A new ERP system means change.
As an everyday user, when your company decided to purchase a new ERP system, chances are you had no say in the decision, the configuration, or pretty much anything else. You know the old system; you had workarounds and shortcuts and procedures. Most likely, if we asked the person sitting at a desk less than 10 feet away how you do your job, I mean the nitty gritty day to day irritating little clicks and taps on your keyboard, or if we asked what paperwork they think you use or generate, they might have an idea, but really, when it comes down to it, only you know your job the best.
Then all of a sudden there are meetings and whispers in the office that something big is coming. Maybe you work on the AP side of things and you start seeing bills coming in and money going out. You might search the names of the new vendors and start to put the pieces together.
Your company is buying a new ERP/accounting program.
I have been to the meetings and I have heard the speeches from management: things are going to be better; your company will be “integrated”; the system will be more stable; there will be better reports, better data, better decisions. And, I promise, this is true. But to be honest, for most of you, at the beginning a new system means more stress and more work.
So, with that in mind, when I show up at a company to do training I remember that the stress and the worry is natural. One of the best things I can do is to ask you to show me how you did your job in your old system. Chances are that once you know the new program, you will be just as fast or hopefully faster, but that takes time. I have had countless people complain that the new system is complicated, or slow or just a big pain. But when I stop, have them show me what they have been doing, it was a lot of clicking and typing and workarounds.
It just seems faster because you have done it a million times.
My job is to show you how you can do the same thing, but better, and faster. When I do this for people, I can see a visible change in their faces. They let down their guard, they smile and then know:
Someone cares and someone “gets it”.
I have been training people on Microsoft Dynamics GP for over 10 years now. When I started, I tried to stick to the book. But now, honestly, I think a big part of training is listening and adapting to help you learn what you need to know to do your job. I might not show you the weird little utilities that are on the “official training agenda”…but that is because next Tuesday…when I am gone, you won’t need that.
You need to know how to do your day-to-day job.
I think it is because I do stop and listen that I sometimes take on that role of a bartender or your favorite hairdresser. I hear about what you love and hate about your job. Sometimes I hear, (maybe too much) about your husband, your kids, your co-workers, your boss, your old job, your house, your car. I think it is because the moment we meet someone that connects with us and helps us, we feel like we can share more and more and more.
This is why I sometimes feel like a bartender.
This year at Convergence (the annual Dynamics user event), I had the chance to talk to other GP consultants and this is a much more common issue than I realized. I think it is great that we can help people feel better. I know that if I can make your day-to-day job a little easier, you will go home to your husband, your wife, your kids, your friends, your pets, etc. a little earlier and a little less stressed.
One of my jobs is to “sell” YOU the product your company already bought.
The program might be great. But at the end of the day, we need you to believe in it. We need you to feel comfortable. We need you to know how to use the system. We need you to make it work. I want you to see the benefits…and I don’t mean the fancy report that your boss is excited about. I mean, I want you to see that entering and finding your information can be faster, and better. I want to help you.
Don’t be afraid of change.
I know it is “scary” but it can also be exciting and rewarding. Just think, you get to grow and become more valuable to your boss. ( Insider tip: the people that I have worked with that “got on board” and really helped with the implementation got noticed and rewarded.) Making the decision for a new ERP system was a big decision for your boss, management, and board of directors. Things are going to be different. So, jump on board; by the time I walk in the door to do training, the “train is about to leave the station”.
Your company is not going to go back to your old system…so let’s make the new one work for you.
I love my job.I love meeting people like you. I think we can do amazing things together. I have customers who I have worked with for years and years. I get to see pictures of their kids as they grow up. I get to see them get promoted. I appreciate being that person that comes in every so often and gets to be the “hero”.
If I can make you better at your job, it is the best part of my job.
If you need Dynamics GP training, I hope you will . I can help make the change easier better. (And I make a great martini too…)
In the meantime, check out my and at
By Amber J. Bell, Dynamics GP Consultant, CAL Business Solutions
