What is user focused training?

User focused training is different from general end-user training. User focused training means we tailor our training to the specific requirements of your users and the system they are working on. We carry out a full customer training requirements analysis (TRA) which takes into account not just the role of the user and the specific system training requirements but also the degree of process change, the in-house resources available and other influencing factors. For example, if the new system is integrated with others, do your users need additional training on them? We also tailor all our training materials to your own individual system implementation.

How does this differ from end-user training from my software provider?

Software providers will be experts on what the software does but probably aren’t experts in sharing that knowledge in a way that makes sense to a new user. Their end-user training solutions are usually standard and focus on system functionality. The training is usually not role-based or does not take into account your specific business processes.

Some suppliers offer “train the trainer” courses that transfer their system knowledge to the client project team, who are then responsible for rolling out the training to users. This approach only works if you have the right internal resources and training expertise. In contrast, a specialist training consultancy like Optimum works closely with your system provider to design the most effective user training programme to suit your in-house resources.

Why is user focused training important?

Any organisation making a considerable investment in a new system/s will have calculated return on investment projections and other key business objectives such as efficiency gains. But the reality is that unless you give the users proper, focused training, which is relevant to their role, they won’t fully ‘buy in’ to the new system. They won’t use it as effectively as they could and your organisation is unlikely to see the predicted level of business benefits.

What if we already have an in-house training team?

You may have in-house training resources but designing and delivering training for company-wide users of a new business system requires a very specific skill set. The training programme has to reflect how many users need training, on which parts of the system, when, where and how. It also means committing high levels of resource around a specific timetable of when the system goes live.

Optimum has a flexible approach and works with in-house teams to analyse specific training requirements. The level of our specialist training support can range from helping with the production of your training documentation right through to designing and delivering a full training programme for your organisation.

What other benefits does a specialist training consultancy provide?

Flexibility: For software suppliers user training is just a part of the implementation deliverables. Professional user training solutions are very flexible and tailored to fit with your requirements and in-house resources. This includes creating customised user training documentation, presentations, e-learning tools and quick reference cards, all helping to ensure that your users engage positively with the new system.

Training skills and experience: Using a business system training specialist such as Optimum means that your organisation benefits from our expertise. We have extensive experience working with organisations from many industry sectors. Our user focused training programmes will add value to your system investment, helping to ensure that your business objectives are achievable.

Training documentation: Software suppliers usually provide training documentation in a standard format, leaving it to the client to customise it. Having well-structured, tailored documentation is critical to make sure that any new user or refresher training is consistent with best practice use of the system. Optimum can produce professional training documentation for your specific system build that captures your business processes as well as the system functionality.

Future proofing your system investment: The additional expertise that a specialist training consultancy such as Optimum provides through its user focused training solutions ensures that your system implementation has both a solid base of users who are fully engaged with the system and the documentation and training tools to support your investment in the future.