Trained 3,200 users on sharepoint and saved €300,000
Challenges
- Train 3,200 users on SharePoint in Europe
- Minimize training costs and complexity
- Reduce helpdesk calls
Solutions
- Assima Cloning and Digital Assistant Suite
- Simulation-based training modules
- Online training that takes 20 mins to complete
Results
- Training delivered on schedule
- Training costs reduced by €300,000
- Helpdesk calls reduced by 85%
Our returns on investment in Assima systems in France alone is €300,000.
Anne Duverne
Knowledge Management Manager
Challenges
Professional services organizations need to bring geographically distributed employees and teams together to streamline project delivery and maximize process efficiency. This was a key challenge for BearingPoint, a leading European management and technology consultancy that takes an intelligent, adaptive approach to solve its clients’ unique business challenges. The organization is present in 18 countries across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, and supports clients in emerging markets around the world.
To enhance collaboration between remote teams, BearingPoint launched its ‘Together’ project. This focused on replacing disparate information systems with Microsoft SharePoint, an online workspace for creating virtual teams, sharing work and organizing projects across the organization. To maximize returns on investment in SharePoint, 3,200 employees needed to be trained on the new system in just a few months, starting with 900 consultants in France and Belgium. The BearingPoint training team evaluated several possible training approaches to support the Together SharePoint deployment, including a static, screenshot and classroom-based training.
However, these would have been too slow and costly, requiring manual preparation of training materials and around two and a half hours of classroom training per employee. A more automated, interactive solution was needed to train thousands of employees cost-effectively, within the challenging project timeframe.
Solutions
To train consultants quickly and efficiently, BearingPoint decided to implement the Assima Suite. This creates clones of an application’s interface, allowing organizations to build simulation-based training content that replaces costly, unreliable training clients and static, screenshot-based training. BearingPoint trainers created training storyboards to establish the scope of the training required. A team of three Assima developers then converted these into 12 interactive training modules that last between one and two minutes each by cloning the SharePoint interface and adding instructional text. With clones of the SharePoint application captured automatically, the process of creating training modules was fast and simple. As a result, the small project team was able to build the training storyboards, generate the 12 training modules and add the required instructional text in just four weeks. The Assima training modules were then published to the BearingPoint intranet, where they were made available for employees 24 hours a day.
Employees were asked to complete the Assima modules online and familiarize themselves with the SharePoint system. Employees were then invited to attend a short classroom session, where trainers explained the benefits of SharePoint to drive uptake among employees.
Assima modules are clones of the actual SharePoint system, so there is no discrepancy between the training module and the actual system where people work every day.
Anne Duverne
Knowledge Management Manager
Results and Benefits
BearingPoint used Assima to train 900 French consultants in just two months, and an additional 2,300 consultants across Europe in the following months
Training costs reduced by €300,000 compared to traditional classroom methods
By reducing the time needed to train each employee from two-and-a-half hours to just 20 minutes with the 12 Assima modules, BearingPoint has achieved significant time and cost savings. Anne Duverne, Knowledge Management Manager at BearingPoint France and Belgium, says: “Our returns on investment in Assima systems in France alone is €300,000.” This saving has increased significantly now that all 3,200 BearingPoint consultants have been trained on SharePoint across Europe with Assima.
Helpdesk calls reduced by 85% saving an additional €200,000
Instead of calling the helpdesk with questions about how to use SharePoint, BearingPoint consultants now refer back to the online Assima training modules. This has led to an 85% reduction in helpdesk calls, and an ROI of €200,000. “The help desk and the functional service desk we have in France have been reduced a lot” says Anne Duverne. “The ROI we have achieved is between 100 and 200 working days.”
3,200 consultants trained in a few months
By reducing the time needed to train employees, the Assima solution has helped BearingPoint train all of its 3,200 European consultants in just a few months. In addition, the organization reduced training workloads with Assima, which helped them create training modules faster. “We create a lesson, launch SharePoint, and start capturing. The process runs normally and is captured in the application. The result is instant,” says Anne Duverne. “Only the instructional text needs to be added to complete the module.”
Increased user confidence
The Assima training modules are an exact replica of the SharePoint interface, helping consultants gain confidence quickly on the new system. “Assima modules are clones of the actual SharePoint system, so there is no discrepancy between the training module and the actual system where people work every day,” says Anne Duverne. This ensures that employees can work confidently and productively on the system from day one.
