Northstar Travel Group has unveiled its new white-labeled learning management platform, which engages thousands of travel agents and meeting planners in immersive learning about destinations and supplier brands annually.
Northstar said in a statement that the upgraded learning management product was to meet ongoing demand for specialist certification.
The new SaaS-based platform provides users with customised, brand-centric experiences, featuring responsive designs, interactive modules and gamification.
The enhanced platform displays education courses via multi-format presentation tools, allowing students to view slideshows, video, static and interactive text pages followed by quizzes and learning activities that enhance the student experience and ensure strong retention of material.
Northstar’s new management platform meets demand for specialist certification. (Image credit: Northstar Travel Group)
The benefits of the new platform for Northstar clients are:
- A customised platform that engages a target audience with specific information and perspective on their destinations or products
- Enhanced analytics on user metrics, including insights into how users experience client brands
- On-demand reports and dashboards that detail overall usage, including how many users started and completed the course in a given time frame, how long it takes a user to complete a course, where drop-off occurs and audience testimonials
- A responsive interface that engages audiences with access from all device types, from desktop to tablets and smartphones.
- Each client site is white labeled and designed within brand guidelines, incorporating the specifics of what makes each brand strong and memorable
- A scalable platform and a continual stream of enhancements that keep the platform up-to-date
“At Northstar, our mission is to continually improve our products, services, processes, and client relationships, so our valued customers are successful,” said Roberta Muller, Northstar SVP product development.
“We understand the value and role that education plays in the retail travel and meeting planner industries. We are committed to delivering a best-in-class learning management product for those markets.”
According to a survey conducted by Development Counsellors International (DCI) the popularity of travel specialist certifications is on the rise, and suppliers and travel agents see value in the investment. 83.9% of respondents reported that they plan to join more programmes in the coming year.
Agents rated destination knowledge as the most important aspect of a specialist programme, followed by credibility with clients. Almost every agent agreed that participation in a certification course would lead to an increase in sales (a scale average of 4.12/5).
“An effectively implemented specialist programme is an influential tool in developing a qualified sales force, better communication with travel trade and, ultimately, increased bookings,” stated DCI.
• Featured image credit: shironosov/iStock
