By Chris Kelsall, Smart Dolphins IT Solutions
Smart Dolphins IT, the company located on the third floor at Saanich Centre, is a 23-year technology company that looks after typical office environments and some a-typical offices too.
One of several things that sets the company apart from all the other IT support businesses on the Island is the education and training component that is offered to everyone for free. Yes, for altruistic reasons. I know, odd, right?
Well, sometimes, without asking, people who take our live, instructor-led lunchtime webinars will ask about our IT support and sometimes there is a fit. And these webinars make for great word-of-mouth advertising too. So, yes altruistic, but “altruistic with benefits.”
You should consider our webinars for yourself or for fellow staff. No worries, we don’t harangue our classmates with a value proposition because they took a class.
We have professional instructors. They are fun to listen to, to learn from and are software whisperers.
Every other week Smart Dolphins sends out an email message to those who have opted-in to receive our webinar emails. The messages display a snippet of what to look forward to in our classes. It may be Microsoft Word 101, Excel, Teams, OneDrive, PowerPoint, Outlook, Bookings, or a choice of other products. Smart Dolphins teaches the latest in cybersecurity and privacy and more — of course, there is always the proverbial “more.”
Education and training manifest in other ways at Smart Dolphins too. For example, because technology seems to evolve at the speed of light, we have a Pearson College certified testing room. Take an online course, then book our room to take the exam. Dolphins are in and out of that room all the time upgrading their skills and knowledge and certifications.
The results from taking these webinars are stunning. Anecdotal, yes, but there is a real value to keeping up and ahead of technology safety, trends, and productivity levels.
Being more productive creates satisfaction for the individual and is better for a business. Being safer — this goes without saying — but being cyber secure can save businesses and businesses leaders from real financial trauma, embarrassment and frustration. Trust disappears for customers if a business they associate with has been hacked. Ask yourself if you would pull your money from a financial institution if it was hacked?
And for the naturally curious, it is fun to discover tools and tips that can make you more powerful doing things a little differently, perhaps more efficiently or with more pizzazz. And who doesn’t love pizzazz?
These webinars are run over Zoom. They can be recorded too. Typically, they are 60 minutes to 90 minutes in length and sometimes with a Q & A session afterward.
Feel free to visit the Smart Dolphins’ website to see what is on tap in the learning world.
