Challenge: Slow, Manual, and Hard to Scale
Before digitalizing their onboarding, MERKUR’s L&D team faced challenges common in retail:
- Manual paperwork and scattered training materials
- In-person onboarding sessions required across multiple locations
- Delays caused by scheduling, HR workload, and inconsistent delivery
- Difficulty tracking who completed which training
- Long onboarding cycles–up to six months for a full retail workforce rollout
As Robert Rajterič, Head of Merkurjeva Akademija Znanja, explained during the webinar:
“Onboarding used to take months. We needed a system that would help people start faster, not wait for the next training cycle.”
This was the turning point.
The Transformation: Digital, Automated, and Scalable
MERKUR introduced two connected systems:
- 1. Gecko HRM – HR & employee data automation: Used to register new employees, trigger tasks, and synchronize employee details.
- 2. Smart Arena – Learning management & training delivery: Used to assign onboarding paths, digital courses, and track completion at scale. Together, they created an end-to-end onboarding experience that eliminated manual steps.
From Six-Month Cycles to Minutes
Thanks to this integration, MERKUR shifted from slow onboarding cycles to instant, automated workflows.
- ✔️ Training materials converted into digital formats: Safety instructions, compliance modules, and role-based knowledge were turned into short, accessible e-learning modules.
- ✔️ Automated learning paths: A new employee is assigned the correct courses automatically based on their position.
- ✔️ Real-time progress tracking: Managers can see exactly who completed what and where support is needed.
- ✔️ No more manual reportin: HR receives automated insights without spreadsheets or follow-ups.
“Result: New employees can now begin training from day one–no waiting for group sessions or manual onboarding steps.”
🤝 Gecko HRM + Smart Arena: A Unified Onboarding System
The power of this approach is in the integration:
- A new employee is created in Gecko HRM
- The system immediately triggers onboarding tasks
- Smart Arena assigns all required courses
- All training data flows back into HR records
This ensures:
- ✨ Consistent onboarding across all stores
- ✨ No missed compliance requirements
- ✨ Smooth collaboration between HR, managers, and store teams
- ✨ Scalable training even during peak hiring seasons
What used to require weeks of manual coordination now happens in minutes.
