Grow Sales And Save Time With A TMS
A training business has several moving parts that need to be managed correctly. You might have heard of Training Management Software (TMS) as a system you could use within your training business. But, do you really understand what a TMS does, and how you could use it in your business? Do you know how a TMS is different from a CRM, LMS or an Event Management System? Do you know that a good TMS can not only keep your training business afloat but, also, help you to grow?
Let’s take a look at why TMSs were created, what problems they solve, and how you could use one in your training business.
Why Training Management Software?
Whether your training business is currently using a TMS or you’ve cobbled together some other conglomerate of software or you’re using paper and pen—you are using a system. The problem in the training industry is that a lot of these systems are often not fit for purpose, inefficient or limit potential growth.
Most training businesses struggle with at least one of the following 3 issues.
1. Too Many Manual Tasks
There are several tasks that without a TMS your administration team or an individual must complete manually. This might involve sending out emails to registrants updating them of a change to their course. It could be actioning registrant requests over the phone, such as transferring to a new date. The worst part is sometimes these activities are not even value-adding, like tidying up all your data across a number of spreadsheets. These administrative tasks take up a lot of time, which could be better used engaging in activities that grow your business.
2. Maintaining A Plethora Of Systems
Training businesses that use many different systems that aren’t integrated, spend a lot of time manually shuffling and reconciling data between their isolated systems. Instead of adopting software built specifically for managing a training business, training businesses have implemented other systems to fill the gap. Event Management Systems, Learning Management Systems, and others lack the tools required to handle course registrations and likely do not integrate with each other. Each of these systems not only has associated time cost but also has a monthly subscription fee too. Your training business might be using systems that could be replaced with a singular TMS. One centralized system, like a TMS, would help you keep your data in one place, reduce manual data cleaning and lower your outgoing expenses.
3. Companies Are Struggling To Grow Online
In the eCommerce world, the training industry seems to lack maturity when compared to online retail giants. To grow your training business, you need business intelligence and data to make informed decisions. Many training companies are lacking this data or can’t access it. Many training websites are unintuitive, making it hard for website visitors to register and pay. They also aren’t Search Engine Optimized and, therefore, aren’t getting the traffic they could be. Furthermore, even with adequate website traffic, training businesses may not have the processes in place to scale their business and keep up with growth. For example, you might not be able to process increased communication if you were to grow your sales.
How Does Training Management Software Help?
Training Management Software is a streamlined version of what you already do on a daily basis. It’s designed to organize the management and delivery of your courses and optimize the commercial aspects of your training business. TMSs help you say goodbye to a "to-do" list full of invoices, emails, paper attendance sheets and website content updates through smart automation. But, it doesn’t stop there. A solid TMS will give you the tools to grow your registrations too. Being able to run targeted marketing campaigns, easily taking payments online, and getting to the top of Google are all things that will help you to crush your sales targets.
Key Features Within A Training Management Software
Back-end features
- Course and resource management: scheduled courses, presenters and rooms
- Task automation: send registration confirmations
- Financial management: capture orders, accept online payments and issue invoices
- CRM: track relationships and account history, so everyone on your team is on the same page
- Reporting: run reports and dive deeper into your training business to make data-driven business decisions
Customer-facing features
- Website: Build a website from scratch or give your current website the ability to promote courses and take payments.
- Online registration: Accept online registrations with customizable forms and make your shopping cart a stress-free experience.
- Customer portal: Allow your customers to log in, manage their registrations and update their details.
Whether you have a TMS, or you are using another system described above, it’s not too late to change or find out more.
