Alpha Pro Solutions Moves Training
to Nefsis Web and Video Conferencing

Read full-length story as published in SearchCIO Midmarket

How can you keep your travel budget under control when your business depends on in-classroom training?

Alpha Pro Solutions, Inc., of St. Petersburg, Fla., provides breathalyzers, alcohol-screening devices and Department of Transportation-approved supplies that foster a drug-free workplace. It also delivers training programs to its customers in the use of these products to keep their workplaces drug-free.

Problem: Training is an important competitive advantage in market for drug-free workplace products Travel expenses took a growing bite out of profits

Solution: Nefsis web and video conferencing supports training sessions as online meetings

Business and IT Benefits: Travel expenses drop dramatically Customers receive training without the need to travel or be absent from operations Added value of training sessions over video conference leads to new business opportunities

Alpha Pro spent years conducting onsite classroom training, and has gradually supplemented it with CD-ROM, web and videocamera training.

"Customers rely on us for personal training," explains Tammy Koeppen, chief operating officer of Alpha Pro Solutions.

"We hit a growth spurt a few years ago and started noticing the increasing bite that travel costs were taking out of profits. To strike a balance, we explored ways of conducting training through online meetings and video conferencing, and began working with Nefsis."

A training-intensive business

Alpha Pro learned long ago that it's not enough to sell products for a drug-free workplace and leave customers to figure out the rest on their own. All companies want a drug-free workplace and most require training to make the most of Alpha Pro's products. Alpha Pro has a tremendous competitive advantage in combining products, training and the expertise of their team of highly qualified safety consultants.

Of course, customers set great store by Alpha Pro's training as well - especially in-person sessions in a classroom - but they understand the limitations of both budget and logistics. Some fret about the need for supervisors to be away from operations during training, and about scheduling enough classrooms to accommodate everyone's schedule.

Alpha Pro's objective was clear: Students were traveling to training sessions and trainers were traveling to client sites, so the company had to reduce travel expenses while maintaining its industry-standard, real-time training.

Saving money and getting new business

The implementation of Nefsis video conferencing has allowed Alpha Pro to reduce travel on both sides, effectively eliminating those expenses. Training sessions benefit from the superior, next-best-thing-to-being-there quality of video conferencing. In addition to the current range of full courses, trainers have already begun planning to use Nefsis' web conferencing collaboration tools to deliver product demonstrations, slide deck presentations and more short seminars.

"On the expense-side," concludes Koeppen, "we save both time and money by limiting our trainers' travel. On the revenue-side, we have gained new business by offering training through these online meetings."

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