Computeraid

Company: InterQuadCustomer: ComputeraidSubmitted by: PCM MarketingWhen a company operates in a fast-moving environment like IT, where the pace of technological development is non-stop, it must move fast to keep up with a range of conflicting demands. To achieve this, it is essential that the suppliers supporting that company move at the same speed.

Efficient and effective support is crucial: you know you have a better chance of winning when your support can respond flexibly and at short notice.This is the kind of relationship Computeraid likes to enjoy with its business partners. Computeraid is one of the UK’s most successful IT companies, a specialist provider of networked desktop IT solutions and services. Such systems are typically complex, but vital to the success of any organisation. It follows that it is essential to invest in IT skills to ensure staff can execute the tough demands made of them.Computeraid’s expertise is in client/server and network infrastructure.

To meet both technology and customer demands Computeraid must also provide a very wide portfolio of IT services. For this reason, Computeraid has made a major commitment to training. Computeraid’s internal training department is able to train staff in a wide range of generic and bespoke courses, giving them the skills and knowledge they require to do their job. However, there’s a limit to how far this can go, and this is where InterQuad, one of the UK’s leading IT training specialists, comes in. InterQuad is able to provide Computeraid with the specialist courses that are of great importance for high-end skills and certification.

Coping with the pressure to perform quickly Since Computeraid provides technological expertise to manyinternational companies, there’s always pressure to perform quickly. That’s why they rely on InterQuad to deliver certification-standard training to a very high level at very short notice. Selecting a certified trainer is essential: certification not only provides an industry benchmark, but enables Computeraid to maintain key vendor and partner accreditations.

So, why did Computeraid choose to work with InterQuad? Tim Galley, Technical Training Manger at Computeraid, explains:”Investing in training is a long term commitment, so relationships are key. I need to know I can rely on my suppliers to outperform my expectations, and this is what InterQuad does on every job. They share a genuine concern for what the client needs, and train their delegates far beyond the required curriculum. But there are many factors that build and drive this relationship, not least the technical capability of their training ­ for example, InterQuad only ever employs trainers who have hands-on, practical experience of the skills they are imparting.”

Chalk’n’talk

Such abilities, backed up by ‘real world’ experience, gives InterQuad a classroom credibility rarely encountered elsewhere.

Computeraid finds that using different training approaches ­ internal training resources, CBT methodologies, and classroom-based, instructor-led chalk’n’talk training – all complement each other perfectly. This way, Computeraid is able to provide a complete portfolio of solutions whenever and wherever it is required, even if that includes ‘just in time’ training.Consistency of account management is equally important, and InterQuad provides this better than most. Through a Service Level Agreement, it guarantees a response to any enquiry within an hour.Stuart Priest, Sales Manager for Computeraid at InterQuad, adds: “We have to be both trainers and consultants, as adept at teaching skills in the classroom as we are at planning long-term skills development with our clients.

We need to be in constant contact with clients to ensure we go beyond their expectations. InterQuad, through its knowledge of Computeraid’s business, can advise on the best possible training route for each project. Consequently, we can deliver the exact requirements of the students as well as staying within Computeraid¹s budget and demands: supply of training becomes a two-way process.”

Testing to the limits

Microsoft Exchange 5.5 training at short notice, allowing the new systems to go on-line well before the millennium.As Tim Galley comments, “InterQuad did not see this tough situation as a problem, but rather as a challenge. It was as keen to deliver as we were to succeed, so training was structured around staff availability. Obviously, not all the staff could be released at once, so training took place at times that suited One-2-One best, even if that included the weekend.

Equally impressive was InterQuad’s ability to conduct training needs analysis on an ad hoc basis, whenever it was essential for the client.”Training needs analysis is the process of identifying which skills an organisations does and doesn’t possess, when mapped against the strategic and operational business needs of that organisation. This analysis helps them develop the new skills they need to succeed. Normally, this requires careful planning as part of an ongoing process. For One-2-One, however, InterQuad consultants were able to conduct needs analysis during the training courses themselves.

If a problem was encountered it was dealt with there and then, rather than waiting for another training course to cover it.