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Evernote Business Certified Consultant


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Is anyone in our Evernote forum right now an "Evernote Business Certified Consultant"?

http://www.linkedin.com/groups/Welcome-from-Canadas-first-Evernote-146528.S.5858914719024320516?view=&srchtype=discussedNews&gid=146528&item=5858914719024320516&type=member&trk=eml-anet_dig-b_pd-ttl-cn&fromEmail=&ut=29vr6gyUmVimc1

"Kimberly Z Purcell ‏@chefraven Apr 4

Happy to announce that I passed the program and I am now an @evernote Business Certified Consultant! #evernote #ebcc"

https://twitter.com/chefraven

And, some more of them (not everyone there, of course).

https://twitter.com/search?q=%23ebcc&src=hash

If so, please let us know what kind of training your received and how you are putting it to work for your business. I'd be interested to hear more about this.

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I've been told I'm "certifiable" but I think they were talking about my mental state, not my training!  :)

 

Haven't heard of this training - would be interesting to find out what it is about. Are they talking about the Ambassador program? I don't see any mention of certified consultants in a quick look on the Evernote site.

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  • Level 5*

Is anyone in our Evernote forum right now an "Evernote Business Certified Consultant"?

 

GM, you're not falling into one of those "everything on the Internet is true" traps, are you?  LOL

 

I'm very suspicious of this.  I have a standing Google alert for "evernote", and I've not heard of it. 

I can't imagine that Evernote would not announce this if it is sponsered by them.  Surely Phil would be out bragging about it. 

And Evernote, as a fremium product, could hardly generate a need for paid consultants.  It's not reallly that complicated.

 

Just doesn't sound right to me.

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Sarcastic yes, but no, an admin cannot rename a notebook by right clicking, hence the sarcasm.  It's been almost a year since it was first reported.  Evidently EN either thinks it's a 'feature' or has more important things to work on like news lines of coffee mugs.  http://discussion.evernote.com/topic/34123-anyone-know-how-to-rename-a-business-notebook-for-everyone/

 

I thought they made it clear that it was working as designed. I don't agree with this design decision myself, and I think there ought to be customizability (this is what I always say), but it is a decision, and not a bug. I imagine this works pretty well for some teams, or they wouldn't have done it in the first place.

http://discussion.evernote.com/topic/34123-anyone-know-how-to-rename-a-business-notebook-for-everyone/?p=203180

 

As for the expansion of Evernote's business into clothing or other products (the money from which our developers are probably paid), I doubt they have the software developers working on many of those (with the obvious exception of scanners, styluses, and the like). 

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  • Level 5*

Weird. Not a peep from any of our forum users... This is from Linked-In in response to a question posed to a certified business consultant about the process to become one:

----------

Myles

Myles K.

President at RiverdaleMac

Top Contributor

In this case I was invited to sign up for this pilot test. As they work out the bugs it will become a regular program that people can sign up for. Look for this happening within 2-3 months I believe.

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If true, it sounds interesting!

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Weird. Not a peep from any of our forum users... This is from Linked-In in response to a question posed to a certified business consultant about the process to become one:

----------

Myles

Myles K.

President at RiverdaleMac

Top Contributor

In this case I was invited to sign up for this pilot test. As they work out the bugs it will become a regular program that people can sign up for. Look for this happening within 2-3 months I believe.

----------

If true, it sounds interesting!

What wasn't clear was by whom they were asked to sign up. It almost didn't sound as if it was Evernote.

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  • Level 5*

P'raps there was an NDA...

 

 

maybe! if so, posting on linked-in probably doesn't fall within the parameters. lol.

 

 

Weird. Not a peep from any of our forum users... This is from Linked-In in response to a question posed to a certified business consultant about the process to become one:

----------

Myles

Myles K.

President at RiverdaleMac

Top Contributor

In this case I was invited to sign up for this pilot test. As they work out the bugs it will become a regular program that people can sign up for. Look for this happening within 2-3 months I believe.

----------

If true, it sounds interesting!

What wasn't clear was by whom they were asked to sign up. It almost didn't sound as if it was Evernote.

 

 

exactly! i was wondering the same thing. they never actually say that it is "evernote's" pilot program. is it something at a college? i guess we'll have to wait two or three more months to hear the answer.

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  • Level 5*

OK - I cracked and asked him..

 

The course was run by Joshua Zerkel. As I understand, it was a pilot project and they are ironing out the kinks to roll out a full project in the coming months. There is no mechanism at this point to enrol in the program.

 

Must confess I did wonder whether it was a scam of some sort - I apologise unreservedly for my lack of faith in an Evernote user.

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  • Level 5*

IMO it's all a waste of time.  I can't imagine there is much demand for paid consultants for a system that costs next to nothing.

Furthermore, it's not that difficult.  Just assign one of your employees to focus on it for a few weeks and build an in-house (simple) training program.

 

Get all the help you need right here.  LOL

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  • Level 5*

OK - I cracked and asked him..

 

The course was run by Joshua Zerkel. As I understand, it was a pilot project and they are ironing out the kinks to roll out a full project in the coming months. There is no mechanism at this point to enrol in the program.

 

Must confess I did wonder whether it was a scam of some sort - I apologise unreservedly for my lack of faith in an Evernote user.

 

Cool. This makes a bit more sense. I am guessing there is some kind of Evernote involvement as well here. I'll be interested to see what comes of this.

 

 

IMO it's all a waste of time.  I can't imagine there is much demand for paid consultants for a system that costs next to nothing.

Furthermore, it's not that difficult.  Just assign one of your employees to focus on it for a few weeks and build an in-house (simple) training program.

 

Get all the help you need right here.  LOL

 
 

I can see a reason to have a consultant, because there are complexities in introducing any kind of software. Of course, you could just "google it" or read the forums and experiment, but I imagine plenty of employees are busy enough as it is, and even if you do get a sense of what to do, there is nothing like having an experienced advisor/trainer/teacher on hand to address unique or unexpected situations. For a personal account, you can afford to muddle through, but not for something that might involve a lot of people.

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IMO it's all a waste of time.  I can't imagine there is much demand for paid consultants for a system that costs next to nothing.

Furthermore, it's not that difficult.  Just assign one of your employees to focus on it for a few weeks and build an in-house (simple) training program.

 

Get all the help you need right here.  LOL

Most of my income comes from advising and training people on using free software. :)

 

WordPress, Evernote, Gmail, Google Calendar, Xmind, Social Media - even though these are all free, there is a great demand for training and consulting on them. This is how I make my living.

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  • Level 5*

GM and CaptainTime, well all I can say is that your expericence is much different than mine.

 

First of all, Evernote, and Evernote Business, is NOT that hard to learn/understand.

Second, from years of consulting, if you do NOT have a employee who is the advocate and local expert, paying a consultant is a total waste of time and money.

 

Companies who adopt Evernote Business, need to have an internal project manager, who is probably the perfect person to be the local expert and help others.

 

If you are a company implementing FREE software, but then paying significant rates for a consultant to help you implement, then you've got things upside down.  LOL

 

CaptainTime, if you're really making significant money doing this, then I congratulate you.  Most people could not.

In the real world, consultants start at $150/hr.  That's for the cheap ones.  LOL

 

If you are going to invest your time (your MOST restriced resource), I would NOT waste it becomeing an Evernote consultant.

There are plenty of much, much better opportunities for consultants.

 

Of course, maybe it's like the Microsoft Office "certified" experts/professionals/consultants.  What a joke.  Just a way to promote their product.

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  • Level 5*

You could learn the software (whatever it is) and figure out how to deploy it effectively in for yourself or your company. That's true. But it would probably involve trial and error that distracts from your career. I suppose that as an educator I put a high value on seeking advice from someone who knows a lot more about something -- it saves time and frustration while often resulting in better outcomes. In wouldn't hire a consultant myself, because I am already quite familiar with the service, but I might consider it for some other application that I had neither the time nor the interest in trying to master on my own.

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IME most small businesses don't have the time or the resources to devote one person to reinvent a wheel.  They're also totally focussed on bending metal / cutting wood or doing whatever it is that earns a crust - so learning about anything new is something given partial attention and minimum time.  And if someone's thinking about new software it means there's already a problem that needs fixing quickly.

 

That's a recipe for potentially expensive mistakes if the right decisions aren't made for exactly the right reasons.  An expert can cut right across the learning curve and sum up what's required in the shortest possible time - and avoid disasters by ensuring proper safeguards apply.  So I can see that an Evernote Business consultant - especially one 'approved' by the company - could be very useful.  

 

I even thought about using one myself - at least to find out whether it's worth my while getting involved with the business product.  I get by on one premium and a couple of free accounts,  and limited sharing with colleagues and customers.  The mixture works for me,  but maybe to help other users I should make the switch.  The problem is I'm busy - and I don't have the time to sit down and do a proper evaluation.  So a chat with someone who knows the product would be useful.  (Actually I know someone who's got Business himself,  so when I can wangle a visit with him I'll get a demo... but if I use an independent expert I can ask really dumb questions and not feel quite so stupid!)

 

All that's very broad brush - some companies will have a resident geek who'll look into it in his /her spare time;  bigger companies will have the resources and the expertise to do things for themselves;  and some won't.  Likewise an Evernote Business Consultant is going to have other skills (I'd hope) to support his or her income.

 

The proof will be in how many companies are interested in paying to shortcut their learning curve and reduce the risks - and how many adopt Evernote as a business solution.  SInce the future employment prospects of one P Libin Esq presumably rest at least partially on that last factor,  I'd assume fairly confidently that there will be sales.  

 

So there is a market out there...

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  • Level 5*

IME the most scarce resource for most small businesses is money.  I have been a consultant to small businesses and they don't like paying consultants.  They'd rather do as much themselves as they can.

 

Guys you've got to remember we are talking about a very simple app -- Evernote.  It is not at all like an ERP, CRM, MRP, or even an accounting system.  Heck, Evernote is not nearly as complicated as Microsoft Office, and I've NEVER heard of anyone hiring a MS Office Consultant.  Training yes.  Consultant, no.  Today's workforce grew up on computers -- they are used to figuring out how to make things work.

 

IAC, it takes time to find, qualify, and hire a consultant.  In that amount of time you could have probably taught yourself how to use Evernote.  There are a number of detailed blogs, books, and videos on how to setup/use Evernote.  There is this forum, which will get just about any question you ask answered very quickly, often within a few hours.

 

What is needed more than a consultant is training for Evernote.  IMO, Evernote would be much better off producing good up-to-date documentation and some good tutorial videos than in starting up consultant certification program.

 

Consultants are needed and can be very valuable for helping companies select and implement complicated systems where there are complicated processes.  Consultants are not needed to help companies learn to use simple apps.

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  • Level 5*

Easy to use, but difficult to master. The books, discussions on this forum, and sites on the Web like TSW attest to this, in my opinion. In this case, it sounds like Evernote is probably spending very little money or time on the certification (of course, no one here knows exactly how much), but it will get people out into the field who can help get Business implemented in more places. It sounds like a win-win to me. The more businesses that adopt it, the more money and time Evernote has to improve the service for everyone. If the scheme somehow doesn't pan out, very little is likely lost for Evernote. It seems worth a try to me. I don't know of very much that is easy to do in an organization without training, so I am more inclined to support an initiative like this.

 

As for documentation, of course I would like to see more (as I often say), but I doubt it is an either / or proposition.

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  • Level 5*

Training, yes.  Consulting, no.

 

It is very unlikely that Evernote Business, by itself, would be all the groupware that a company needs.

While Evernote tries to pass itself off as a collaboration tool, it is not.  It is, at best, and information sharing tool.

 

So I see Evernote as a tool to support some larger system software, like CRM, ERP, Project Mgt, etc.

These systems often do have consultants.  They would be the one's to bring in Evernote, if appropriate.

 

My experience has been that there is almost always at least one person in a small business, dept, etc, that is very computer oriented, and loves to take on the challenge of learning new software, and then teach/share it with others in the company.  In a small business, this is often one of the founders/principals of the company, or one of their first key hires.  First and foremost, this person understands the business, and is best equipped to determine how to used Evernote in their business.  These people will work all kinds of hours, after hours, at home, etc to learn new software.

 

The biggest challenge a consultant has is learning and understanding the companies specific business, processes, business rules, etc.  In a small businesses these are often not clear, and rarely documented.  So the consultant spends hours interviewing key employees.  IMO, with a simple app like Evernote, the employee's time is better spent learning Evernote, since the employee already knows the business.

 

So, IMO, the best thing Evernote can to do to get Evernote Business implemented in more companies is to produce better documentation, and some training videos.

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  • Level 5*

Personally, I look forward to hearing more about the program and I hope they'll have an announcement soon. I just don't know enough (anything) to speculate about its potential benefits any more than I already have. We'll have to wait and see whether businesses find the consultants useful or not.

In the meantime, more documentation for the service would be nice. I think that they can do both initiatives -- consultant training and documentation don't seem mutually exclusive to me.

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Sarcastic yes, but no, an admin cannot rename a notebook by right clicking, hence the sarcasm.  It's been almost a year since it was first reported.  Evidently EN either thinks it's a 'feature' or has more important things to work on like news lines of coffee mugs.  http://discussion.evernote.com/topic/34123-anyone-know-how-to-rename-a-business-notebook-for-everyone/

 

I thought they made it clear that it was working as designed. I don't agree with this design decision myself, and I think there ought to be customizability (this is what I always say), but it is a decision, and not a bug. I imagine this works pretty well for some teams, or they wouldn't have done it in the first place.

 

 

Did you read my post or just immediately go into koolaid defense mode?  I highlighted and underlined the key word above, I acknowledged (and mock) that they called it a feature.  As I've said before, if it is not a bug, but is a "feature", that makes it all the more crazy, it means instead of being a mistake it was mind boggling cluelessness.  Just because someone came on the forum and claimed it was a feature does not convince me, I just don't want to believe they are that crazy clueless.

 

 

I imagine this works pretty well for some teams, or they wouldn't have done it in the first place.

 

I imagine that could be used to excuse every bad decision on the face of the earth.

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  • Level 5*

Sarcastic yes, but no, an admin cannot rename a notebook by right clicking, hence the sarcasm. It's been almost a year since it was first reported. Evidently EN either thinks it's a 'feature' or has more important things to work on like news lines of coffee mugs. http://discussion.evernote.com/topic/34123-anyone-know-how-to-rename-a-business-notebook-for-everyone/

I thought they made it clear that it was working as designed. I don't agree with this design decision myself, and I think there ought to be customizability (this is what I always say), but it is a decision, and not a bug. I imagine this works pretty well for some teams, or they wouldn't have done it in the first place.

Did you read my post or just immediately go into koolaid defense mode? I highlighted and underlined the key word above, I acknowledged (and mock) that they called it a feature. As I've said before, if it is not a bug, but is a "feature", that makes it all the more crazy, it means instead of being a mistake it was mind boggling cluelessness. Just because someone came on the forum and claimed it was a feature does not convince me, I just don't want to believe they are that crazy clueless.

I imagine this works pretty well for some teams, or they wouldn't have done it in the first place.

I imagine that could be used to excuse every bad decision on the face of the earth.

I thought my post was justified. You seemed to suggest there was some question about it when, in fact, Evernote was quite clear in this case. I don't think it is clueless to make a design decision at odds with your needs. And, I think attempting to dissuade others from using Evernote because you don't like a feature is counter-productive.

As I said, it may well be perfectly suited for businesses that don't care about having the names of all the notebooks in an organization match. I see your point, of course, and do think customizability would be ideal. However, if they continue to decide against customizability it doesn't seem like a "bad" decision to me. All it would mean is that we have a difference of opinion.

No koolaid (actually, I believe the cult members under Jim Jones drank Flavor-Aid) or other beverages required.

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As I said, it may well be perfectly suited for businesses that don't care about having the names of all the notebooks in an organization match. I see your point, of course, and do think customizability would be ideal. However, if they continue to decide against customizability it doesn't seem like a "bad" decision to me. All it would mean is that we have a difference of opinion.

No koolaid (actually, I believe the cult members under Jim Jones drank Flavor-Aid) or other beverages required.

 

I thought my post was justified. You seemed to suggest there was some question about it when, in fact, Evernote was quite clear in this case. I don't think it is clueless to make a design decision at odds with your needs. And, I think attempting to dissuade others from using Evernote because you don't like a feature is counter-productive.

 

 

Sigh.  It has nothing to do with "my needs".  It's so laughably dysfunctional it shouldn't even have to be explained.  If one employee is sending out a notice that says "please review the information in x notebook" but on other peoples machines the notebook has a different name, it makes business collaboration impossible.  But you tell us how you don't drink koolaid and try to make out like this is just me "not liking something".

 

As far as dissuading others, I assume you are referring to the other thread in the business forum. Presenting facts for prospective users to be aware of before they sign up, since EN makes it impossible to for business to set up a trial account, and is misleading by omission about the business product when they do comparisons since they don't mention issues such as stacks not working, at least helps users to go in with their eyes wide open.  It's a useful counter-balance since they certainly aren't going to get that info from any evangelists.

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  • Level 5*

There's that conviction again that Evangelists are some sort of Stepford user,  convinced that a certain green software house Can Do No Wrong.  Quite the contrary - all the evangelists have at one time or another run their own little campaign to get things changed/ improved - with variable success,  just like any other user.  If we see bugs or corporate dumbness we'll happily and quickly point that out.  But we're also entitled to opinions,  and to point out that a decision to put the equivalent of gull-wing doors on a compact car may not be a wise choice,  but it's their design choice,  not a manufacturing fault.

 

And being in business means learning to live with software that you use alongside instructions like "we don't use that box" and "age goes in the zip code since there's no other space for that.."  If you can live with the gull-wing doors you will;  if not,  you go back to Customer Support and politely request a refund.  

 

Or maybe you look for a Certified Business Consultant to suggest a different workflow...

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  • Level 5*

No koolaid (actually, I believe the cult members under Jim Jones drank Flavor-Aid) or other beverages required.

"Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor?"

"Forget it. He's rolling."

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  • Level 5*

As I said, it may well be perfectly suited for businesses that don't care about having the names of all the notebooks in an organization match. I see your point, of course, and do think customizability would be ideal. However, if they continue to decide against customizability it doesn't seem like a "bad" decision to me. All it would mean is that we have a difference of opinion.

No koolaid (actually, I believe the cult members under Jim Jones drank Flavor-Aid) or other beverages required.

I thought my post was justified. You seemed to suggest there was some question about it when, in fact, Evernote was quite clear in this case. I don't think it is clueless to make a design decision at odds with your needs. And, I think attempting to dissuade others from using Evernote because you don't like a feature is counter-productive.

Sigh. It has nothing to do with "my needs". It's so laughably dysfunctional it shouldn't even have to be explained. If one employee is sending out a notice that says "please review the information in x notebook" but on other peoples machines the notebook has a different name, it makes business collaboration impossible. But you tell us how you don't drink koolaid and try to make out like this is just me "not liking something".

As far as dissuading others, I assume you are referring to the other thread in the business forum. Presenting facts for prospective users to be aware of before they sign up, since EN makes it impossible to for business to set up a trial account, and is misleading by omission about the business product when they do comparisons since they don't mention issues such as stacks not working, at least helps users to go in with their eyes wide open. It's a useful counter-balance since they certainly aren't going to get that info from any evangelists.

I am not suggesting we hide information from users. Quite the contrary! Despite being a koolaid (or grape flavor-aid) chugging evangelist, I have an extensive list of Evernote limitations published on my website. I call them limits, not bugs, because everything is working as designed. I think it is a useful distinction to make.

I notice that I have nothing on my page about stack sharing limits and notebook naming, though. I'll have to add that, thank you. These are limitations that all users experience, though, and it is not something that uniquely affects business users. It is just how Evernote has designed the service. It may well not fit your needs, and (as I have repeatedly said) I actually agree that changes to stacks and notebook naming would be welcome. I think telling users about the limits is one thing, but going another step and concluding that Evernote is a poor fit for businesses because of the limits is unwarranted. It may be a poor fit for your use case (others probably also share it), but that doesn't mean it is a poor fit for everyone.

Instead of making this thread about your particular criticisms of the product or about Evangelists, I think we ought to stay on topic. As Gaz said, it may be that a business consultant could suggest a workflow solution that would address the problems you are experiencing. If so, then I think that is a good thing. I'll certainly be asking some of them about questions I have, because I am interested in improving the management of workflows for large groups of people.

No koolaid (actually, I believe the cult members under Jim Jones drank Flavor-Aid) or other beverages required.

"Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor?"

"Forget it. He's rolling."

Animal House. Wisdom from 70s cinema.

By the way, I actually think the koolaid reference is pretty problematic. After all, they drank the flavor aid that was laced with cyanide and died. Some, like the children, didn't even know what they were doing, so it was murder rather than suicide. It doesn't seem to fit here (or many other places), unless you are talking about terrible human tragedies, which probably are rarely appropriate in discussions about software.

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Somehow I missed the Gazumped's post until today. Who is Joshua Zerkel? What is his connection with Evernote?

I've been trying to figure that out too. *Puts on thinking cap.*

I should point out that I'm on the "Something smells fishy" team. This just does not sound like something Evernote would actually do.

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  • Level 5*

 

Somehow I missed the Gazumped's post until today. Who is Joshua Zerkel? What is his connection with Evernote?

I've been trying to figure that out too. *Puts on thinking cap.*

I should point out that I'm on the "Something smells fishy" team. This just does not sound like something Evernote would actually do.

 

 

He is legit. Here is a blog post:

https://blog.evernote.com/blog/2010/01/20/6-ways-evernote-can-boost-your-productivity-guest-post-by-joshua-zerkel/

 

He has also written a book on productivity:

http://www.customlivingsolutions.com/evernoteatwork

 

[EDIT:] I just noticed at the bottom of the page I linked above that he says this: "Evernote at Work has been so useful to the team at Evernote that they asked me to join the company as their User Education Specialist! I’m officially responsible for helping businesses learn how to get up and running with Evernote. Bottom line: I can help you learn ways to put Evernote to work in your business." It seems likely to me that Evernote is sponsoring this certification program and there is nothing fishy here.

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Really?! Well then, colour me Wrong. My apologies to Joshua Zerkal and Evernote! :)

*hobble away on kneecaps, having eaten her own feet*

Somehow I missed the Gazumped's post until today. Who is Joshua Zerkel? What is his connection with Evernote?

I've been trying to figure that out too. *Puts on thinking cap.*

I should point out that I'm on the "Something smells fishy" team. This just does not sound like something Evernote would actually do.

He is legit. Here is a blog post:

https://blog.evernote.com/blog/2010/01/20/6-ways-evernote-can-boost-your-productivity-guest-post-by-joshua-zerkel/

He has also written a book on productivity:

http://www.customlivingsolutions.com/evernoteatwork

[EDIT:] I just noticed at the bottom of the page I linked above that he says this: "Evernote at Work has been so useful to the team at Evernote that they asked me to join the company as their User Education Specialist! I’m officially responsible for helping businesses learn how to get up and running with Evernote. Bottom line: I can help you learn ways to put Evernote to work in your business." It seems likely to me that Evernote is sponsoring this certification program and there is nothing fishy here.

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  • Level 5*

Really?! Well then, colour me Wrong. My apologies to Joshua Zerkal and Evernote! :)

*hobble away on kneecaps, having eaten her own feet*

No worries! It was Gaz who tied this to Zerkel, and I learned something from poking around his website. I do remember when the book came out and I wanted to get it, but I decided I probably didn't need it myself, because I am not running a business right now. Still, I like the title, and I think it addresses an increasingly important aspect of Evernote. Has anyone read it?

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GM and CaptainTime, well all I can say is that your expericence is much different than mine.

 

First of all, Evernote, and Evernote Business, is NOT that hard to learn/understand.

Second, from years of consulting, if you do NOT have a employee who is the advocate and local expert, paying a consultant is a total waste of time and money.

 

Companies who adopt Evernote Business, need to have an internal project manager, who is probably the perfect person to be the local expert and help others.

 

If you are a company implementing FREE software, but then paying significant rates for a consultant to help you implement, then you've got things upside down.  LOL

 

CaptainTime, if you're really making significant money doing this, then I congratulate you.  Most people could not.

In the real world, consultants start at $150/hr.  That's for the cheap ones.  LOL

 

If you are going to invest your time (your MOST restriced resource), I would NOT waste it becomeing an Evernote consultant.

There are plenty of much, much better opportunities for consultants.

 

Of course, maybe it's like the Microsoft Office "certified" experts/professionals/consultants.  What a joke.  Just a way to promote their product.

Hey JMichael,

 

Although software may seem easy to use for someone who is good at learning software, it can be frustrating for the average user. And consultants don't just train on how to use the software, but they look at the entire productivity infrastructure of the company and help fine tune it to work with software like Evernote.

 

A huge amount of the web runs on free software (often open source). 19% of the web is WordPress.   75% of the top 10,000 web site sin the world run op open soruce Apache or nginx servers.

 

There is a large market for professionals and consultants to design around and to help implement free software.

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  • Level 5*

 

There is a large market for professionals and consultants to design around and to help implement free software.

 

 

First of all I am specifically addressing ONLY the use of consultants to implement Evernote.

 

OK, so let's look at the business case for this.

 

Cost of SW:  $0 (or very little)

Cost of Consultant: 100 HRS @ $150+/hr = $15,000

 

I don't know of any business that gets SW free or cheap, and then is willing to spend thousands of $ on a consultant.

Especially if the SW is very easy to learn.  Evernote is NOT an ERP system.

Evernote is NOT so complicated that it takes a consultant to figure out how to implement it.

It is NOT even close to being as hard as how to fully utilize MS Word, and certainly not Excel.

Yet thousands of companies of all sizes have learned to use Word and Excel without a consultant.

And they have figured out how to collaborate in real time using Google Docs without a consultant.

 

There was a time when most people were not very computer oriented.  Those times are long gone.

Plenty of smart kids out of high school and college that have been using/programming computers for years.

They have worked on projects together and used software to help them.

It will take far longer to explain their business process to a consultant than to figure out how to best implement the Evernote.

And yes, they will be adjusting their use as they go, just like they will AFTER the consultant leaves.

 

If you find companies willing to pay you to consult on implementing free SW, then good for you.

But definitely don't see a significant market out there for this.

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Just in case anyone was looking for additional confirmation that it's real--yes it is. And yes, Mr. Zerkel is behind it. And yes, it is a pilot program. To the extent that it's connected to our Ambassadors program--only relatively so--in that (I believe) we've run a few through the cert program to test its legs.

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Just in case anyone was looking for additional confirmation that it's real--yes it is. And yes, Mr. Zerkel is behind it. And yes, it is a pilot program. To the extent that it's connected to our Ambassadors program--only relatively so--in that (I believe) we've run a few through the cert program to test its legs.

 

Thanks, Geoff.  We'd all benefit much more if you guys would just produce and keep updated a good set of documentation and KB.

you could throw in a few good video tutorials, and pretty much everyone could implement Evernote without a consultant.

All the internal effort you're spending on creating/providing a Cert program could, IMO, be put to much better use.

 

BTW, I'm beginning to notice a trend with Evernote. You guys like to start new cool things.  But you're not so good in follow-through. 

How about finishing something really well for once.  :-)

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Shot across the bow! :)

 

We have a team working on improving our documentation and educational resources, that is separate from the one working on growing our Business customer base. A pilot program seems the best way to ensure good followthrough, IMO. And while I take your broader point, we're sort of talking apples and oranges--a business consultant would ostensibly provide something no amount of learning resources could--feedback, advice, and, if you're not using EB currently, suggestions on how best to implement for your specific business. In that context, the KB makes no sense--it's a reference tool that tells you "how" to do something, not "if" something will work particularly well for you.

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I think the audience is divided about the virtues of consultants.  Like I said up front I'm more than averagely tech-friendly but I would gladly pay someone to cut through the dead wood of a lot of sales- and tech-speak and tell me up front the best way to achieve what I want to do with a new piece of software.  The one thing I tend not to have a lot of is time.  I could learn how to do pretty much anything - if it's at all possible in a new app - but if someone else can tell me now how to do it,  or just not to bother even trying because things don't work that way, their services have value for me.

 

I share the general dislike of consultants who borrow your watch to tell you the time,  then charge you for the privilege - but if I need my car fixed I'll pay someone who knows where to hit it to make it go.

 

'How to' manuals and KBs are no good at all - by very definition they need to list every function in the software and every step necessary to make them work.  Somewhere in the 1,000+ explanations are the 95 or less that I'll use,  and even then they're not presented as a workflow,  just as separate individual units.  That's pretty much the same as dumping a bucket full of random lego bricks on my desk and wanting me to build a model of the ISS by tomorrow.

 

Once you've had some basic grounding and a little specialised help most users should be able to cope with their own future problems.  But that first step is a tall one.

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 The one thing I tend not to have a lot of is time.  .

 

Gaz, I think the part you are missing is that in order for any consultant to do a good job, and advise you on how to setup/implement any software in your company, they will need to spend lots of time with you to understand your business.  They will need to interview you and many of your employees, and the prepare documents/presentations that you will all need to read/review.  All this takes many, many hours of your time.

 

I am FOR consultants who advise/support companies with complex software like ERP/CRM/MRP systems.  Those are complicated systems, and every company tends to have unique processes to be implented/support.

 

But simple software like Evernote is just not that complicated, nor that specific, to warrent a consultant.  With an article on Evernote Business Best Practices, some good tutorial videos, and help from this forum, most any smart, dedicated business person can figure out how to use EB in their company in less time than it would take to search for, qualify, get references, interview, and work with a Consultant.

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I guess no one is forcing you to use an Evernote Business Consultant and so if you choose to do so then that's fine and if you choose not to then it's also fine.

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I guess no one is forcing you to use an Evernote Business Consultant and so if you choose to do so then that's fine and if you choose not to then it's also fine.

 

Roger that!  Everyone is free to piss away their money any way they want to.  LOL

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  • 1 month later...
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Well - after the starters it appears we now have the main course...  apply here (courtesy of G+ and Mr Tuck Sing Lee)

 

Edit: ..and I failed at the first hurdle;  the web page won't accept a UK mobile number!  :unsure:

 

Looks like they have some work to do on their web site.  The "Benefits" of USING a consultant they list are really requirements for being a consultant:

 

 

 

BENEFITS OF WORKING WITH AN EVERNOTE BUSINESS CERTIFIED CONSULTANT
  • Complete the Evernote Business Certified Consultant training course
  • Pass the certification exam
  • Attend periodic training events
  • Maintain your knowledge of updates to Evernote
  • Re-certify annually
  • Sign a non-disclosure agreement and an agreement to participate in the program
  • Give your customers Evernote-provided surveys to ensure their needs are being met
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Good catch JM. That is a mistake ("Requirements for certification" instead of "Benefits of...") on their application page for people interested in becoming consultants. Hopefully, they can fix it soon. The good news is that the explanatory page geared to businesses looking for consultants is fine:

http://evernote.com/business/certified-consultants/

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But simple software like Evernote is just not that complicated, nor that specific, to warrent a consultant.  With an article on Evernote Business Best Practices, some good tutorial videos, and help from this forum, most any smart, dedicated business person can figure out how to use EB in their company in less time than it would take to search for, qualify, get references, interview, and work with a Consultant.

 

Like in any profession, there are good and bad consultants. Same for doctors, lawyers, home builders, etc.

 

Even if something seems easy to use to you, it may not be for others. And you know a lot more now than when you first started on Evernote. A consultant can help a company implement Evernote more effectively and also help overcome people's resistance with training and working with them to show them how it benefits them.

 

Yes, this all takes time, but people who are busy running their companies often turn to consultants for advice, help and training. I make my living as a consultant and trainer and I train on many software programs and my clients are very grateful for the help.

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  • 6 months later...

Hello Everyone,

 

I just passed the EBCC certification process.  Evernote Business is a serious tool for business information storage and collaboration.  While many of us (me included) adopted Evernote for our own use with little help, having an entire company adopt it as their platform for information management and sharing is another thing altogether.   

 

I know what it has done for me and my company.  I'm excited about what it could do for my clients as well.  So ... for a company-wide implementation who is going to convince the decision makers of the need and offer guidance on implementation?  That's what an EBCC does.

 

Best,

 

Jim

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 2 months later...

 

How do I sign up if I'm in Brazil? The Phone Number field will not accept my number any which way. Is it me... or is is a regional thing?

 

https://evernote.com/business/certified-consultants/apply/

 

Same problem here i'm on Brazil my phone is not accepted how can i fix this? 

 

 

Sorry about this. It's a bug that previously was fixed and now has popped up again. We've sent over to our developers. In the mean time, feel free to submit your application with a fake number, namely: 555-555-5555 so your application can go through. 

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