Cheaper, effective-er training
Effective-er? More effective? You know what I mean.
Say you have a team of 10 people using your CRM software.
How are you going to train them on that?
And more than the software, how will you train them on your organization's unique CRM system, of which the software is only a small part?
You might find a CiviCRM training event to send them to. That would get them started.
You could organize some group or individual trainings with your outside CiviCRM specialist. That would get them moving forward.
You could give them all direct access to your outside CiviCRM specialist. That would get their questions answered when they're stuck.
Those aren't bad options. But they suffer from two important problems:
They're expensive.
They're generic and focused on the software, not aligned with your unique CRM strategy and systems.
But there's another option that addresses both of those concerns:
Designate an internal CRM specialist.
This has important advantages. Because this person is internal to the organization:
They know (or will learn, or even help define) your unique CRM strategy and systems.
As they gain mastery of the software, they can share that knowledge within the team more easily (and cheaply) than any external resource ever could.
Here's the thing:
Good training, as important as it is, can still make for a significant investment of funds.
Outside experts are a great resource, but they'll never know the details of your work — your policies, procedures, and people — as well as your own team does (and hey, if nobody on your team knows those details as well as an outside support provider, you've got problems).
But a single staff member who's committed to mastering both your CRM software and your unique way of using it ... that's a pretty impressive resource.
It's a whole lot cheaper, too.
All the best,
A.