Well actually its been a lot of fun. I've enjoyed learning how to use WordPress and was relieved to discover that all those sleepless nights about building a replacement website for the business could be blown away in a single weekend, thanks to the easy to use power of the WordPress / Woo Themes tag team duo. Being able to gaze out of the window onto the green Tuscan hills that surround the ancient walled city of Prato, while sipping on a full-bodied red (Chianti Classico) goes a long way towards lowering the pressure of work too. Oh well, enjoy it while it lasts, next week I'll be in Venice, bummer!
What a month it's been. While I've been here swanning it around Europe Lynne and the team back in Nedlands have managed to maneuver past all the obstacles thrown in their path and have successfully managed to release the flagship, BluegemEXPLORE 2013. Just wait till you see her in all her mighty splendor. Proud as peacocks are we. And a great tribute to the team effort and Lynne's attention to detail, oh yeah - and Time Sheets! So now we're on to the big stuff: AVETMISS 7, New training plans for Work Place Training and a major new initiative for our technically inclined clients - The all-new latest in state-of-the-art web technology a WebAPI. CRM API is already here with this release, tomorrow - the world. If you thought integrating with your special business system was too expensive or just too hard, it maybe time to revisit that decision. If you've though anut a Student management System integrated with a world-class CRM solution, then deinately stay on that track. The team at Bluegem has also experienced so other amazing news, a baby on the way, new staff members, a wedding, a grand daughter's birthday and surviving 2 whole months without me - hope I still have a job when I get back.
And where would we be without support. An explosion of videos and user manuals is expected by the end of next month in time for the first sales of BluegemEXPLORE 2013. Writing good user manuals that make it easy for our clients to use has been an ongoing cycle of continuous improvement for us, that's putting it mildly. People underestimate how much work needs to go into good support tools, and we've certainly done our share of learning. But the results will demonstrate that it's all been worth the pain. Videos, that step you through the most complex admin procedures the VET sector can throw at you have become an accidental hero in our stable of support tools. Convenient on-demand learning just when you need it. The team continues to do an amazing job on this front.
If there's one thing our years of experience as SMS vendors has taught us it's that business needs drive demand for software. People will forgive ugly screens every time if the software makes a substantial difference to the bottom line. Well we certainly don't produce ugly software but our strength and our focus is as always on 'business needs'. While other's are happy to satisfy the basic compliance needs for RTOs we believe you deserve better. Most importantly you deserve a successful business to compensate you for all the blood, sweat and tears that went into building it. As for compliance in the VET sector? Its a given - we won't even bother to talk about it, other than ensuring you have the critical information at your finger tips. But what about business development, financial reporting, system integration, sales and marketing, communication and team collaboration. Those are the areas where we want you to excel. As you'll se with the business focus on our Modules, Services and Product editions we're not just talking about it either.
Private - this edition for private RTOs who deliver primarily fee-for-service training.
Public - this edition is for RTOs who deliver funded and workplace training.
Enterprise - for those of you who deliver Employee and contractor training in-house or in collaboration with other RTOs.
And what if you're not an RTO? Simple one setting switches off all the compliance reporting so you can create your own training structures that relate to your business and your industry. Of course we also recognize that many of our clients straddle these definitions. Well, none of these editions are exclusively one type of business. They all inherit the family characteristics and all have good business heads. And if you need something that's off the beaten track and have concluded the only route is expensive and drawn-out customization, you might want to look at our library of modules: Skills Matrix, Resource Planning, expense Mangement, Workflows, HR Importer... the list goes on. They can be switched on or off as and when you need them in the blink of an eye.
Yeah -- all in all it's been a good month! especially for me. Signora! Another expresso perfavore!