When to Consult vs. When to Train: Meeting Your Organization’s Needs

By: RPI Tech Connect   December 10, 2024

Consulting and training  may sound similar but they’re actually quite different, and knowing when to leverage each service can help shape your future state ERP and overall organizational success.

In the latest episode of RPI Tech Connect, Principal Consultant Cailen Myers shares insights on how organizations can navigate the decision between consulting and training for ERP project success. Tune in as Cailen discusses the key differences, how to assess which approach is best for your needs, and provides real-world examples to help you choose the right path for your team’s success.

If you’re looking to improve project outcomes, empower your teams, and strengthen your overall business, this episode will offer insights to help you make the right decision when the time comes for training or consulting.

Interested in listening to this episode on another streaming platform? Check out our directories.

Meet Today’s Guest, Cailen Myers

An OnBase expert with a keen focus on custom healthcare, government, and human resources solutions, Cailen Myers is a reliable resource for many of RPI’s CPA clients looking for a consultant with a solid combination of technical expertise and functional know-how.

Cailen serves as RPI’s resident OnBase expert and comes equipped with extensive experience in Epic integrations and Report Services automation. She has also worked on the project management side, making her very time and budget conscious throughout her projects.

When it comes to quickly and easily translating between technical and functional concepts, Cailen is a master. This makes her an ideal consultant for working between technical teams, developers, and functional end users. Add to this her extensive knowledge and long list of certifications – she is currently Hyland Certified OnBase Workflow Administrator Professional 2024, Hyland Certified Developer Specialist 2024, Hyland Certified OnBase Administrator Professional 2024, Hyland Certified OnBase Workflow Administrator Expert 2024, Epic ROI 2021, Epic Chart Deficiency 2021, and Epic Identity 2021 certified. All of this makes Cailen one of the most often requested OnBase resources on RPI’s Content and Process Automation team.

Meet Your Host, Chris Arey

Chris Arey is an experienced B2B marketing professional with nearly a decade of working in content creation, copywriting, SEO, website architecture, corporate branding, and social media. Beginning his career as an analyst before making a lateral move into marketing, he combines analytical thinking with creative flair—two fundamental principles required in marketing.

With a Bachelor’s degree in English and certifications from the Digital Marketing Institute and HubSpot, Chris has spearheaded impactful content marketing initiatives, participated in corporate re-branding efforts, and collaborated with celebrity influencers. He has also worked with award-winning PR professionals to create unique, compelling campaigns that drove brand recognition and revenue growth for his previous employers.

Chris’ versatility is highlighted by his experience working across different industries, including HR, Tech, SaaS, and Consulting.

About RPI Tech Connect

RPI Tech Connect is the go-to podcast for catching up on the dynamic world of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP). Join us as we discuss the future of ERPs, covering everything from best practices and organizational change to seamless cloud migration and optimizing applications. Plus, we’ll share predictions and insights of what to expect in the future world of ERPs.

RPI Tech Connect delivers relevant, valuable information in a digestible format. Through candid, genuine conversations and stories from the world of consulting, we aim to provide actionable steps to help you elevate your organization’s ERP. Whether you’re a seasoned professional or new to the ERP scene, our podcast ensures you’re well-equipped for success.

Tune in as we explore tips and tricks in the field of ERP consulting each week and subscribe to RPI Tech Connect below.

Transcript

Chris Arey
Training and consulting sound similar, but they’re actually quite different. The situations in which to deploy these tactics can also vary greatly. Keep listening to find out when it’s best to use each.

Welcome to RPI Tech Connect. I’m your host, Chris Arey. Thanks for tuning in. We have a thought-provoking episode ahead of us today where we’ll discuss a critical distinction; when to consult and when to train in the context of client needs. To help us explore this topic, I’m joined by principal consultant, Cailen Myers. Cailen, welcome to RPI Tech Connect.

Cailen Myers
Thanks for having me, Chris.

Chris Arey
Yeah, it’s great to have you here. I know you’re one of RPI’s finest consultants, so it’ll be awesome to hear your takeaways for today. But before we dive in, I’m hoping you can share a little bit about yourself.

Cailen Myers
Sure. I actually started working at a county hospital in Cleveland, Ohio. And I started there actually on their help desk, learning a lot about all the different hardware and software at the hospital. And then an OnBase position opened up, so I have been supporting OnBase as a systems analyst and as a consultant for over 15 years now.

Chris Arey
Wow, I didn’t realize it was that long.

Cailen Myers
It’s been a while, so I feel like anything OnBase, I can do it, right?

Chris Arey
Well, that’s great. That’s an interesting background to come from too given that a lot of RPI’s clientele works in healthcare. Coming from that space to now being in this consulting and teaching position, I’m sure you’ve probably experienced firsthand most of the challenges that you’re seeing.

Cailen Myers
I have, and it is nice too, because I got to see the clinical side and the back office. Accounts Payable, HR and payroll, Supply Chain Management, you know, everybody has those everywhere. It does not matter if you are in a hospital or not. It really was a great experience.

Chris Arey
Well, that is awesome. And I know RPI is fortunate to have you on the team, so thank you for joining me on the program today. Let us now shift gears and get into our main topic- the distinction between consulting and training. I am hoping you can talk about the differences between those two.

Cailen Myers
Sure. When you ask for a consultant, usually people are expecting somebody to come in and do the work for you, right? And especially at RPI, we try to partner with our organizations that ask for our assistance.

So, whether it is doing an upgrade or a certain project or implementing a new module, that depends on both the software and the firm. However, we want to come in and help get whatever it is that you need done in that time. Training is more about getting the staff educated so they can do these things on their own to help clients and gain a deeper understanding of the departments that are using the software.

Chris Arey
Okay, it sounds so obvious. Consulting and training sound similar, but they are different in some ways. And depending on what the client’s needs are, your role is understanding what is going to be more effective and what they are hoping to accomplish. Could you provide a real-world example of when it was a better situation to go the training route as opposed to consulting?

Cailen Myers
Absolutely. So, they do. It would seem like it is obvious, but honestly, they can even overlap a little bit. I had a client who wanted to upgrade their OnBase environment, but their OnBase admin that had been working with them forever retired. They then hired two brand-new people that did not know much about OnBase. As a consultant, I did come in and help them do their upgrade. At the project’s conclusion, I trained them so their staff could learn how to perform an upgrade. And now it is amazing talking to them, because you would never know that they lacked experience in the field only a couple of years ago.

Chris Arey
And you helped that whole transformation happen by getting the software set up, showing them how to do it, and then like passing the reins over so that now years down the line, they can be successful, without the supervision of an expert consultant. Is that right?

Cailen Myers
Exactly. Give them the knowledge and power so they can do it themselves.

Chris Arey
Yeah, that is what you want, right? That’s the ultimate goal. So, thank you for sharing that with us. Now, maybe we could talk a little bit more about the value of consulting. In what situations should clients consider seeking consulting services as opposed to training?

Cailen Myers
It really is.

Cailen Myers
Right, so there are many scenarios where a consultant is beneficial for an organization. Some things to consider are your timelines. For example, perhaps you need to perform a software upgrade, or you have another piece of software that you need to integrate with your current software, but you cannot because you need a newer version. You may also want to implement a new module that you have never used. When you think about consulting, you may have OnBase admins or any admin at your organization who knows the software from what they’ve used currently.

However, if you’re looking to implement something new, or a new project, or you have a tight timeline, that’s when you have the most benefit of using a consultant who has that experience and expertise. So that way you know that you can hit that timeline, you can have that module done, and you hopefully would have a smooth Go-Live whether it be an upgrade or an implementation.

Chris Arey
The tight timeline scenario makes total sense. There’s more value in getting it done and getting it done on time as opposed to potentially taking things a little slower and trying to instruct people along the way. Is that right?

Cailen Myers
Get the experts involved.

Cailen Myers
It is, mean, sometimes, you know, it’s, beneficial to do an upgrade with the staff you have. But if they’ve never done an upgrade before, or have never used the module, it is going to take a little bit of time to learn it. And there are certain scenarios where organizations just do not have that time. They need to implement something or have this project done by a certain date because funds might run out at the end of the year; well you never know the reason, but it’s kind of a balancing act- what makes the most sense for your organization at this time and with the project you’re trying to complete.

Chris Arey
And would you say that there are consulting needs for when a project is particularly technical? Something that is a one-off or a legacy system, for example, that is not well-supported or that the company plans to move away from in the future. Is it better to bring a consultant in there, or what do you think?

Cailen Myers
I definitely think so. If there’s software that has gained sunset, meaning that your organization doesn’t really have the knowledge or experience in it, bringing in a consultant who has dealt with that software before makes the most sense.  Particularly because you don’t want to make that long-term investment of training someone if the software is no longer going to be used. Or, you know, there are different scenarios, but I think that bringing a consultant in who has that expertise and experience will make things a lot smoother for the organization.

Chris Arey
And are there any common misconceptions that clients you’ve dealt with have about consulting? Such as things that they expect or assume about consulting when you come into a project, resulting in you have to explain that that’s not quite what we do?

Cailen Myers
You know, it, you know, it varies. I did have a client who expected us to just come in and tell them what we were going to do and how we were going to do it. They were just going to follow that guidance. And I feel like at RPI, again, we try to build that partnership and that relationship. So, I’m never going to come in and say, hey, you want to implement this piece of software in your accounts payable department? We are going to do X, Y, and Z.

Chris Arey
Hmm.

Cailen Myers
You know, we prefer to have those discovery sessions and meet with those users in those departments. talk through their processes, determine what’s going to make the most sense for them. And then we usually will, you know, give them a design document saying what we’re proposing. But that’s really the opportunity for that organization to say, that’s not going to work for us, or we need to make a change. We do not ever want to just come in and say, we’re doing this, this and this, and you’re going to like it, right? You’re going to just take it and deal with it. This is how we’re doing things.

Chris Arey
Yeah, you brought us in and this is what happened so deal with it. Yeah, that’s funny.

Cailen Myers
We are absolutely here to work with you, not just to give you something and walk away. And I had a client that was like, what? You’re going to let us actually help and decide? So we’re definitely going to guide you in the best practices based on what makes the most sense and what we see other organizations doing. But it is, again, it’s building that relationship and that partnership. And we don’t ever want to just come in and say, you’re going to do this without you know, having that conversation and what makes the most sense for everybody.

Chris Arey
Have a say and collaborate. That’s great. You know, I love to hear that RPI takes this approach and really kind of listens to, you know, the client and what they need out of the project and what’s going to work best for them and their team as you’re kicking this off. Great points. Let’s shift our focus now to training. You know, why is training so essential and what are some of the long-term advantages of investing in this kind of educational approach?

Cailen Myers
Sure. So going back to when I first started on the OnBase team, I didn’t know anything about OnBase. I worked at the help desk. I took trouble tickets that OnBase wasn’t working on, but I didn’t know much. So I’m again, really lucky that the hospital took a chance on me and promoted me to an OnBase admin and they sent me to training.

Chris Arey
Mmm.

Cailen Myers
So, as I said, ever since then, I’ve been supporting OnBase, but really, you know, it was a long-term investment for that organization, and I worked with them for a very long time. But when you have staff that know the software and the application because they’re trained, it’s only gonna make your users more productive. It’s gonna make the staff happier. And then you will probably save money too, because then you will not reach out to consulting firms to do the work. I didn’t say that out loud.

Chris Arey
Hahaha.

Cailen Myers
But really, in the long run, it’s more cost-effective to have knowledgeable staff members. And it’s not just the software, it’s also the departments they’re supporting, right? So at the hospital, I had to learn a little bit about the clinical workflows, about accounts payable, payroll. You know, it’s more than just training staff on the software. They have to know the business and how the business is going to use the software they have.

Chris Arey
I love how honest you were just there too. You know, it’s true, it speaks to the level of professionalism that you have and that ultimately our goal here at RPI Consultants is to set people up for success. We want them to succeed and be happy with their software they’re buying. And what better way to do that than to give them the tools to do so. Right? That’s great. And, you know, I think.

Cailen Myers
Exactly. Exactly, Chris.

Chris Arey
Maybe one of the challenges for organizations is assessing where they are and how to go about identifying who needs training, along with determining the kind of training, and how intensive it will be. Are there indicators that an organization should be on the lookout for, for helping to prioritize training needs versus consulting or anything in that area that you could share.

Cailen Myers
Yeah, I think it goes back to, you know, a few of the things I mentioned before, but, obviously understanding what your staff know and how knowledgeable they are in the software, right? It’s really about open lines of communication, right? Can a manager go to their employee and say, you know, we have a project to implement something for accounts payable, you know, using whatever software, can you do it? So having that open communication between a manager and the staff.

You know, again, also though, understanding just is the staff happy? Are they willing to retain the information they’re learning? Are they willing to use it? And it’s not only an investment for the company that sends them for the training, but also an investment for the employees themselves. Again, sorry, going back to my hospital days, I wanted to learn OnBase, wanted to learn Epic. wanted to learn Infor, like, give me as much software as possible! Let me learn it all. So, you have to have that motivated employee as well. And it goes back to knowing your staff and your business. So maybe right now is not a beneficial time to send an employee to training.

Chris Arey
Yeah. You mentioned something there that we’ve talked about in another episode, but it’s this, you know, if employees want training, you give them training. That’s going to help them feel more confident in their skills. It’s going to help them feel more engaged in their jobs. And I think because of them feeling that way, that is going to lead to better results for their customers and constituents. Right? You feel good at work, you are going to deliver good things. So not only are you going to see improvement in the way that your teams are using the software that you’ve purchased, but you’re also going to see an improvement in the way that they’re delivering their services or care, or whatever industry you work in.

Cailen Myers
I absolutely agree. Exactly.

Chris Arey
The customers on the receiving end there are going to benefit too. It’s a win, it is a win for everybody. Yeah, that is awesome. Do you have any memorable success stories that you could share about training that led to a significant improvement for a client? Or something that started as a consulting project and then led to training later down the road? Either one or both.

Cailen Myers
It’s a win for everyone. So as a consultant, I’ve done quite a few engagements where I’ve upgraded somebody to a new version of OnBase because that’s my main focus here at RPI. And part of that engagement was actually to train the staff how to do the upgrade as well. So walking through all the steps and kind of just listing out each step that we’re doing and how to do it and showing them as something I’ve done multiple times. And I did it not that long ago for clients a couple years ago.

They then reached out because they’re doing another upgrade. But it’s good news because they wanted to just have me on standby as this is the first time they’re doing it on their own. This was certainly rewarding because they felt confident enough to do it. At the same time though, they just wanted that extra handholding in case they needed any backup. It’s not a full OnBase upgrade contract, it’s just being around in case they need it, and providing that moral support.

Chris Arey
Yeah. Yeah, I know that feeling. It’s a good one too because they feel confident, but they also trust your judgment and they want you there as a second set of eyes to determine: does this look right? I feel like that is similar to a teacher mentor dynamic, though I can’t find the expression I’m thinking of.

Cailen Myers
Exactly. Yeah, I know what you’re saying. Yeah, that’s almost like the mentor teaching the teacher scenario.

Chris Arey
Yeah, and it’s just nice to hear that, to get that, to form that kind of relationship with them and knowing that in the future they are going to call upon you because you set them up for success and they trust you. Thank you, thank you for sharing that story. Well, Cailen, we’re getting close to time. One thing I like to do before we wrap up is ask my guests if they could share one piece of advice for today’s audience related to consulting and training, what would you have to share there?

Cailen Myers
Yeah, I think that that’s tough one because there are so many things to say, but I really think that is important to keep open lines of communication. For example, knowing that if you reach out to RPI Consultants, because you don’t know if you really need a consultant or somebody to train, you will find the assistance you need. The key is to communicate, work with somebody, ask those questions, and let somebody help you, regardless of what you need.

Chris Arey
Sure, no, I like that. Communication is key to everything. And from hearing you, right? It’s like there’s resources out there for getting help and assessing your situation, so don’t be afraid to start that conversation. Awesome. Okay. Well, thank you again for joining me today. For our listeners tuning in, if you have questions about today’s discussion or whether you need help with consulting or training, feel free to contact us.

Cailen Myers
Don’t be afraid to ask, reach out!

Chris Arey
You can contact us at [email protected]. Again, that’s [email protected]. This is RPI Tech Connect and I’m your host Chris Arey. Until next time.

Cailen Myers
Thank you, Chris. Thanks, everyone.