At the tail end of 2011, Irish retail group
Musgrave Group , which manages 670 stores including Budgens and Mace, opted for the accessplanit
Course Manager Software to support in-store training of employees.
The retail group wanted greater control over which training programmes were becoming oversubscribed and wanted to hand booking control back to their employees with online course booking software . Now, six months down the track accessplanit has had a chance to talk with Musgrave about the impact that Course Manager software has had on the business…
“…it is saving us about 40% in processing time. We expect it to save us more time going forward…”
The facts:
Company: Musgrave Group – include retailers like Budgens, Mace and Londis
Number of users: Around 650 store managers
Courses run per year (on average): This year approximately 85 courses nationally
The Q n A:
AP: We’ve been happily working with you for more than six months now, and all is going well. So, what were the key reasons and drivers for opting for the new training management system ?
MG: Well, our system was far too manual and our methods of reporting were far too manual as well. The time it was taking to organise and process bookings was an inefficient use of all the members of training team time.
AP: Before we came along with Course Manager, how were you administrating your courses and operations?
MG: We were using an old system called Proclarity combined with excel spreadsheets.
AP: How rigorous was the process for selecting a new system?
MG: Very. We started online, and also worked with our IT colleagues. We came across accessplanit webpage via an internet search and went from there.
AP: Why did you select Course Manager? What features of our software particularly appealed to you?
MG: We wanted an off the shelf product and Course Manager was the closest fit to our needs within budget. It also allowed us to make modifications to the system which suit our business model i.e. dealing with over 650 retailers.
AP: Was there anything about the company that you specifically liked?
MG: We were very impressed with our initial meetings with Andrew Flook and his understanding, from the start, of our business model. The flexible approach was also key, and accessplanit was willing to make changes to Course Manager software to enable it to operate more efficiently.
AP: How have you found the service so far, including the training?
MG: The service so far in terms of the rollout of Course Manager has been excellent including the follow up support we received from the support team. Without that support it would have been difficult to really find the value in the new software.
AP: Saving money through streamlining processes is still incredibly important. What benefits, particularly in terms saving and efficiencies, does Course Manager bring to your business? Are they easy to quantify?
MG: To start it is saving us about 40% in processing time. We expect it to save us more time going forward once we improve our own processes here in Musgrave Group. Overall, we are extremely happy with the service we have received to date from accessplanit.
Find out how the course booking software and other feature of the accessplanit training management system can support your training business in the same way it has for the Musgrave Group. Call the team on 0845 543 0229 or email enquiries@accessplanit.com today to arrange a demo.