In a business environment where Information Technology has grown to become an invaluable workplace tool, the benefits of staff undergoing extensive training programs in specific software applications are obvious.

Being able to utilise Microsoft products slickly and efficiently will always give your business the mark of professionalism and quality. Successfully employing some of the more advanced applications can really provide that added edge that clients are looking for. Confidence in established and emerging technology is a very attractive sell for a prospective client.

It is for this reason that training courses are key to a company's (and individual's) development. Specialised, accredited tutoring within a small, tightly focused peer group can boost skill sets and really make a huge difference in the corporate world.

But what happens a couple of months down the line, when the course is over and you are faced with a particularly tricky Microsoft-related task that you either never learned about or have forgotten how to resolve? Even the finest training provider is not 100% exhaustive and you never know when a potentially difficult operation may be required.

It is for this reason that it is essential that you enrol on a course which goes the extra mile. Some courses will provide more than just 'on the day' training, offering extensive follow up tuition and distance services to ensure that the knowledge that you picked up on the course is kept fresh and developed and not just allowed to drift out of your mind.

One of the most valuable of these follow up services is the use of an online forum for clients to post questions and queries in and receive speedy and reliable responses from trained professionals. This facility is particularly useful for those who require a concrete answer to an occasional or highly specified query within a strict timeframe.

But sometimes it is more than just one answer to one problem that is required. To this end there are training providers who provide more general, personalised floor walking services. This method can be particularly pertinent for employers who simply cannot afford the upheaval and lack of manpower necessitated by sending their staff off to an external training course. In this scenario trainers can walk the floor of the workplace assisting with persistent issues that emerge in real-time. The benefit of this method is that it possesses an enhanced authenticity, resolving actual problems that clients are experiencing as opposed to hypothetical ones outlined in a training room.

These alternatives to the traditional training room environment reflect the disparate needs of businesses today where a 'one size fits all' approach is simply too inflexible. Different companies have different modus operandi not to mention different levels of staffing and time to devote to outside operations. They also highlight the need for continued support for clients long after the physical course has expired. By no means all training companies provide services such as these but if you research carefully you will be able to find ones that satisfy the needs and concerns of your business.