In response to a recent Financial Management Services (FMS) Learner Needs Analysis and iProcurement usability feedback from our 2021 Client Satisfaction Survey, FMS recognizes the need for “just in time” training for our user community. To that end, the FMS Financial Learning Solutions team is currently piloting a new software application with a limited number of iProcurement users. The WalkMe in-application learning solution adds a “layer” on top of Oracle iProcurement, providing guidance to help users effectively navigate work processes and access helpful tips and other learning resources. Additionally, insights gained from the pilot are helping the Financial Learning Solutions team to develop plans for expanding WalkMe functionality to other Oracle Financial systems, such as SmartMart Contracts, PCard Verification and Expense Requests. Pending the success of the pilot, funding will be pursued to expand WalkMe to more users and more financial systems.
Benefits of WalkMe
While new employee onboarding training courses delivered via STARS (Stanford Training and Registration System) provide foundational knowledge, offering a mix of in-application and web-based training enables users to leverage self-service training and:
- Increase their engagement and adoption of financial system features
- Reduce any potential transaction errors
- Improve productivity and compliance with policies and guidelines
The WalkMe software offers a suite of in-application training options that will support the user community to complete financial transactions including:
- Guided Demos: Provides step-by-step instructions so that users can successfully complete any task, end-to-end and in real-time (e.g., setting up iProcurement Preferences, creating non-catalog purchase requisitions, checking out a cart in SmartMart).
- Helpful Tips: Offers just-in-time support by providing reminders, contextual information on certain processes or forms and links to resources outside of the system such as Fingate or a Stanford Services & Support Portal Knowledge Article.
- Notifications: Draws the user’s attention to important announcements that are either informational or require user action.
About the WalkMe Pilot and Participants
A WalkMe pilot phase is currently taking place in the iProcurement area of Oracle Financials systems. During the pilot, FMS will continuously collect user feedback and make real-time improvements to WalkMe learning solutions.
What’s Next for WalkMe in 2023?
The Financial Learning Solutions team is currently working on new WalkMe solutions to address user challenges in the following areas:
- iProcurement SmartMart Contract Orders
- Setting up contract preferences, using messaging/communication tools, interpreting the status of a contract, amending a contract and searching for a master contract agreement.
- Our initial release included solutions for requesting a contract.
- Supplier Query & Request Tool
- Searching the database for active suppliers, activate inactive suppliers, update supplier/payee information, submit a request to add a new supplier/payee and check the status of a new supplier/payee request.
- Requisition & Purchase Order Query Tool
- Using the tool to check the status of requisitions and purchase orders, how to upload invoices and verify the status of invoice payments, and how to finally close a purchase order.
Learn More
Stay tuned to this announcement page for updates on the WalkMe pilot's progress and for links to new resources and materials to support the change. In addition, you can learn more in the following ways:
- Follow our Slack channel, #Stanford-FMS-news, for the latest on the WalkMe pilot and more.
- Contact Financial Learning Solutions.
September 2023
This month, the Financial Learning Solutions team is highlighting WalkMe learning solutions in the Requisition and Purchase Orders Query tool that provide help for:
- Understanding the status of purchase requisitions and purchase orders
- Finally closing purchase orders
These solutions support risk mitigation best practices for managing purchase orders and provide “just in time” contextual information to better understand work processes.
New Guided Demo
A Guided Demo has been added that offers step-by-step instructions for Finally Closing a purchase order (PO). It is a good practice to Finally Close eligible purchase orders to reduce risk and support accurate financial reporting. Refer to Topic Overview: Purchase Order Process for more information on the criteria for Finally Closing a PO.
New Helpful Tips
Two Helpful Tips have been added that provide a few of the different statuses of a requisition in the Requisition Approval List and a definition of the “Incomplete” status on the PO Authorization field. This real-time support helps users to quickly understand any actions required based on the different statuses.
July 2023
This month, the Financial Learning Solutions team finalized the development of 60 WalkMe learning solutions and a few new solutions are highlighted below that are now available in the Requisition and Purchase Orders Query tool and the Learning Support menu.
Highlighted Solution for Requisition and Purchase Orders Query tool
- ActionBots are chat interfaces that guide users through key tasks. A new Requisition and Purchase Orders Query tool ActionBot enables users to perform a few tasks including checking the payment status of an invoice (see screenshot below).
- The “Ineligibility Help” Launcher provides details on why a PO cannot be Finally Closed such as there are still invoices that need to be paid (see screenshot below).
Highlighted solution for the Learning Support menu
- FinLearning has updated the Learning Support menu to include an interactive search. Users can now search in the menu for resources and information on Fingate or in the Stanford Administrative Guide. Type a search word or phrase and press Enter on the keyboard to search (see screenshot below).
June 2023
Highlighted Solution for Non-Catalog Requests in iProcurement
- There is a Guided Demo in Non-Catalog Requests that provides automated support when certain Non-Catalog Request Types must be entered in the SmartMart Contracts system.
May 2023
This month the Financial Learning Solutions team is highlighting existing WalkMe learning solutions available for SmartMart Contracts and Catalog Suppliers as well as for various tasks in iProcurement, including My Receipts for purchase requisitions.
Highlighted Solutions for SmartMart Contracts and Catalog Suppliers
- There are Guided Demos currently available in SmartMart Contracts that will help users conduct a simple and advanced search for existing contracts. There is also a Guided Demo to support users in setting up SmartMart Favorites for SmartMart Catalog Suppliers.
Highlighted Solutions for My Receipts
- This Guided Demo provides users with assistance to receive their items from the My Receipts page in iProcurement.
Highlighted solutions for completing and submitting a purchase requisition
- Helpful Tips offer reminders and other contextual information for certain fields or processes, for example to override a tax category on the Edit and Submit Requisition page when completing and submitting a purchase requisition.
April 2023
New solutions for Supplier Query and Request tool:
Helpful Tips offer reminders and other contextual information for certain fields or processes. New Helpful Tips to support you in requesting a supplier or visitor payee include:
Definitions to help distinguish between a supplier or visitor payee:
Reminders to check if a supplier or visitor payee is already active in the Supplier Query and Request system before making a new request:
Guidance for writing an effective and complete Payment Request Description:
Validation Help Tips provide real-time feedback on fields before form submission, helping catch potential issues before they impact your request.
Directing requests to pay Stanford employees to the appropriate payroll process if they enter a @stanford.edu email address in the Payee Email field:
March 2023
New Solutions for SmartMart Contracts
- Helpful Tips offer reminders and other contextual information for certain processes. There are new Helpful Tips to support you in searching for a contact and using the communication center.
- Launchers provide quick summaries of terminology and definitions related to the contracts process. Check out the new Launcher available for contract status definitions (see screenshot below).
- Guided Demos provide step-by-step instructions to assist users with successfully completing any task, end-to-end. A new Guided Demo titled, Change Contract Notifications, can help you to quickly and efficiently change your contract notification settings in real-time.
Learning Support Menu Improvements
As part of our continued efforts to improve the overall WalkMe experience, we added Notifications that appear when you log in to iProcurement (see screenshot below), and also a Notifications tab to the Learning Support menu so you can stay up to date on Purchasing and Contracts news that impacts the Oracle Financials system.
November 2022
How We Are Responding to Your Feedback
The Financial Learning Solutions team has received 50 WalkMe support requests since launch with a majority being requests for corrections or suggestions for improvements. Helpful Tips are being refined based on pilot participant feedback. The WalkMe Get Help menu was recently updated so that it can be moved anywhere within iProcurement using a click-and-drag functionality. This WalkMe solution was also renamed from Get Help to Learning Support to better clarify its purpose.
Popular WalkMe Learning Solutions
WalkMe provides us with anonymized data to help the Financial Learning Solutions team see which WalkMe solutions are receiving the most engagement, which include:
- Learning Support: A majority of pilot participants use this WalkMe solution to access helpful references and policies.
- Validation Messages: This solution is helping users complete critical tasks like properly formatting start and end dates on non-catalog requests.
- Guided Demos: The most frequently used Guided Demos are the SmartMart Exit button and the iProcurement Save Cart.
How WalkMe Solutions Are Answering Common iProcurement Questions
One of the main reasons for piloting the WalkMe software is to provide the university community with an in-application training option to help users efficiently complete their financial transactions. Here are a few ways WalkMe learning solutions are helping users navigate common work processes - watch the demo videos (in full screen mode, no sound) to see some of these WalkMe solutions in action:
- Receive support with submitting a contract request using an action bot on the SmartMart home page (demo video)
- Set up iProcurement preferences, including Deliver-To Location (demo video) and Approvers, quickly and easily
- Get help with deleting a purchase requisition with a Guided Demo, which provides step-by-step instructions for any task
WalkMe Pilot Early Results and Outcomes
Participant feedback is helping the Financial Learning Solutions team to enhance the effectiveness of current WalkMe learning solutions. Early results indicate that in-application training is solving common iProcurement challenges that typically would have resulted in support requests to the Financial Support Center.
There are close to 850 WalkMe pilot participants that were selected for this initial WalkMe pilot based on a diverse set of criteria including iProcurement usage (infrequent to frequent), roles, business unit or school, and years of service with the university. The pilot participants were identified using this criteria over a one-year period during the 2021 calendar year, and updated in March of 2022. Participants include requisition preparers and approvers and usage was defined as completing and submitting an iProcurement purchase requisition that was generated from Amazon Business, SmartMart Catalog Supplier or a non-catalog requisition.
Pilot participants are submitting their feedback through a customized Stanford Services & Support portal form that is accessible only through the WalkMe software within iProcurement. The Financial Learning Solutions team will use pilot participant feedback to provide assistance with the WalkMe application, improve the WalkMe solutions in real-time, and gather input for future WalkMe enhancements.
In July, FMS hosted information sessions for WalkMe pilot participants that included a project overview, a review of pilot participant expectations and a WalkMe software demo.
Currently, FMS can only accommodate a limited number of pilot participants. In the future, there may be an opportunity for additional pilot participants to join. If you would like to be added to a WalkMe pilot participant waitlist, please complete this form.
Resources and Support
- WalkMe Virtual Information Session (July 14, 2022)
- WalkMe Virtual Information Session (July 20, 2022)
- WalkMe Virtual Information Session (July 28, 2022)
- Teaser video showcasing WalkMe learning solutions
If iProcurement usage is not anticipated during or beyond the WalkMe pilot phase, should you participate?
iProcurement usage is required to participate in the pilot in order to provide feedback to the Financial Learning Solutions team. If you don’t anticipate using iProcurement during the pilot, please complete and submit the WalkMe pilot participant opt-out form as it will support the Financial Learning Solutions team to identify other potential participants who may be interested. You can also submit the out-out form during the pilot if your iProcurement usage changes and you no longer need to log in to iProcurement.
How does WalkMe Work?
To take advantage of WalkMe’s functionality a web browser extension needs to be installed. The extension enables WalkMe to “read” the iProcurement page you are on and provide in-the-moment training and advice based on what you’re seeing and clicking in iProcurement.
How will the WalkMe software extension be installed?
The WalkMe web browser extension will be automatically installed by Stanford University IT (UIT) using a central administration tool and will only be active when you use Oracle iProcurement. WalkMe will not be active for other websites or applications outside of Oracle iProcurement, and the extension is not installed within the Oracle Financials system and will not affect or impact the Oracle Financials system in any way.
When will the pilot participants start seeing the WalkMe solution in iProcurement?
Pilot participants will be able to see the WalkMe solution in iProcurement in early August. We will send a confirmation email to pilot participants when the automated browser extension installation is complete and provide a link to a support request for help if needed.
What are the WalkMe supported browsers?
On Mac computers, WalkMe for iProcurement is only supported by Firefox. On Windows computers, WalkMe for iProcurement is only supported by Firefox and MS Edge. If you do not have administrative rights on your machine, contact your local IT department to download the WalkMe extension (and Firefox if needed).
Will the WalkMe browser extension have access to my data? Are there privacy concerns I should be aware of?
The Financial Learning Solutions team is following University IT privacy standards. No personal identifying information is being captured or stored by WalkMe. University IT has also worked with the Financial Learning Solutions team on the implementation to ensure that all WalkMe users are authenticated using their SUNet ID.
What happens at the end of the WalkMe pilot phase? Will I lose my WalkMe access?
Pilot participants will not lose their WalkMe access at the end of the pilot. Toward the end of the pilot, the project team will provide instruction on how to continue to provide your feedback on WalkMe.
