Lara Mellor

I help companies learn how to extract data from Microsoft tools so that their sales and marketing teams are able to use clear insights to generate new customers.

About

Most organisations are sitting on more data than they know what to do with. I help knowledge-based businesses cut through the noise, by providing Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Power BI and Microsoft Project training, so they can make faster, more confident decisions without drowning in information.

If spreadsheets take hours to create and update, reports raise more questions than answers and nobody fully trusts the results they are getting then I can help. I work with professional firms and teams to improve their IT skills development. This raises the proficiency of their staff to summarise what matters, build processes that save time and give people the skills to find answers themselves.

Data often comes from practice management systems, finance software, Excel spreadsheets and other internal sources. On its own, that information is just a mass of text, numbers and dates. I help service based firms turn it into something useful by spotting trends, highlighting discrepancies, improving reporting clarity and helping teams make better informed business decisions.

I do this through tailored training that helps teams make better use of the Microsoft Office tools they already have or get started quickly and confidently with new ones. This enables clients to obtain more professional IT skills.

Every session is designed around your team’s actual roles, tools, and current skill level, not a generic course rolled out to everyone the same way. That means the examples are relevant, the pace is right, and people can see the value in what they’re learning before they’ve even left the room.

Post-training support is included as standard. That matters because most training companies walk away once the session ends, but the real questions tend to surface when your team gets back to their desks and hits a problem they weren’t expecting. That’s the moment the learning either sticks or doesn’t. Being available in that window is what makes the difference.

Common challenges I help organisations solve include:

• Teams use Microsoft 365 tools inefficiently, causing slower processes and inconsistent ways of working
• Too much time is lost to manual tasks and daily frustrations, reducing productivity
• Reports lack clarity, so decisions take longer than they should
• Staff lack confidence using Microsoft tools, so they avoid features that could make their work easier and more effective
• Teams rely on outdated tools because they are unaware of better options that could improve efficiency
• Important information is scattered across different tools and locations, making it harder for teams to find what they need 
• Staff spend time working around systems instead of using them properly, leading to duplication and avoidable errors 
• Teams are not using the full value of Microsoft 365, so the organisation pays for tools that are underused 
• Reporting processes depend too heavily on one or two key people, creating bottlenecks and risk 
• Training often feels disconnected from day-to-day work, so people struggle to apply what they have learned

These areas have a direct impact on speed and accuracy of work produced and the stress this can have on staff.

My background is a bit unusual for a Microsoft trainer: I started as a maths teacher, then spent years in Excel analyst and development roles before moving into training full time. That combination means I can work comfortably with complete beginners who are nervous around data and with senior analysts who want to push the boundaries of what the software can do.

Sessions follow a logical structure where each concept builds on the last. No jumping around, no information overload. And with 25 years of experience, there genuinely isn’t much I haven’t seen before which means less time diagnosing and more time solving.

I work across many industries particularly professional services such as accountants. If you are responsible for digital transformation, IT, HR, L&D, or any of the above resonates with you then drop me a message through the contact form below.

A recent client said:

“Lara Mellor provided exceptional virtual training for our staff.  Her professionalism, specialist knowledge, and dedication to delivering high-quality training were evident throughout the course. Lara was communicative, approachable and took her time to explain key concepts to ensure full understanding.  We highly recommend her to anyone seeking a trustworthy and effective training provider.”