epaPRO is one of the fastest-growing, feature-rich applications that EPAOs can use to make managing the apprenticeship journey seamless.
Users learning how to make the most of the application will quickly get to know our experienced Service Desk Analyst, Lisa Clancy.
We talked to Lisa about what goes into making a best-in-class user experience, the ways Skilltech champions transparency with users, and we even share a few of the developments you can expect to see on the platform in the coming months…
Lisa, can you tell me a bit more about what you do?
I’m Skilltech’s Service Desk Analyst.
On a basic level, I offer technical support to Skilltech’s customers. However, I’m also responsible for the helpdesk application that we use to support users, as well as for creating knowledge base articles that let them resolve problems by themselves.
You have a lot of experience in the field, but how did you end up at Skilltech?
I held a few different roles after I left college, and whilst working in an optician’s, I met the person who had started up Kaspersky in the UK.
I worked with them as an administrative manager, but found support more interesting than admin, and after 15 years and a stint at another firm after that, I found Skilltech. It really appealed to me, so I joined in September 2021.
What exactly did you like?
I liked that it was entirely different to my previous role. When I joined, it seemed like the software was quite simple, but delving deeper into it, I was amazed by how much it offered.
I like to be stimulated, and there’s a lot of variety in the role from day to day.
What kind of problems do customers come to you with?
They vary dramatically - from someone not being able to log in, to setting up their entities, adding new users to the portal, or assisting with feature requests.
For the more straightforward requests, that’s why we started writing the knowledge base articles. These give the customers the ability to self-serve.
That being said, for more advanced or newer features, we’re here to support where customers can’t necessarily do it themselves.
I suppose that happens quite frequently as epaPRO is being updated all the time?
Absolutely. We’ll always let users know in advance when there are big changes on the horizon. We’ll share a guide showing what the software will do, which is useful for them if they need to do any internal training to prepare their teams.
Can you share any upcoming changes that are really exciting you?
There’s a lot of exciting work coming up, particularly in integrations and in improving user communications even further, but I’m not sure how much more I can tell you about that yet.
One of the most game-changing features I can talk about is file upload.
It lets users upload anything to do with gateway, results or assessments. They can tag it to the apprentice, store it internally or provide it to whoever needs it. By now, it’s a beloved feature among users.
Moving on, when it comes to onboarding, how much are you involved in that process?
When onboarding, most people will interact with Libby, our Customer Success Project Manager.
However, I’m responsible for documenting and streamlining the process. I also hold sessions with new customers on everything to do with the service desk - how to access the knowledge base, what user groups they have access to, and how to raise tickets. I’m hoping to make that a standard part of onboarding very soon.
Out of curiosity, how broad is the knowledge base you have?
It’s extensive. We have about 40 pages on new features alone, but we have many more covering release information, updates on our latest sprints, our product roadmap and test and security info.
Anybody who is a customer can see those updates transparently, so they’ll have a view on what new features they can expect and have the ability to see what we are working on at any time in our current sprint.
On that note, what kind of feedback have you had from customers on Skilltech’s whole ‘ecosystem’?
They’ve been very pleased with it. They appreciate the knowledge base features, but they also value knowing that the person they’re contacting will get back to them quickly.
Is this why you’re finding so many EPAOs are switching to Skilltech?
Being quick to turn a piece of work around certainly helps, but the biggest draw of an application such as epaPRO is just how feature-rich it is.
For example, one feature you can look out for is an improvement of our note functionality. At the moment, users will know they’re attached to an apprentice, but we’re looking to implement gateway and assessment-specific system notes, so when that trigger is hit in the journey, it will pull through those notes automatically.
Automation has made life so much easier for everyone involved, but there’s so much in the software that sets it apart.
Thank you so much for your time, Lisa.
If you need a to move your EPA management to a single, universal platform, epaPRO doesn’t only offer the most feature-rich application on the market, but also one of the fastest-evolving. Our customer service is personal, and your recommendations directly influence the features that the platform integrates.
Want to see how it could work for your EPAO? All you need to do is book a demo.
