Expanding Your Skill Set and Developing Expertise is a Journey

By Michelle Johnson

If you’re running a business, the decision-making process around a new investment can be tricky – especially if the solutions you have in the frame appear to be fairly evenly matched. I would recommend that, in such situations, it’s worth considering what the vendor is offering beyond the sale itself. After all, a partner who values your custom will consider the initial sale merely the beginning of a relationship and commit themselves to ensuring you get the most out of your investment over the long-term.

When researching vendors, I would encourage you to explore the types of training and educational support they offer– if indeed they do. Establish how extensive this support is. How regularly is this provided? Is it free of charge? These are all important questions to consider.

The worthy providers are ahead of the curve; constantly adding to their catalog of informative content to deliver an array of production-enhancing tips and tricks and troubleshooting solutions. These come in many forms including insightful videos addressing frequently asked questions and tutorials that highlight how to get the most out of specific tools as well as showcasing functionalities that you could be leveraging for the benefit of your business.

The great news is that, in some cases, this online content is available to access indefinitely and free-of-charge. Usually delivered in short segments, they do not require huge investments of time. You can watch the videos on-the-go, at your convenience outside of the working day or during quieter periods.

The foremost suppliers continue to set the standard and even organize country-wide classroom or workshop-based training in key locations. Our own EnRoute roadshow is a good example and gives users hands-on, project-based tuition on all aspects of their software with the goal to improve their hardware proficiency and productivity. Our customers often comment that these provide them with fantastic networking opportunities with like minded professionals and equip them with the tools to optimize their design-to-production workflow.

Beyond this, webinars are also a firm favorite of many leading suppliers and are very convenient for the time-challenged business owners or operators who may struggle to fit in face time. Typically free-to-attend, these informative sessions are often delivered in multiple languages and allow attendees to still benefit from the comprehensive insight of product experts as well as the opportunity to ask questions specific to their business. Suppliers will often share a link to the webinar with attendees who can refer back to this or share with their colleagues for internal training.

So, regardless of whether it’s for hardware, software or consumables, next time you’re looking to invest in a provider, remember it’s worth looking at the opportunities for ongoing training and learning. After all, as the adage goes, ‘an investment in knowledge pays the best interest’.