User Enablement/ Fast Training with your New Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) System

If stakeholders (executives and managers) decide on a new ERP and don’t create a culture of continuous learning, the boat has been missed.  Users, whether behind keyboards, tablets, smartphones, scanning guns or emailed reports must be enabled. Here’s what’s vital: Having solid knowledge of transactions entry and what information can be extracted.  

A common objection is: “What if I spend money on training someone and they leave for a better job?” A wise retort is: "What if you don't train them, and they stay?"

One of the most important considerations with a new ERP is how will your day-to-day users do more with less. Here are some important areas of focus: 

Enabling users quickly

Does your value-added reseller provide a plan to enable users to quickly become proficient in the new ERP?  This should include a mix of hands-on training, a test environment, use of your own company’s data.  Also, tools like user portals, manuals, video’s, user conferences and “how to guides” are excellent assets.  Companies like SAP have multiple resources to supplement the work of implementation teams.  Remember that the best ERP deployments are characterized by highly enabled users - who quickly become efficient.

Preparing for Turnover

Turnover is the newest business challenge. Today there are 11.5 million jobs available and filling those jobs has become increasingly difficult.  So one of the primary considerations in ERP planning is new employee training.  Also, if users are frustrated with the system, they will tend to look for employment elsewhere…and they’ll find it!  With a good ERP system, training won’t take long and the day-to-day actions and interactions with the system will feel logical. Make sure that your system and processes are clear.  New employees can take over without having to invest months of time to learn. Good procedures should be well documented, understood and followed by your trained users. 

Overall, it is important that with your new ERP that you can train someone in days – not months. This will empower your company to deal with turnover and to get current users up and running quickly.  That way you concentrate on delivering products and services.

Interested in learning more about properly planning an ERP implementation? Contact Acuity today.  We do this for a living!