Stream Marine Training (SMT) has revamped its website, installing a new booking system that makes signing up for its maritime training courses much easier, quicker and more efficient.

The new system is powered by Arlo, software that Glasgow-based SMT now uses to market, sell and deliver its programmes to maritime industry professionals around the globe.

After booking through the SMT website, delegates receive an automated response with details of the date, time and location for the course, what they will cover during the programme and joining instructions for any webinars or classroom-based learning.

Darren Payne, SMT’s head of projects, explained that upgrading the system had not only “transformed the business”, but also given him and his colleagues access to customer data and insights.

“We can see, for example, the age demographic of the people signing up for a particular course,” he said. “That data allows us to target our marketing, so we’ll use social media channels such as Instagram if one of our programmes is popular with younger generations to attract more people from the same age group.”

As well as the new booking system, SMT has also invested in Freshdesk to manage its communications with delegates. Anyone booked on a course can contact SMT through various channels such as live chat, email, phone and social media.

Freshdesk features a new FAQ section with automated responses to the most common questions – freeing up time for SMT customer services representatives to handle more specific or complex queries.

“The upgrade is already having a significantly positive impact on the customer experience,” Mr Payne said.