Not all software spending is equal.

But we’ll get to that. First, I'll share two things that are true. And a lie. Then, I’ll tell you how to solve everything in 3 steps. 

Here you go: Two truths and a lie. 

Truth #1: Software is expensive. 

Truth

$3.5 trillion is spent on software — a year. [1] 

There’s more. 

You may be surprised to know that the smaller a company, the more they spend. In fact, small companies spend 7% of revenue on IT. Mid-sized companies spend 4% and large companies are just 3%. [2] 

So, it costs a lot. 

This means there’s a lot of pressure to make sure software works. After all, every company looks at ROI. And that brings us to our second truth. 

Which is...  

Truth #2: Software takes a lot of support. 

Truth

Software is hard to adopt.  

Think about it.  

Picture the last time you joined a new company. How easy was it to adopt their tech stack? I’m going to take a guess — it wasn’t. That’s because the average person uses 13 apps — 30 times a day. 

Feels overwhelming, doesn’t it. 

If users aren’t getting help while they’re in the software, they won't use it. Which leads to higher churn rates—and nobody wants that. Clearly, you need to train users so they can be successful. 

Which brings us to ... 

A lie: You’re training users fast enough. 

Lie

Actually, you’re probably not. 

Fact: people take time to change. If you’re still holding in-person sessions to train an entire organization on how to adopt software … you’re behind. The world has gone digital. Software users expect immediate results, and they don’t want to waste a lot of time getting there. 

You need to scale. 

But how?  

3 ways to train your users better and faster 

To be truly impactful, software training needs 

  1. Speed. 
  2. Depth. 
  3. Breadth. 

Let’s look at each. 

Speed

Learning experiences should be quick, effective, and repeated. That’s how you create loyal users who stick around and help you earn more money. Ideally, you’ll leverage a software learning platform where relevant, personalized content can reach thousands of users instantly. 

Depth

The #1 barrier to software adoption is change. So, you train little by little. Using the platform example above, you can deploy bite-sized training videos. Train on a specific application for 1 minute. Help your users get a win, then go deeper. You change behavior, bit by bit — at scale. 

Breadth

You don’t want to miss users. Remember, as you’re training, that everyone is at a different level. So, meet them where they are today. Survey your users to see how well they’re doing. Then develop a learning flow to put the right content in their hands — with a tailored learning experience. 

Need help? Let’s talk. 

References: 

  1. Why Software Development Is Worth the High Cost (Bitbean) 
  2. Stop the software blues: how to fix the top 3 IT challenges (BrainStorm)
  3. Your guide to a successful ERP journey (Deloitte)