POLL: SE Mgmt Workbook?

[timbre4]

Folks, I'd like to hear from as many of you as possible on this question.

Manager/Manager Plus and Service Writer/ShopKey Management 5.9.x currently include two workbooks. The first is designed to teach program flow and basics in conjunction with a demo version, the other is used to setup the live program (rates, taxes, etc).

With the commerical release of Manager/ShopKey SE (Sept. 2009), there are 38 training videos specific to the SE product, and PerformanceCenter (legacy 5.9.x screens are similar to SE) includes twelve 30 minute modules & quizzes available.

Historically, we've always provided books with shop management products. But the world has changed in regards to learning styles and resources available so I'm pondering what we should do in regards to printed books to train the shop mgmt software products. There is a considerable editorial effort involved and perhaps our time is spent more wisely elsewhere. There certainly is a production cost as well; the plan would be to try and get everything into a single book if we do go ahead with this.

Please take a moment to give us your opinion as to the value of providing printed training materials in 2010 and beyond!

[a&mauto]

I think it would be great to give people who prefer the work books the option to print the book themselves or just the pages that they need.

[Pauls Automotive]

I personally perfer to either view it from a disc or download it......books....I have so many books around here and everyting gets lost in the shuffle. I can find my Mitchell disc in a second and if it were online I can get it from home if the mood strikes me.

[timbre4]

Thanks for the comments, are you able to click a voting choice too?

[Pauls Automotive]

Thanks for the comments, are you able to click a voting choice too?

Arte you asking me Tim? Because I did vote.

[timbre4]

I needed to click on View Results.

When I first moved all the polls to a single area there was a brief period where *nobody* could vote, so was just making sure it worked okay.

[Jeff @ Able Auto]

I prefer books. It gives me time to study WITH-OUT being in front of a computer. I personally find it easier to learn from a book.

[VCAC239]

I chose to have the book file on the installation disc. That way you can be promted to print off the info as you want & as Jeff said you can review the info whenever or where you choose. Sometimes I feel if you took some info home at the end of the day with no "distractions" you could read it over & gain a lot of quick knowledge.

Jeremy

[asample]

I find it better to have it on my computer so that I can try out what I am being instructed on. Option 2, 3 or 4 would be my choice. (voted for #2 ). When watching videos I many times will pause the video and do whatever it is telling me. That seems to reinforce what my feeble brain is trying to soak up.

Arlin

[steven kiser]

speaking for myself now. we all know i'm not a huge computer kind of person yep that's right. there are two types of owners out there. old school and new school. the new school can blow through the computer systems like grant through richmond. old school only want the basics as not to get overwhelmed. that's what i find at least. i'll be at a football game and in the group i kinda associate with there are 5 mechanic shop owners. we all use mitchell but i'm the only one on the forum. at least three times a year i'll bring up the forum issue and always get the same answer. they don't have time or yadda, yadda. i tease them because i think that they can't type or have the nuggets to venture into the "internet". i'll tell them to just join up and read. they balk at me and call me a geek or something. it's like i'm on the dark side. most of the owners i know joined mitchell because carquest would pick up the tab under the b.d.f program. these are the owners we need on the forum. they are an untapped wealth of information or entertainment. i know that for me if it automatically opened when i opened the mitchell shop manager and i had to shut it down every time i would have started toying around with it years before i did. to tell the truth the first time i opened it i thought it was a prompt to google earth. i was told i could see a picture of my shop taken from space. well, as for me at least the rest is history. i've learned to type, use that spell thingie and piss of tim a few times. maybe some day if he has saved any of the censored posts we all can have a good laugh.

[John C.]

Sorry, I'm late to the party.

Download.

[steven kiser]

i voted # 3. best of both worlds.