First Intuition Bristol

First Intuition Bristol has been working with accessplanit for five years and is a fantastic example of how our training management software can help training providers get more organized and grow their success. 

“It has allowed us to grow as much as we have as a business. So many of our processes are built around accessplanit, every single member of staff who works here uses it.” 

Alison Goldhawk | Operations Manager, First Intuition Bristol

We spoke with Alison Goldhawk, Operations Manager at First Intuition Bristol, to find out about what they offer and how they utilise accessplanit within their training management.  

About First Intuition Bristol

First Intuition is an education provider with a number of training centres across the country. They have one universal website, teach from the same course material and function as a shared network, but each centre runs independently as a limited company. Each has its own unique challenges to face, and a few of them use accessplanit to help tackle them. 

One of these is First Intuition Bristol. They offer further education services for a range of delegates in Bristol, mainly focused on different packages of accountancy training. Their main offering is in-person classes at their dedicated study centre in the city, but they also offer packages that include live online sessions and online self-directed study.

They manage a lot of the same courses that are broken down by different qualifications, so there is a complex range of training needs to accommodate. 

There are around 1,200 active delegates on their accessplanit platform. Between 400-500 of them are doing an apprenticeship, with a similar number of commercial students. The rest are self-studied.  

These numbers indicate great success for the Bristol training centre but also highlight the need for a central platform to manage all these delegates and various training courses.  

The challenge

"We quickly saw a lot of growth and needed to switch to some sort of actual system which wasn’t a spreadsheet, which is by no means feasible for this type of business."

Alison Goldhawk | Operations Manager, First Intuition Bristol

Alison has been working at First Intuition Bristol for six years, so knows from first-hand experience the necessity for a powerful system to manage their large number of delegates, courses and training material, and the problems that occur without one.

She explained that before accessplanit, they used a spreadsheet to manage their operations. “It was very tedious and difficult. We lacked any information regarding clients and students. We quickly saw a lot of growth and needed to switch to some sort of actual system which wasn’t a spreadsheet, which is by no means feasible for this type of business.”  

This sudden growth came about due to changes to apprenticeship schemes introduced by the government, just a few months after Alison started working at First Intuition Bristol. This changed who could offer apprenticeships, the qualifications available and who had access to them, causing a flux in interest.  

“We were forecasting the growth and knew that we needed something to manage the growth,” Alison said. The need to accommodate this was especially pertinent because First Intuition Bristol knows their students on a personal level: “We treat our students like people, not like numbers.”  

Comparing their spreadsheet system to now using accessplanit, Alison explained: “Using a spreadsheet, you can’t at the click of a button open someone’s profile, find their address, phone number, see which exams they’ve sat and passed, see what courses they’ve got upcoming, read notes about them.”  

They needed a training management system which gave them the ability to manage delegates, clients and courses all in one place so they could continue to grow with the trends of the industry.  

The accessplanit solution 

“That flexibility isn’t something you get from lots of places. So often it’s just a package deal – it comes in a box and you have to make do."

Alison Goldhawk | Operations Manager, First Intuition Bristol

When First Intuition Bristol realised they needed a new system to accommodate their rapid growth, their search for software began. Alison was involved in the procurement process.  

When looking for a solution, they looked to the other First Intuition training centres for guidance. One of them was already using accessplanit, and after seeing how much it had helped them, it was clear that the same benefits could be felt by First Intuition Bristol.  

Implementation 

After deciding that accessplanit was the best choice, it was time to implement the software, including data migration and platform training with support from accessplanit’s dedicated implementation team.

“The support we had from accessplanit was great, we had so many regular catchups and had documentation that literally talked us through it,” said Alison, who was closely involved with implementation.  

The thorough accessplanit proven process allowed her to quickly pick up knowledge about the software: “I’m glad I was involved in the implementation because now actually using it day-to-day, I’ve got a great understanding of how the system works or why something isn’t quite working. That was hugely beneficial.”

Key features

Some of the main features of the platform that First Intuition Bristol uses to streamline their training management are: 

Accounts 

One of the main reasons First Intuition Bristol opted for accessplanit over other training management software providers was because it allowed them to showcase their USP. accessplanit's training management software uses account groups which simplifies the organisation of delegates. Each learner has their own portal where they can manage their courses and a profile which admins can access.  

This makes it easy to view the details of each delegate and keep track of their progress, something very important to the highly personal service that First Intuition Bristol offers.

“We liked that it gave us the opportunity to really know, and have at our fingertips, information about every single individual student. It was important for us to show clients that we know the story of each of their students and this was an opportunity to showcase that. I honestly think without accessplanit, it would have been difficult to create that story for each delegate.” says Alison.  

She added that the helpful ability to add notes to user profiles is key to this. “Tutors give feedback on how their class has done and that goes into the notes. It’s a great way to keep track.” 

“It was important for us to show clients that we know the story of each of their students and this was an opportunity to showcase that. I honestly think without accessplanit, it would have been difficult to create that story for each delegate.”

Alison Goldhawk | Operations Manager, First Intuition Bristol

Reports 

One of the optional modules that First Intuition Bristol opted for was the Report Writer module, which allows them to build powerful custom reports from data in the platform. These provide real-time, in-depth business insights.  

Reports are then sent out to clients automatically with no extra admin, supporting First Intuition Bristol’s tailored approach to customer service.  

“So much real, raw data goes to our clients every single month. All the hard work is done. Being able to have them sent however often you want means stuff like that is happening in the background.” 

Alison also highlighted the practicality of being able to duplicate a report, meaning that whenever a new one is needed, it’s a quick process with no need to start from scratch.  

Workflows 

Reports aren’t the only things that are automated on the First Intuition Bristol accessplanit platform. They also have other workflows set up to automate various day-to-day tasks, such as sending course joining instructions to students when they sign up and flagging up when a tutor has marked a student absent. This enables First Intuition Bristol staff to check on the student and improve their personal approach.  

“That is such a time saver and reduces the manual processes that are needed,” Alison said. This ensures that nothing falls through the cracks, reducing human error.

Document templates 

To streamline this automation process, First Intuition Bristol enjoys being able to store document templates in the platform for things such as certificates and registration forms.  

Document templates can be generated automatically. They pull live data from the accessplanit platform using merge fields.  

Alison said, “We set up document templates that have merge fields which work really great, so we can select what we want. We can export data when we need it into a really nice PDF format for a student.” 

These can then be attached to a workflow so that they send to the right person at the right time, boosting customer satisfaction.  

Course management

With so many ongoing courses, it’s vital for First Intuition Bristol to have effective course management. Using accessplanit’s course template functionality, they can easily replicate courses and their most important information, and schedule them in bulk for the future.

First Intuition Bristol uses this feature to set up courses years in advance, meaning everything runs smoothly with a reduced admin workload.  

DataGrids 

Alison also named DataGrids as one of the most useful features of accessplanit’s training management system. “All of the information is very accessible as it’s all in one place,” she said.  

You configure DataGrids to include only the columns that are most important to your training company, making it easy for admins to obtain the information they need at a glance.  

Filters 

Alison highlighted that the ability to filter information for DataGrids has been very useful for First Intuition Bristol’s day-to-day operations.

Whenever she builds a filter which she thinks will be useful for one of her colleagues, she is able to instantly share it with them. “Without that duplication of work, a simple thing like that is really helpful.”  

Another simple but effective functionality which Alison regularly uses is the ability to unclick all filters. “When you’ve got all these filters applied, being able to start afresh is amazing.” 

Custom fields 

Within the accessplanit platform, you can filter DataGrids using custom fields that are set up to match your business processes. You have complete control over what custom fields are called and where they are used.  

First Intuition Bristol utilises this often: “I really love the ability for the custom fields. We can design how we want it, where we want it, why we’re going to use it, and that has been amazing. We added one just a few months ago – so even now we’re finding places where it is really useful.”  

Alison continued: “That flexibility isn’t something you get from lots of places. So often it’s just a package deal – it comes in a box and you have to make do. Custom fields are often the solution to a problem if you come across one.”  

Dashboards 

Another configurable feature of accessplanit is personalised dashboards. Alison explained how different users within the system have different dashboards depending on their needs, which is convenient for instantly accessing the most essential information for their role and keeping track of to-dos. 

Support 

"Support is fantastic. They are always so quick to respond which is really helpful and they always go into good detail."

Alison Goldhawk | Operations Manager, First Intuition Bristol

Alison also highlighted her appreciation of the support team at accessplanit, which helps to keep the business running smoothly at all times.  

“Support is fantastic. They are always so quick to respond which is really helpful and they always go into good detail. They have a really good way of explaining it which makes sense so you’re not constantly going back and forth, trying to figure out what each other means.” 

“I think it’s quite rare to have that level of support, so readily available.” she continued. “Other places, you can send off an email or a flag and you might not hear back for days or weeks, and in the meantime, you have to carry on regardless of the issue."

"I think the timeliness of responses is fantastic. The quicker things get resolved, the quicker we can carry on.” 

Alison mentioned that she doesn’t always have to contact the support team, thanks to the detailed guides that are available for our customers navigating the platform. “I utilise that quite a lot to figure something out, I like to see if I can fix it myself and often it’s just something I’ve forgotten. Having that there is fantastic.” 

The results

"It’s saved us time because so many of our previous manual processes are no longer manual, which has enabled us to free up people’s time to utilise in other ways."

Alison Goldhawk | Operations Manager, First Intuition Bristol

We asked Alison about the key impacts she has observed since First Intuition Bristol started using accessplanit's training management software.  

Improved customer service 

One of the key benefits is the ease of accessing all of their delegate information. This greatly increases their ability to manage their delegates and support them on an individual level. 

“It’s that story of being able to look back three months from when a student was on a course to find out that they didn’t attend day three, for example – it’s all in the system, whereas we wouldn’t have ever known that before.”  

Saved time 

With so many processes now automated and information readily available in one platform, First Intuition Bristol has saved time and made their business operations more effective.  

As Alison explained, “It’s saved us time because so many of our previous manual processes are no longer manual, which has enabled us to free up people’s time to utilise in other ways.” 

Without repetitive admin tasks, First Intuition Bristol can focus their time (and money) on other areas of the business and continue to improve their product and service. 

Scalability

Switching from spreadsheets to accessplanit allowed First Intuition Bristol to more effectively organise their influx of delegates and scale their business when they experienced heightened demand. This has meant that they have seen real results, instead of being limited by an outdated system. 

Alison said, “It has allowed us to grow as much as we have as a business. So many of our processes are built around accessplanit, every single member of staff who works here uses it.” 

Efficiency 

Alison emphasised that using one singular platform to manage all of First Intuition’s training operations has made the business more efficient, with all members of staff, regardless of their job title, familiar with the software.

With all of their clients, delegates, courses and resources centralised within accessplanit, daily tasks are completed sooner with an improved outlook on business insights.  

“It is involved in every single conversation, regardless of which angle of the business you’re coming from.” she explained. “It’s safe to say that our business essentially centres around accessplanit. It just goes to show that it’s doing exactly what we need and want it to do.” 

Next steps

"It's definitely worth it for what you pay as a package."

Alison Goldhawk | Operations Manager, First Intuition Bristol

So, what does the future hold for First Intuition Bristol? Alison explained that the business is in a good place at the moment, having recently signed some big clients. They are aiming to remain stable, continue their high level of customer service and establish themselves above their competitors.  

Using accessplanit is a key facet to this. “We are constantly using and evolving it. We will continue to develop our use of it as we grow and find new needs.” 

Alison mentioned that she enjoys being kept in the loop about accessplanit's future vision and having her say about the product. “The product suggestion portal is great. We’ve been involved in product suggestions before. The fact that you actually ask for feedback, input, development, changes - and then you actually implement them - is great.” 

Customer events

Alison also regularly attends our customer training webinars to optimise her use of the platform and says she will attend more in the future.

“I think they’re really helpful. I like the mix of ones you pay for as well as ones that are free. They’re not too long, which is good because everyone’s busy. Those opportunities for people to ask questions are really nice.” 

She specifically highlighted the report writer masterclass as something she’d recommend. “It’s definitely worth the money and I would in the future put a new member of staff through it.” 

The takeaway

When asked if she would recommend accessplanit to others, Alison said yes. “In terms of the need to have one system that’s all in one place, if that’s what someone was looking for I would definitely recommend it.” 

She continued: “Being able to have that level of customisation if you need it is really useful. The support and customer service that you get alongside it is great. Keeping people in the loop on where you’re at with development and when things are launching, and training sessions on new features - it’s really good service.” 

“It’s definitely worth it for what you pay as a package.”