It is always prudent to be prepared when you make a change and introduce a new booking system – there can be some initial challenges that it's worth pre-empting before the switch. As a training management software company we wouldn't be being totally open and supportive if we didn't highlight these.

Obviously it should go without saying that security is key, so always move forward with a training management system provider you can trust and has a good track record.

Here are six good starting points for consideration when it comes to online booking within a training management system:

This could be a huge change in the way you run your business, for the first time you will be automating processes that are crucial to the running of the company. Plan the rollout carefully, and make sure you factor in the following issues:

It would be wise to consider when a good time to launch the new system would be, there is no denying that an online booking system will streamline processes and help build a far more effective training business – but the initial launch will need attention and time. Don't take on too much at once and look for a gap in work.

Something our clients have said to us in the past is that they are less reliant on administrative tasks being carried out from employees once the online booking system is in place. Think about what else those individuals could be doing and how best they could spend their new found time – don't let it become downtime.

You're an online store now – take a look at Amazon, they work tirelessly to build traffic to their site and ensure that people buy when they land. Is your site geared up to be an online store? You might want to consider how much traffic you get to your site and how valuable it would be to increase that traffic.

For existing clients this is easy – tell them. As with all changes it's important to communicate effectively and coherently, so be very clear with why you have integrated the online system and how it will benefit them. For new customers you need to be thinking about online marketing.

Well, if you want to find out about something, like 'leadership training' or 'health and training in Manchester' you tend to head to Google. And, while there may well be 100,000 results, you want to be on the first page. You're getting into the world of search engine optimisation (SEO) now. One of the key ways you can build traffic to the site is through content.

This is the provider that will channel money from your clients to you, it's essential for online booking and there's lots of choice.

It's also worth remembering that there is sound advice from forums on the internet – do your research. Paypal and Worldpay are popular choices though they all have different pricing structures – be careful to choose the right one as it can become costly.

As we talked about in Part 1, there are some very motivational benefits of switching to online booking, though as with most things it's not a silver bullet for training success.

What it can be is an effective way to reach out to a wider audience while reducing the administrative burden so often associated with training. The training companies that get the most from online booking are the ones who anticipate the change and are fully equipped to take full advantage.