Five Best Practices for End-User E-Training

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By: Gina Smith (10/6/2010)

Of course, the economics are inescapable. E-learning — either on the fly or as part of a formal program — beats classroom training for introducing users to new enterprise systems and apps. Unfortunately, e-learning projects are just as notorious for failure rates that can reach 30 percent or higher. Why? You're combining two radically different groups of people (tech-savvy IT staff and usually tech-resistant end-users), and often it's an explosive mix. No one wants to deal with angry trainees, annoyed managers and constant calls from end users with questions you thought you had addressed during the training process. Here are some tips to turn your planned upgrade process from something your IT staff dreads into a sure-fire success. Round up a 'ringer': Problems start at the onset, during the planning and implementation of an e-learning project. And you can't really plan without having insights into how 'real' end users will respond and react to a training program. That’s why you need a ringer: an end user with whom you can rehearse before the actual training sessions begin. This is someone who can predict where users will have questions and when they’ll push back. In this way, during the introduction phase of the e-learning presentation, you can address exactly what is going to change, plan for pushback and emphasize how the new technology will help them do their jobs. Keep course sessions under 15 minutes. You know there are lots of features that should excite these end users. But let’s be brutally honest: Most don't care. In fact, the longer you run an e-learning session, the less likely you are to inspire confidence that a new application is useful or usable. Small doses of training imply small doses of change — and both make new technology a lot easier to digest. Explain, Lucy! You probably said it yourself as a kid. Why do I have to learn FILL IN THE BLANK when there is no chance in hell I will ever again need to know the answer to a particular question? So in your prep materials and during lessons, show end users why they will use and require new features. Drive home again and again exactly why these new features will improve workflow, save time and money, and help the company run more efficiently. If you need a communications expert from the company to craft this message in a way that fits company culture, don’t hesitate to ask for help. Market this thing! Marketing isn't an intuitive skill for most of us, and that’s especially true for an IT organization. But if you want to sell users on new technology, you have to sell them on your e-learning program, as well. Send email flyers, brainstorm ways to build a buzz and win management support by talking up the benefits of learning a new system. Not everybody will respond enthusiastically, but many users will. Share success stories. There’s nothing like success (and envy of it) to promote adoption of new technology. Try to set up in person meetings with groups of managers and end users to provide a demo of how well moving to a new platform has worked. Did it save users time? Did it help them meet or succeed business goals. Did it allow better collaboration or streamline workflow? Get real success stories, and then work these messages (or even video or other interactive testimonials) into your e-learning program materials. Some people hate change. Many users are going to be annoyed that the tech they've mastered is going to be ripped away, with yet more new stuff to learn and add to the work day. Some users might surprise you, though, especially if you can convince them that new technology will make their lives easier. And that task begins with an e-learning program that communicates the right messages, at the right time, in the right delivery format.

Of course, the economics are inescapable. E-learning — either on the fly or as part of a formal program — beats classroom training for introducing users to new enterprise systems and apps. Unfortunately, e-learning projects are just as notorious for failure rates that can reach 30 percent or higher.

Why? You're combining two radically different groups of people (tech-savvy IT staff and usually tech-resistant end-users), and often it's an explosive mix.

No one wants to deal with angry trainees, annoyed managers and constant calls from end users with questions you thought you had addressed during the training process. Here are some tips to turn your planned upgrade process from something your IT staff dreads into a sure-fire success.

Round up a 'ringer': Problems start at the onset, during the planning and implementation of an e-learning project. And you can't really plan without having insights into how 'real' end users will respond and react to a training program. That’s why you need a ringer: an end user with whom you can rehearse before the actual training sessions begin. This is someone who can predict where users will have questions and when they’ll push back. In this way, during the introduction phase of the e-learning presentation, you can address exactly what is going to change, plan for pushback and emphasize how the new technology will help them do their jobs.
Keep course sessions under 15 minutes. You know there are lots of features that should excite these end users. But let’s be brutally honest: Most don't care. In fact, the longer you run an e-learning session, the less likely you are to inspire confidence that a new application is useful or usable. Small doses of training imply small doses of change — and both make new technology a lot easier to digest.
Explain, Lucy! You probably said it yourself as a kid. Why do I have to learn FILL IN THE BLANK when there is no chance in hell I will ever again need to know the answer to a particular question? So in your prep materials and during lessons, show end users why they will use and require new features. Drive home again and again exactly why these new features will improve workflow, save time and money, and help the company run more efficiently. If you need a communications expert from the company to craft this message in a way that fits company culture, don’t hesitate to ask for help.
Market this thing! Marketing isn't an intuitive skill for most of us, and that’s especially true for an IT organization. But if you want to sell users on new technology, you have to sell them on your e-learning program, as well. Send email flyers, brainstorm ways to build a buzz and win management support by talking up the benefits of learning a new system. Not everybody will respond enthusiastically, but many users will.
Share success stories. There’s nothing like success (and envy of it) to promote adoption of new technology. Try to set up in person meetings with groups of managers and end users to provide a demo of how well moving to a new platform has worked. Did it save users time? Did it help them meet or succeed business goals. Did it allow better collaboration or streamline workflow? Get real success stories, and then work these messages (or even video or other interactive testimonials) into your e-learning program materials.

Some people hate change. Many users are going to be annoyed that the tech they've mastered is going to be ripped away, with yet more new stuff to learn and add to the work day. Some users might surprise you, though, especially if you can convince them that new technology will make their lives easier. And that task begins with an e-learning program that communicates the right messages, at the right time, in the right delivery format.