Herbalife weighs in with Dimension Data

Multi-level marketing company, Herbalife International South Africa, recently made use of audio conferencing, a cost-effective communications service from Dimension Data, to roll-out successful training sessions to its distributors. Almost 300 participants from around the country took part - simply by using the telephone.

"The real motivation was to test out an alternative method of training, and it was hugely successful," says Thereza van Schoor, Sales and Communication Co-ordinator at Herbalife. "We also used the exercise to recognise our top distributors, and gave them the opportunity to share ideas and help promote their business."

Herbalife is a leader in developing advanced weight management, nutritional and personal-care products, with the emphasis on herbs and other natural ingredients. It uses independent distributors to sell its products to the public.

Live training is enormously costly when distributors are scattered around the country. Information and success stories can be disseminated in other ways, for example via newsletters, but the impact is far less effective. "We found very few audio conferencing facilities in the country, and Dimension Data was the only company that could offer us what we were looking for," says Van Schoor.

The Herbalife sessions ran over 12 weeks, with two calls per week. All calls were recorded so that those who missed the live sessions still had access to the information up to 48 hours after the call took place. Dimension Data`s audio bridging service allows up to 120 people to conference on one call. Participants, who have a pre-arranged access code, simply dial a certain number at a pre-booked time to take part in the live call.

"The service also offers a number of features, such as the ability to mute out speakers," says Blake Smith, manager: professional interactive services at Dimension Data SA. "We can also supply qualified operators to control meetings, or to conduct question and answer sessions, should a formal call be required." According to Smith, the service is ideal for financial services companies, many of whom use it on a daily basis to disseminate market information and field questions. Pharmaceutical companies are utilising audio conferencing to inform doctors about new drugs or prescription changes.

"The audio conferencing service is also ideal for organisations with a number of branches," says Smith. "The beauty is that although it is run by very sophisticated technology, participants need only use the telephone. It is proving to be increasingly popular as it is very easy - and cost-effective - to use."