Get to know Matt Volpato, one’s of Arribatec’s trainers
Companies too often spend vast sums on their business software but continue to undervalue the importance of training. However, our team in The Arribatec Training Centre (ATC) are absolutely committed to it. They are self-confessed training geeks. You can build you a modern, complex ERP system with clever config and efficient processes, but it’s all for nothing if people don’t know how to use it. That’s where Matt Volpato comes in to the question.
Matt is Arribatec’s Senior Application and Training Consultant, and we sat down with him this week to get to know more about him, his training philosophy, and a few keys things he thinks every Unit4 user needs to know.
Who are you, what do you do, and how long have you been working with Arribatec?
I’m Matt Volpato, I am one of a few training consultants here at Arribatec where I have worked since Nov 2022. I am a geek and hope to one day to be bestowed the title of nerd.
How much impact can good Unit4 training have on a company?
Lots! Next question…
Oh…you want more?
I have met many people whose only training experience has been ‘onboarding’ where they shadowed their colleague (who may have left!). That new user will then pick up all their bad/unnecessary habits and may not even know why they are performing certain actions…which makes it difficult for them to adapt when things don’t go to plan.
If you want your users to feel confident about using a system and be able to work with efficiency and accuracy, training (at the level appropriate to the task) is absolutely essential. Otherwise you will have to throw time (which = money!) at questions and issues that could otherwise be answered or dealt with…or avoide
If Unit4 ERP had a ‘hidden superpower,’ what would it be, and why do most people miss it?
The fundamental setup of Unit4 ERP (attributes & relations, accounts & account rules) is very simple and logical. I don’t think people understand how basic it is because they only know about the actions that are involved in their specific job…they never learn how the system is fundamentally built. Once you understand the basics, you can apply that knowledge to so many areas of the system. Also…you can report on anything.
What’s the funniest or most common Unit4 misconception you hear in training, and what’s the boring truth?
People often seem to think that Desktop and Web are entirely different systems and that data or actions performed on one will need to be repeated in the other. In fact, there is no data in either of them – they both are just GUIs (Graphic User Interfaces) that connect to the same database in the background. Running a Desktop Browser GL report fetches data from exactly the same database tables as running a Web Information Browser GL report.
I would tell you which tables those are, but I think this answer is already sexy enough.
If Unit4 ERP were a video game, what are the first 3 ‘powerups’ users should get to become power users? And what’s the final boss they need to defeat?”
‘Core Concepts’ followed by ‘Accounts & Account Rules’ – essential for anyone with a ‘functional’ role (finance, hr, budget, procurement).
‘Information Browsers’ would be the third so that you can report on the data in the system.
The final boss would be anything custom or SQL related – knowing how to manipulate and interrogate the system and create your own custom views and reporting objects is super useful.
*dons sales cap* Arribatec’s Web Screen Configurator is the absolute gold standard when it comes to manipulating the system…it potentially solves so many issues and requirements that organisations as a whole (and users specifically) have.
What’s your favourite 2-minute fix or tip that can save a lot of time?
Generally: Shift+scroll wheel allows you to scroll horizontally – useful for wide reports or tabled screens. Use Windows+V for pasting to activate your clipboard manager (copy 5 things in a row then paste them later on…brill).
Specifically in Unit4 ERP: Setting up custom report export templates is great – so easy to do (with admin assistance) and removes the need for repetitive post-report formatting. Also, just setting up report templates in general and having those as your starting point rather than the object itself…start with the filters and result columns you want so you don’t have to add them every time.
Remember to add screens to your Favourites and use Recently Used to open screens…obvs!
For the System Admin folks, keep and store all your useful SQL commands somewhere handy…referenceable knowledge is key and saves oodles of time. Use AI for logic-based requirements (apps and coding) but not for life advice. 😉
NB: Just in case…Hail to our inevitable AI overlords.
Tell us a Unit4 ‘before-and-after’ story: what was the learner struggling with, and what clicked after training?
I don’t have a specific one, but I have been training a lot of Reporting, API and Extension Kit workshops recently and these very often result in an “OMG I see what I can do with this!” moment. Same goes for Web Screen Configurator. The realisation of the possibilities available when they understand those kinds of topics is great to see. (Rearrange those words to make a coherent sentence! 😂)
I love those ‘toolkit’ sessions as there are always discussions and challenging examples. Nothing gets me more engaged in training than when someone says ‘So, could it…’ or ‘So, how would you…’.
The trainees abuse my pathological desire to problem-solve by throwing hypothetical scenarios at me…I love it!
To learn more about Matt and the whole Arribatec Training Centre team, click here.
