Alpha Software

Alpha Software creates robust desktop database software and web database applications. The company uses WebEx Meetings to economically train sales consultants and to demonstrate its products to customers nationwide.

Alpha Software needed an easy, economical way to train its large, outside sales force of consultants in the use of its software.

Alpha’s sales force also needed a cost-effective way to demo its software to customers.

Prior to adopting WebEx Meetings, Alpha Software held training sessions at headquarters for consultants, and customers had to learn how to use the product on their own.

Alpha had tried using “Glance,” but it only provided a one-on-one Web seminar situation. Alpha Software wanted a Web meeting tool that would provide a group situation for both consultants and customers.

“People’s willingness to attend Web seminars is higher in a group situation, because individuals do not feel they are being put on the spot. In a group situation, people can join the seminar and watch, listen and not have to talk or ask questions, but still get a full demonstration,” Brett Johnston, Sales Manager for Alpha Software, says.

Alpha Software chose WebEx Meetings as its tool for providing group Web seminars for prospects, customers and resellers.

Johnston detailed his company’s use of WebEx Meetings:

“In our last consultant Webinar using WebEx Meetings, we had 18 consultants, and we are going to have another Web seminar soon that we have 45 people signed up for.”

“When a customer takes a trial, we’ll send them a link to register for a free introductory Web seminar. We’ve been using this promotion for many months and we conduct WebEx Meetings at least once a week, sometimes twice a week.”

"Our clients are worldwide. WebEx Meetings have provided us with the capability to show our software to people everywhere in a more user-friendly demonstration environment"

- Brett Johnston, Sales Manager, Alpha Software, Inc.

“The economic benefits of being able to train our consultants using WebEx Meetings, instead of bringing them into headquarters, or going out to train them in the field, are obvious. The time and expense of travel is eliminated.”

“As for customers, we absolutely have sold more product since we’ve started using WebEx Meetings to conduct Web seminars to demonstrate our software,” says Johnston. “We’ve conducted surveys and customers have told us they made the product purchase because of the Web seminar.”

“I can’t quantify this with exact numbers,but using WebEx Meetings has certainly increased sales. It gives our customers a better way to see our product in use and ask questions.”

“We see our Web seminars as a very successful joint effort between our trainer and WebEx Meetings. WebEx providing us with a way that people can actually see our software, without leaving their own offices, definitely helps to sell our software.”

Johnson and one of Alpha Software’s outside trainers co-host these Web seminars, which last from 50 minutes to an hour and 10 minutes. “We’ve had anywhere from 5 to 25 attendees for each seminar. We usually demonstrate our software first and we try not to take questions during the demonstration. At the end of the session we have a Q&A,” Johnston said.

The co-hosts use WebEx Meetings’ online chat during the seminars. “I monitor the chat session and if customers want to ask questions during the presentation that they don’t want to go through the Phone portion - disrupting everybody else - they just ask their questions through the online chat session and I answer them.”

“The feedback we’ve had from customers is that the Web seminars we’ve been offering using WebEx Meetings are great!” “We’ve had absolutely no technical issues with WebEx Meetings. I’ve used the online help to answer some of my questions, while I’ve been busy in the Web seminar and I’ve used customer service a few times. Whenever we have questions, we’ve gotten the help we needed within a very brief time span.”

“We are using WebEx Meetings in the release of our new products,” Johnston said. “And we will continue to use it in the future.”