We worked with Ruralco on two different projects - one for their CRT / Town & Country member organisations. The other for the clients of these members:
More on Systems Training.
The MINet system is a customised ordering database interface used by member organisations of CRT / Town & Country. The system allows members to order goods over the MINet network. The latest update to the network consisted of significant changes and there was concern that members would not be able to take advantage of the new features. We produced a training package to train the members on the new MINet system before they install the updated system. The training consists of database theory and concepts but the most interesting part are the simulations. These simulations enable members to "play" with the system off line, allowing them to try different procedures which would trigger real orders in a live situation!
Our Brief:
- simulate the system in three modes- the modes are Demo (sit and watch), Guided (you do it and the system helps you), and Solo (you use the system as if it were live.) The training module must be very easy to use - some users are likely to have had little involvement with PCs. The training needed to have a logical flow and be easy to use so that no one would require training in how to use the training!
- incorporate relevant work-related scenarios - considerable effort was made to ensure that the scenarios dreamt up by we city dwellers would be real and relevant to members - thanks mostly to our client, Paul, for this!
- emulate a rural look and feel - as the members are mostly rural dwellers, an effort was made to produce designs and images relevant to the customers to make the system friendlier.
- ensure installation of the updated system is tied into the training - members are required to successfully complete certain sections of the training module first. On completion, they then receive an automatic prompt to install the updated system.
- training must be sympathetic to users that will have to stop and start the training many times - many members are working in stores and need to be able to deal with their customers. The training was designed to allow people to stop and start as much as they liked and yet it keeps their place and keeps track of their progress and results.
- training for a varied audience - the training is aimed at existing users but has also been designed to be useable by new members who have never seen the MINet system.
Interesting Bits:
- our favourite part - working with Paul Manders. A true professional with an eye for detail and a strong desire to look after his customers - the CRT / Town & Country members. Paul's input ensured the relevance and high quality of the training.
- frisky feast smoked trout & others - you'd think a farm cat would be full on mice, but no. This was one of the many product searches that had one of our developers curled up with unexplained giggling.
- the training is part of the installation - this was an interesting approach to measured training. Members had to complete the training before the system would install the MINet update.
- simulation speed option - for those members who are really in a hurry, they can choose to speed up simulations from normal to faster or fastest!
More on Customisable Websites.
One of our long standing clients, 'Ruralco', asked us to create an interactive web site to promote the Combined Rural Traders (CRT) and Town & Country (T&C) member stores and also provide relevant and useful information for its target audience - the farming community, Australia-wide.
Our Brief:
- develop a web site that can individually represent three corporate entities: Ruralco, Combined Rural Traders (CRT) and Town and Country (T&C), each with their own unique URL address. If a visitor were familiar with one of the corporate entities, he would be able to find it on the Internet -- using simple word search mechanisms.
- develop a web site that represents over 350 individual CRT and T&C member stores, as if they were 350 customised sites.
- use unique URL addresses and postcode logic to direct visitors to CRT and T&C member stores in their area.
- we were able to encourage visitors to find their 'Local Bloke, with an "eye on the world".
- Provide visitors with local information relevant to their farming needs. What better source of information can a visitor get than from his own community!
- develop a database driven web site, so it's easy for the 350 odd CRT and T&C members to customise and maintain their individual web sites to suit their unique business needs!
- the site needed to be easy to maintain and maintainable by CRT and T&C franchise store members themselves online via the use of a password-protected area.
Interesting Bits:
- finding a server provider that could support this innovative web site - some of the techniques we used to develop this site are new to Australia and finding a server provider to support this new technology proved difficult. But we did find one in the end!
- building a site for level 3 browsers and up - as always, this proved to be an involved process, and lots of headaches when we tried to build a site that would suit older browser levels and yet be sophisticated at the same time. Guess what? We did it!
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