Is the money you are investing in employee training on your ERP software yielding the return you expected?
You know there are problems with your training program if…
- after training your employees, they keep coming back, asking the same questions that were answered in the training program
- you notice that employees are not very productive because they spend valuable time digging through forums about ERP Software trying to figure out how to complete a task
Here are some ways to unlock hidden cost-cutting opportunities in your employee training programs:
Focus training efforts on results, not attempts
It may seem that the best way to train your employees is by requiring them to complete an extensive, comprehensive training program to learn how to use ERP Software. Unfortunately, according to an infographic published by the Association for Talent Development (ATD) in 2015, learners forget 58% of what they just learnt within an hour after training ends. Although these programs attempt to achieve a lot, there remains a significant gap between their aspirations and actual results. This then begs the question: How do you make sure your employees learn and retain information on how to effectively use ERP Software?
Reinforce Training and Update Employees on Software Changes with Continued Education
To combat this reality, companies should shift resources from initial training towards continued education. Continued education reinforces information already learned and provides employees with an opportunity to learn new software updates and changes.
Moving education curriculums online and to the cloud
Offline software education materials can be inconvenient and most importantly for the employer, expensive. Utilize your employees’ familiarity with computers and move your education program online. Moving the education program online eliminates the need for meeting spaces, printed materials, and instructors, thereby drastically reducing the costs associated with in-person software training.
Cut Excess Training Materials and Focus on Information Relevant to the Trainee’s Daily Work
Training materials are made to be all-encompassing and often include details that are irrelevant to the employee receiving the information. Reducing and customizing material for each role will not only result in reduced costs, but also will help employees retain the information they do need to know.
Use On-Screen and On-Demand Guidance Technology
Software developers often focus more on functionality than user-friendliness. To mitigate this, training managers can use an online guidance platform to help employees navigate intricate software. As employees work, they can receive immediate, on-screen, step-by-step guidance in their moment of trouble, helping them successfully perform their most important tasks, no matter how complex.
Such a program can be used both to onboard new employees, reducing the need for extensive onboard training programs, and to train existing employees on software changes, reducing the time needed for employees to be familiarized with an updated version of a software. The program can also serve as a type of continued education program, except instead of a person giving the training every time a new update/software is released, guidance technology is available to each employee, whenever they need it. This type of assistance reduces the need for many aspects of training, increases employee productivity, and reduces training costs.
Conclusion
Humans are not machines, and as much as you may wish otherwise, your employees are no exception. If you notice that your training program is not producing the results you expected, initiate change to fix the problem. Solutions such as continuous learning, online learning, customized training, and online guidance technologies provide effective means to ensure your employee is informed and capable of performing his/her job properly and efficiently.