ECS deploys PowerVote in all of its European subsidiaries
The leader in Europe for rental engineering services and computer infrastructure management, ECS relies on the interactive PowerVote voting system to lend dynamism to its training programmes and optimise its sales marketing seminars.
With a presence in 11 countries and 7,000 clients, ECS currently manages over 20,000 rental contracts. Baked by this size and scope, the group is capable of offering its clients, both SMEs-SMIs and corporations, a wide range of global, personalised solutions for resolving each company’s specific problems.
Setting great store by the performance of its staff, ECS uses the PowerVote system at the European level to confirm the level of understanding of its marketing teams and to optimise the impact of its sales marketing seminars.
Confirm the participants’ level of understanding in real-time
Based on electronic voting, the PowerVote system allows its users to create interactive, fun presentations, to collect the participants’ answers, and to graphically display the results in real-time with the help of a video projector.
Searching for an easy-to-use and customisable tool, ECS decided in November 2003 to start using PowerVote during its “International Academy”, an internal institute dedicated to training sales forces and present both in United Kingdom and in each of the group’s European subsidiaries (Germany, Belgium, Spain, France, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland and Switzerland). Following each training course, the staff members, equipped with voting keypads, individually answer a series of questions in order to evaluate their level of understanding, with a minimum score required to pass the course.
“We use PowerVote throughout the year to confirm the skill level of our entire staff, both junior and senior members. They are obligated to take several training courses, allowing them to not only master the latest information technologies, but also to remain familiar with all of the group’s offers. It was, therefore, essential for us to be able to rely on a solution capable of evaluating in real-time each staff member’s level of understanding, while favouring knowledge acquisition, thanks to the playfulness of the voting keypads,” states Laura Barracco, Marketing Director at ECS.
Optimise staff involvement thanks to interactive games
Adapted to the group’s flexibility needs, PowerVote is also used by ECS during its annual seminar dedicated to its entire European sales force, consisting of over 300 people. This event allows the group to present and to confirm among the participants all of its plans of action to be implemented. Capitalising on the playfulness of the system as a lever for learning and memorisation, ECS also relies on a variety of interactive games specially designed by PowerVote. Divided into teams, staff members answer several quizzes on the group’s products. The answers and scores are then displayed in real-time up on the screen. “The multimedia-based presentation coupled with the principle of gaming and excitement makes this challenge a high point of the seminar and optimises staff involvement because the members become actors of this event,” continues Laura Barracco.
Easy and friendly to use, PowerVote is also a regular fixture during ECS’s internal meetings.
“The group’s other departments, such as the financial department, make regular use of PowerVote during their meetings. Whenever we need to gather opinions on a given product or situation, we rely on this solution, which provides us with immediate feedback from the audience while facilitating collective decision making,” concludes Laura Barracco.
Today, ECS owns 2 PowerVote cases, each containing 20 voting keypads, and can always hire additional devices when the number of participants exceeds 40.
About ECS
ECS is the leader in Europe of rental engineering and computer infrastructure management (50 sites throughout Europe). Created in 1974, ECS offers a global solution guaranteeing the dynamism, optimization and securing of its clients’ computer investments.
ECS in figures: £1.52 billion in turnover for 2004, 1,100 staff members, 7,000 clients, 20,000 rental contracts, 760,000 managed micro-computers, 300,000 managed peripherals, 10,000 intermediary systems (Unix, Intel, AS400) and large systems.
For more information: http://www.ecs-group.com
Tags : audience response system, ECS, interactive games, marketing seminars, wireless voting keypads
