Williams Scotsman Reduces Training Costs by More than 30 percent using LearnLincâ?¢

PHOENIX, Ariz. (October 31, 2007) –

Training departments that once had the time and money to print courseware and fly attendees to multi-day sessions are nearly obsolete. With rapid changes in technology, increased expectations for productivity, and decreased tolerance for non-essential travel, companies are rethinking old training policies and practices.

Williams Scotsman (NASDAQ: WLSC), the number one provider in the mobile and modular space industry, has delivered traditional live classroom training throughout its 50-year history. The organization began to reach a breaking point, however, when its training staff of only five people became responsible for educating nearly 900 employees as a result of rapid growth. By 2000, the company realized a clear and immediate need for a distance learning solution to support its diverse workforce across more than 100 locations in North America and Europe.
The company turned to iLinc (AMEX:ILC), a leading developer of Web conferencing, Web collaboration and virtual classroom software to address the challenges associated with traditional sales force training. Before long, the Williams Scotsman training team found it could deliver more frequent sessions in shorter durations, which subsequently proved to increase comprehension and retention levels using LearnLinc, the virtual classroom component of the award-winning iLinc Suite.

“At that time with so much change and expansion, we knew we’d need to double or triple our training staff or come up with an entirely new solution,” said Ross Thornton, Training Manager for Williams Scotsman.

Williams Scotsman’s long-term success with iLinc is an example of how to achieve technology-driven efficiencies. In 2003, a staff of nine trainers delivered 4,935 hours of training. By 2006, a staff of only six delivered 13,852 hours–a productivity increase of 321 percent per trainer. During that same span, Williams Scotsman reduced training costs by more than 30 percent and increased online training participation by 195 percent.

“Even in compressed timeframes, we’re able to focus on curriculum, rather than hassling over the technology,” said Ronald Hoogerwerf, Senior Training Specialist for Williams Scotsman. “We know the iLinc solution just works.”

“iLinc has long been known among those in the training sector as one of the most reliable and feature rich virtual classroom tools, with our virtual classroom products having roots as far back as 1994,” said Mark Yeager, Vice President of Marketing for iLinc. “Because of the strength of our product and the ability to easily integrate with other SCORM-compliant tools, like content development and Learning Management Systems (LMS), we see growing interest from existing and new customers alike. Our virtual classroom product, LearnLinc, is one of the few enterprise-class software solutions that combines one of the most robust feature sets with an unmatched return on investment, whether for corporate trainers or a dean of an online university.”

Williams Scotsman has expanded its use of the iLinc Suite across its entire workforce, producing training on everything from software skills and regulatory compliance to new hire orientation and human resources programs. Today, Williams Scotsman’s live instructors utilize iLinc to lead and control classes of geographically distributed students with all of the interaction and flexibility of a traditional classroom. Instructors choose from varied forms of synchronized content within the iLinc interface including PowerPoint slides, multimedia-authored courseware, Web-based material, streaming video, white boarding, chatting, and shared software applications.

“Our blended learning model is embraced by our staff because it doesn’t force any one method,” said Hoogerwerf. “The vast majority of courses are taken online via iLinc, but the perception is that individuals can choose to supplement these classes in a way that works for them. It gives our learners more flexibility and enables them to learn more, faster than ever before.”

These days, Williams Scotsman has grown its iLinc utilization even further. Several departments outside of the training departments at the company rely on iLinc Web and audio conferencing for meetings and online collaboration. As well, the training department has developed a comprehensive learning program called Williams Scotsman University (WSU) which delivers both online and traditional classroom courses. WSU staff takes advantage of the ability to record and edit iLinc training sessions and then make them available for self-paced study outside the virtual classroom. The result is a full-service experience for learners–synchronous, asynchronous, and in-person options–and continuing success for trainers.

To view the Williams Scotsman case study and others visit http://ilinc.com/resources/casestudies/williams-scotsman, or view an online demonstration of the iLinc Web conferencing solution.

About iLinc Communications, Inc.
iLinc Communications, Inc. is a leading developer of Web conferencing software and audio conferencing solutions for highly secure and cost-effective online meetings, presentations, and training sessions. The Company’s technology allows people in diverse locations to communicate and collaborate online while avoiding the expense, environmental damage, and productivity losses associated with travel. iLinc provides an award-winning, enterprise-wide suite of Web, audio and video conferencing solutions that can be scaled up or down to meet the needs of any size organization. Offering the industry’s most flexible pricing models, iLinc gives organizations the power to choose an on-premise installed, on-demand hosted, or hybrid solution–whichever model delivers the highest ROI for the customer. iLinc is headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona, with offices in Troy, New York and Salt Lake City, Utah.

iLinc, iLinc Communications, iLinc Suite, MeetingLinc, LearnLinc, ConferenceLinc, SupportLinc, EventPlus, and their respective logos are trademarks of iLinc Communications, Inc. All other company names and products may be trademarks of their respective companies.

Media Contacts:
Kathy Sacks
kathy@sackspr.com
602-619-4444

Mark Yeager, VP Marketing
myeager@ilinc.com
602-952-1200

Source: iLinc