Print Solutions Magazine, June 2002 -- The E-Files

Last year, five application developers who work for Plantrol Systems participated in an intensive, weeklong training course. The programmers for the Westfield, N.Y.-based company, which supplies industry-specific software for manufacturers, focused on Sequential Query Language in a course entitled "Programming a Microsoft SQL Server 2000 Database."

"This type of course is what our programmers need to be on the technological forefront and bring the latest advancements to our customers," says Linda Koenig, Plantrol's office manager.

Plantrol hired a company from Buffalo, N.Y., to teach the course and rented rooms and computer equipment from a local community college to hold the class. The course's price tag: $2,100 per person plus expenses, such as room and equipment rentals. Plantrol was able to offer employees this and other training thanks to a state grant it received last year.

New York state awarded 28 organizations a total of more than $15 million for training workers in high-tech careers. Plantrol Systems and another software company won a joint grant through Chautauqua Works, a Chautauqua County organization that champions high-tech employers. Plantrol and the other company, a developer of case-management software for social service agencies, were awarded $386,669.

Landing a grant isn't easy. After hearing about the grant from Chautauqua Works, Plantrol and other software firm formed a team to draft an application. Koenig and another Plantrol employee, two people from the other company, and two New York state employees spent approximately 40 hours completing the application.

First, the companies researched the grant and considered how they would use the money if they won. Next, the group filled out the application, which required basic information on the firms, details on the training the companies planned to obtain, and proposals for how the companies would retain and create more high-tech jobs in New York.

The time and effort paid off. With the grant, Plantrol and the other software company have participated in joint training, such as the SQL course, as well as separate training. "A large part of the funding went to on-the-job training for our Technical Support Department," Koenig says. Plantrol's six Technical Support employees operate the company's Help Desk, fielding phone calls from software users. "They're hired for their ability to identify problems," Koenig says, "but it's up to us to train them to apply our technical knowledge to their problem-solving skills."

In addition to the SQL course and on-the-job training for support staff, Plantrol received on-site Active Server Page training. Representatives of Atlanta-based firm Transoft traveled to New York and spent a week with Plantrol employees. Koenig says the Active Server Page training has helped Plantrol offer customers interactive web sites and e-commerce. This training cost the company more than $14,000.

Plantrol customers value the company's interactive web technology, Koenig says. "We're able to do some really cutting-edge things for our customers," she says. For example, Plantrol's E Procurement system offers manufacturers online ordering, order tracking and billing capabilities, as well as online proof submission and approval. Customers of those manufacturers, including distributors and the ultimate end users, can use the system to search electronic catalogs for products by name or item number. They also can view extensive information about products, including order quantities, stock quantities and usage statistics. Users rely on an easy-to-use shopping cart feature to place orders and can receive numerous custom reports.

"The most important thing the grant has done is enable our company to stay competitive," says Koenig, who adds that continuing education is imperative in today's fast-changing high-tech industry. "If we hadn't had the training, our customer base would be looking elsewhere." The grant also helps Plantrol remain a viable employer. "We've added to our customer base, made our jobs more stable and created jobs in New York state," Koenig says.

Web Sites: 4 Essentials

If your home page doesn't grab visitors, many of them will leave quickly. Here are four essentials:

1. The W's. Clarify who you are, what you offer, where you're located and why you're a premier company. Look at your site from a visitor's perspective and ask, "What's in it for me?"

2. Consistent navigation. Make links to other sections of your site easy to find. Consider adding drop-down boxes that take visitors immediately to specific areas of other sections, as well as text navigation at the bottom of the page.

3. Search function. Give visitors the opportunity to search your site by keywords, especially if your site is large. Search functions are available online at third-party sites such as www.atomz.com.

4. Recommend box. Add a "Click here to recommend this site to a friend" box somewhere on the page. This can be done easily using a free online service such as www.recommend-it.com.

Banner Ads: 5 Tips

Banner advertising is one of the most widely used marketing media on the internet. Here are five tips to boost the effectiveness of your banner ads:

1. Use strong teasers. Words such as "free" and "click here" are powerful, eye-catching choices, especially when they include animation.

2. Use punchy headlines. A short, effective headline makes a significant difference. Offer solutions to the challenges your visitors face. If you sell labels, try a headline such as "Get your clients out of sticky situations."

3. Get larger. Standard sizes for banner ads are 400 x 40 pixels or 468 x 60 pixels. With the clutter of graphics on most web pages, larger banners have a better chance of getting noticed.

4. Rotate regularly. Always have two or more banners to promote each product. A banner usually loses its flair after a visitor has seen it three times.

5. Monitor performance. Check your click-through rate regularly. If your banner ads receive a rate higher than 2 percent, you're doing well.

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