Log in to like this post! Office 365 will soon be with us. Do your users require training? DevToolsGuy / Tuesday, February 26, 2013 The latest, and arguably the largest, upgrade to Office 365 is set to roll out to all business customers by February 27, 2013. This new version will be based on SharePoint 2013, and brings with it the new Windows UI look and feel (as seen in Windows 8 and Office 2013). This user interface is a bold step forward, and opens up a number of new features and functions. But it also poses a number of challenges. When an Office 365 instance is upgraded, users might simply login to the system one day and see a whole new look and feel. In effect, they may feel like they are looking at a brand new system. This raises some important questions. Were they expecting it? Are they able to use it straight away? Is any support provided to explain or help with new features and ways of working? In an ideal world, users wouldn't need training in any software. In the case of the new Office 365 they would just pick up the system and carry on as if nothing had happened. But realistically a little change management is going to be needed to keep everybody productive. Features move, options change, and users generally dislike new systems. At the very least these users should be informed in advance of what is about to happen. Better still they would be exposed to a test system in advance; those who need it could be offered additional help (anything from light reading to full on training). It may seem a trivial point, but what might feel like just a cosmetic upgrade could have significant ramifications, possibly financial, if people cannot do their jobs. So if your users are about to experience all that is great about the new Office 365, make sure you give them a little warning and support first. Think about the following: Devising a communications plan (even if it is just a few upfront emails) Giving access to training or reference documentation Providing some demos (live or screencasts) Full on user training, may be targeted at specific users Your users will thank you afterwards.