Project

We created a comprehensive Excel education program consisting of one-to-one coaching, group seminars, and a repository of all the produced content.

In our experience, there is a gap between the assistance an IT department can provide and the help users need. Excel knowledge often comes from grueling trial and error or peer assistance. In both cases, companies suffer a reduction in productivity. That is where we come in and assist users with their vexing Excel issues.

As part of our Excel coaching offering, we help users improve their Excel skills, enabling them to complete tasks that previously took hours in just a few minutes.

In addition to the one-to-one assistance, we conduct eight large group seminars annually. Each seminar includes three segments. The first consists of instructor-led training known as Function of the Week. In this segment, we focus on one Excel function or functionality, provide an overview, and give a demo.

The next segment is called Spreadsheet Challenge. Before the session, we work with one of the users and help guide them to a better solution for an issue they were having in Excel. We strive to help these users reach a conclusion independently, with thoughtful guidance, rather than giving them the answer.

Once the user has solved their issue, we work with them to prepare a solution demo. Each presenter is offered presentation coaching, and we rehearse multiple times. The result is a polished, peer-to-peer presentation using the client's data, in their jargon, delivered by someone they know and trust.

Finally, we have an Open Forum. This segment covers updates on any open items from prior sessions. We also share a keyboard shortcut. A volunteer has an opportunity to share a trick they use every day to make their time in Excel more productive. Often, a user will email us a suggestion of a shortcut to cover with a pronouncement that they will not present. So, we cajole folks into coming on the show and help them uncover presentation skills they never knew they had.

Also, in the Open Forum section, we showcase someone who has employed something they learned as part of the series. The three-to-five-minute presentations offer a chance for users to show off their skills. These segments of our Excel education program are the most rewarding because they provide a vivid demonstration of the impact of our work.

Even post-pandemic, this client has opted for an all-remote work environment. While the seminar series primarily focuses on Excel education, it also aims to foster community building and enhance the participants' presentation skills.

Each seminar is recorded. We produce an edited version of each session and post it to the group website. In addition, we edit brief video clips that focus on a single topic from the sessions. These clips are posted on an indexed page that categorizes them by topic.

Since everyone at the firm works remotely, the series offers a platform for folks to show off their skills and make themselves known outside their team. When convincing users to share their work, the opportunity to increase their visibility in the all-remote firm is a significant advantage.