YBI Foundation trains more than 2.5 lakh students using TrainerCentral by Zoho

That's when he got the motivation to create and run the YBI Foundation. The starting numbers were small; they were only teaching about 50 students a month. Gradually, they built a reputation and in a few years they achieved more than 200 MoUs (memorandum of understanding) and associated themselves with various colleges and universities in India. Today, the YBI Foundation teaches more than 2.5 lakhs students worldwide.

To run his business, Dr. Yadav looked to TrainerCentral by Zoho (formerly known as ShowTime).

While choosing a platform to run his business, Dr. Yadav evaluated different products. From online meeting platforms like Google Meet and Zoom, to different LMS platforms where students can create accounts, learn, and earn certificates. The problem was using multiple products. Which meant multiple payments, log-in systems, and scattered information and learning materials, leading to student frustration and increased business expenses. He explained that although many platforms offer a host of features, he needed just a few because the others couldn't add any value to course deliverability or the learning for students. He needed an integrated system to provide both live classes and learner management.

His search ended with TrainerCentral. When asked about what made him confident in his choice, he said,“TrainerCentral is a very simple, easy-to-use interface. The pricing model is straightforward, honest. Also, Zoho’s reputation added to the credibility. I always look for products made in India.”

YBI Foundation's classes are available to students globally. A mix of both online and offline modules, they manage assignment submissions, assessments, quizzes, and course completion certifications all on the platform. They also use different formats of course materials, including videos, to teach their students.

Built-in live classes

YBI Foundation follows a blended learning module for their training business. Irrespective of course duration, 40% of all the programs are conducted online and 60% offline. All of YBI Foundation's online classes and workshops are managed on TrainerCentral.

White-label support

Hosting their programs under their own branded domain has helped them distinguish themselves as a professional learning platform rather than a third-party marketplace, and has "strengthened trust among students, corporates, and academic institutions".

The added advantages of a white-label platform has also helped maintain brand consistency across their website, certificates, training materials, and communication channels. "This has positively impacted enrollments and institutional partnerships," Dr. Yadav shared.

The white-label feature of TrainerCentral has significantly enhanced our brand identity and credibility.

Dr. Alok Yadav,

Director, YBI Foundation

Using the AI module

The YBI Foundation is using TrainerCentral's new AI feature extensively. "We are using the AI feature and it is very, very user friendly," Dr. Yadav said. They're using the feature to create course content and generate quizzes.

Automated email reminders

Dr. Yadav is using the automated email feature in TrainerCentral extensively. He explained that, "TrainerCentral has good email features to send reminders for when the next class is, course completion, and assignments."

Low-bandwidth availability

They use TrainerCentral's low-bandwidth support facility to make sure students in rural and remote areas also can access the courses.

Remote teams managed seamlessly

Being in the digital space, the YBI Foundation keeps a lean team of eight to ten trainers. During the pandemic, many employees were working from home from different locations. The team had the flexibility to work from anywhere using TrainerCentral. It was much easier to log in, take virtual classes, and manage students on a single platform.

Drag-and-drop website builder

Speaking about the new website builder, Dr. Yadav said, "It has all the features of any website development tool like an on-the-shelf product." He reports that the feature has had a positive impact on his business by creating clean, professional websites that are easy to navigate, generate user interest, and build credibility. The option to add widgets has increased the site's usability.

Multiple payment gateways

YBI Foundation uses Razorpay for their business transaction. The payment gateway is available in TrainerCentral along with several other options like GPay and PayPal for global customers. TrainerCentral offers different payment plans like one-time payment, partial payments, and subscriptions.

Coupons feature

The YBI Foundation uses the coupons feature available in TrainerCentral extensively for promotional campaigns, institutional collaborations, and limited-time offers. It's been helpful for offering special discounts during campaigns, providing scholarship-based concessions, partner institution enrollments, and encouraging early registrations. "The coupon management system is simple, efficient, and easy to track, which makes promotional planning smooth and transparent," Dr. Yadav explained.

Customizable common labels

Students' initial navigation challenges were solved easily by customizing the common labels on the platform. Talking about the option, Dr. Yadav said, "We have customized in an easy to understand way how a college student can understand."

Tracking student data

TrainerCentral offers tools to keep track of students' progress, from assignments and course completion reports, to reviews and certificates. The dashboard keeps track of enrollment and course completion data at a glance. Dr. Yadav explained, "It is easy to keep track of students' course completion and all the student data."

Private/hidden courses

Trainers can offer learners request-based access to courses using the private/hidden courses feature in TrainerCentral. The courses are otherwise hidden from public description. The YBI Foundation actively uses this feature. Dr. Yadav explained that it's particularly useful for corporate training batches, institution-specific programs, sponsored or customized learning cohorts, and pilot programs before public launch, and the feature has enabled "better control and structured delivery."

Dr. Yadav shared that because of the transparency in pricing models, the ROI on using TrainerCentral for his business has been very high. They used a different platform for a short time and he feels that comparatively,

In terms of money and the time from purchase to going live, the ROI from TrainerCentral is very, very high.

Dr. Alok Yadav,

Director, YBI Foundation

Talking to us about the Zoho ecosystem and the other products he has integrated with TrainerCentral, Dr. Yadav explained that for smaller organizations, hiring multiple vendors is costly and makes processes difficult. However, as organizations scale, they need automation in other departments also. "And that is also one of the plus points of working with TrainerCentral from Zoho because it comes within an easily integrated ecosystem of productivity enhancing products. From managing your finances to managing your people, your social marketing, anything we could think of," he said.

YBI Foundation is using multiple Zoho products that are easily integrated with TrainerCentral using Zoho Flow. They use Zoho Desk to handle student complaints, Zoho Cliq, WorkDrive, Campaign, and Social. "This gives a more wholesome experience for all the users," Dr. Yadav said. He added that the adoption time is fast and the products are affordable.

Talking about the integrations, Dr. Yadav emphasized that TrainerCentral is the core of his business.“Our core existence is with TrainerCantral, we exist because of TrainerCentral, from student data to course distribution, everything depends on it. Everything else is peripheral,” he said.

Speaking about the support from the TrainerCentral team, he shared that he has made several requests over the years and they've always been resolved. "We have made requests during odd hours, during holidays like Christmas, and we always get a response." About the new releases from TrainerCentral, he said that the team keeps new updates thoughtful and improves the experience.

We see TrainerCentral as a partner. The best part is that the team is very, very responsive. They are open-minded, they listen, it is a two-way communication.

Dr. Alok Yadav,

Director, YBI Foundation

As subjects like AI and robotics become more mainstream, the YBI Foundation looks to extend their courses to schools. They're looking to move from Google completely to Zoho Workspace. Among other plans, they also plan to move to the completely white-labeled mobile app by TrainerCentral.