Recently, we featured a series of rants and raves about upgrading to iOS 5. For the posts, Joe Puckett, our director of recruiting and training, offered his take on the new version — from using gestures and wireless sync to device standardization and setup challenges.

This week we offer another take on the tablet: The most common support questions from corporate iPad users.

Click to view a video of an iPad support call.

iPad usage in the enterprise continues to grow at a rapid pace, but quality support options for business users are limited. Companies deploying iPads have had to build support capabilities in-house, or direct their users to AppleCare standard support — the same support Apple consumers receive.

AppleCare support stops when a non-Apple-specific application, like Microsoft Outlook or PowerPoint, is introduced. When this situation occurs, to what resource or resources should the end-user be directed? And what types of questions can be anticipated?

Here are a few we have encountered from our customers:

Working with Microsoft Office Documents on the iPad

• Modifying a Microsoft Office document (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) on the iPad
• Converting Microsoft Office documents to PDF files and annotating them (using downloaded Apps)
• Editing or working with Excel files on iPad using downloaded apps such as Numbers or Documents to Go
• Correcting formatting problems when converting Word or PowerPoint documents into Apps like Pages or Keynote
• Fixing formulas, formatting, and broken links in Excel spreadsheets on the iPad
• Viewing track changes markup or comments in Word documents using Documents to Go or Microsoft Office Web App
• Working with PowerPoint documents on iPad using Keynote app, and switching between PowerPoint and Keynote from laptop to iPad and back.

iPad Interface/Hardware

• Mastering Cut, Copy, Paste, and Replace features to avoid backspacing or retyping text
• Toggling and making effective use of spell checking, auto-correction and other keyboard features
• Configuring iPad for mobile device management solutions like MobileIron, and Good Technology
• Quitting Apps that are frozen or behaving erratically; restarting malfunctioning iPad
• Adjusting settings to conserve battery life when charger not readily available
• Recovering paid app that was accidently deleted
• Sharing files to a PC with Wi-Fi or USB connections
• Troubleshooting Wi-Fi, 3G, Bluetooth, and VPN connection problems

Read a more comprehensive list here (PDF), and view a video of an iPad business call here.

Jenny Sweeney iPad, Worker Productivity AppleCare, iOS 5, Microsoft Office, tech support

Upgrading to Microsoft Windows 7, Office 2007 or Office 2010 requires a calculated and strategic deployment plan, no matter your company size or rollout method. Preparation is vital to a successful transition. Using the information and data points we’ve culled from many successful migrations with our mid- to enterprise-size  clients, we have organized this collection of best practices and common occurrences:

Most Common Support Calls

Many corporate workers have been using Windows XP for some time now, so a learning curve with Windows 7 is inevitable. Below are some factors that will affect your employees’ productivity with the new operating system:

• Elimination of the Quick Launch toolbar and the Vista sidebar (if applicable)
• A new taskbar with icons only
• Changes to auxiliary apps like Windows Movie Maker and Windows Mail
• New features like Federated Search, Windows Mobility Center, Aero Peek, Jump Lists

Best Practice – Provide a blend of self-paced training and on-demand live support throughout all phases of deployment. Downtime is costly.

As for Office 2007 and Office 2010, its radically different interface and incorporation of the ribbon throughout all applications including Outlook in Office 2010, will result in an even steeper learning curve. The design is such a departure that your employees will hit snags just trying to figure out how to perform basic tasks like saving and formatting. Here are some of the more frequent types of tasks end-users struggle with initially:

• Inability to customize the Ribbon and Office bar
• Finding infrequently used features
• Confusion resulting from the new version’s contextual menus and mini-toolbars
• Macros being disabled
• New file formats and “compatibility” mode
• Understanding the new multiple template types

Best Practice –With Office 2007 and Office 2010, the hard part will be getting end-users back to the point where they can complete the tasks they have done for years without issue. The bulk of that work needs to be done prior to deployment or within the first few weeks after installation. Provide pre-migration training, plus on-demand, expert support during and after launch. Without such measures, your in-house IT staff will likely be bombarded with calls, which will take them away from more critical migration issues.

Call Volume

The magnitude of support needs when a new software or OS hits a desktop environment almost guarantees that internal IT staff will be overwhelmed. Besides the increased call volume, once the callers connect to IT, it is unlikely they will get the assistance they need; most help desk generalists do not have the knowledge, experience or training to solve the range of upgrade questions. An inundated help desk means longer hold times, more call backs, a higher call abandonment rate, increased downtime and decreased service levels.

Here’s a snapshot of migration call volume:

• It will remain linear throughout the migration, with peaks cresting most noticeably during the initial installations.
• During months 1-3, our clients have experienced a 50 percent spike in “how-to” support calls. You can expect the same.
• The number of calls will begin to decrease at about month 4, and will continue to lessen through month 6, when the volume drops to 30 percent.
• After six months, levels will return closer to those experienced pre-deployment.

Best Practice – Evaluate the skill levels of FTEs and/or current outsourcers surrounding the newer and previous versions. Often the costs associated with training existing or extra staff to reach the expertise level needed in such a short amount of time is challenging.  Consider a best-of-breed migration partner that employs Microsoft-certified consultants across all versions,  is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and charges only according usage can be the more efficient and cost effective choice.

Jenny Sweeney Uncategorized deployment, Microsoft, Microsoft Office, Office 2007, Office 2010, upgrades, Windows 7

The recent software and tech news is all about making the best of what you have. Bloomberg reports that in Venezuela, they’re tweeting their way around traffic snarls to get to work on time; Chief Learning Officer reports on the unlikely good that’s come out of the recession; and CIO.com offers three tips to get the most out of Microsoft Office. Read on…

Training is likely the number one way to get more out of Office, or any software for that matter.

Tweeting in Traffic is OK… in Venezuela

Whoever says Twitter is an ego-driven time-waster should spend a day in a Caracas traffic jam. In a recent Bloomberg News article, reporter Daniel Cancel writes about the Twitter revolution in Venezuela. Because the country’s gasoline is so cheap, there are twice as many cars than the roads can handle — which, naturally, means ample traffic jams. Enter the BlackBerry, Twitter and @Trafico, which Venezuelans are using to navigate their way through the gridlock.

Venezuelans, Cancel notes in his article, are way ahead of the rest of the world in terms of using Twitter as a traffic tool. And, for anyone concerned about Tweeting while driving, average speeds in Caracas are 7 to 9 miles per hour. Read the story here.

The Beauty of Recession: Increased Adaptability

November’s Chief Learning Officer offers up the finest in Glass-Half-Full news with “Recession’s Silver Lining? Increased Adaptability,” which reports that American workers have become more flexible in the past few years. Some highlights from the piece: Read more…

Jenny Sweeney This Week in Tech News @Trafico, Bloomberg, Caracas, Chief Learning Officer, CIO.com, Cloud Computing, Microsoft Office, recession, Twitter, Venezuela

A Twitter search of “do more with less” returns everything from quotes by revered philosophers (“It is futile to do with more things that which can be done with fewer” – William of Ockham) to rants about how cheaply Blade Runner was made compared to present-day sci-fi films. Read more…

Jenny Sweeney How To Blade Runner, CIO, Help Desk, How To, Microsoft Office, productivity, templates, William of Ockham