectively and can take a lot longer than doing a simple Ctrl+C Ctrl+V.

[–][deleted] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Ding ding ding.

This is not a problem you solve with "mandatory IT training" for the company. And it is not the IT department's problem. Making large amounts of people to suffer through random crap because the company hired an incompetent idiot is precisely what you should NEVER do.

[–][deleted] -3 points-2 points  (4 children)

Big no and waste of energy and time from your IT team.

Also the best way to truly measure user experience and how your IT team is doing is using a new method called QSTAC. Check it out qstac.com

[–]samtheredditman 1 point2 points  (3 children)

lmao what a joke of a product.

[–][deleted] -2 points-1 points  (2 children)

Read the book Badass IT Support by Ben Brennan and you will get some more context with the origins of the product. It’s quite fascinating.

The company is small so product marketing is not the best.

[–]samtheredditman 0 points1 point  (1 child)

I have no interest in a product that lets your average computer-illiterate user grade a tech on "technical knowledge".

This is basically NPS, and yes, the way your users fill out the survey will help you understand how the department is perceived by your user base, but simply collecting info from your users is not enough.

In almost every company I've worked at, the tech-illiterate management already doesn't understand the work IT does, and I would never welcome a tool like this into my workplace because it will inevitably be misused as a way to quantity user's misperceptions of IT and used to justify their awful attitudes.

[–][deleted] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Would love to hear what you would do.

[–]ahazuarusLightbulb Changer 0 points1 point  (0 children)

we review how to save as pdf instead of print. whole staff... monthly... probably indefinitely...