Trends, Tips and Insights on Digital Learning and Certification
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Training and Upskilling
May 15, 2019
How Training Makes the Journey to Success Attainable
Authored by Bob Oppenheim, Principle Customer Success Manager
Remember the days when drivers relied on paper maps to get them from point A to point B? And when the map reading proved futile, drivers pulled into the nearest service station, only to be told, “You can’t get there from here.”
When implementing an enterprise application in the cloud, developing an end user education strategy will ensure that you can get there from here.
Simplify the Path to Adoption
Cloud-based software is updated continuously. To make the journey from point A to point B less complicated, be sure to know the answers to these questions:
- Is your staff aware of the changes?
- Has your organization dedicated a team member(s) who can articulate the updates that will be included in subsequent releases?
- Is there an opportunity to meet with stakeholders on a regular basis to explain how those changes will benefit the organization?
Organizational demands are dynamic, so having a strong training program in place will help ensure your cloud-based solution can be adapted to meet changing demands. An integrated training program can accelerate deployment and adoption of your cloud application by ensuring your staff has the skills to implement, administer, optimize, and use your applications.
Invest in Education that Grows with User Needs
As the use of the application matures, it is paramount that education continues to lead the way. Failing to educate your employees will ensure that, over time, adoption will wane as the “application has not kept pace” with changing conditions and the strategic objectives of the organization.
Investing in initial training and a commitment to continuous education will result in:
- Increased adoption
- More engaged users
- Application users/leads will be more responsive to strategic requests from the executive team
- A greater and longer-term return on your initial software investment
For additional insights into Oracle’s SaaS update cycle and strategies for staying abreast of change, read: “A Knowledge Strategy – Necessity or Luxury?”
Sometimes, the Longer Route Takes Less Time
When thinking about the benefits of continuous training and the impact on adoption, the story about two loggers in the forest comes to mind. Both possessed equal strength and skills as loggers.
The loggers challenged each other to determine who could fell similar trees the fastest with an axe. As the challenge began, both loggers chopped furiously, wood chips flying everywhere.
Suddenly, the second logger walked away only to return minutes later to resume the challenge. This happened several more times. The first logger could not help but wonder where his competitor was going and what he was doing. Surprisingly, the second logger, despite all of the time lost to breaks, was the first to fell his tree.
The first logger congratulated the victor and asked his competitor how it was possible to take that many breaks and still win the competition?
The second logger replied, “It was easy, every time I walked away I went to sharpen my axe.”
In like manner, every time your employees engage in continuous training, they sharpen their skills to keep up with changing technology, enabling your organization to remain ahead of the competition.
Training Impact as a Cross-Organization Experience
Can the commitment to training be quantified? How does this commitment impact the bottom line?
According to Dr. Laurie Bassi, former VP Research at the American Society for Training and Development:
“Our analysis found that those firms that made large investments in employee development subsequently outperformed the stock market, with returns that were significantly higher (“super-normal”) relative to those for other factors of production."
Oracle Training for SaaS Customers
Oracle University delivers a wide array of free and paid training options that every SaaS customer can leverage to support better business outcomes and improved user experiences. Explore, bookmark, and share the following training resources with your IT and business communities:
- Oracle LaunchPad (free online platform for SaaS introductory training)
- Oracle University (advanced training and certifications)
- Guided Learning Starter Pack (free access to demos and sample guides)
With a commitment to invest in training, organizations will be able to quantify the benefits, achieve greater adoption, experience an increased return of their software investment, and ultimately ensure that you can get there from here.
Oracle University Can Help
Oracle’s Customer Success Advanced Services are here to guide your success with your Oracle SaaS solution. We are 100% focused on helping customers achieve faster value and realization of business objectives.
Find out more by contacting us today.
