23 Jun 2020
Peter Rowand
Marketing and Business Development

Here to Help program remote training

In March, when COVID-19 hit North America, we were devastated to see the impact it was having on the maritime industry. Knowing how difficult it is to navigate uncertainty, especially with so many critical staff working out of the office and remotely for the first time, we decided to help. That’s why we created our “Here to Help” program, to ensure that our customers had the tools they needed to get the most out of Helm CONNECT while the industry worked its way through the crisis.

Through the Here to Help program, we offered five hours of completely free remote training or consultation to all our current customers. The response we got was overwhelming! We had 50 customers from across North America, South America, Australia, Singapore, and the UK sign up. Everyone’s needs were different, but we provided a variety of training topics—including using Helm CONNECT reporting for COVID-19 safety responses, setting up inventory, and delivering on other specific reporting needs—as well as refreshers on best practices, streamlining workflows, and much more. We’re now three months into the program and have kicked off training with 37 of these companies.

Blue and Gold Fleet, a San Francisco-based tour company, used the down time to maximize the use of their Helm CONNECT modules. Their Vessel Master, Thomas Turner, told us, “This training was beneficial by helping us utilize modules that were not previously used before, hence streamlining efficiency and minimizing waste and manpower. Helm has proven to be an invaluable asset to our operations.”

David Rattray, Compliance Manager at Smith Maritime in Cove Springs, Florida, decided to focus on retraining in templates, end user best practices, and how to use specific parts of the system to its full potential. He says this will save his crew time and benefit the company in the long run. “I learned a lot which helped me streamline (my operations) and create more user-friendly templates,” he told us.

Stephanie Higgins, IT Business Relationship Manager at Ingram Barge Company in Nashville, Tennessee also feels that she benefited from the Here to Help program. When asked about her experience, she told us, “It was great to have a private coach to show me a few tricks and reassure me the process we were already trying was the best attempt. Janie is a great resource and communicator.”

The feedback we’ve received on our program has been amazing, with the average experience score being 9.3 out of 10. Thank you again to all the companies who have participated so far and gave us feedback! For those who haven’t done their training yet, we look forward to working with you soon.

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