The Holiday Rush is Coming. Are You Ready?

It may be hard to believe, but it’s already November. Election campaign mailings are winding down and right around the bend there’s Thanksgiving, Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and Christmas, Kwanzaa, and Hanukkah, to name a few holidays on the horizon, all bringing their fair share of direct mail. To top it off, staff will inevitably be taking time off for these holidays, leaving a critical gap in your day-to-day operations. Have you taken the time to prepare for this?

Preparing now you can prevent issues in the future. Not having a properly trained team can bring a production environment to a halt, resulting in missed SLAs, lost profits, and even poor brand image.The best way to prepare for this is to make sure your team members are cross-trained whenever possible.

Aside from hands-on experience with processing jobs (which ties up multiple resources and takes time), training is the best way to get new users up to speed quickly. There should be a two-pronged approach to familiarizing someone with a new application or workflow: The first is to provide general training on how to use the application. The second is then to focus on the specific process they need to learn.

Which is why at BCC Software, we offer several flexible training options depending on the scope of your training needs. Before getting into those, lets take a quick step back to make sure you are ready.

Cross-Training: Who is it Good For?

Before taking any action, first determine who has a critical role and whether they have a back-up trained and ready to go. If you found yourself with an under-trained resource, then the next thing you will want to do is determine how quickly you need them trained. This is critical as it will affect your optimal approach. Be sure to take holidays, important deadlines, and employee leave schedules into consideration when designing a training schedule.

Our customer support and professional services departments often recommend considering our training options in the following order, starting with the broadest and eventually getting to more user specific content: Express Learning Sessions, Customer Support, Workshop Training, and finally, Customized Training.

Express Learning

Short on time? Sign up for an Express Learning Session (ELS) – introductory training sessions on many of the key features and functionality of our BCC Mail Manager™ software solutions.

• Live: Various sessions are held live throughout the month, allowing attendees to ask questions at the end. If you are not in a hurry or would like to be able to ask questions, then this would be the best ELS option.
• Recorded: All sessions have a pre-recorded version available for users to view at their leisure. Being readily available, this is a great option for a n immediate need.

By viewing these first, it will allow the user to approach our next recommendation, Customer Support, already familiar with the software solution they use, and loaded with questions.

Click here to learn more about Express Learning Sessions.

Customer Support

Our customer support team is always available to answer questions or walk you through scenarios relating to various features of our software. This is a great way to ask questions and get feedback in a dynamic learning environment. Please note, our team typically prefers walkthroughs to be set up in advance.

Customer Support is available 8:00am to 7:00pm EDT and can be reached most conveniently by phone at 800-624-5234 and email at tech@bccsoftware.com.

Workshop Training

From beginner and advanced general training, to in-depth training on specific topics like Mail.dat, TaskMaster™, and Enhanced Merge/Purge, workshop trainings are a great way to get comprehensive training in a structured remote workshop classroom. The workshops are designed to be hands-on, ensuring the attendees leave with practical experience to enforce the courses curriculum. Workshops are open to all BCC Software customers.

Starting at $145, this is a great option for more advanced workflows or user requirements. Workshops can range from 1 to 3 days, still allowing time in the morning or afternoon for attendees to address work items.

Click here to learn more about currently scheduled workshops.

Customized Training

BCC Software’s Professional Services team offers customized training on just about any topic. An initial scoping call would build the framework for the training which could include documenting or developing workflows. This can be done in an onsite visit or remotely.

• Remote: For any type of structured training the Professional Services Engineer would ensure content is available and either conduct the training in a class room environment, like our Workshops, or one-on-one with a trainee. Remote training allows for flexibility in the delivery, giving attendees the ability to still work in the morning or afternoon.
• Onsite: Onsite is just as it sounds. A Professional Services Engineer will visit your facility to conduct the training. These are often much more hands on, working directly within your environment. There is a two-day minimum for this option.

Custom training is great option if you want training on your specific workflows, need training that meets your schedule, require onsite training, or have many team members that need to be trained. You’ll be able to set your own schedule and guide curriculum, so you get the training you need on your terms.

What Next?

Don’t get caught off guard this holiday season. Make sure your data and mail list processing teams are properly trained with designated backups. This will ensure high efficiencies during peak processing times and prevent a critical gap during an expected, or even unexpected, absence.

For help in determining the best option for you, or for more information on the Workshop or Customized trainings, contact your Key Account Manager or email sales@bccsoftware.com.