Myth: Office 2007 support needs fade within just a couple weeks of deployment.
Reality: Providing support and training to information workers before, during and after deployment is crucial to early and sustained adoption. The new interface is designed to make people aware of features they never found in the old versions. Information workers will continue to discover these new features for months after deployment and they will need ongoing help using them. It is unreasonable to expect the help desk to have found and mastered the features that were so well hidden in previous versions of Office. Above average migration call volume can be expected to last as long as six months, as call volume is linear throughout the migration. The peaks in volume will crest most noticeably during the initial installations. During months 1-3, call volume for how to questions on Office 2007 can spike to a 50 percent increase, drop to an average of 30 percent during months 4-6 and then continue to decline. 

 Myth:  Migrating to Office 2007 is like every other software upgrade or switchover.
Reality: The application looks radically different and is a complete overhaul of the user interface. There are no menus and no toolbars. Many information workers won’t even be able to open files without training and assistance. In past upgrades, an information worker’s knowledge of how to get to the features in the previous version was 95 percent effective in the new version. For Office 2007, it is zero percent effective.    

 Myth: Information workers will benefit from Windows 7 without training and support
Reality: A learning curve is guaranteed when information workers, or even an internal help desk staff, are faced with tools, applications or operating systems that look differently. A lack of proper training and support will prolong the adoption period. Maximizing the productivity increase — and resultant ROI — from the new tools in Windows 7 requires training in the theory and support in the practice of using the new tool. Read more myths and realities of an Office 2007 and Windows 7 migration and eight service levels needed to prove migration ROI http://www.pchelps.com/html/o2007mythsrealitiesroi.asp

Jenny Sweeney How To, Office 2007, Office 2007 Migration Assurance Program, ROI, Uncategorized, Windows 7, Windows 7 & Office 2007 Migration migrations, Office 2007 Migration Assurance Program, Windows 7

A random sampling of tweets about Office 2007 offers no surprises. Users are frustrated, desperate, confused, angry even. No matter where you are in your 2007 migration – research and planning stage; implementation; post-migration – you will hit some snags, to be sure. How you handle them may dictate future budget allocations, even the health of your IT department. Here’s what you should know before you choose a migration plan and partner: Read more…

Jenny Sweeney Office 2007, ROI, Worker Productivity Office 2007, Office 2007 Migration Assurance Program, ROI, software support, Worker Productivity

You’ve already committed the company to an Office 2007 migration, and the learning curve alone promises grief. Factor in the current financial climate and the overwhelming pressure to pull off a successful migration, and you have full-on agita.

Software migrations will no doubt cause disruptions in at least three areas over several months. But if you approach it with a thought-out plan, you can lessen the sting.

Where’s the File Menu?

The first and most obvious impact will be on your employees. Read more…

Jenny Sweeney Computer Literacy, Office 2007, ROI, Worker Productivity Office 2007, Office 2007 Migration Assurance Program

Whether you have invested or are getting ready to invest in Office 2007, you cannot afford to approach the migration willy-nilly — a switch to Office 2007 promises to be like no other. The user interface is radically different, and your employees will hit snags just trying to figure out how to perform basic tasks. How you handle the inevitable learning curve depends on your preparedness — and it may dictate future budget allocations, even the health of your IT department. This post breaks down the components of our Office 2007 migration readiness kit, and gives you the information you need for a snag-free switchover.

Click to download your kit.

Part One, The Big Picture:

Expert support and training before, during, and after deployment is the key to a successful migration. You will need to tackle Office 2007′s steep learning curve and minimize downtime so your employees can regain the confidence and knowledge necessary to remain productive.

Some questions to keep in mind: If the average end-user was completing 30 tasks per day prior to migrating, what will it take to bring them back up to that level once Office 2007 is deployed?

• Technical support and training for employees before, during, and after migration.
• Live, expert support and training, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
• Focused project timelines to coordinate deployment, support and training.
• Awareness campaigns that let Read more…

Jenny Sweeney Office 2007 Migration Assurance Program, ROI Office 2007 Migration Assurance Program, ROI, software support

You’ve invested in Office 2007, and now it’s time for the actual migration. You cannot afford to approach the undertaking willy-nilly — a switch to Office 2007 promises to be like no other. The user interface is radically different, and your employees will hit snags just trying to figure out how to perform basic tasks. How you handle the inevitable learning curve depends on your preparedness – and it may dictate future budget allocations, even the health of your IT department. In this series, we break down the components of our Office 2007 migration readiness kit, and give you the information you need for a snag-free switchover.

Part Five, the White Paper:

The anticipation of rolling out Office 2007 and Vista to thousands of end-users has many IT professionals sounding like kids at the doctor’s office who are about to get a shot. Read more…

Jenny Sweeney Office 2007 Migration Assurance Program, ROI, Worker Productivity CIO, IT leaders, Office 2007, Office 2007 Migration Assurance Program, ROI, software support, Worker Productivity

You’ve invested in Office 2007, and now it’s time for the actual migration. You cannot afford to approach the undertaking willy-nilly — a switch to Office 2007 promises to be like no other. The user interface is radically different, and your employees will hit snags just trying to figure out how to perform basic tasks. How you handle the inevitable learning curve depends on your preparedness – and it may dictate future budget allocations, even the health of your IT department. In this series, we break down the components of our Office 2007 migration readiness kit, and give you the information you need for a snag-free switchover.

Part Four, a Case Study:

Client Profile
Toys-R-Us, a public, U.S.-based, consumer goods company with 6,000 global PC end-users.

Business Challenge
Toys-R-Us made the decision to migrate all global end-users from Microsoft Office 2003 to Microsoft Office 2007. The company realized that it didn’t have the internal support resources to handle the learning curve end-users and IT staff would face, nor did it have the training aids available to deliver quick adoption and continued workflow.

With the company’s Office 2007 upgrade investment, Read more…

Jenny Sweeney Office 2007, Office 2007 Migration Assurance Program, ROI, Worker Productivity best-of-breed, Help Desk, IT leaders, Office 2007, Office 2007 Migration Assurance Program, Outsourcing, ROI, software support, Worker Productivity