And with their busy TIC at the edge of the southern Peak District, Angie Guest and her team at Leek, in the Heart Of England, have been relying on CTV destination management software for six years.

Having begun in 1994 with a single-user system on one PC, Leek upgraded to a multi-user system in Spring of 1999, complete with its TIM4 software.

The Leek team has always believed in training its staff to help them maximise their potential: they participated in the National Training Scheme for as long as it ran.

With their new multi-user system in place, Angie and her team booked two days of intensive on-the-spot training last March, to bring them all up to speed on the latest developments in CTV's destination management software.

"Investment in training ensures that the staff get the best out of the system and keep abreast of new developments," says Sally, who is in charge of CTV's meticulous programmes."

"TIM is a very user-friendly programme, so that anyone can go into it and pick up bits and pieces. However it is designed to take much of the effort out of day-to-day TIC management, so it makes sense to learn exactly how to use it to best advantage."

Georgy Wilband, who took part in the two-day session, found it very helpful."I joined the Leek centre last October, so had missed out on the earlier training session. Although I had worked out a lot of what TIM could do, Sally's training was a real eye-opener as I had not realised just how much there was in the system."

"For example, I learned how to edit TIM4, so that I can put in or delete information when we need to: this means that we can personalise the system to suit our own needs exactly."

"We use the system for British Rail and National Express bookings - lots of locals use us just like a mini-travel centre."

"Now I've also learned how to use TIM4 for monitoring our advertising programme."

"By looking at the statistics we can produce at the touch of a button, for example for brochure requests from different sources, we can assess whether we are advertising in the right places. This helps us plan our future marketing."

"Now that I can see the benefits, I'm going to use it more and more!"

With ever-developing software, regular training is essential to ensure that the system is being used efficiently, to its maximum potential.

CTV training is designed with the client, for the client.

It takes into account the different needs of the user - from the beginner who needs to learn how to use the mouse to the advanced user who wants to export information from TIM4 and merge in word processing.

The emphasis is on 'hands-on' learning.