Sep 03, 2021
When it comes to CMS or DXP platforms, Sitecore’s capabilities are among the best. But it can be challenging to take full advantage of Sitecore’s advanced features without proper training. Sitecore is a sophisticated system, and it can be easy to find yourself in trouble.
When that happens, plenty of companies turn to training, consultants, and partners.
Sitecore training prepares digital marketers and developers to create, test, and deploy personalized digital experiences. Proper training can improve how you present relevant content to your visitors at every stage of their journey.
This article discusses several different types of Sitecore training available and why choosing the right option is crucial for getting the most out of your Sitecore implementation.
Where to get Sitecore Training
There are three main ways to get training:
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Official Sitecore Training
Sitecore itself offers a few different types of training, which are typically only available to customers and partners:
On-Demand
Sitecore provides online training across their product line for both developers and marketers. You can complete these courses at your own convenience as you have time available. There are six main Sitecore-related topics available:
- Sitecore Experience Platform—Technical
- Sitecore Experience Platform—Marketing
- Sitecore Experience Commerce
- Sitecore Managed Cloud
- Sitecore Content Hub
- Boxever
Instructor-led
Sitecore offers customized courses at your location as well courses at their own facilities. Holding the courses at your location is generally cost-effective if you’re training eight or more people at once. (Note: Due to the pandemic, it appears that Sitecore is currently offering these courses online.)
For those interested in validating their new skills, Sitecore also offers certification after completing training. This is a great way to establish your expertise and can be a valuable career-builder.
So, official Sitecore training is a good place to start, especially when introducing new team members to Sitecore. It’s important to note that this type of training applies to the Sitecore platform in general — it doesn’t necessarily give you the tools you need to manage your own, specific implementation.
There are learning paths available for all types of Sitecore users: Administrators, Architects, Content Marketers, CX Leaders, Developers, Data Analysts, Digital Strategists, Digital Merchandisers, and UI/UX Designers.
-
Online Training Platforms
When looking to go beyond standard training, you may want to look into training provided by some of the better-known training companies like Pluralsight or Udemy . These are typically courses offered online with the instruction provided by members of the Sitecore community. They can be a low-cost way to introduce yourself to the Sitecore ecosystem but usually focus on the technical developer audience rather than marketers or business users.
When going this route, take a close look at the instructor’s credentials and try to read reviews and watch a preview, if available. You may also find a fairly limited number of courses available.
Like the official offerings, these courses are not specific to your implementation, so the benefits may be limited.
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Tailored Training from a Trusted Partner
Finally, the most useful training is likely to be training custom-fit to you based on your own needs and implementation. A good partner will be able to provide this for nearly any phase of your implementation: from technical architecture, to development, to digital strategy, to marketing and analytics.
As an example, during the development phase (or during maintenance ), companies can hire a Sitecore partner to coach their developers. A Sitecore-certified professional developer will work side-by-side with your organization to teach your development team how to leverage the platform.
Assistance can also be provided via code reviews. A Sitecore certified developer can review your team’s code and implementation and help them spot issues, and train them in specific areas and processes they might be missing.
Similarly, for marketers, custom training can be provided to help marketers take advantage of advanced features. A good trainer will show you how to set up and use:
- Personalization
- Multivariate testing
- Campaign management
- Content Workflows
- Goals
- User Personas
- Marketing Automation
- Path Analyzer
If any of these features are not working or are not configured properly, you’ll need your Sitecore partner to help ensure they are configured for your site.
For instance, the training will help you know how to create user personas and campaigns, but won’t tell you how you should construct them for your customer base, your business requirements, or your integrated platforms. Only with the assistance of an expert Sitecore partner will you be able to achieve these objectives.
What are the benefits of an expert Sitecore training partner?
A good training partner will take your specific implementation particularities into account. It will use real-life examples to teach you how to use Sitecore in an environment tailored to fit your company’s specific use case.
Better Use of Functions and Features
Partnering with a Sitecore trainer will give your team a better grasp of Sitecore in general while also introducing them to Sitecore concepts and features that can be applied directly to your business. A good trainer will include templates, shortcut keys, menu options, and functionalities to help your team work its way around Sitecore CMS. Plus, when they master these features, employees will work more efficiently and will be able to teach others.
Quicker Implementation
Sitecore solution training will help your developers implement quickly because of the increased subject-matter knowledge. An expert trainer will also help your teams implement, test, and deploy faster, increasing their productivity and leveling up their skills in actual scenarios.
More Effective Sitecore Users
Not knowing how to use a tool frustrates users. If they’re frustrated, they’ll perform poorly. Proper training eases that tension, makes the learning process much more enjoyable, and eases the learning curve. A training course conducted by a Sitecore expert enables users to solve issues themselves and feel empowered.
Finding Sitecore Experts To Help You With Your Implementation
When choosing a Sitecore partner to train with, make sure that they have:
- Qualified professionals with real-world experience, preferably Sitecore partners themselves that know how to handle real-life cases,
- A defined training curriculum,
- Customizable training that can be tailored to your company goals,
- Course materials that are updated to Sitecore’s newest features,
- Detailed coverage of authoring tools for non-technical users,
- Tips and tricks for Sitecore implementation,
- Resources for beginner content editors so they can learn basic functionalities and don’t get stuck,
- and a look into Sitecore’s upcoming developments, features, and services to make sure that your training is future-proof.
Oshyn: Customized Sitecore Training
When someone is new to Sitecore, training will definitely help, but what makes training truly effective is having a trained professional give you insights about your Sitecore installation. Effective training is tailor-made to use the client’s own system and content.
By following best practices, our certified developers and strategists will assist your marketers, content editors, and developers in building your Sitecore site. This includes creating the appropriate user roles and configurations and setting up a proper workflow to ensure everything gets reviewed and approved before going live.
Oshyn can custom fit training for nearly every phase of implementing and using Sitecore. If you want to learn more about our services and training, drop us a line.
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