But for now most IT managers may want to consider trying out the system as a client because one day it could be in the position to meet most corporate training needs with a range of options through its training partners. Most importantly, it can offer businesses the ability to track and measure training performance across the enterprise, hopefully improving performance and perhaps even profitability. The classroom is likely to remain important for training but the pressure on companies to train on the job and monitor training effectively will encourage the use of more online programmes and, importantly, automated service offerings. Ellett sees big advantages for the firms supporting Docent services, and it is easy to see why. The fact is it is a form of affiliate programme already very popular on the Internet.
Some companies already do most of their business through affiliate arrangements.
Docent plans to do half its business through partners. The cost of such sales is low once the hyperlinks and business relationships have been set up, so it is easy to see why smart sales and marketing folk such as Ellett have left jobs elsewhere in the computer industry to sell on the Net. If successful, this kind of training system could have benefits for customers. E-learning could be very effective when automated and accurately measured and managed. If Docent has the muscle to bind together consultancies, resellers, and training providers in one giant cooperative network, and solve the issues of standards and measurement, it is entitled to sit in the middle of an enormous new high-growth industry.