Imagistics Chooses Pathlore to Strengthen Sales Team, Enhance Direct Sales Model
“Our belief in a direct sales and service model makes it imperative for us to have a learning solution like Pathlore to assess our sales team’s proficiency,†says Nat Gifford, Imagistics’ vice president of Product Development and Marketing. “We believe investing in systems to further develop our sales organization plays an important role in maintaining our customers’ high level of satisfaction.â€
Pathlore offers online assessments for a range of Imagistics multifunction products for copying, printing, faxing and scanning. Salespeople can log onto their PCs and laptops to take these tests by going to the company’s online Sales Training Center. The assessments serve not only as a way to chart salespeople’s know-how but also as the foundation for certifying employees on many product lines. But assessments are only one part of what Pathlore’s learning management suite offers Imagistics. To sell Imagistics’ multifunction products, salespeople must understand the broader implications of systems integration. So the Trumbull, Conn.-based company will rely on Pathlore to provide the environment that launches their on-line networking courses, too.
“Selling our product isn’t a simple transaction; we work with our customers to determine the best solution for their unique business situation,†says Joan Malay, director of Sales Training & Development for Imagistics. “In order to provide this type of consultative service to our clients our salespeople must be highly educated and technically adept. Our sales team is pleased that we’ve made an investment in an in-depth training system because they see that it will help them become better consultants to their customers.â€
According to Donna Kintop, Imagistics’ sales training manager, the sales team has been extremely receptive to the Pathlore solution. “The system is easy for our reps to use; it’s intuitive, and they can find everything they might want in the way of training in one place,†adds Kintop.
Mike Brennan, program manager for market-research firm IDC’s Learning Services Research, confirms Kintop’s view. Giving workers just-in-time access to quality content, says Brennan, is an effective way to get people to use a learning management solution. “Imagistics has found success with its training because a learning management solution makes relevant instruction and performance tools easy to access,†Brennan says.
Sales reps that go to the Sales Training Center can register for and take technical courses as well as sales skills classes. Imagistics previously relied on a combination of paper-based course catalogs, Internet based training, videos, DVDs and CDs. And salespeople couldn’t always find all the classes that the company offered. But Pathlore’s solution has changed that. In fact, Malay says Pathlore’s Learning Management Suite has been used as a recruiting tool.
“One of our sales managers interviewed a promising candidate for a sales position multiple times, but the candidate still appeared hesitant. The sales manager called up the Pathlore solution and showed him the Imagistics training plan. The candidate was so impressed with the simple but full-featured approach to career development displayed by Pathlore that he accepted the job offer the same day,†Malay remarked. “People considering a high-commission sales role want to be clear about what you’re going to do to prepare them for success on the job, and our learning management solution impresses applicants.â€
Malay, Kintop and their colleagues are also impressed with the behind-the-scenes savings created by Pathlore. Imagistics says the system has cut by 50 to 60 percent the time it used to take to register and confirm sales people for classes.
“Imagistics proves that Pathlore’s learning management suite is a powerful and cost-effective solution for communicating with a geographically distributed audience,†says Steve Thomas, Pathlore’s chief executive.
About Pathlore
Pathlore Software Corporation provides the most widely adopted learning management solution in the world. Over 1,000 organizations and millions of users rely on Pathlore to optimize their business performance. Whether business performance depends on getting sales channels up to speed quickly on new products, increasing quality and customer satisfaction, or reducing costs associated with regulatory compliance, Pathlore learning management solutions ensure that clients achieve the maximum return on their investment in people. Pathlore clients include DaimlerChrysler, Delta Air Lines, Novartis, PNC Bank, U.S. Bancorp, government agencies on three continents and more than 100 health care organizations. For more information, go to http://www.pathlore.com
About Imagistics International Inc.
Imagistics International Inc. (NYSE: IGI) is a large direct sales, service and marketing organization offering document imaging solutions, including high performance, leading edge copier/MFPs and facsimile machines to Fortune 1000 companies and other organizations. Its direct sales and service network is located throughout the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. Imagistics International is a member of the S&P SmallCap 600 Index and the Russell 2000 Index® and is headquartered in Trumbull, Connecticut. For additional information about Imagistics International, please visit www.imagistics.com and www.IGIinvestor.com.
Pathlore is a registered trademark of Pathlore Software Corporation. All other registered and unregistered trademarks and trade names are the property of their respective owners.
