How do you keep users engaged with your ERP?

Consider creating a mentorship program where experienced users can guide newcomers, bridging the knowledge gap and fostering a community of collaboration within the ERP system.

I was a Track Lead twice for Oracle. The biggest challenge was to manage resistance to change. I can remember my first transition when users were using ASK ManMan for > 20years. Important lesson learnt, embrace and adopt change. Remain positive with all the resistance and counteract resistance with information and education.

My approach to user support is "Hand holding". Ensure users are free to approach you, as the videos and manuals may not be very clear for their understanding, hence my approach.

Yes, we agreed. Keeping the user involvement in the system is also the main consideration that you need to think about. ERP should be agile too..

Training is very important, and so is the Training material. We should avoid making it verbose, the steps should be short and in simple words, abbreviations should be avoided. Flowchart for the full process should be there, with a link to the block whose steps are elaborated. Link to predecessor and successor step be called out.

Don't just tailor the ERP system to individual users, but also strive to align it with the broader organisational culture and goals to ensure it's not only user-friendly but also contributes effectively to the business's mission.

The primary challenge comes from the force fitting of a requirement to some totally different functionality. To prove the erp is able to cater the requirements, Consultants force a work flow in some way to make Go Live this is bad practice. For time being it appears to have solved the issue but later it becomes pain for users.Post Go live this is the main source of disengaged user.

The key to sustaining user engagement lies in the art of customization, by aligning the ERP with individual roles and workflows. Users can easily interact with a tailored interface that resonates with their daily tasks and aspirations. I've witnessed firsthand the impact of enabling users to generate insightful reports, amplifying their ownership in the ERP experience. Using the power of data analytics has empowered us to facilitate informed decision-making through timely insights, forging a intuitive user journey within the ERP. While personalization enhances user engagement, excessive customization can lead to complexities that hinder system-wide coherence and upgrades, necessitating a careful balance to ensure a seamless experience.

Assigning proper user roles helps the users navigate the system much more easily. Personalisation should also be part of training to help users access modules and features they mostly access with ease.

ERP systems go beyond the individual while I understand they are a key part of the process. Adopt the flow from the top down, rather than reverse process. Hence, you miss the organizational goal of procuring an ERP.

Gamification should be strategically aligned with real business objectives, ensuring that the game-like incentives lead to meaningful engagement and not just empty competition.

From my experience, I can recognize the potential of gamification and rewards in driving user engagement. By infusing elements like points, badges, and leaderboards, gamification can infuse enthusiasm into ERP interaction, fostering a sense of accomplishment. My experience underscores the effectiveness of challenges, competitions, and goal-setting in cultivating a culture of continuous improvement and learning within the ERP ecosystem. Furthermore, tangible rewards like recognition and bonuses amplify user motivation. However, it's vital to tread carefully, as an overemphasis on gamification might inadvertently shift focus from genuine task outcomes, potentially leading to superficial engagement that lacks true value.

During workshops and trainings, ensure users are well catered for, like the saying goes "the easiest way to a man's heart is through the stomach". This approach has worked for me.

Innovation should not be implemented for its own sake; ensure that any updates or new features directly address user needs or pain points, as identified through regular feedback and analysis.

With my SAP background, I emphasize the strategic essence of innovation in maintaining user engagement. It's imperative that updates and new features align with user needs, as pinpointed through consistent feedback and analysis. By addressing genuine pain points and enhancing functionality, the ERP system evolves organically to meet evolving user demands. However, a potential downside arises if innovation is pursued for its own sake, potentially resulting in disjointed additions that fail to resonate with users. Ensuring a user-centric approach, where each update adds tangible value, is the compass guiding a truly engaging ERP journey.

Encouraging user involvement is more than a top-down request; create platforms where users can openly discuss and actively participate in decisions, building a sense of community and shared purpose.

Change management is often either negligible or treated as a box ticking exercise. It’s very important for all internal and external stakeholders impacted by the ERP system to be engaged appropriately at the earliest possible time to ensure that they understand how it will change/impact their lives. Properly informed people will benefit much more from the subsequent training program as they will have a better appreciation of whats, whys and hows…

Drawing on my SAP experience, I underscore the role of involving and empowering users to cultivate sustained engagement. Inclusive consultation during planning, design, and implementation fosters a sense of ownership, enhancing user commitment. Facilitating idea-sharing and best practice exchange within a collaborative culture adds depth to the ERP experience. However, overreliance on user input can lead to complexities if not balanced with a cohesive vision, potentially hampering system coherence. Striking a harmony between user involvement and strategic direction is vital, nurturing a landscape where users thrive and contribute meaningfully to the ERP's evolution.

Remember, metrics are not just about numbers; understanding the context and narrative behind the data is crucial for actionable insights that lead to meaningful improvements in the ERP system.

Your ERP Application must be intuitive and provide a great user experience! Indeed most users are already digitally inclined and are ‘app centric’. From digital banking to social media, it’s clear that users are not app shy. Therefore, ERPs need to consider going beyond business usage and extend into every day usage! Of course this poses cybersecurity challenges but am sure whoever solves that problem will make a fortune ! The intersection of community & business processes!! If I can receive an order, supply my customer, generate the invoice, bill my customer, collect the cash and send pictures and messages to my friends on the same app…why not??

The most significant decline in user engagement with any system often occurs due to a lack of trust in the data it contains. Therefore, in addition to providing comprehensive system training, it is crucial to empower users with the ability to generate their own reports, trace data back to its sources, and have reliable methods to verify the accuracy of the information they are presented with. By doing so, users can feel confident in the data they interact with, leading to increased trust and improved system utilization.

Staying in the data trust arena, it is imperative to spread the culture of data. An ERP with little or no data maintenance becomes a ball and chain instead of a business driver. The data knowledge and culture of every business process actor is a vital point to keep users embracing their ERP system.