Enterprise applications today offer companies significant functionality and benefits that make operations easier and faster, while assisting companies in implementing global best practices to streamline their business processes. The reality, however, is that implementing software, no matter how good it is, will not deliver the benefits required if the end-users are not able to make optimal use of it.
"When companies implement enterprise applications such as SAP, they pay large amounts for the software, consulting and implementation, but then approach the project in a top-down methodology that focuses on the technical aspects of the task," explains Steve Hobbs, managing director of Blue Pencil Consulting. "This leaves users in a predicament as they do not understand the capabilities of the new system and therefore do not use it effectively."
Change is always good in business, as it shows that the company is growing, evolving and requires new applications to meet its customers' requirements. However, staff should be taken on the same journey by training them to take advantage of the applications to improve their productivity. When considering the rate of staff turnover, especially in industries such as retail, ensuring employees are trained quickly and properly to take advantage of their applications' capabilities is critical in maintaining back-office operations.
From a morale perspective, training makes employees feel as though they are part of the organisation, and raises their self-confidence while empowering them to do their jobs better. Training takes administrative staff and turns them into knowledge workers that add value to their companies, instead of simply arriving at work for a few hours and going through the motions. "A positive attitude is a productivity enhancer in every business," notes Hobbs. "In addition, proper training ensures people are able to do their jobs efficiently and effectively. The alternative is poor productivity as users battle to function using an unknown application, often wasting other people's time by asking them for help. The result is a decline in productivity, even though the company has the best software available."
These are not soft issues that belong in the realm of psychology, but a matter of return on investment (ROI). Put simply, there is a cost to the company for processing every transaction. When processing a purchase order, for example, proper training makes sure the transaction is processed quickly and accurately. The alternative is that it takes an employee longer to process the purchase order and the chance of mistakes occurring is higher, which will require more time to correct. "In a slow economy, companies often cut their training budgets," says Hobbs. "This is the worst thing they can do. Reducing training reduces employee productivity, which in plain language means it takes employees longer to do their jobs, resulting in each transaction they handle costing more in a time when efficiency and productivity is crucial."
While some companies see training as yet another expense they would prefer to avoid, businesses focused on productivity and gaining an increased ROI on their staff and software investments understand that training is an investment that delivers real returns. At the end of the day, it is not a matter of how much you spend, but how much you improve your business' performance.
Share