How and why a key player in the metal industry organizes Employee Training using SharePoint Online
Summary
The client
A global player in metallurgy and engineering, our client specializes in the design, construction, and optimization of metal production facilities. Headquartered in Germany with nearly 15,000 specialized employees globally, it operates numerous worldwide subsidiaries and competence centers.
The challenges
The company faced the challenge of efficiently delivering training to their 15,000 employees across different countries. Their existing process, using Microsoft Excel and Outlook, was inefficient, leading to communication issues and low attendance at scheduled training. As a result, they needed a solution to streamline their training management and improve employee engagement.
The outcome
Structuring training on SharePoint Online, successfully transformed their training processes. The app allows the Learning and development department to centralize registration, manage complex training calendars, and easily track training records. With its user-friendly interface and integration into their existing intranet, the solution enhanced user adoption and reduced administrative effort.
Within just four weeks after launching the solution, over 2,400 training registrations were recorded. The app’s simple registration process, integration with Outlook Calendar, waiting list features, and automated notifications significantly improved efficiency. Furthermore, it reduced no-shows, and increased employee engagement. This successful implementation paved the way for further deployments in other regions.
The story
Organizing Training on SharePoint Online: How it all started
A well-known engineering and metallurgy company faced the daunting task of delivering training to their employees across multiple countries. Their current process using Excel spreadsheets and Outlook invitations was time-consuming and not effective. There were communication gaps that led to mismanagement and many employees not attending the training they were scheduled for.
The company had been relying on an extremely popular and powerful ERP system for more than 10 years at this point. They had just started planning the rollout of the HR module and its Learning Management Sub module for 2023 in the largest region. The other regions and competence centers were to follow but the tool was not yet available for all of them. At the same time, another project was waiting in the wings that would involve a complete redesign of processes and systems across the company, with a rollout planned for 2023.
The decision-making
The project’s key players were two Learning & Development professionals from the HR team. In addition to managing existing professional development, they were tasked with training employees for the new HR module and also with the restructuration of process and system landscape. At that point, both HR professionals, responsible for training employees for these transformations, realized the magnitude of the task ahead. With the existing methods unable to handle the volume and complexity of training sessions required, the team faced a pressing challenge. It was clear that a more streamlined and automated approach was needed to handle the scale of their training needs. Still, their existing methods were not sufficient to manage the magnitude and complexity of the task.
Motivated to bridge this gap, they decided to explore a solution to organize Employee training on SharePoint Online, their chosen intranet platform. They wanted an app that seamlessly integrated into their existing environment, provided an easy-to-use experience, and simplified the registration process for both organizers and attendees.
The project team quickly came across SharePoint|sapiens Employee Training Management during its research. Case studies provided a first impression, and the team arranged a live demo with a product specialist on short notice.
“This was it! It is so user-friendly and intuitive; everyone understands it right away. It feels like it’s just our intranet and not some additional software.”
As a result, they quickly decided to go with the Employee Training Management app on SharePoint Online. The app’s comprehensive features, user-friendly interface, and potential for customization made it the ideal choice to address their training management needs.
Organize Employee training on SharePoint Online : Testing and implementing
In July 2022, they planned a phased implementation of the Training Management app, starting with the largest region. Amid security and procurement processes, they explored the app using a free trial to understand its capabilities.
“We were able to leverage on our SharePoint skills and use them to customize the app to meet our exact requirements.”
Working closely with the SharePoint|sapiens team, they planned the content structure and customized the app to meet their specific needs. Throughout the testing phase, our specialists provided valuable support and shared tips and tricks to ensure a smooth implementation process. This collaborative approach allowed the learning and development team to make the most of their internal resources and speed up the release of the solution.
“I am amazed on how quickly we always get feedback from the support team”
A game changer for the Training and development team
Following the successful launch within 4 months of the Employee Training Management app in the main region, the L&D team achieved remarkable results. They recorded over 2,400 training self-registrations within the first four weeks. Organizing employee training on SharePoint Online proves to be a full success.
The Employee Training Management app proved to be a game-changer for the two learning and development specialists. The app’s easy registration process and intuitive usage within the Microsoft environment simplified training enrollment for employees. Integration with Microsoft Outlook ensured that attendees received invitations, updates, and notifications directly in their personal calendars, reducing miscommunication.
Structuring Employee training on SharePoint Online: Results
- With one-click registration and intuitive usage within the Microsoft Environment, the Employee Training Management app ensures a seamless and user-friendly experience for employees. The streamlined registration process simplifies enrollment, saving time and effort.
- The app’s automation with Outlook Calendar completely eliminates the need for manual updates. Invitations, modifications, and cancellations are automatically synchronized with users’ Outlook calendars, keeping them informed and ensuring they have the latest information on training sessions.
- The Employee Training Management app significantly improved training participation rates with its efficient waiting list feature. When cancellations occur, employees are automatically enrolled, ensuring optimal participation, and minimizing training session gaps.
- By centralizing all training information on SharePoint, the app simplified the training management process. No more juggling multiple Excel spreadsheets; everything that the training organizer needs is conveniently accessible in one place, streamlining organization and reducing administrative burdens.
- The app’s agile registration process empowers employees to select training dates that suit their schedules, minimizing scheduling conflicts and improving attendance rates. Duplicate enrollments and no shows were drastically reduced, making the training process more efficient for organizers, trainers, and attendees.
- Enhance employee engagement with captivating features like the Add to Wishlist option and self-enrollment possibilities. These features foster a collaborative learning environment, where employees can curate their own development paths and feel empowered in their growth journey.
- Seamlessly integrated with the company’s intranet and popular Microsoft channels like Teams, the Employee Training Management app quickly gained acceptance. Its user-friendly interface and seamless integration enhanced the training experience, ensuring a smooth transition from outdated methods to a modern and efficient training management solution.
The New Normal and Future Developments
As the team continues to expand the app’s usage, they look forward to leveraging its top features. Among them, they consider the easy registration, Outlook Calendar integration, and waiting list to be the key functionalities for them. The accessibility of training information, reduced administrative burden, and increased employee engagement make the Employee Training Management app an essential component of the company’s training ecosystem.
As a result, they are now planning to deploy the solution in additional regions, including Italy, Luxembourg, and China.
“The more I work with the app, the more excited I get! As it is very flexible, we always find a solution to fit our requirements. Most importantly, we feel heard and understood by the support team and that is priceless!”