The News: Oracle NetSuite announced on July 18 NetSuite Guided Learning, a step-by-step guidance feature embedded in NetSuite to help educate users about system functionality and features. The contextual learning guides are available to all NetSuite licensed customers at no additional cost and incorporate role-based and task-based guides that are designed to help users utilize full capabilities of the suite while reducing training time and cost. Guided Learning is planned to be available in 27 languages to all NetSuite customers within the next year. You can read the original Press Release on the Oracle NetSuite website.
NetSuite Offers Guided Learning to Reduce Training Time and Accelerate Adoption
Analyst Take: Oracle NetSuite announced the availability of its context-based Guided Learning feature, which is designed to help users complete specific tasks without needing to take a specific training course or refer to product documentation. The guidance feature is designed to be contextual in nature, so that NetSuite users receive step-by-step guidance to complete tasks based on their specific role or task, rather than a generic solution. This in-application guided learning approach likely will ensure that more users will access and use the most relevant features they need to do their jobs, while reducing time, resources, and money spent on dedicated training programs.
Software Training Remains a Key Challenge for Enterprise Organizations
As the capabilities and complexity of enterprise software continues to rise, organizations often struggle with training employees on how to best utilize these tools to do their jobs. In the era of remote or hybrid work, traditional synchronous training classes are often inconvenient to schedule or eat up too much of the workday, and therefore are likely to be poorly attended. Moreover, many traditional training classes teach the use of specific features or tasks using generic examples, which may not line up with the real-world use of the software within the organization.
Moreover, many software applications provide embedded help or assistance features, but these are often generic in nature, and may not provide the context necessary to help a user complete a specific task. As a result, enterprises likely will not realize the full value of their technology investments, and users may waste time and energy trying to work out solutions on a trial-and-error basis.
Role- and Task-Based Guides Enable Real-World Learning and Skill Development
NetSuite Guided Learning offers introductory guides that include role-specific resources to help users learn about their dashboard and available tabs that are relevant to their specific job function and area. For example, a user with a sales team role can learn more about where to find the latest information on leads and activities. This allows the user to become familiar with the features of the application using real-world, relevant data, instead of sample values. Further, NetSuite Guided Learning’s interactive task guides showcase key NetSuite features that help users maximize productivity and efficiency, without needing to sit for specific training sessions.
Should a user wish to view additional learning and support resources, they can be accessed from any guide, and include NetSuite MyLearn, which is a digital learning platform with access to personalized learning paths, on-demand modules, live interactive webinar trainings, and practice environments; SuiteAnswers, a comprehensive knowledge center with searchable access to support articles, help topics, and training videos; and the NetSuite Support Community, a global, online forum that allows customers, partners, and developers to ask questions, get information on updates, and make new connections in the NetSuite community.
Eschewing Generative AI Prompts for a More Focused, Guided Learning Experience
According to the NetSuite team, Guided Learning incorporates a chatbot that utilizes natural language processing (NLP) and that is where the team is focused on developing that technology. Instead of using generative AI prompts to search for answers, Guided Learning is more focused on contextual learning, helping users learn more about the platform through interactive guides that are relevant to their current role, task, use or location within NetSuite.
So, for example, a customer could use the chatbot to ask about where to find certain information or what module to use to complete a task and then once they navigate there, Guided Learning will help them learn about all the functionality and features of a module, providing step-by-step guidance on how to complete a task. In this manner, users are more likely to get the specific assistance they need without needing to focus on entering a prompt that may not deliver the correct information required based on their current task.
Enterprises May See Measurable Benefits via NetSuite Guided Learning
NetSuite Guided Learning is based around creating an experience that is much more interactive, relevant to their current task, and responds to users’ activities and locations throughout the NetSuite platform, which NetSuite says is based on research that highlights the benefits of user-centric training and interactive learning strategies.
Indeed, Oracle Guided Learning conducted a study with IDC and found a 52% improvement in cloud adoption with the use of Oracle Guided Learning, a 3-month return on investment, a 63% decrease in support tickets, and a 40% improvement in project management productivity. Based on these results, it is likely that NetSuite Guided Learning customers may see similar positive results within a relatively short time frame.
Disclosure: The Futurum Group is a research and advisory firm that engages or has engaged in research, analysis, and advisory services with many technology companies, including those mentioned in this article. The author does not hold any equity positions with any company mentioned in this article.
Analysis and opinions expressed herein are specific to the analyst individually and data and other information that might have been provided for validation, not those of The Futurum Group as a whole.
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Author Information
Keith Kirkpatrick is VP & Research Director, Enterprise Software & Digital Workflows for The Futurum Group. Keith has over 25 years of experience in research, marketing, and consulting-based fields.
He has authored in-depth reports and market forecast studies covering artificial intelligence, biometrics, data analytics, robotics, high performance computing, and quantum computing, with a specific focus on the use of these technologies within large enterprise organizations and SMBs. He has also established strong working relationships with the international technology vendor community and is a frequent speaker at industry conferences and events.
In his career as a financial and technology journalist he has written for national and trade publications, including BusinessWeek, CNBC.com, Investment Dealers’ Digest, The Red Herring, The Communications of the ACM, and Mobile Computing & Communications, among others.
He is a member of the Association of Independent Information Professionals (AIIP).
Keith holds dual Bachelor of Arts degrees in Magazine Journalism and Sociology from Syracuse University.
