How to make ERP friendlier for your employees

ERP solutions have come a long way in terms of user interface and usability. However, the challenge of how to make ERP even more user-friendly still exists. Although there is no guarantee that your employees will be enthusiastic about such solutions from the very beginning, there are certain measures a business can take to ensure that the adoption will be even more employee-friendly. Let us look at them in more detail.

One of the most common mistakes is that businesses try to adjust their processes to the ERP system, instead of doing the opposite. A good starting point would be to create an inventory of job roles and vacancies, and then to adjust the ERP solution to this data. When the ERP system starts bringing in progressively concrete improvements, readjust your processes accordingly to take advantage of what your system can offer.

Many businesses start with the deployment of their ERP system, and then utilize some of the greatest talents from each department for the promotion of the system adoption. But at that point it is already late. Some employees will adopt the changes, but many of them will resist, and their resistance may be strong. Therefore, it is preferable to engage your most talented and loyal people right from the beginning and until the end to achieve your goal. This way you will put the whole team in the game.

When developing an ERP solution, an abrupt change may cause existing business processes to change completely or differentiate significantly. A rule of thumb is that people do not like changes, thus reactions must be anticipated. A good tip for making your system friendlier to employees is to start deploying it at slow yet steady pace, giving them the opportunity to adjust to the new circumstances.

Different departments have different needs regarding ERP, thus a one-size-fits-all approach is not reasonable. Make sure that your ERP system’s configuration meets each department’s special needs. And, of course, keep everything clear and simple -the more the complications the stronger the reactions.

Bear in mind that the users of the system are not, and cannot become, ERP experts. Instead, they must be experts in their job role, and ERP must be a tool that will help them develop their skills. Of course, quite often, job roles change over time. The user experience of the ERP system makes it easier for users to readjust their roles and add new fields and processes, thus resulting in increased productivity.

Making ERP friendlier to employees means that they will work less. One way for businesses to realize this benefit is to act smartly and use activity feeds and notifications instead of urging users to monitor the information about what is going on in the system. Do not expect your employees to discover what is going on –bring data to them in an intuitive way.

Finally, focus on training and documentation for the ERP system, in addition to what your provider is offering. This way you will help your employees become familiar with the solution faster, which will certainly make adoption easier.