Growing international training program sets standard for customer training and support
CALGARY, Alberta --- June 15, 2007 --- SMART Technologies Inc. announces that nine of its distributors have been designated SMART Certified Training Centers after successfully completing the SMART Certified Training Center program. They are as follows: VSV België NV (Belgium), Interactive Norway (Norway), Aronet-estysyhtiot Oy (Finland), Telda Ltd. (Estonia), AV MEDIA, a.s. (Czech Republic), Novia AG (Switzerland), Dansk Data Display A/S (Denmark), Groupvision Consulting Tecnologías para la Colaboración S.L. (Spain) and InterVideo Srl. (Italy). The nine new training centers are in addition to the international training centers already established in Germany, China, the UK, Australia and the Netherlands, bringing the number to fourteen outside of North America.
The SMART Certified Training Center designation authorizes a SMART distributor to train and certify other trainers within its country to SMART’s training standards. The SMART Certified Training Center program covers the theory, business strategies, materials and logistics involved in setting up and conducting training sessions. The program also provides tactical instruction on the training and certification of trainers in a region. The training builds on the SMART Master’s Training Certification program, which participants must have already completed, and sets an international standard for training and customer service.
“Because Finland is a relatively large country covering vast distances, reaching customers to conduct training has been a challenge,” says Niina Mämmi, education manager, Aronet. “The SMART Certified Training Center designation allows us to train and certify trainers who in turn will have the credentials to train others throughout the country.”
“The key to successfully integrating new technology into teaching, training and workspace environments is to provide customers with a comprehensive training and support program,” says Nancy Knowlton, SMART’s CEO. “With 14 international locations designated as SMART Certified Training Centers and more on the horizon, we can now provide training to more customers in more locations around the world.”
About the SMART Certified Training Center program
The SMART Certified Training Center program provides training to select distributors to enable them, in turn, to train and certify other trainers in their territories. The training program is a comprehensive three-day session that covers such topics as setting up a training program, developing a teaching methodology, and the training and certification of trainers. The course content has been designed to ensure consistency in the materials covered and in the evaluation of participants. Successful completion of the SMART Certified Training Center program by at least one staff member enables the distributor to add the SMART Certified Training Center designation to its business credentials.
The SMART Certified Training Center program complements the SMART Master’s Training Certification program and the SMART Train-the-Trainer sessions, and demonstrates SMART’s ongoing commitment to providing comprehensive customer training on all SMART products.
SMART offices throughout North America, including Calgary, New York City, Washington, DC, and Chicago, offer SMART’s full range of training programs for customers.
