Free webinars for all current PIER Users. Sessions are now scheduled for March-June 2012. Register now!

We have updated our curriculum to offer shorter, modularized sessions to cover the functionality of PIER. Webinar schedule and registration links below. Please plan appropriately for your time zone.

Log in to watch a PIER instructor demonstrating the different functionality and best practices of PIER. Participants are able to submit questions through the webinar chat panel for the instructor to answer during the live webinar.

Scroll down to read webinar descriptions and suggested sequence for new PIER Users.

Course Schedule

Course Descriptions

For new PIER Users who plan to attend the webinars as an orientation to the system the available modules are listed below in the reccomended sequence. If you are brand new to PIER please watch the 7 minute video introduction before taking the webinars.

Special Session: PIER 7.1 Overivew - Subscription Manager

In this 60 minute informational webinar we will demonstrate the new Subscription Manager features coming with the June 4th PIER 7.1 upgrade. You'll learn how to enable your website visitors to register, set up a password, and manage their own profile and subscriptions to your updates.  You'll also learn how to establish "channels" as a new distribution option for self-managed subscriptions. When you connect PIER document folders to channels items published will be automatically distributed, reducing the number of steps for PIER Users for time-critical communications.

Document Creation

In this 60-minute  webinar you’ll learn the basics of creating documents in PIER. We’ll cover using templates  and uploading files like .pdfs. You will learn techniques for formatting text, inserting hyperlinks and images in a document, and working with tables. Once your document is created we’ll cover sharing drafts with other PIER users and the approval and publishing process.

Document Distribution

In this 90-minute webinar we’ll cover how to send PIER documents. From a simple email distribution, to mass emergency messaging via phone and SMS, you’ll learn when to choose the different methods of distribution and how to most effectively communicate with each one. We’ll also review telephone and SMS costs and how you can retrieve reports following a distribution. Finally, we’ll cover an overview of the SMS gateway so your audiences can reply seamlessly into your inquiry management system.

Contact Management

This 60-minute webinar covers working with contact records and directories in PIER. Contact records are the heart of your PIER site and we’ll explore how viewing a contact record shows you the history of communication with your audiences. We’ll cover creating and editing contacts, developing contact groups for targeted communication, and working with the properties of a contact directory. Note: Batch uploading of contacts will be mentioned in this webinar, but covered in more depth in the Administrative PIER Tasks session.

Inquiry Management

This 60-minute webinar will teach you how to utilize the power of PIER’s inquiry management system to listen effectively to your stakeholders. We will cover adding and responding to inquiries, as well as managing workflow with notification settings and forwarding inquiries manually or automatically by category. We’ll use the Inquiry Answers feature:  selecting pre-approved responses to your most common or challenging inquiries. Inquiry reporting will also be covered.

Administrative PIER Tasks

In this 2 hour webinar we will cover tasks that allow you to manage and customize your PIER site to meet your specific needs. After this class you’ll be ready to add new User accounts and assign permissions. You’ll learn how to create folders, manage documents, batch upload contacts and run reports. A Site Maintenance Checklist handout will help you maintain your site over time.

Forms and Surveys in PIER

In this 60-minute webinar we will learn how to create interactive forms and surveys in PIER that will allow you to gather information and feedback from your website visitors. Forms can be used to collect just about any type of data: RSVP forms, attitude surveys, incident updates from field staff etc. Create and edit forms, turn submitted forms into PIER documents, and analyze results.

Social Media Connectors

This 60-minute special topic webinar will show you how to integrate your Facebook and Twitter presence with your PIER site to facilitate seamless posting and commenter interaction from one place: your PIER inquiry management center. Imagine having a single logon to create and approve your social media content, as well as view, collect, categorize and reply to follower comments!

Geotagging Features in PIER

In this 60-minute special topic webinar we’ll explore one of the most exciting capabilities PIER has to offer: geotagging. Learn about how PIER has partnered with Google Maps to automatically generate GIS data for your contacts. You’ll learn how to generate mailing lists easily by geographic location through a technique called geofencing. Whether you’re looking to define a 5 mile radius around a point on the map or to specify a complex boundary, like the borders of your county, you can now get your message to the people closest to the action. You’ll also learn how PIER documents can be tagged by location so your website visitors can click through to a Google Map and see where something is happening.

For More Info Contact

Holly Hinman
PIER Systems
p. 360.255.7862