iSpring Suite

iSpring Suite is a very useful Microsoft Powerpoint add-on which you download to install. When you open Powerpoint after installing you`re offered a new tab containing all of your new iSpring Suite features and functionality. This software is like having Powerpoint in its ultimate version with the ability to use the core functionality and extend it in a number of powerful ways which make your presentation more creative, dynamic and interactive than ever before. It`s most common use is for creating online based training and it allows you to do so within the storyboard based format in Powerpoint. The animations and transitions and triggers are very useful in Powerpoint but you can go beyond this with iSpring to add audio such as a narrator along while adding several other media types such as video, music or audio samples for example. And then the software will help you sync it all together into a much stronger story than using Powerpoint alone. You can even add quizzes to your presentations which are cool making them truly interactive. The inputs available for audio and video are good there is a variety of popular formats you can bring into your story. And the outputs are solid too with ppt, swf, html, mp4 and scorm/lms available currently when you're ready to share your presentation. There's a good amount of flexibility as well. You can link to resource material, create a table of contents and use closed captions which are great features. While I find the user interface very user friendly and easy to learn but having a lot of powerpoint experience in the past certainly helps this out.

If you`re not used to using Powerpoint at all there will be a learning to curve to this before you can utilize the iSpring Suite features. There`s basically no way around this although Powerpoint is quite user friendly and easy to learn it still takes a bit of time to get to know all of its features. Though iSpring is a natural extension of this core functionality so it becomes second nature quickly once you get to know the software as a whole. The pricing made my eyes pop a little bit. I appreciate the value it offers but was surprised it was so quite expensive. Perhaps it goes to show it's value in the market and makes me curious as to the alternatives if there are any which you would think there would be. I understand this pricing is not a problem for thriving small businesses or larger companies but as an individual contractor or start up it's not going to be viable in the beginning so that's unfortunate.

The overall value available in your iSpring Suite tab of Powerpoint is amazing and makes the stories you can tell and the training you're creating that much more creative, dynamic and interactive than a typical presentation. If you have a need to create high quality online based training than definitely consider it especially if you're already very familiar with Powerpoint. But know there are other options out there which are unique if you want to present in more cost efficient ways that aren't Powerpoint. A low cost monthly option would be a nice addition to their pricing model. The free trial with no limitations makes it possible to try out all of the features for thirty days and while it remains branded to their company it's a good way to determine whether it's worth investing in or not for you currently.