In a rapidly changing business environment where information can quickly become obsolete, staying on top of training can be a mountainous task.
Companies save travel and education costs.
Users can customize their training to fit their needs and engage in online collaborative learning communities, where they can exchange experiences and access the latest opinions from around the world. IBM provides its 6,000 business partners with 10 satellite channels of partner and product information. The system was set up because IBM partners said they weren't getting information fast enough to sell IBM products, says Horton. IBM also set up a Web-based application to supplement the satellite system. Another initiative, called Sales Compass, a Web-based application that gives IBM salespeople the latest information about their customers prior to making sales calls, helps salespeople make effective pitches, says Horton.