THE CHALLENGE

Aareon, a European SaaS provider for property management with over 2,500 employees, supports its customers with software that digitizes and automates real estate processes. Through the Aareon Academy, they offer training and resources to help customers get the most out of the software. However, with more than 5,000 users already working in their new ERP system, the need for scalable and effective training to support software adoption quickly became critical.

Their training was mainly delivered through classroom sessions from consultants, either on-site or online. This approach led to inconsistent results, as each consultant brought their own expertise, meaning customers did not always receive the same knowledge foundation.

The consultants who are sent to give the training all have different expertise. So what they were able to cover differed from consultant to consultant.
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– Coen Stellingwerf, L&D specialist & Content Creator at Aareon Academy

At the same time, classroom sessions failed to match the pace of every learner. Some participants would lose interest and disengage, while others struggled to keep up, leading to less motivation, low confidence, and even frustration.

A trainer had to focus on the median speed. The people for whom it was too slow would just go and do something else, and the people for whom it went too fast got confused and angry.
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– Coen Stellingwerf, L&D specialist & Content Creator at Aareon Academy

This directly impacted their software adoption, as users hesitated to work within the ERP system or resorted to workarounds. The result was a growing number of support questions and repeated explanations from consultants, putting increased pressure on the support team without driving consistent progress.

Before turning to FLOWSPARKS, their digital learning approach didn’t address these problems. Existing materials were closer to static e-books, lacked didactic structure, focused on information dumping, and were difficult and time-consuming to keep up to date consistently.

To overcome these challenges, Aareon was looking for a way to provide every customer with a solid foundation, build confidence in using the software, and ensure adoption from the very start.

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THE VISION

The team at Aareon wanted to move beyond traditional training and create learning that effectively supports its software users in their daily work.

The goal was not just to show people how to use the software, but to help them understand what they are doing, why they are doing it, and how it fits within their daily workflow. In doing so, Aareon aimed to build learner confidence and enable users to apply what they learn in practice.

Additionally, they wanted every customer to start from the same strong foundation, ensuring a consistent starting point for every user, and making it easier to continue learning and developing their skills.

Aareon also envisioned e-Learning as part of a broader learning ecosystem through their Academy platform: a central place where customers can easily access training, tutorials, and supporting resources, helping them learn how to use the software and find the right information when needed.

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THE SOLUTION

To create a consistent, well-structured, and scalable learning approach, Aareon introduced digital training as the foundation of its strategy, rolled out using both the FLOWSPARKS Authoring Tool and its flexible Learning Management System.

As a first step, Aareon focused on transforming their ‘basic skills training ’, which is the training customers follow when they start using the software, and that forms the foundation for further learning.

 Replacing classroom training with digital learning

Instead of relying on consultant-led sessions, Aareon transformed its basic skills training into a structured e-Learning. They reworked the learning content and structure into a clear, consistent format that guides users step by step through how to use the software.

This establishes a consistent baseline knowledge for every customer, which means they’re no longer tied to an individual consultant’s approach.

At the same time, replacing classroom sessions with a more scalable digital approach also reduced the time and effort required to deliver their training content, making the entire training process more efficient and easier to maintain.

 Designing training that turns knowledge into practice for every learner

Rather than simply digitizing existing materials, Aareon reworked their training with a clear didactic approach by combining theory, video tutorials and hands-on practice, allowing them to support different learning styles while also making sure customers actively engage with the content.

Using simulations for practice, users can go through realistic scenarios without the risk of making mistakes in the actual environment. This removes hesitation and allows them to build confidence step by step.

The training needs to combine theory with practical situations that users recognize from their daily work. Also, they can practice with the knowledge that whatever they do, they won’t mess anything up in the simulated environment.
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– Coen Stellingwerf, L&D specialist & Content Creator at Aareon Academy

However, the focus is not only on showing users which steps to take, but on helping them understand the process behind those steps. This didactic approach helps customers better retain knowledge and effectively apply everything they learned in practice.

We see a clear shift from just absorbing information to really understanding the why, how, and what behind the software.
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– Aljosja Mollema, L&D specialist & Content Creator at Aareon Academy

 Shaping training through continuous feedback and iteration

Aareon developed its e-Learning step by step, continuously refining it based on feedback.

They started by converting existing materials into an initial version of the new basic skills training. From there, they:

• tested it internally with both new and experienced employees
• refined the content based on feedback
• tested it with selected customers
• incorporated further feedback before rolling it out to customers

Following these steps created a training journey that was aligned with both internal expectations and real user needs.

 Combining digital learning with targeted human support

While the learning itself takes place fully within an e-Learning environment, Aareon adds a layer of personal support where needed.

During the training, support can be provided by an expert who guides the learners, answers their questions, and helps those who need extra support. This means that learners who might otherwise feel unsure or hesitant can now successfully complete the training, even if they have limited digital experience.

We really see that it's not just our e-Learning, but also that personal touch. That really makes a difference.
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– Coen Stellingwerf, L&D specialist & Content Creator at Aareon Academy

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THE IMPACT

With their new approach to training, Aareon has created a more consistent and effective learning experience for their customers, directly supporting software adoption from the start.

This resulted in:

⚡ A consistent foundation of the software for every learner at the start, reducing initial knowledge gaps and frustrations significantly

⚡ Increased user confidence and improved adoption, with customers using the software as intended rather than relying on workarounds

⚡ A more positive learning experience, reducing resistance and increasing engagement

⚡ Less reliance on support and repeated explanations, since users are better prepared from the beginning

As a result, Aareon sees a clear shift in how customers experience both the training and the software itself. Where frustration was previously attributed to the ERP system, it’s now clear that the real issue was a lack of clarity, driven by an ineffective learning approach.

Now, the feedback across customers and internal teams consistently points to a stronger foundation, better adoption, and a more effective training experience overall.

We hardly get any complaints anymore, and people feel much more confident after completing the e-Learning compared to the previous classroom approach.
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– Aljosja Mollema, L&D specialist & Content Creator at Aareon Academy

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