Users Tap Collaborative Functions Of E-Learning AppsUsers Tap Collaborative Functions Of E-Learning Apps

E-learning software isn't just for teaching anymore. Some vendors are enhancing their E-learning applications with collaboration communications capabilities, and the Iams Co. says those functions are helping it sell more dog food.

The Dayton, Ohio, maker of premium pet food, a subsidiary of Proctor & Gamble Co., will reveal this week that it has completed the implementation of CentraOne, a suite of live E-learning and real-time collaboration applications from Centra Software Inc. The software has cut costs and improved the knowledge the North American sales team has about the latest enhancements to the company's dog-food and cat-food lines, says Scott George, Iams' manager of enterprise systems.

Iams recently used the Symposium module, which combines knowledge sharing with multipoint videoconferencing, voice over IP, online chats, and document sharing, to present the results of a new clinical trial to 220 sales employees. Previously, the sales force met twice a year to discuss new products and selling strategies and relied on conference calls for updates the rest of the year. George says Symposium has greatly improved collaboration and communication among employees. "Functions such as surveys and quizzes drive the information home," he says.

CentraOne also saves money. A package that includes the Symposium, Conference, and eMeetings apps is priced at about $130,000. The company has saved $160,000 in airplane tickets alone since Iams began implementing the software in July, George estimates.

CentraOne's live collaboration features, a key selling point for George, is boosting sales for some E-learning vendors. "The function has been around for a while, but there's a whole new focus on it because of Sept. 11," says Carl Frappaollo, co-founder of analysis firm Delphi Group. "The tools offer hard-hitting value propositions--cost savings and faster collaboration."

Centra competitor Interwise Inc. last month shifted focus from E-learning to distance collaboration with a suite of applications for online learning and knowledge sharing. Web-conferencing company Placeware Inc. recently launched its own virtual classroom product. Says International Data Corp. research director Mark Levitt, "What's driving the use of these collaborative apps are the restricted travel budgets and the decreased desire to travel."