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Atos Origin reaps major benefits from using the Enterprise Study Network

Learning NewsEnterprise Study Ltd

Following the first month of live use, Atos Origin UK are seeing major benefits from using the Enterprise Study Network (ESN) to handle external course bookings with the company's ten preferred training suppliers. Routine administration work has nose-dived, greater visibility is improving reporting to the business, plus training staff and users are happy too.

Following the first month of live use, Atos Origin UK are seeing major benefits from using the Enterprise Study Network (ESN) to handle external course bookings with the company's ten preferred training suppliers. Routine administration work has nose-dived, greater visibility is improving reporting to the business, plus training staff and users are happy too.

ESN is a web-enabled travel industry style network that links suppliers and retailers, consolidating a range of training offerings into a single managed catalogue for the customer. As part of an initiative to improve training management and improve efficiency, the ESN front end has now been linked to the Atos Origin Learning and Development intranet site, replacing a manual system that used to employ up to 13 administrators.

"In 2004, especially in an IT company, I find it ludicrous to have people doing administration work," said Marie-Pierre Gouaux, Learning and Development Manager for Atos Origin. "It's not a profession - the people doing it are just pushing paper, bored out of their brains - and there's no added value."

As well as implementing ESN, Atos Origin has also contracted with BroadSkill, the UK's largest supplier of freelance IT trainers, to cover many of the remaining administration activities.

Following a month's pilot, employees can now select their own courses which, following manager approval, automatically establish a booking on the chosen training vendor's system. Admin work has plummeted. Atos Origin is now looking to use the system to its full capacity in order to handle the best part of the training offer.

"My team are very happy," said Gouaux. "The system's easy to use and it's taken a lot of headaches out of their daily work. Because they are no longer bogged down with administration, my team can now spend time looking at ways of working smarter. They can now add a real value to the L & D. We can study trends and look at statistics in a quantitative and qualitative way. L & D is a business within the business and needs to support the company strategy, and now we can really deliver a service that matches our mission statement. It is a true benefit for my team and our customers and partners."

What's more, the benefits have come largely for free. "When you look at the administrative cost savings, ESN pays for itself several times over," explained Gouaux.

Richard Williams, Sales and Marketing Director at Enterprise Study said: "We're increasingly finding that ESN is proving popular with corporate training departments as well as commercial training businesses. They often act as retailers internally and need to bring together and manage a range of offerings from different suppliers. By automating the processes involved, customers can save money, gain control and increase the visibility of training activities."

Course catalogues are currently uploaded to ESN by over 70 suppliers worldwide, including most of the major UK training providers, and more are joining all the time. Both suppliers and retailers find that the system not only makes it easier to administer and manage the third-party element of their businesses, but that it can also lead to increased revenues and reduced costs.

"It's extremely invaluable in saving time and in effectiveness as well as efficiency," concluded Gouaux. "I wish I'd implemented it earlier!"

Ends

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For further information

Richard Williams
Telephone: 07789 432 072
E-mail: [email protected]
Web: www.enterprisestudy.com