Not unlike the popular kids movie, How to Train your Dragon - training your workforce to use and adopt new software can be a challenge. With the introduction of Kronos Workforce Central Version 8.0, we now have the ultimate Workforce Management tool that allows organizations to create and execute strategies that maintain and nurture a healthy and engaged workforce. WFM software can help foster an environment that allows employees to feel both valued and inspired. However, all the resources in the world can add up to nothing if your workforce are not properly trained.
The 4th Annual IT Adoption Insight Report found, because of lack of user-adoption for new software, companies are experiencing productivity losses of 17%: the equivalent of giving everyone on staff every Friday off. At 17%, the economic value of user losses outweighs 100% of many IT budgets. Creating company wide end user adoption of Kronos software is a critical factor for productivity and increased ROI.
How can a company ensure that user adoption in your new Kronos application is achieved throughout the organization? The answer is: Kronos Training. Here are a few key elements to consider while training your workforce on your Kronos application:
Communicate, Communicate, Communicate
A well thought-out introduction coupled with clear communication can improve how employees think and feel about the change they will experience during an enterprise Kronos™ implementation. Create a communication plan to ensure you clearly articulate the decision making process and the implementation process. Make sure to manage the change, monitoring feedback from all parties involved. Unclear communication and misunderstandings are some of the biggest hindrances to user adoption.
Understand your Users
Learning a new system or software takes a significant amount of time and energy that your employees may not be willing to invest without good reason. Ensure you take the time to understand the daily responsibilities of the employees who will be using Kronos. Understand the employees' complaints, pain-points, what they do well and what they don’t like doing. If you understand all of these specifics, you will be able to clearly explain how the application will make those daily responsibilities easier and more efficient, eradicating some complaints and pain-points. You may be introducing new workflows to your employees so plan to make their first impression a positive one. A new workforce management system can be intimidating to employees who have never encountered the system before.
Develop a Customized Training Plan
Taking all of the user information you have gathered, develop a customized Kronos training plan. Your training will vary depending on many factors including education, background, and learning style. Address all learning styles and make sure to include real-world examples. Ensure your training is customized and scheduled at a convenient time for your employees. For example, if you schedule training on Friday near the end of the day, you will have a much harder time keeping everyone’s attention than if you schedule training at the start of their shift on Tuesday.
Conduct User Analysis
Thorough user analysis after the learning events are complete allows you to tailor future projects to be just as, or more, successful. Survey your employees after the learning events are complete. The information you receive allows you improve future training. It is a common mistake to assume the training has stopped after the roll out of the learning events. Users will change roles, new users will be hired and the applications will change. No training roll out achieves perfection. A topic may have been missed entirely or misrepresented as part of a user's work day. These knowledge gaps must be addressed. At day 30, 75, and 100, talk to both managers and employees about their experience working with the program. Update training materials according to their feedback to make sure everyone has what they need to be successful. Training is an essential part of every successful technology adoption. Consider hiring a Kronos training specialist to help you develop re-usable training plans to improve user adoption.
Once you have starting planning for your Kronos Training, it is the ideal time to start building your Kronos Training framework. A training framework is the starting point in identifying the needs of your complete training plan. It is not to be confused with a final, detailed training document, but is extremely helpful for organizing preliminary thoughts and planning. If you are ready to start planning your Kronos Training or learning event, you can download Improvizations' training framework by clicking on the button below.
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