You Don’t Know What You Don’t Know (Unless You Know)

I was recently visiting family in New Orleans, and while there, we visited a local church, Rayne Memorial United Methodist Church – a beautiful historic property that’s known as “The Church of the Lighted Steeple” for the light it shines over the city.
I got to talking with staff at the church, and one woman said that she wished that there was a way to find out which members of the church were the parents of small children. What she didn’t know what that there is a way for her to get that information out of her system.
It happens to people all the time – it happens to me, too. Take a cell phone – I’m sure there are capabilities on my cell phone that I don’t use because I don’t know them. The problem, of course, is that you don’t know what you don’t know.
But with something as important as your church management software, it seems to me that it’s worth taking the time to figure out what you don’t know. There are many ways to get information about what your ACS Technologies solutions are capable of.
Here are four ideas for trying to stay in the loop:

1. Join an online user group like the Yahoo! ACS Technologies user group. It’s a collection of users who can ask questions, share ideas, collaborate and benefit from the knowledge of other ACS Technologies users. It’s a great resource for those “… does anyone know how to ….” questions.
2. Call support or go online to check out training resources. Don’t assume that something can’t be done. Ask questions. I’ve heard it said before by clients that the knowledgeable ACS Technologies support staff is basically like having ongoing training right there on the phone. You can call our support line or send an email request on the client portal—and we’re working on adding and we’re adding videos to the online training library all the time (they may be free, depending on the your support package).
3. Attend a local User Group. ACS Technologies User Groups have taken off all over the country, and can be a great opportunity to learn and share with churches in your area. For information on finding a user group near you – or on starting one – email usergroups@ideastoimpact.com.
4. Attend the Ideas to Impact Conference. It only happens once a year, but it’s not too early to start planning for the 2012 Ideas to Impact Conference, which will be held in Atlanta May 29-June 1. It’s a great place to pick up software training, get ideas for your ministry, and meet new people who do what you do. For information about the conference, go to ideastoimpact.com – the site will be updated with more information on speakers and conference details as we move from summer into fall.

Have you liked us on Facebook? It’s another good way to get in the conversation and connect with us, ask questions, and connect with other clients.