Building a site is one thing… handing it over to a client is a whole other story! I like to always try to meet face to face with clients to do training, but sometimes that just doesn't work out. So what to do?
Well, in the past, I would write up thorough documentation of the CMS, and give step by step instructions on how to accomplish various tasks. This is fine and good, but most people need (and want) to be shown how to do it. Since many of my clients are out of state, I really can't just meet for lunch and walk them through their new site. Even when I have had the opportunity to visit places like the Outer Banks for training, you'll undoubtedly have to go over a few things again.
Recently, I was preparing to train a client on their ExpressionEngine-powered site, and began writing things up as usual… but after about 10 minutes I realized I really didn't want to spend all evening writing. Then it hit me. Why not use Skype???* It's free (as long as the client has an account), it's as clear as a phone call, and with the latest beta, you can do screen sharing. That was the big kicker. A way to talk to the client and show them what I was doing, and all for free.
I just finished the training last week, and it was absolutely fantastic. The client got to see the system, watch me perform the various tasks, and could take their own notes without being overwhelmed. I'll happily be using this method again! I'm just kind of embarrassed that I didn't think to do it sooner.
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