Many companies are currently driving digitization by adding collaboration and planning tools to their software landscape. But not all employees find it easy to work with new software. As a result, applications are underused or only used poorly, and valuable potential is wasted. To counteract this, managers often rely on traditional training and support methods. But this approach may not be sufficient anymore.
The requirements for employees have changed dramatically over the last 20 years. In the past, employees only had to master a few applications. That meant that after extensive training, they were ready for the years ahead. But over the last few years, we’ve seen an exponential increase in the number of applications. As a result, we’re at a point where it is no longer possible to sufficiently train each employee on every new software. In addition, software undergoes numerous updates at increasingly shorter intervals. This means that the knowledge acquired in training courses is often no longer sufficient just a few months later. Therefore, it is time to think about new ways of training and support. We spoke to Hartmut Hahn, CEO of Userlane, about the need for and benefits of putting software adoption at the core of training and support efforts.
CEO of Userlane
Q: Many software providers promise intuitive and user-friendly programs. Why are we talking about new training and support solutions?
A: Intuitive and user-friendly are relative terms. What is self-explanatory for one colleague is difficult to understand for another. The frequency of use also plays an important role: If a supposedly intuitive software is only used once or twice a month, the user needs to get back into the user interface each time and rediscover the way to the goal. We are all familiar with the situation in which we are given a supposedly simple task but do not know exactly how to solve it. So what do we do? We push the task away, and the frustration grows. The challenge for companies today is to provide their employees with the right information at just the right time and make access to helpful content as easy as possible.
Q: Userlane offers employees a kind of navigation system for software applications. How does it work?
A: We guide the users of a software step-by-step through each process of the respective application. The user can choose which task they want to do, which, for example, could be filling out a request for vacation. The interactive guides then show them which paths to take, which buttons to click (all others are disabled, so he can’t do anything wrong), or where to enter something. This creates an entirely new learning experience since the user gets to know the software while actively using it. The guides can be switched on or off at any time, depending on how secure the user feels working with the software.
Q: That sounds impressive but also technically complicated. What does the integration of your application look like?
A: It’s easy, really. Userlane simply covers the underlying software with a guidance layer, so the user doesn’t have to leave the application and can be guided through the respective processes directly in the software. An added benefit of this is that Userlane works with any web-based application, so it doesn’t matter which software the user needs to learn. Furthermore, no programming knowledge is required to create the interactive guides. We offer our customers a playful and easy-to-use editor with which anyone can create interactive guides.
Q: How does Userlane differ for you from other training and support solutions and other digital adoption platforms?
A: For us at Userlane, it’s all about people. I have already talked about the different learning experiences for employees. With our Digital Adoption Platform, employees receive training and support where and when they need it most. This contextual learning is more sustainable and prevents frustration. But managers and companies also have many advantages. In contrast to traditional training and support methods, maintenance is easier and less expensive. The creation of guides is fun, quick, and comprehensive because of our intuitive Editor. If you also look at economic key figures such as time-to-value (how quickly Userlane can be implemented and made available to everyone), we are ahead of many other training and support solutions and digital adoption platforms.
About Userlane
Userlane is the fastest and most flexible Digital Adoption Platform on the market and is designed to maximize software adoption by providing users with in-app interactive guidance and contextual support wherever and whenever they need it most. The company was founded in 2015 by Hartmut Hahn, Kajetan Uhlig, and Felix Eichler and is one of Europe’s top 50 tech startups. Userlane ranks 26th on the FAZ list of leading German companies. Further information can be found at www.userlane.com.
Related Categories