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Re: SMARTS Douglas B. Wilde 28 Dec 1996 11:47 EST

I believe you will get your best response, i.e. more active users of
SMARTS, by leaving your office and visiting your customer where they
conduct _their_ business, in their office.  Don't expect many people to
slog their way through new software or programs without a little
handholding.  Go to their office and walk them through the process; run a
few sample queries.  Offer to revisit them and answer their questions.
They will learn how to use it on the machine they normally use, not
someone else's in some computer lab.
Can you afford the time and effort to do this for every interested person?
I would hope so.  Run the numbers: time spent teaching them to use the
system on their own against the hours you would spend running individual
queries.  If you cannot afford to do this for everyone then train a few in
each department that can then train, or at least answer basic questions,
for their colleagues.  Pick the Chair, first adopters, those respected and
deferred to.
The bottom line is to get out of your office and  visit your faculty, your
users,
your CUSTOMERS in their own territory.  They will be very greatful and
remember this extra effort you put forth on their behalf.  You'll also
learn quite a bit about the people you assist from visiting them at their
home away from home.
The strategy applies equally well to any other new policy or procedure you
wish to introduce.

Doug Wilde
xxxxxx@engr.uark.edu