Protégé Embraces E-commerce
Overview
Protégé Management Limited designs and delivers training courses that help small businesses and third sector organisations to grow by winning contracts from the Public Sector. Protégé has improved the speed and efficiency of the service offered to customers by developing a solution to market the training courses using email and a dedicated web site. Delegates can now view courses, book places, and pay online. The implementation of this e-commerce solution has reduced the costs of marketing and improved business cashflow.
Objectives
Protégé Management had a requirement to promote its training courses to customers in specific geographic regions. Courses are often run in conjunction with Local Authorities so it is crucial that only those people eligible to attend would be targeted.
There was also a requirement to allow customers to book themselves onto a course without costly and time consuming involvement from office staff. It was vital that Protégé Management had the ability to take bookings online to avoid losing valuable business opportunities and to improve business processes.
Protégé Management required a web site that would allow customers to view available workshops and to book & pay securely online, 24 hours a day 7 days a week.
Protégé identifies new locations for training on a daily basis. They needed to have the ability to add new courses and dates without the cost and inconvenience of involving a web designer.
Solution
A web site was developed for Protégé by Hampshire Web developers: RedLeaf. The site allows interaction (and payment) from customers. Protx was selected as the secure payment partner - they offer a low cost solution with no compromises on security or features. Protégé can now accept all major credit cards.
John Carratt of RedLeaf said "customers increasingly expect to be able to complete transactions online. Protégé’s system allows the customer who finds out about an interesting course to instantly book themselves in, and receive instant confirmation of their booking. It provides a seamless experience for customers and a business management tool for Protégé."
The system allows non technical Protégé staff to log in and manage the web site from any location without the need for software. They can update course information, dates and availability. The system automatically manages the number of workshop places and prevents any overbooking. Protégé staff also have access to detailed statistics about usage of the web site, including which search engines have generated traffic to the site.
Protégé Management sends regular newsletters to an increasing number of opt-in subscribers. "Email marketing is a powerful tool that can bring quick results. However there are pitfalls and RedLeaf enabled us to use email marketing effectively and responsibly." said Protégé Management Managing Director Paul Cooper.
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