Introduction
ERP rollouts are usually complex and resource-intensive due to their extensive impact on business operations. For large enterprises, a planned ERP rollout can take up to 18 months to complete. Even with intensive planning and action, this time frame is considered natural. On top of that, there is user testing and training, change management, and other measures to ensure smooth running after the rollout. A significant proportion of the work goes to the IT department, which overlooks every technical detail of the implementation.
Since they are also the ones with the highest knowledge of operating and customizing the ERP platform, they often get roped into the training and preparatory phases of the rollout too. In case new users make mistakes, the IT staff are the ones who would be called to fix them. All of this can put a heavy burden on them and slow down their efficiency. What you need is a digital replacement for taking care of ERP user training for rollouts. Assima can be just the solution you are looking for. With hands-on, immersive, simulation training and in-app guidance, Assima can help reduce IT load during ERP training by a great deal, leaving them free to deal with the heavier technical aspects of the software deployment.
Get a sneak peek into how Assima handles user training during ERP rollouts in a smooth and streamlined fashion.
The Challenges of ERP Rollouts for IT and Users
Even though it is the job of the L&D team to manage the learning needs of the workforce in an enterprise, the IT team is often consulted for software rollouts, especially ERPs, for more complex technical concepts, specialized configurations, and error corrections. However, during the ERP rollout, the IT team would be too focused on system deployment to dedicate any time or resources to user enablement.
If the company uses traditional training methods for its employees, then this reallocation can result in insufficient or inaccurate ERP user training for rollouts, especially if the ERP being implemented is a new version or includes highly customized configurations. Since existing documentation and training materials will not correctly capture the software version and configuration employees have to use, it results in a rise in errors, slower adoption, and an increased need for helpdesk support.
This can lead to increased pressure on IT helpdesks post-go live, increasing their burden rather than relieving them. They would be called upon more to clear doubts, fix mistakes, and guide users who are working with knowledge gaps or straight-up inaccurate information. Instead of a smooth post-rollout phase, IT ends up having to deal with issues that could easily have been avoided with a better ERP rollout training strategy.
Why Early User Preparation is Essential
ERP user onboarding should not be an afterthought; it should be made an integral part of the system implementation process. Instead of starting the training process after rollout, it makes much more sense to start from the planning stage itself. By introducing users to the basic ERP software version and taking their opinions into account as important stakeholders during the requirement analysis step, you get users excited and familiarized with the platform while ensuring that the final version fulfills the needs of the end-users.
Then, as design and development progress, users can be introduced to training content based on the more detailed version of the software according to the direction the software architecture is taking. As you enter the testing phase, simultaneous UAT can be conducted to incorporate their UX feedback. Once deployment is greenlit, users can undertake simulation training with real-time support for a streamlined experience. With maintenance and updates, you can give users refresher training to stay up-to-date. If you only start digital training for ERP rollouts once deployment is underway or completed, it might be too late to prepare end-users in time, resulting in a serious delay in time-to-productivity.
Early, pre-go live ERP system training not only ensures that users are completely ready to use the deployed software from Day 1 with maximum efficiency, but it also ensures that they have had time to practice and learn from mistakes, preventing any fatal ones on the live system. You reach your goal ROI faster and with no disruption to business operations due to learning delays or mistakes that require IT intervention to fix.
Building an Effective ERP Training Plan
Successful ERP user training for rollouts requires a well-designed plan that accounts for any potential blocker and sets up fallbacks for the same. Here are a few things you should keep in mind:
Create a Phased Training Approach
Plan your training program to be delivered in stages – awareness, hands-on learning, assessment, and reinforcement. It allows users to learn in a constructive manner without information overload and gives you the chance to modify the program based on learner progress.
Leverage Simulations for Task-Based Learning
ERP simulation-based training allows you to provide modular, scenario-based learning, which is proven to enhance retention, recall, and application. It provides a safe environment for users to live through a process before performing it in the live system without any risks.
Customize Training Based on Responsibilities
Training tailored to individual responsibilities ensures that an employee learns neither more nor less than what they need. Customizing learning paths based on roles, departments, and workflows optimizes learning and creates engagement based on context.
Align Training Delivery with Go-Live Milestones
By lining up training delivery of specific lessons with their corresponding go live milestones, you create opportunities for parallel training and application. Such contextual learning improves both retention and engagement, resulting in higher efficiency at work.
How Assima Train Helps Streamline ERP Rollout Training
Utilizing Assima Train for ERP rollout training is the best way to succeed in your enterprise software adoption goals from the get-go and here’s why:
Simulation-Based Learning
Assima uses a 4X patented simulation authoring technology that creates hyper-realistic clones of applications. These clones interact with the user exactly like the live system. Such interactive, hands-on learning not only improves retention and problem-solving skills but also engages users in safe learning equivalent to live training but without any risks to the live system.
In-App, Real-Time Guidance
Assima In-App Search, as the name implies, is an in-app search widget that overlays the live application and provides contextual, dynamic search results based on role and task. By providing just-in-time informational guidance to users, it reduces the chances of errors on the live systems, improves user confidence, and reduces the load on IT helpdesk teams for support.
Multi-Language and Scalable
Preparing employees for ERP rollouts on a global scale requires a multilingual, scalable platform, just like Assima. Built-in multilingual capabilities that support every language, centralized, cloud-based training delivery, multiple customized lesson and dataset creation from the same source without the need to recapture ensures efficient and consistent training across locations.
Detailed Tracking and Analytics
A centralized analytics dashboard integrated into the Assima platform allows managers and administrators to take a deep dive into learner progress and training success right from their terminal. ERP training can be complicated, so it helps to have a dashboard that reports individual as well as role, team, and department-wise stats and actionable insights in real-time.
Learn about how Assima streamlines ERP deployments in detail from this blog.
Case Study: How an Energy Company Streamlined Training for Their ERP Rollout
When npower, a leading UK energy company, needed SAP rollout training for 4500 users, they could no longer depend on their traditional training clients that expended millions in expenses and human resources. By switching to Assima, they say £3 million in cost savings, a 50% reduction in onboarding time, and, most importantly, an 80% reduction in staffing needs for training content development. Users were so well-trained that they became the 5th most improved company in the UK for customer service. Read all about it here.
Tips to Empower Users While Supporting IT
Your ERP rollout training strategy must incorporate the following tips to ensure a smooth and streamlined deployment and adoption journey:
Confirm Content Accuracy with IT
Wherever L&D gets stuck, ensure that you take IT’s help to confirm facts and figures in lessons. By enabling IT cooperation from the get-go, you ensure information accuracy and eliminate gaps, preventing over-dependence on the helpdesk staff further into training.
Enable Self-Service Learning
By providing self-service learning tools through digital adoption platforms to users, you free up the load on IT teams while also creating self-sufficient users. Guided practice, in-app support, automated feedback, etc. are all great ways to implement this.
Deliver Ongoing Support Post-Rollout
ERP user training for rollouts must not stop after deployment; you must make provisions for ongoing support through tooltips, walkthroughs, refresher courses, and other such resources throughout the software lifecycle for optimum usage.
Encourage User Feedback for Improvement
Besides what you learn through data analytics, make sure you ask the actual users about their experience with the training platform and program. Such qualitative insights make way for continuous improvement of the program for an enhanced user experience.
Conclusion
Enterprises that decouple user training from IT resources ensure better rollout outcomes, not only for end-users but also for IT support teams. All you need is the right systems training platform to make it happen. With a solution like Assima, ERP user training for rollouts is no longer a strain on IT—but an opportunity for faster adoption and increased business value. Build a culture of expertise and critical thinking among your enterprise users, with Assima.
Discuss your ERP training needs with our team of experts to get the best solution for your enterprise.
Frequently Asked Questions
Let’s Answer Some of Your Questions.
ERP rollouts are time and effort-intensive, with major technical requirements that IT must take care of. On top of that, they also have to provide support to new users who are struggling with the application. This can take a toll on the bandwidth of IT teams juggling their responsibilities during rollout.
Assima takes advantage of interactive simulation training and in-app guidance to support users from pre-go live to post-go live training. Users are guided through every phase in an ERP rollout so that they do not face any roadblocks once they start working on the live system.
Pre-go live training before ERP rollouts is best done with the help of hands-on, interactive training techniques like simulations, VR, gamification, etc. The immersive nature of these training techniques ensures superior retention and recall during application.
In-app training provides support to users when working on the live system, resolving doubts, preventing mistakes, and ensuring smooth operations so that IT helpdesk queries and tickets are not raised to solve issues.
Assima Train is highly scalable and fully multilingual, with centralized content management via the cloud. Moreover, updates, translations, dataset generation, etc. are possible without re-recording screen captures, allowing content managers to easily create and maintain multiple versions without too much effort.