Recently, we held a webinar for existing Workbench users with advice on the first thing you should do to create a successful project - get your collaborators on board to participate! Check out these useful tips for optimizing your project for sharing.
This presentation by GrabCAD VP of Sales and Marketing, Rob Stevens, is now available as a recording or you can read the summary here.
Market your project
Before inviting collaborators, it is important to have your project set up in a way that entices others to participate. Put some thought into the project environment that your collaborator will enter on that first visit. To do this you should put on your marketing hat - think about how best to entice your partner to get in and get working.
Refrain from using any of the default language offered, such as naming your project “New Project”. Add some color to the project title by being more specific: “New Packaging,” “Product Launch” or ”Bike Concept” for example. It also helps to talk like a human. Don’t use a title like “proj4_xds”.
Use logic and extend that logic to the project description. Try to give details that cover the project objectives, timeline and team etc.
After filling out the description, set-up other parts of the project so that your invitee will not be entering an empty environment. Set default images and pre-load the files you will be working with. By having some comments or questions already set up, your collaborator will be prompted to start contributing immediately. Better context leads to higher engagement and ultimately increases productivity.
Now you are ready to invite someone to join
Select the button “invite a collaborator.” Assign your partner as a "Project Owner" or a "Collaborator." If you have a paid account, you also have the option to add someone as "View Only." It is especially important to customize your email invitation and make it personal. Include detail about your project goals and how using Workbench will help achieve these goals quickly.
You may be worried about submitting your partner’s email address, but there is no need. When you invite someone, she gets a free membership and is not asked to buy nor added to a Spammy marketing database. However, if your partner starts to do additional work to the point that she tries to create a third project, this will trigger a recommendation to upgrade to a professional account. But as a collaborator, your invitee will not be contacted about upgrading.
Follow-up with your collaborators
Through this initial process, check in often with collaborators in the project. Ask for a status update or something simple to get them into the project. Sometimes an invitee needs a nudge from you to get signed in and started.
After you send email invites from within Workbench, you should follow up with more descriptive, personal emails to reinforce the important points about your project. You have the ability to see who has and has not accepted invites. If a colleague or supplier doesn’t accept the invite, try resending it.
If a larger group will be collaborating on your project, it is appropriate to have a meeting or host a conference call to kick off participation. You can even request that someone from GrabCAD be involved.
Getting up and running in Workbench is easy for you and your whole team. Check out the webinar recording for more information or comment with any questions.
