Wednesday Jan 25, 2012
By: Robert Hodges
“I recommend KeyStone's LMS System to all of my clients; it provides outstanding out of the box trainings that minimize IT/HRs trainings, and trainings can seamlessly be captured and published on demand. An easy user interface ensure adoptions from your business teams- allowing for a means knowledge capture and collaboration.”
- Lisa M. Chipetine, PMP, President, QC Consulting, LLC
This was a testimonial one of our sales representatives recently received. We are always excited to receive feedback from our customers, and one of the things I love about KeyStone is that our users are as passionate about our products as we are. We value their opinions, and it is encouraging to hear how KeyStone OnDemand is making a difference in the lives of those using it.
As Ms. Chipetine pointed out, our platform integrates into your HR/IT training techniques by providing a real-time OnDemand solution for your training needs. Our product makes it easier for you to focus on higher priorities by enabling you the opportunity to create short articles and videos on common tasks that acquire many questions.
We are always excited to hear how KeyStone products are working for our users, so be sure to let us know your feedback or questions at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
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Wednesday Dec 28, 2011
Great Ways to Get & Stay Organized in Outlook 2010 (Part 2)
By Deanna Reynolds
Okay, so now that you have been applying the steps I mentioned in my first post, I am excited to share four additional steps that will help you save time in Outlook 2010. If you did not read the first post, the below steps will still help you, but feel free to read the first post here. Below you will see steps 4-7. Enjoy, and become more efficient in Outlook 2010.
4. Do a Quick Search: If, after applying categories, creating Rules and using Quick Steps you still have trouble finding Outlook 2010 items, remember to use the Quick Search bar at the top of each view. It searches as you type. You can enter a sender’s name or any term that might be in the items. If it’s there, Outlook’s Quick Search will find it. And, if just typing a word or phrase doesn’t narrow your search enough, just by clicking inside the Quick Search box grants you access to a Search contextual tab with all sorts of Search criteria fields you can use.
5. Activate Favorites in the Task Pane: It took me a while to realize this was available, but since I did, I’ll never look at the Navigation Pane the same way again. If you don’t currently see “Favorites” at the top of the Navigation Pane’s folder list, display the ribbon’s View tab. Then, from the Navigation Pane option, enable “Favorites.” Now, for any folder you view more often then others, right-click it and choose “Add to Favorites.” Now, you can switch between different folders way faster because you’re not searching through all of your folders just to get to the ones you need most often
6. Open your calendar (or other favorite view) in a separate window to stop switching back and forth: Make multi-tasking easier by right-clicking your calendar (or other view) in the Navigation Pane and choosing “Open in New Window” from the resulting context menu. Now, you can tile your Outlook windows side-by-side or be able to switch to another view without losing your place in your current view. Brilliant!
7. Close Outlook! I know this sounds counter-intuitive to productivity, but how many times do you get sidetracked from a task because that little message flashes on the lower-right corner of your screen. I know…it’s crazy. One of the best ways to get your productivity back is to close Outlook from time-to-time, just while you’re working on another project. Between projects, you can open Outlook again, check out the new arrivals and see what you have coming up. But, really, does it need to be open 24/7?
For more information on KeyStone's Outlook 2010 training course click here. To read part 1 to this post click here.
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Thursday Dec 08, 2011
In review of 2011 we wanted to highlight a few of our favorite new features.
Here at KeyStone, we are always looking for ways to enhance and increase learner productivity through our platform. The below features are great ways administrators can create an effective learning environment for their organization.
1. Share your content: You can now share your KeyStone OnDemand created screencasts on your website, blog or other source.
2. Embed your favorite videos: Embed YouTube or other videos for easy sharing and they are instantly available by keyword search.
3. Creating custom content: Unlike many other training platforms, KeyStone OnDemand does not require third-party programs to create content. You can create screencasts and articles directly within the platform. So whether you have HR related needs or employee introduction courses to create, you can create all new content directly within the platform.
4. Customizing the environment to fit your organization: With the platform, you can add your logo as well as your organization’s colors to the platform for seamless integration to your learning environment. You can also create your own “Featured Tip.”
For more information and a tour of KeyStone OnDemand click here. To start your free trial click here.
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Monday Nov 28, 2011
By Deanna Reynolds
I was recently doing some random Internet searching…for work. I always like to see what the popular bloggers and other trainers are offering up in terms of Office 2010 productivity tips. I actually don’t recommend doing a search like that unless you have a lot of time on your hands which I would assume you wouldn’t if you’re looking for ways to be more productive. But, I digress.
During my search for “Office 2010 Productivity Tips” I encountered an article aptly titled, “Your Top 5 Time Saving Productivity Tips with Microsoft Office?” Ooohhh. I felt a little rush of excitement at what that article might add to my life. Sounds promising, doesn’t it?
Prepare to be disappointed.
I was shocked to see just one thing: “Copy & Paste.” Aw man. Copy & Paste? That’s your big productivity tip? Copy & Paste? Seriously? My 80-yr old grandmother could make up something better than that. I won’t reveal the name of the site that I found this on, but suffice it to say their tagline is “Be Productive, Stop Procrastinating.”
Oy vey.
Recent reports estimate that 8.6 million people are currently using Office 2010. Can you imagine if their biggest productivity tip was “copy and paste.” And, then it hits me. That’s why we create training. If, when asked the question, “What are your top five time saving productivity tips with Microsoft Office?” your only response is, “Uh, copy and paste” run, don’t walk, to your nearest training course and sit yourself down prepared to learn.
In fact, Microsoft Office 2010 was designed around the very concept of increasing user productivity. In a recent interview, Jennifer Heard, a Microsoft VP, was quoted as saying, “…we've spent billions and billions of dollars researching how users work, how they leverage the technology, and really how they can improve the work they do every day, because it's about increasing productivity and having the ability to expose information in a way that makes sense to the user.#” I’m certain the folks at Microsoft would be horrified to think that “copy and paste” was their greatest achievement in increasing productivity.
I’m sure you’re waiting for me to tell you how I would have answered that now infamous question. I’ll tell you…
Q. What are your top five time saving productivity tips with Microsoft Office?
A. I’m so glad you asked. Office 2010 is leaps and bounds beyond previous Office releases. Admittedly, there is some down time when users first make the switch. After all, the Ribbon does take some getting used to. But, after a couple of months, most users find they are able to do their tasks faster as many features are now available in fewer clicks. I’ve actually seen that down time drop to two weeks if the new version release is timed with targeted, scenario-based training.
But, there are some key product enhancements that really work the way people now work. If I had to pick my top 5, in no particular order, they would be:
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1. Customizable Ribbon Tabs: In Office 2010, you can customize the existing Ribbon tabs and even create your own. My favorite place to start is by checking out the options in any program under the “Commands Not in the Ribbon” category. That’s where the hidden gold lies. To see this in action, from any Office program, choose File> Options. Then, select Customize Ribbon in the left Navigation Pane. Finally, under Choose commands from, click the drop-down arrow and choose Commands Not in the Ribbon. Often, you’ll find commands you used in previous versions of Office that you haven’t been able to find on the default Ribbon. Then, add those to any new or existing Ribbon tab. Heaven.
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2. Enhanced Photo & Video Editing: Word and PowerPoint always did a fairly decent job of integrating images into their files. But, in 2010, even graphic artists have to be impressed with the available editing options. For both videos and image, you can apply artistic effects, reflections, shadows and more. And, for images, you can remove entire backgrounds. It’s madness and it’s very cool. Plus, it saves me the step of having to sending these edits through a graphic person.
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3. Better Integration with SharePoint: Office 2010 offers most consistent and reliable integration with SharePoint allowing more efficient document collaboration across project teams.
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4. Simultaneous Document Editing: That’s right. In Office 2010, two can people can work on the same document at the same time. Just be sure to watch the Status bar – it will tell you who is currently working on the document and what they are doing.
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5. Broadcast Your Slide Shows: This one is specific to PowerPoint, but it’s powerful. In PowerPoint 2010, you can set up a free account and stream your presentations live, online to up to 50 people at the same time. The limitations to this feature are minimal (like, you can’t stream a video and it doesn’t include a conference call connection). But, the benefits far outweigh any feature limitations. To try this feature out, enlist the help of a friend and hit the Broadcast Slide Show option on the Slide Show tab in PowerPoint. The program will walk you through a quick set up process and in a matter of minutes you’ll have a link you can share with your friend.
So, that’s it. That’s my Top 5, and that's why training is so important. Whether it's for Office or your app, training is vital to be more productive.
Sources
Microsoft introduces products in Dominican Republic http://www.dominicantoday.com/dr/technology/2010/5/14/35708/Microsoft-introduces-products-in-Dominican-Republic
Jennifer Heard – VP Microsoft, Productivity Enhancements Office 2010 http://www.thebusinessmakers.com/episodes/shows/2010/november-2010/episode-286/jennifer-heard.html
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Monday Nov 14, 2011
This week one of my colleagues and I will be attending Elevate 2011 in Atlanta, GA, where we will have a sneak preview of Pardot’s new OnDemand training solution that uses our platform.
If you are going, please stop by to see us at the Pardot training table in the Great Room Foyer and check out the new OnDemand Pardot courses. As Pardot customers ourselves, we are proud to be part of this exciting, new service that will be available in January 2012.
We would also love the opportunity to meet with fellow SaaS-base companies and discuss how we can support their training requirements. KeyStone’s SaaS soltuion, KeyStone OnDemand, helps SaaS companies quickly create and deliver relevant training for their applications, driving adoption and retention.
If you are unable to attend this exciting conference, stay tuned for updates! I will try to put out a daily update as I have time as well as a synopsis upon my return.
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