Why the Purchasing IS Cannot Succeed Without Usage Support
A Purchasing Information System (IS) can only deliver on its promises when users receive personalized support tailored to how they actually work.
What is the purpose of usage support?
The aim of personalized usage support is to provide users with assistance tailored to their specific needs and the way they interact with the Purchasing IS.
Why does personalization matter?
Supporting the use of the Purchasing IS helps end-users get to grips with the tool and become more productive. But to be relevant, effective, and sustainable, this support must be personalized.
Providing generic support assumes that all end-users share the same challenges, working methods, and usage patterns. They do not. Because uses are diverse and constantly evolving, a one-size-fits-all approach cannot remain effective over time. Personalized usage support enables end-users to use the Purchasing IS to its full potential.
Key figure: 54% of people want to see personalized content based on their interests. (Source: Adobe)
Risks of non-personalized support:
User frustration with the Purchasing tool
Disengagement from the Purchasing IS
Increased attrition (churn)
Poor grasp of tools
Poor compliance with processes
Purchasing optimization becomes impossible
"You can't ask a population to be completely homogeneous. When you embark on such a major transformation, not everyone is equal when it comes to digital. And you have to get everyone on board. You can't afford not to get your whole organization on board. You'd think that if everyone is at ease (i.e. already fully in the digital mindset), the transformation will happen very quickly. But this is rarely the case. You need to get the whole population on board. And that's where it's critical. Because if you leave people out, you don't transform anything. You create distances, inconsistency, but you're not going to transform your business."
Cédric Le Savéant, VP Group Sourcing & Procurement, Technicolor
The Three Pillars of Usage Support in Practice
Training
Support
Communication
Continuous improvement of Purchasing IS skills Training enables end-users to get to grips with their Purchasing IS. Far from stopping at the onboarding phase, training must evolve at the same pace as the Purchasing IS.
Real-time support Support is central to the development of the Purchasing IS. Knowledge bases, self-service support, and chatbots are all part of the end-user toolbox.
Ongoing interaction with end-users Communication is crucial when supporting end-users. Every change, no matter how small, can be a source of disruption, so ongoing interaction is essential.
Customized
Adapts to the challenges and uses of different user populations for a tailor-made experience.
Integrated
Integrates directly into the Purchasing tool to facilitate access to information and learning by doing.
Scalable
Easily updated to train users on Purchasing IS evolutions as they happen.
Benefits of personalized usage support
A better grasp of the Purchasing IS
Fewer misunderstandings and frustrations with the tool
Increased end-user productivity
Improved user engagement
Long-term adoption of the Purchasing IS
In short: usage support is the cornerstone of user adoption and Purchasing IS performance.
"There has been a major transformation in the way change management has been approached in recent years. We've moved away from the principle of using tools at the level of using functionalities and understanding processes, to focus more on supporting usage, because the question is not how to use the tool, but how to work differently. It's about rethinking the way we work through tools, rather than how to use tools."
Pierre Leroux, CEO of Lemon Learning
Use Case: Digitizing IT Support for a Leading French Retailer's Purchasing Tool
One of France's leading supermarket chains digitized the IT support for its in-house Purchasing tool. To provide personalized support for its 4,000 users, the organization chose the Lemon Learning digital adoption platform.
The Lemon Learning approach: customized user support integrated directly into the Purchasing IS.
Lemon Learning supports the supermarket chain across its Purchasing IS training and internal communications.
Co-design of content
Lemon Learning and the retailer's teams work together to design IT support content, ensuring it reflects real user workflows.
Tailor-made support
Coaching is customized according to end-user needs. Depending on their role or work rhythm, different user populations receive different levels of support.
Support integrated into the Purchasing tool
Lemon Learning collaborates with the publisher of the customer's in-house solution to integrate IT support directly into the tool. Currently, support consists of 75% interactive guides and 25% push notifications to train and inform teams across the group. The company has renewed its trust in Lemon Learning every year for the past three years.
For teams managing an e-procurement user onboarding program, this integrated approach provides a practical model worth exploring.
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