Heart Month Is Here and We've Got a BOGO Offer You'll LOVE!

If your Training Center is planning a few extra public classes, or perhaps you just need to replenish your supplies, check out our month-long BOGO (buy one-get one free) deal:

From February 6 - 28, 2019, for every Wall Poster or Student Supply Kit you order, we'll give you the same item for free when you use promo code HEART19BOGO.

• Wall Poster in English and Spanish (item Post-G2015)
• Student Training Supply Kit (item #6010)

Terms and Conditions
Receive a free Wall Poster (item Post-G2015) and/or Student Training Supply Kit (item #6010) for each one purchased. No limit. Offer valid during February 6 – February 28, 2019 only. Must use appropriate promo code when ordering online, calling 1-800-447-3177, or contacting your Distributor. Not available for previous purchases. Cannot be combined with other offers. Promotion only offered to current and active Training Centers and Distributors.

The ASHI and MEDIC First Aid Blended Learning Option

In our new Did You Know feature, we’ll take a look at some products, services, and course offerings you may not be as familiar with. Our first Did You Know is about the blended learning option for initial training, found in our core training programs.

As its name implies, blended learning describes using a mix of delivery formats when training. In the case of our CPR, AED, and first aid programs, this is the use of online training to learn cognitive concepts and knowledge, followed by a face-to-face session with an authorized instructor in which students practice hands-on skills.

Blended learning should not be confused with “online only” courses, as the skills session is a necessary component of the blended learning experience. All our core programs can be offered in a blended learning format, and each Instructor Guide has a section that includes the outline and lesson plans for the face-to-face portion of the blended class.

If you haven’t used the blended option yet, there are a lot of great reasons why you should consider doing so. Even if you’re already a regular blended user, read on to remind yourself of the advantages for using this convenient option.

Why try blended?

• Provides the ability for internal TCs to reduce training costs

• You can easily enroll students into Otis with just a first name, last name, and email address

• Otis tracks and maintains records, and reminds students with automated emails, making your blended classes easy to administer

• Concentrates face-to-face time on the development of high-quality physical skills

• Significantly reduces the overall time and cost to get a group of students together for training

• Ensures every student gets a consistent understanding of key concepts

• Allows students to learn cognitive knowledge on their schedule and at their own pace

• Provides the ability for external TCs to be more efficient, as well as free up instructors and equipment for additional training opportunities

• If you charge for training, you can conveniently offer a single charge for both the online and face-to-face session

If you need more information or help setting up your first blended class, we’re here to help. Call us at 1-800-447-3177 or through any of our contact options listed at the end of the newsletter.

From Placing Orders to Tech Support, Your CSR Has You Covered

If you’ve called our 800 number any time over the last 17 years, chances are at least one of those calls was handled by Vien Philavahn, Manager of Client Services, Emergency Care. She’s seen our emergency care business grow and change over those years and has worn many different hats throughout her career here. She’s our go-to resource when it comes to the ASHI and MEDIC First Aid customer experience, so we chatted with her recently to see what was new in the busy world of Client Services.

She and her team of ASHI, MEDIC First Aid, and 24-7 experts have recently made a workflow change in the way they handle customer calls that will make it more efficient to serve you, no matter the nature of your call.

“Previously, we would have to transfer tech support questions to a different team,” explains Vien. “But now, when a customer is in the emergency care queue in our phone system, they can choose an option for order assistance or for dedicated emergency care tech support.”

Here’s how it works: when you dial 1-800-447-3177 and hear our phone message begin, press 2 to be placed in the Client Services queue. Then you’ll have an option to press 1 to place an order or ask a general question, or you can press 2 for technical assistance for password recovery and other Otis-related issues.

“Best of all,” Vien says, “our tech support reps are also able to place orders or help with just about anything else while you’re on your Otis-support call. Plus, we’re in the process of training all our emergency care Client Services Representatives (CSRs) to assist with more technical questions, so if our dedicated tech experts are unavailable, more reps will be able to assist. All without having to transfer customers between teams.”

For more advanced technical issues, your CSR can open a Help Ticket for you which will deploy to our I.T. programmers. Customers can also open a Help Ticket anytime through their TC Portal dashboard.

“With dedicated tech support and cross-training among all the CSRs, our phone queue is becoming much more of a one-stop shop. Our goal is to assist with all your needs through just one phone call and one rep, avoiding additional hold time since there is less of a need to transfer calls between teams.”

As for Vien, she’s always happy to hear from her many customers, from our newest TCs to those who have been with us from the beginning. “I love what I do. I can’t imagine doing anything else.”

Training Center Profiles

Meet Your Peers

Discover what your peers are thinking about the emergency care industry, the challenges their TCs face, and the solutions they’ve found in their quest to make their workplaces and communities safer.

TC Name: Wrigley Institute of Environmental Studies, USC Catalina. Big Fisherman Cove, Catalina Island, CA. http://dornsife.usc.edu

Director: Capt. Gordon Boivin

How long have you been in business?

Approximately 53 years, 3-5 years as an internal, for-profit ASHI TC

What is the biggest challenge for you and your business?

Coordinating training across multiple locations

What strategies or investments have proven to be a waste of time and money?

We have been lucky in that our training staff have had other experiences, so the trial and error portion of our program development was greatly reduced.

Based on what you know now, what advice would you have given yourself when you were starting out?

Take the time in the beginning to identify an agency with which to partner such as ASHI

Where do you see your business and the emergency care training industry in the next 5-10 years?

We mostly offer staff development and safety awareness training as well as support for developing field researchers such as scientific divers, so as the university grows and develops we will grow with it.

Of your business or training investments that cost less than $500, what has given you the best return?

The relationship and fees associated with ASHI

What has your company done to make safety part of the day-to-day culture?

It is an integral part of all pre-dive operational briefings and debriefs

Please share a success story about how you increased organizational leadership buy-in and support for your emergency care training efforts.

Establishing a post-accident review for senior management, motivating the organization to maintain the safety culture attitude.

What are some of the most common misconceptions or mistakes you have seen/heard in your career?

Having been in an emergency response role most of my working career, misconceptions are not an issue, given our overall approach to safety

Can you share a favorite Good Samaritan story about your students?

In our operations, the overall safety training and safety culture has directly impacted the successful outcome of several marine-related emergencies.

 
TC Name: LivesMatterCPR, Surprise, AZ. http://www.livesmattercpr.net/index.html

Director: Aaron Bedal

How long have you been in business?  One year an an external, sole-proprietor ASHI TC

What is the biggest challenge for you and your business?

Finding new customers

How do you market your business?

Website, email marketing, online advertising, speaking at public events, and free class offerings

Based on what you know now, what advice would you have given yourself when you were starting out?

Don't believe AHA is the only or most reputable training group - they are not.

What are some of the most common misconceptions or mistakes you have seen/heard in your career?

That small efforts are not worth the return

Of your business or training investments that cost less than $500, what has given you the best return?

Manikins

What strategies have proved to be a waste of time and money?

Walking door to door, business to business, handing out flyers and business cards.

Where do you go to stay current with the latest industry information and knowledge?

Industry websites

TC Name: TrueCare Health Services, Joppa, MD. truecarehs.com

Director: Trinna Kirkland MSN, RN

How long have you been in business? 2 years as an external, non-profit corporation ASHI TC

What is the biggest challenge for you and your business?

Recognition of ASHI and MEDIC First Aid training programs

How do you market your business?

Website, online advertising, and ads in local publications

What strategies or investments have proven to be a waste of time and money?

None, really. I try to learn from everything

Based on what you know now, what advice would you have given yourself when you were starting out?

The business is still in the early stages. I think a mentor would have helped a lot.

Where do you see your business and the emergency care training industry in the next 5-10 years?

Offering multi-state training. We’re hoping to start training in Virginia and Delaware soon.

Of your business or training investments that cost less than $500, what has given you the best return?

My first aid and CPR combination course

Where do you go to stay current with the latest industry information and knowledge?

I look at the updates and newsletters from ASHI and AHA

 TC Name: CPRescue, Hollister, CA. www.cprescue.com

Director: Michael Willison

How long have you been in business? 21 years, 10+ as an external, sole-proprietor ASHI and MEDIC First Aid TC

Where do you see your business and the emergency care training industry in the next 5-10 years?

More digital products and services

Based on what you know now, what advice would you have given yourself when you were starting out?

Keep up on the documentation requirements

What are some of the most common misconceptions or mistakes you have seen/heard in your career?

Student assumptions about cough CPR

Of your business or training investments that cost less than $500, what has given you the best return?

Training videos

What strategies have proved to be a waste of time and money?

Social media marketing

Where do you go to stay current with the latest industry information and knowledge?

Medical journals

What is the biggest training challenge at your company?

Scheduling, travel time, and training staff

TC Name: Northeast Florida Safety Council, Jacksonville, FL. www.jaxsafety.com

Director: Sheri Watson-Press

How long have you been in business? 75 years, 10+ years as an internal, non-profit corporation ASHI TC

Where do you see your business and the emergency care training industry in the next 5-10 years?

Hopefully offering more web-based training along with our classroom training

Where do you go to stay current with the latest industry information and knowledge?

Appropriate industry websites and newsletters

What are some of the most common misconceptions or mistakes you have seen/heard in your career?

The customer is always right

Can you share a favorite Good Samaritan story about your students?

A life was saved by someone taking the time to pay attention to a co-worker and have them get down from a high place where they were working, because the Good Sam noticed the co-worker was in some distress. The co-worker had a medical emergency and survived thanks to signs the Good Sam had seen and the actions he took that he had learned in class.

What is the biggest training challenge at your company? 

Being able to close so everyone can attend training

What has your company done to make safety part of the day-to-day culture?

Putting into practice what we teach

TC Name: ReadyPlan, Samutprakran, Thailand. http://www.readyplan.net

Director: Sunthai Ruengsuk

How long have you been in business? 10 years as an external, for-profit ASHI and MEDIC First Aid TC

What is the biggest challenge for you and your business?

Expenses, finding new customers, administration, and recognition of ASHI and MEDIC First Aid training programs

How do you market your business?

Website, direct mail, email marketing, online advertising, and speaking at public events

Where do you see your business and the emergency care training industry in the next 5-10 years?

Continued growth

We want to hear from you!

Share your wisdom with your TC peers by completing one of our 15-minute profile surveys.

If your TC provides training for individuals or organizations for a fee, click the "External TC" button. For those TCs that offer training for employees/members at no charge, choose "Internal TC."

HSI Resources and Why You Should Share Them on Social Media

Did you know that ASHI and MEDIC First Aid have emergency care content that you can share on social media? Sharing quality content on your online platforms or website can help you engage with your audience and establish your Training Center landing pages and social media timelines as go-to resources for emergency care information.

First, a few words about why this matters. As business.com puts it, the art of social sharing is to follow the 5:3:2 rule:

With regards to social sharing, it's all about getting the right balance, so think of it as for every ten posts:

• 5 should be content from other sources that are relevant to your audience, otherwise known as curation.

• 3 should be content you've created, that's relevant to your audience or creation.

• 2 should be personal, fun content that humanizes your brand to your audience, to be referred to as humanization.

You can read the business.com article here.

We’ve all seen those corporate pages and timelines that are nothing but endless advertisements and information about the company itself. And chances are, we don’t return to those pages because they’re...well, kind of boring.

For your Training Center’s social media success, we want to help you with your “fives.” Our emergency care website and social media pages have shareable content that’s ready to go:

• Infographics from our Resources page at https://emergencycare.hsi.com/resources/tag/infographic

• Social media sharing links at the end of each ASHI and MEDIC First Aid blog post at https://emergencycare.hsi.com/blog

• Posts with emergency care facts and tips on our social media pages (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram).

• Use the hashtags #ASHICPR and #MFACPR to be a part of our online conversations.

So, the next time you want to engage with your audience or perhaps spark a conversation in your comments sections, feel free to share our content to get the ball rolling.