It should come as no surprise that the fashion industry is at the forefront when it comes to integrating technology into business – fashion relies on being extremely responsive and reacting to new levels of demand, and technology offers complete support in this arena.

That’s why I was interested, but not shocked, to read about the latest venture by Debenhams. The retailer has launched a range of virtual pop-up shops across the UK, and those interested just turn up, download an app to their iPad or iPhone, and virtually ‘try on’ dresses, without the usual handbag throwing and elbow flying normally associated with these type of must-attend events. What is more, you can even send out the virtual image of yourself in the new dress on social media sites like Twitter and Facebook to get a quick assessment from followers and friends.

For me, this has to be the future of training. Utilising all of the various training platforms to bring people together into a virtual classroom where experiences and knowledge can be shared around. All trainers know the importance of sharing and communicating (these are probably the reasons that many find it so hard to loosen the shackles of classroom-based learning), and via social networking sites this is made quick and simple.

Forget week-long training programmes, this is modern day learning, where delegates can get bite-sized portions of information as and when they need it, without being tied to a certain time or date. An effective training management system will allow trainers to offer learning in this way, the only barrier to developing this approach seems to be the training companies themselves.

But change is happening, you only need to see our tweets and news posts to see how many training companies that we work with are building their client base and reaching out to a wider audience with the latest innovative products and services. Take Course Manager for instance, it allows training businesses to completely automate the work that they carry out on a day-to-day basis, from the marketing of their programmes to generating the invoices and ‘happy sheets’ at the end of a course. Time, as with any industry is so precious, and it is crucial that companies continue to shift their training programmes from off-line to on-line in an effort to boost engagement with a busy workforce.

Debenhams may well be operating in an IT-savvy industry, but it is still delivering a product or service to human beings, just as training is. The difference is that there is a far wider acceptance and excitement around IT-based interaction within fashion, but as more and more businesses demand the type of development programmes that allow individuals to fit learning into their busy schedules, it is up to the training providers themselves to satisfy this trend, or else lose the business. 

You can get in touch with accessplanit and hear more about the Course Manager software that it has developed. Either call 0845 5430229 or email enquiries@accessplanit.com if you want to read testimonials from current clients or set up a demo to see just how much of an impact the software can have.

Following the death of Steve Jobs, the war for smartphone custom took a respectful and well-earned break from its assault onto global markets. However, the battle is back on, and with news this week emerging that Samsung has managed to pull ahead of Apple in sale numbers, shows that there is no time to waste.

The question is, what can these businesses do to stay ahead of the pack, especially coming into the crucial festive period? Well, interestingly there is a clear link here to online training, because Chinese telecommunications company Huawei (which is developing its new smartphone as we speak) is investing time and effort, as part of its sale strategy, in training up its customer service staff so that they have a sound knowledge of the product and its functionality. As we all know, we don’t just buy a product, we buy into the brand and all that goes along with that brand, so if a business can assure customers of great after-sale service with highly trained and knowledgeable agents, the value of the product is bumped up significantly.

So, how can manufacturers install this level understanding into the staff out on the front line? Well, this isn’t necessarily a new concept, some manufacturers have gone to great lengths to design training programmes that develop understanding of their products, simply because it allows them to sell their inventions and new creations on a different level.

It makes sense. The creator of Wow Stuff! toys has a similar approach, though he only allows his own trained staff to sell his products in stores during the festive period, because this is the way he knows he can maximise sales and ensure that no custom is lost.

For manufacturers that don’t have the resource to go to such extremes, e-learning programmes hold the key. They can be easily accessed (even on smartphones or when at home), individuals can take ownership and responsibility of when they carry out the training, and for both these reasons it can be a really effective way of developing skills and knowledge of a certain product or service.

The training management system software is available to design bespoke training programmes, without the need for programming or design skills.  How powerful could it be to develop a product and then translate the uniqueness of that product throughout the business, from the boardroom to the lab, and from the marketing team to the sales staff?

For the smartphone sales battle, it would seem that training and development is an option that could generate significant results, and when you consider just how simple it is to develop the training programme and to then share it with staff – why aren’t more companies taking this approach?

If you want to hear more about the accessplanit Composica e-learning authoring tool, just get in touch with the team on 0845 543 0229 or email enquiries@accessplanit.com.  

In a world where everything is 24 hours, from the news to food shopping and from sport to entertainment, I often wonder why more businesses aren’t prepared to take the leap and be open for every single second of the year.

Then it dawns on me, we all have personal lives and perhaps like to have some sort of boundary between the working hours and the non-working ones. It’s no great surprise, and I’m not unearthing any great news when I say that the biggest influencer over this 24 hour culture is technology, it has made it possible and safe to do many more things at any time of the day, regardless of where in the world you are and which timezone you find yourself in – and to this extent, businesses are not too shy at coming forward. Because, if technology allows you to get a happy balance between being a 24 hour business, while not actually being sat in front of a computer or behind a desk for the entire time, most people would be content, right?

I heard a story recently about a local theatre that was struggling to cope, it urgently needed modernisation and needed to attract a new crowd. Its future was grim. Today, in a very short space of time, the theatre has managed to turn things around, and it’s because of the way it has embraced the digital world. Theatres are traditional businesses, and probably not the first to jump onto the latest technological advances to help them find success, but this one tweaked the way it operated and addressed the fact that it spent so much money on admin staff who sat around for hours on end waiting and hoping for a busy period. It rarely came.

Instead, the business (it’s OK to call a theatre a business, they are not there purely to entertain, they need to be effective and successful too) integrated an online booking system and allowed visitors to book at any time of the day they wanted.

In other words, they tapped into the 24 hour audience, and it saved their lives. This is a theatre that recognised that the best way for its staff to build the business back up is not by sitting around and waiting to take a booking, it’s by using their creative flare and ensuring that the theatre is producing shows that people want to see. It’s also about channelling that creativity and passion to market the theatre effectively, and a simple and basic system like online booking allowed them to do that.
This is a scenario mirrored in many industries, not least the on that I work in, the training arena.

All too often passionate and dedicated trainers spend their time carrying out administration work and are forced to abandon their post, where they should be developing new training programmes and getting companies and delegates excited about their latest courses. There is training management software that automate every part of the administration aspect and reach out to new customers in the 24-7 world, and in turn allow them the freedom to do what they do best.

The software’s out there, and if any training or course provider would like to demo it to get an idea of what it can do, just click here and let me know.

If you want to hear what other training companies have achieved from using the accessplanit software, which includes online booking and automatic generation of certificates, happy sheets and invoices, just get in touch today by calling 0845 5430229 or email enquiries@accessplanit.com.

Online social networks are proving the perfect space for brand messaging, as marketers shift their strategies and up their ad spend on these social sites. As advertisers harness all the potential that social media can offer, is your training company lacking a little online oomph? 

The entertainment and food and drink sectors seem particularly keen to tap this online resource as they are now buying the bulk of adverts on Facebook. In fact, the volume of ad impressions bought by companies in these sectors (as well as in the beauty, automotive and games industries) has risen by around 117% during 2011, according to TBG Digital in a Financial Times report this week. It just goes to show how valuable these online resources have become to brands and how social networking has emerged as an important business tool. 

Interestingly, brand advertisers spend a great deal of money on communicating with the public via Facebook because they claim people are in a relaxed frame of mind when using this site. If they’re relaxed, it’s more likely they’ll be receptive to the brand messages. In addition, ads can be carefully targeted so they reach the desired audience at the desired time.

Social networking sites have become a hugely popular channel of communication, with many people checking for updates daily – if not hourly. Also, unlike an email or phone call – it’s an easier, less intrusive way to communicate with people outside of business hours such as weekends and evenings. This increased scope of communication makes social networking the stuff of dreams for any marketing team. Having access to your community and engaging with them at these times, on a more informal level, can help increase uptake of an idea, campaign or product. 

In a similar way, online booking systems could prove incredibly beneficial when it comes to maximising sales potential of training courses and other development programmes. With an online booking system in place, customers can sign up for an event whenever and wherever they are – whether that’s at the weekend or in the middle of the night! 

In short, businesses from a whole range of industries are starting to fully appreciate the increased accessibility and communication opportunities offered by social media. Moreover, they’re acknowledging this by significantly bumping up their ad spend in these areas. The training industry should take note of these shifts in strategy and look to online potential to boost their own engagement levels. 

Most of us are online every single day – it’s a familiar landscape, it’s comfortable and convenient. If training companies fail to make the most of online systems they could really be losing out on a vast and captive potential audience. 

If you think the option of online booking could boost attendances of training programmes that you run, or would just like to test a demo of the accessplanit Course Manager software, get in touch with the team today on 0845 5430229 or email enquiries@ accessplanit.com.

Since when does Blackberry messenger and email service going down make headline news? Well, now it would seem, because yesterday (Monday) when Blackberry’s functions took a well-earned break there was sudden and widespread uproar. You know when something carries weight in the news because it comes at you from all angles, and yesterday the news wires were alive with the news that people across the world were, for a very short period (in the grand scheme of things, anyway), disconnected.

Technology has re-shaped the way we communicate, work and function, and when it’s pulled away for a brief moment you get to see just how attached people are to this way of living. It should be a wake-up call for any business that does is not using technology to reach out to new customers and engage with existing ones.

And the reason this is such a massive story, is because people like to be connected - when it comes to work, they need to be connected. Put simply, in the digital and tech-savvy world we live in, it doesn’t take too long for people to become completely reliant on hand-held devices and technological advances.

The interesting part is that those people who probably never thought they would need to be so connected to the world, were the ones that screamed the loudest when the systems went down.

We should know. We devote a great deal of time developing the training management system of our own to help training companies and course providers move out of the administration heavy world of training and providing learning, and into the actual provision of learning – after all, that’s what you’re best at doing.

But if the Blackberry fiasco highlights anything, it’s that people like to be connected via their mobile phone, and this is part of the reason the developers at accessplanit build an SMS text messaging functionality into the Course Manager software – because getting hold of an attendee at the last minute to notify of something to bring along to the training programme, or to let delegates know of a last minute change of venue address, there is no better way to stay in touch. That is, when they’re working…

Get in touch with the team at accessplanit today to discuss how its training management software could automate the different areas of your training business. For a demo, email enquiries@accessplanit.com or call 0845 5430229.

We’re pleased to report a recent new hire here at accessplanit – a brilliant new software developer who’ll be joining our team in the coming weeks.  What’s interesting about this particular new recruit is that we found him via social networking site Twitter.

Obviously recruitment through online methods is not a new revelation, recruiters and job hunters have been using websites and online job boards for years. However, social media is increasingly playing a role in how companies recruit their staff. So, as recruitment teams tap social networking for increased exposure and success, shouldn’t other industries follow suit and embrace all that online systems have to offer?

When you think about it, it makes perfect sense. Social networking platforms such as Twitter and Facebook are ideal channels as they’re a more personable and immediate ways to connect with a mass audience. With Twitter, you have a ready-made, actively engaged pool of people at your fingertips. Presumably, if someone has chosen to follow your organisation or brand, they already have a healthy interest in what you have to say. They also have their own online circles through which to spread your message.

Social networking channels can also promote a more approachable, human side to an organisation. Regular tweets and updates from a brand or company can really reveal a personality behind the business face and give prospective employees a sense of the working culture. Once technology was seen as impersonal and to be avoided where possible, today it’s not only so convenient and effective, it also has lost the impersonal tag and become wholly accepted in society. In the corporate world, an avid online follower may have a clearer idea of the company’s ethos and therefore a stronger sense of whether they’d fit well with the organisation.  

Access is immediate and wide reaching with online platforms, so you can connect with people wherever they are and engage in a relatively informal two-way dialogue. This element of instant interaction also makes social networks a positive and speedy recruitment tool, not to mention a responsive tool for trainers who need to get in touch with delegates to update them on a last minute venue change or ‘don’t forget to bring’-type note.

As our recent hire shows, people are keen to engage with organisations online and will subsequently base large, life-changing decisions on this initial interaction. 

We are huge advocates of harnessing the power and flexibility of online systems. We feel many organisations limit themselves by not fully embracing all that these systems have to offer. Take the training industry for example - many organisations could massively increase their scope of communication through training management systems. By using an online management system, they could save time and money by streamlining the processes of selling, administering and managing training courses and events.  

Try out the accessplanit Training Administration Software by ordering a demo with one of the team, just take a look at the impact it could have on your business. Call the team on 0845 000 or email enquiries@accessplanit.com

For a business that relies on cutting edge technology to ensure that we stay ahead of the game and front of mind for our clients, it would be impossible not to mention the passing of Steve Jobs this week. He captained the team that actually changed the way we communicate; such is the power of technology today.

If the digital age had to have a central midfield maestro, the one brand that pushes industry forward and keeps the general public eager for more, it would have to be Apple. Research this week has shown that Apple, buoyed by iPad and iPhone success, is now among the top ten brands in the world, competing with the likes of McDonalds, Coca-Cola, and Disney. Today, it’s the eight most valuable brand in the world.

And, when you consider that the power and success of a brand is usually down to human behaviour, what does Apple’s assault on the international markets say about us? Clearly, it says that there is a hunger, and an appetite for digital – and there needs to be a knee-jerk reaction to this from business.

Developing and adapting out training management system each day, I work with technology and all things digital all the time, but sometimes it’s shocking to find out that businesses, particularly within the training world, have not accepted the migration by consumers onto digital platforms. You only have to look at the news this week to see how important it is for course providers to tap into the digital age – the Open University recorded 300 million downloads of lectures per year from iTunes.

Apple’s rapid growth is not just about its fantastic brand, it’s also about satisfying a need, which is focused on the fact that people want to learn, communicate and work online. Digital platforms are no longer the scary impersonal places that they once were – today they are the norm, and although the training and course providers that we work with have recognised that, there are still plenty that haven’t.

A poll that we conducted on Linkedin earlier this year showed that any training business embracing the likes of learning management systems (LMS), online booking and email marketing as a way to manage training and win new clients, is part of an elite club. It’s not the norm yet, even though there is so much potential. 

Try out a demo on our training management software  with accessplanit and see how digital platforms can transform the performance of course providing businesses and trainers, just give us a call on 0845 5430 229 or email enquiries@accessplanit.com.