Chelsea Cipriani, Front Rush
Let’s do an experiment. Take a minute and think about a few of the software programs you currently have access to. Take a look at your smartphone and browse through all of the Apps that you have. Think about your athletic recruiting software, recruiting websites you utilize, social media sites, your music streaming software, your directV or on demand, your email inbox, the list could go on and on.
Now after thinking about these different programs, how many of them do you use? I mean… really use? Of your Apps on your smartphone, how many have you never really dug into? How many did you just delete off of your device? The good news is, you just freed up some valuable space for photos and videos, but the bad news is, you wiped out some tools that one day were meant to make your life easier.
Now what about your athletic recruiting software? How often do you log in? What features do you use? Does the software have a mobile app? If so, do you have it downloaded to your smartphone? Okay, before you start thinking, “Do I really need this? … stop yourself and take a deep breath.”
Okay… exhale and clear your mind. Now let’s think about the why. Before thinking about “Why am I not actively using the software in mind” let’s turn our thoughts to “Why did I initially get this, what was I trying to accomplish or solve through the use of this software program?”
The answer is probably very obvious. If it is an App on your phone, it was most likely something that was going to solve a problem that you may have been having. It most likely was there to provide a shortcut, or an easier way to do something. If nothing else, it was there for some form of entertainment.
For your recruiting software, aside from the bells and whistles (which probably was a lot of the attraction) in more broad terms it was most likely one or all of these reasons: to be more organized, to save time, to be more efficient.
Now we want to find the answer to this question, “How can I change this, how do I start using the program, how can I prevent this in the future?”
The answer to that question, lies in the answer to these questions:
“How much time did I put into learning this program?”
“Do they have a help section?”
“Have I looked at the help section?”
“Have I had a training?”
Now some of the responsibility falls on the customer service team, but sometimes you can take on some of that responsibility as well. If you take these steps following a purchase or download of a software program, I believe, as long as the program is capable of solving your problem and you have used the customer service tools, you will see these products being used more frequently and you will be less likely to remove them from your device or routine.
My advice when signing up for a new service, software program, etc is to follow these simple steps.
- If the service offers a Training Session – Schedule one right away – before diving into it for yourself.
- Visit the help section. Most software programs / Apps have a help section that provides articles as well as videos for your view.
- Contact customer support either by phone or by email. The company wants you to be successful. So give them a call and put them to work! If you have a certain task / problem you are looking to solve, ask the customer service rep for their suggestions. Chances are you are not the first customer to bring this up and they will most likely have a solution for you.
- Use the product as much as possible and give it 100% effort. Think about your players on your team. If they do not practice a certain skill, they are likely to not use that skill in the game. If you do not practice, you are likely to depend on what you know, and the product may slip out of your grasp.
If you take the steps listed above and still do not see the value, give it one last shot. Contact customer support, and ask them to walk you through the product one final time. Tell them what problems / issues you are encountering, and give them an opportunity to help you.
At the end of the day, it is possible the product is not right for you. But, you will not know until you try, you may just find that it is exactly what you have been missing.