How do you get feedback from ERP users?

1 Define your goals

Before you start collecting feedback, you need to have a clear idea of what you want to achieve with it. Do you want to measure user satisfaction, identify pain points, assess training needs, or evaluate new features? Depending on your goals, you will need different types of feedback and different ways to analyze it. For example, if you want to measure user satisfaction, you might use a survey with rating scales and open-ended questions. If you want to identify pain points, you might use interviews or focus groups with a sample of users.

2 Choose your methods

When gathering feedback from ERP users, you need to consider factors such as the size and diversity of the user base, the complexity and frequency of the feedback, the resources and time available, and the level of detail and accuracy required. Some of the most common methods are surveys, interviews, focus groups, and observations. Surveys can be used to get quantitative and qualitative feedback from a large number of users, but they may suffer from low response rates, biased answers, or vague feedback. Interviews are useful for getting in-depth and detailed feedback from a small number of users, but they are time-consuming, costly, and difficult to generalize. Focus groups enable interactive and collaborative feedback from a group of users but can be challenging to organize, moderate, and analyze. Finally, observations provide objective and realistic feedback but may be intrusive, ethical, or limited in scope.

3 Collect your feedback

Once you have chosen your methods, you need to plan and execute your feedback collection process. You need to ensure that you have a representative and diverse sample of users, that you have a clear and consistent way of asking questions or observing users, that you have a secure and efficient way of storing and managing data, and that you have a respectful and ethical way of communicating and interacting with users. You also need to consider the timing and frequency of your feedback collection, depending on the purpose and scope of your feedback. For example, you might collect feedback before, during, or after a system implementation, upgrade, or change.

4 Analyze your feedback

After you have collected your feedback, you need to analyze it to extract meaningful and actionable insights. You need to use appropriate tools and techniques to process, organize, and interpret your data, depending on the type and format of your feedback. For example, you might use descriptive or inferential statistics to analyze quantitative data, or thematic or content analysis to analyze qualitative data. You also need to use visual aids and reports to present and communicate your findings, highlighting the main trends, patterns, and themes.

5 Use your feedback

Finally, you need to use your feedback to improve your ERP system and enhance user experience. You need to prioritize and implement the changes or solutions that address the most urgent or important user needs or problems. You also need to monitor and evaluate the impact and effectiveness of your actions, using feedback as a feedback loop. You also need to acknowledge and appreciate the users who provided feedback, informing them about the outcomes and benefits of their input.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?