FRESNO, CA - The strength of a company is often determined by the strength of its employees. Famous Software values the knowledge and expertise of each of its team members and invests heavily in their growth with its Famous Academy. To explore the ins and outs of this comprehensive program, I recently gained insight from Support Manager Carolyn Craft and Director of Marketing Ella Peterson.

“We invest a tremendous amount of time and effort into the onboarding of our new staff. The Famous Academy is our opportunity to not only teach our team about the solutions we provide but also about the industry and customers we serve,” shared Carolyn, who is one of the instructors for Famous Academy and is an integral player in its success. “This intense training lays the foundation to honor our commitment to provide top-tier support, services, and solutions for our customers. Touring the sophisticated operations run by our customers helps bring the Famous Academy to life, and the partnerships we have with those customers help to ensure successful onboarding of new staff.”

The Famous Academy is a rigorous, university-style course that includes lecture lessons, homework, two midterms, and a final exam. Each of the lectures are delivered by current Famous employees who work in a variety of different departments, including sales, analysis, support, admin, and more.

Nearly 30 different lesson modules guide participants through the inner workings of the Famous ERP system, while also providing information on other systems, the nuances of the fresh produce industry, competitive dynamics, partner profiles, and beyond. Regardless of their role, every single Famous Software employee participates in the academy.

“Because we view our software development process from a team perspective, it’s important that everyone knows how the software functions, the core benefits, and the value it brings to our customers and the fresh produce industry overall,” adds Ella. “The Academy also creates camaraderie within the cohort. In many ways, the Famous Academy is a rite of passage for new hires. It is a very challenging course with a lot of information and detail. We encourage Academy participants to work together on their homework so that they can learn from each other. It helps create a meaningful team environment that reflects the values of our company.”

Famous Academy also includes enjoyable and engaging experiences, adopting Cal Poly's "Learn by Doing" approach and taking the academy class on customer site visits. These visits give new staff a better understanding of fresh produce operations and how customers use Famous Software products in real time.

To really maximize their understanding of Famous ERP, participants create their own companies within Famous, populate maintenance, generate transactions, and run reports, allowing them to experience the platform in a simulated “real-life” environment.

“The goal of the Academy is to prepare new hires to understand Famous ERP at a deeper level than even customers who have been using it for years do,” Ella adds. “That way, we can make it better, stronger, and more intuitive for our customers.”

In addition, every new employee is paired with a dedicated mentor to guide them through their first six months to a year. This mentorship program aims to ensure new employees feel welcomed and supported with one-on-one connections, team-building activities, lunches, and more—paving the way for their success and integration into Famous’ company culture.

The current Winter 2024 Famous Academy started in January 2024 and will be ready to take their final exam in July.

More insights on this valuable training program are coming soon, so stay tuned.