Learning at work is ongoing: as part of the on-boarding process, new employees are expected to learn about various procedures, programs, and software solutions. However, as part of their day-to-day routines, more experienced employees also struggle with rarely performed processes or with questions about the latest regulatory requirements or reporting tools.

Electronic performance support (EPS) is computer-based assistance that improves productivity by providing immediate access to information, advice, and learning experiences within the day-to-day workflow. This means that staff are able to get immediate assistance on a process or step into a software application without needing to contact a help desk centre, disturb a colleague, or browse on a search engine. This approach also supports the 70:20:10 model, where 70% of company learning is accepted to be informal and learnt on the job.

IMC UK Director, Dirk Thissen explains, “EPS is like a GPS system – it needs three elements to work well. A knowledge of where the user is ’geographically’ and within the business process, a knowledge of where the user wants to go and what he or she needs to achieve, and a map of how to get there through the organisation’s information landscape. Our online calculator will help business managers establish the potential savings and develop a rapid business case.”

Dirk Thissen adds, "Software assistance is not something that everyone necessarily thinks of – until you look closer into the financial impact on the business. For an organisation of just 200 employees, there could be immediate savings of 116,022 € per year on the bottom line, which could then be re-invested elsewhere. As an example, if the scenario were applied within a public sector organisation of the same size, it would be the equivalent of five extra nurses or four teachers a year. When you multiply those savings across a thousand headcount workforce, the impact is vast for any organisation."

Savings through the use of EPS illustrated

Workforce headcount using software applications (average salary 50,000 €)

Financial impact and approximate savings for businesses

200

151,500 €

500

407,700 €

1,000

834,500 €