Getting new hires up to speed is tough enough without wrestling with manual admin work. If you’re sick of clicking through dozens of screens to enroll employees in training, you’re not alone. This guide is for folks who want Lessonly to just handle it for them—no more spreadsheet wrangling, no more “Did I forget someone?” panic. We’ll walk through the most reliable, low-pain way to automate course enrollment for new hires, what actually works, and a few things you can skip.
Why Automate Enrollment in Lessonly?
Manual enrollment is slow, error-prone, and frankly boring. When you automate, you:
- Save an hour (or more) a week.
- Cut down on mistakes (no more “Oh, I missed Sarah in IT!”).
- Give new hires a smoother start—no waiting around for access.
The catch? Lessonly (now branded as Seismic Learning, but we’ll stick to Lessonly here) isn’t built for full-blown HR automation out of the box. You’ll need to connect some dots—but it’s doable, and you don’t need to be a developer.
Step 1: Decide How You’ll Trigger Enrollment
Let’s be real: “automation” means different things to different people. The two main routes are:
-
HRIS Integration
If your HR system (like BambooHR, Gusto, or Namely) can push new hire info to other tools, this is the gold standard. Not all HRISes play nice, though. -
CSV Uploads & Email Triggers
Not glamorous, but sometimes faster than waiting for IT to set up integrations. You can automate a lot with a regular spreadsheet export.
Pro tip: If you have IT support or someone who can wrangle APIs, you can go further. But most teams get 90% there with scheduled CSVs or integrations like Zapier.
Step 2: Prep Your Courses and Groups in Lessonly
Before automating, you need a system in Lessonly that makes sense. Otherwise, you’ll automate chaos.
- Create a “New Hire” Group
Make a group just for new employees. This is what you’ll target with automations. - Assign Core Courses to the Group
Bundle all your must-do onboarding courses (security, HR, job-specific stuff) and assign them to the group. - Keep It Simple
Don’t overthink it. Most teams only need 3–5 courses at first.
What to skip: Don’t build separate groups for every department right away unless you’re onboarding 20+ people a week. Start broad, refine later.
Step 3: Automate Adding New Hires to the Right Group
This is the actual “automation” piece. Here’s a breakdown of your options, from most “set and forget” to most hands-on.
Option A: HRIS Integration (If Available)
- Check the Lessonly Integrations Page
See if your HRIS is supported natively. - Connect and Map Fields
Usually it’s email, name, and start date. Make sure you map new hires to the New Hire group. - Test with a Dummy User
Always run a test. Don’t use a real new hire as your guinea pig.
Honest take: Built-in integrations are great when they work. When they don’t, expect some back and forth with support.
Option B: Zapier or Similar Automation Tools
- Set Up a “New Employee” Trigger
In your HRIS, set up a Zap (or equivalent) for “New Employee Added.” - Action: Add User to Lessonly Group
Use the Zapier Lessonly connector, or send a webhook if you’re brave. - Schedule Regular Runs
If you have a batch of hires weekly, you can run it on a schedule.
Watch out: Zapier’s Lessonly support varies. Sometimes it’s just “create user” not “add to group.” You might need a multi-step Zap or a workaround.
Option C: Scheduled CSV Import
- Export New Hires from HRIS
Most HRISes can schedule a daily or weekly CSV export of new users. - Format for Lessonly
Lessonly needs: name, email, and group assignment. Check their CSV template. - Upload to Lessonly
In Lessonly, go to “Users” > “Import” and upload your file.
Pro tip: Automate the export with a shared folder (like Dropbox or Google Drive), then set a calendar reminder for uploads. Not sexy, but reliable.
What to ignore: Don’t bother with elaborate scripts unless you’re onboarding dozens a week or love debugging CSVs at 9pm.
Step 4: Set Up Notifications for New Hires
Enrollment’s great, but if new employees don’t know about it, it’s pointless.
- Check Lessonly’s Welcome Emails
By default, Lessonly can send a welcome email when a user is created. Make sure it’s enabled and the wording makes sense. - Add a Slack or Teams Reminder
Consider a simple Slack message or Teams notification for new hires. You can automate this from your HRIS or manually if you’re small.
Real-world tip: Don’t rely only on automated emails—people miss them, especially on day one. Pair it with a manager checklist or a group reminder.
Step 5: Monitor and Fix Issues Early
Automations break. CSVs get weird. People leave mid-onboarding. Here’s how to keep it from becoming a mess:
- Set a Weekly Audit Reminder
Once a week, check Lessonly for unassigned users or incomplete enrollments. - Spot-check New Hires
Ask a recent hire if they got their training invite. If not, figure out where it broke. - Clean Up Old Users
Deactivate people who leave—otherwise your reporting gets messy, and people get emails they shouldn’t.
Honest take: No automation is 100%. A five-minute weekly check catches 99% of problems before they snowball.
Step 6: Get Feedback and Iterate
Once it’s running, don’t assume it’ll stay perfect forever.
- Ask Managers What’s Working
Did anyone get missed? Did a course not show up? - Tweak the Process
Maybe you need to add a department-specific course. Or drop one that’s not useful. - Document the Steps
Write down how your flow works (even if it’s just a Google Doc). Future you will thank you.
What to Ignore (For Now)
- Custom APIs or Scripting
Unless you have a dev team or love this stuff, stick with built-in options. APIs are powerful but usually overkill. - Overly Granular Permissions
Give new hires the basics. You can always refine later. - “All-in-one” Onboarding Suites
Some vendors will pitch you expensive platforms to “solve onboarding.” Lessonly can handle the basics just fine if you set it up right.
Wrapping Up
Automating new hire enrollment in Lessonly isn’t glamorous, but it beats the alternative. Start with the simplest path (CSV or built-in integration), keep your course list short, and check your work once a week. Most “automation” problems are really process problems—so don’t be afraid to keep things basic until you’ve got more hires (or more time).
If you’re stuck, try one step at a time, and don’t let perfect be the enemy of “done for now.” Iterate as you go, and you’ll spend less time on busywork and more time actually helping your new folks succeed.