eLearning And ERP Training: A Winning Combination
Usually, ERP systems are modular—with dedicated modules for various functions such as procurement, accounting, HR, project management, risk management, and document management. The beauty of ERP systems is that all modules are integrated and offer a seamless experience. Implementing ERP systems is a huge task and takes over months and years. Every organization has its own management principles and work activities, so ERP systems are customized accordingly. Another critical activity during and after the implementation of ERP systems is training employees. ERP looks and works very differently from other legacy systems. Employees find it hard to adapt to ERP systems unless properly trained. eLearning technology comes to the rescue again. Let’s see the major challenges in ERP training and how eLearning helps.
How To Overcome ERP Training Challenges With eLearning
1. Time And Scale
ERP systems are employed by large organizations having a large pool of employees spread across many locations. It is a huge challenge to organize training for everyone at the same time. eLearning is the only way to solve this challenge. Online modules can be deployed to all locations simultaneously. eLearning overcomes the barrier of time and geography.
2. Trainer Availability And Infrastructure
Training a large pool of employees at the same time is extremely difficult in a classroom scenario. First, there might be a lack of trainers required to cover all the employees simultaneously. Second, there might be no infrastructure to train all employees together. eLearning solves these problems as there is no requirement for a dedicated trainer and does not need physical infrastructure. Anyone can access eLearning from any device. Thus, eLearning can save huge costs.
3. Hands-On Practice
Working on ERP systems needs a lot of practice. Performing tasks on ERP systems involves many steps to navigate the system. Employees will not be able to remember the steps unless they see and practice. Practice cannot be done on live systems as it may result in business loss. eLearning helps in this scenario by utilizing simulations. Using simulation authoring tools, one can easily create a simulation of any task on an ERP system. One just needs to run the tool and record the steps to be performed on the ERP system. The tool automatically captures all clicks. It can then publish the simulation directly or after the suitable edits. Three kinds of simulations are popular for such training—demo, practice, and test.
- A demo simulation (also called SHOW ME) is where the system shows how to perform the task, where to click, and what to enter in video mode. The user experiences it as a live demonstration of how to perform a task. It can also have voiceover to enhance the learning experience.
- A practice simulation (also called TRY ME) is the most interesting part. It presents an exact User Interface of the ERP system. The user can perform the exact steps and practice as many times as they wish. The system also gives hints and prompts if the user is not able to click at the right place or is not able to perform the right step. This simulation gives the user much-needed, risk-free, hands-on practice before they actually start working on the ERP system. There are no limits to how many times one wishes to practice.
- A test simulation (also called TEST ME) is like a practice simulation. The difference is that in this case, the system does not show any hints, but keeps scoring the user’s performance. In the end, the system shows how many correct steps were performed. Passing criteria can be set and users can be allowed to use the actual ERP system once they pass the test.
The best part of simulations is the opportunity to practice without the fear of failure or damaging the system or data.
4. Just-In-Time Training
The most beneficial aspect of eLearning is perhaps the Just-In-Time training. It can be both for a new joiner or an existing employee. Whenever one needs to see the steps or practice, one just needs to log on to the LMS and access the training module.
Conclusion
ERP training is complex, large in scale, and very critical. eLearning gives us the best possible way to handle ERP training in a timely and cost-effective manner.
