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Continuous Learning: Educating Software Users

TrendMiner Fundamentals Webinar

Continuous Learning: Adapting to Change

The COVID-19 pandemic has created a major shift from working on-site to working from home. But thanks to digitalization, process engineers can work away from the plant during uncertain times. 

“It won’t be easy to go back to the way things were,” Forbes magazine reported recently. “Most economies shifted to remote work overnight in 2020; there is undoubtedly going to be a lasting effect on the world’s ‘remote working experiment.’ But what is certain is the digitization of work is here to stay.”

Because the lasting effect remains uncertain nearly two years after McKinsey & Co. offered businesses a 90-day approach to the remove shift, companies must be able to begin their digital transformation journey and establish digital channels to reach customers.

Continuous Learning: Watching While Away

One example of shifting tasks is how a company onboards customers. Prior to the pandemic, most TrendMiner training was at the customer’s location. Social distancing, health safety mandates, and other precautions prevented that from continuing. Therefore, the self-service data analytics solution began moving its training to an online platform.

TrendMiner Fundamentals Webinar

There are advantages to moving to remote approaches. The benefits include reaching a broad number of users simultaneously, mobilizing the relevant process expertise, and being able to provide training digitally.

But these remote approaches come with challenges. For example, the software needs to be provisioned, configured, and delivered to the appropriate users. Internet connections need to remain stable. And viewers must be able to interact with their instructor.

The software company embraced these challenges. In fact, it began offering a free webinar earlier this year to teach the fundamentals of its software to a broader audience.

Continuous Learning: Fundamentals First

In May 2021, TrendMiner launched its first Fundamentals Webinar. This beginner-level training course, offered in English and German, is 3 ½ hours spread over two days. In these sessions, trainers cover the basic software functionalities, including: 

  • Loading of tags, 
  • Time navigation, 
  • Layers, and
  • Other features.

During the webinar, users learn how they can wield the self-service data analytics solution effectively to empower engineers and process experts to analyze time-series data themselves. Benefits include time savings, improved knowledge sharing, enhanced productivity, efficient root cause analysis, and process optimization.

Figure 1 demonstrates how TrendMiner approached the new remote training webinar.

TrendMiner Fundamentals Webinar

Figure 1: Timeline and content of the two sessions of the TrendMiner Fundamentals webinar with a duration of 1.5 hours in the first day and 2 hours in the second consecutive session.

Being able to continue the onboarding sessions remotely was an important step in our customer’s digitalization journey. It allows them to transition from a connected factory to a more mature model.

Broadcasting a remote training session during the pandemic was not TrendMiner’s first dive into online webinars. It already had free intermediate “Live Online Training” webinars in place for users who have experience with the software. Also offered monthly, the session allows intermediate users to leverage the application of specific software functionalities and learn more tips and tricks.

Attendees and registrants will receive a follow-up mail including the handouts and recordings of the sessions to view at their leisure.

Continuous Learning: Staying Online

TrendMiner held the new fundamentals webinar seven times this year. Customers seemed to appreciate the experience. During 2021, the webinar generated 699 unique registrations and 505 unique attendees. The company will continue to offer the new webinar each month in 2022.

As a preview for the coming year, TrendMiner will the offer the webinars in French and Spanish as a handout and recording on demand.

Check out some of our past webinars on demand.

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