Altro
Background
ISC has successfully completed a training project with Altro based in Letchworth.
Altro is a world leading manufacturer and supplier of interior surfaces, founded in the UK in 1919.
Requirement
Mobile computing equipment, Office and Mail systems for 60 field sales representatives.
Altro wanted to equip their sales force with PDA’s - their vision was to increase mobility and communication throughout the organisation.
Working with ISC they evaluated several options and decided on an HP PDA, at the time this was the only device on the market that had a useable keyboard and reasonable size screen. HP is also considered a best of breed manufacturer.
Summary of Solution
- Half day training course
- Rollout of new PDA and mobile accessories
- Device set-up and familiarisation
- Bespoke training reference manual
- RAS training via laptop & mobile phone modem
- Connectivity to network, printer & local portable printer
- Q&A session
- Temporary user Helpdesk
Solution
The biggest challenge was cascading the product at the right time. Training was key, staff could not use the productivity tool until they understood how to manage and use it effectively.
ISC and Altro investigated options for implementation and decided rather than adopting a “big bang” approach to equipping the Sales Force with the new computers; training would lead the deployment project.
ISC organised and conducted tailored training courses on a regional basis. Half-day sessions were held in Letchworth, Lowestoft, Pontefract, Glasgow, Stafford and Bristol accommodating up to eight delegates per session.
On the training day each member of staff were presented with their new PDA. This was then used throughout the training, ensuring the learning environment was as close as possible to using the system in the field.
To facilitate a complete understanding of how the PDA should be used the following areas were included on the course:
- Understanding the equipment
- Using the stylus and the keyboard
- Working within Windows CE Desktop
- Battery power management
- Sending and receiving electronic mail and creating and editing appointments with Pocket Outlook
- Connecting the PDA to the telephone network to exchange email messages and update diaries
To supplement the training ISC wrote a tailored reference manual for Altro. This document was then provided to each delegate giving him or her step-by-step graphical instructions on all of the topics covered on the course.
Within a three week period over fifty salespeople were fully trained and possessed the skills to increase their personal efficiency and communication within their job roles.
Help Desk
To ensure the project continued successfully ISC also provided for 9 months after live date a user helpdesk for the sales people to call if they required assistance with their PDAs.
