Useful contacts: 
learndirectscotland 
National business training advice line:08456 000 111learndirectscotland for businesswebsite: www.lds4b.com.
Learning and Teaching Scotland 
The Optima 58 Robertson Street Glasgow G2 8DU Customer Services: 08700 100 297 (UK only) International Enquiries: 
+ 44 (0)141 282 5000 www.ltscotland.org.uk 
ProjectScotland 
49 Melville Street Edinburgh EH3 7HL Tel: 08458 4 16 2 25 Email: info@projectscotland.co.uk Web: www.projectscotland.co.uk 
Springboard Scotland C/o Glasgow Metropolitan College 230 Cathedral Street Glasgow G1 2TG Tel: 0141 552 5554 Fax: 0141 552 9991 Email: davida@springboarduk.org.uk web: www.springboarduk.org.uk 
The Edinburgh Grid for Learning 
(Schools information from City of Edinburgh Council) Email: www.egfl.net 
The National Library of Scotland 
Scottish Business Information ServiceNational Library of ScotlandGeorge IV BridgeEdinburgh EH1 1EWTel: 0131-225 8488Fax: 0131-466 2818Email: enquiries@scotbis.comweb: www.nls.uk
The City of Edinburgh Council, City Chambers, High Street, Edinburgh, EH1 1YJ,Tel: 0131 200 2323www.edinburgh.gov.uk


Case Study

History Gets Hi-Tech 

Win Brogan of Edinburgh-based firm Mercat Tours isn't afraid of ghosts and ghouls. She'd be in the wrong business if she was - the firm specialises in ghost walks and history tours of the city's old town. 
As Head of Development for the company, however, Win was frightened by how its business systems and lack of IT was stifling the company's growth. 
Win explained: "We knew our website needed updating if we were to encourage more people to book our tours and we'd need to revamp our paper-based booking system but we didn't know where to begin. 
"Napier University's eBusiness Projects within the Project Development Unit of Lifelong Learning was recommended to us through the Chamber of Commerce. The University appointed an e-business adviser who identified the manual transfer of large amounts of data as an issue. We were spending a lot of time servicing our technology rather than the other way round. 
"We needed a fully integrated system so that the website, the guides and sales staff on the street, and the office were all talking to each other. Napier was also useful in ensuring that we didn't get more than we needed. 
"The adviser helped us prepare a tender document for the work needed and put it out to a range of companies - and they also helped us make our final selection. Now Napier has settled into a monitoring role - keeping a watching brief." 



Jamie Brogan, Project Manager in Lifelong Learning said: "The Department of Lifelong Learning at Napier University creates and manages a number of innovative projects working with individuals, businesses and communities throughout Scotland, and in doing so aims to make a significant contribution to today's Scottish economy and society. 
"Mercat Tours is a typical example of the kind of business we help. It is a company whose staff need to spend the majority of their time face-to-face with their clients, not dealing with bits of paper. 
"We are very much in partnership with the business. We find that businesses soon go from asking 'how can we afford this?' to 'how can we afford not to do this?'" 
Thanks to the advice of Napier University, the installation of a new website and hi-tech booking system has seen Mercat Tours increase its ticket sales by 125% in the first four months of its operation. In fact, the proportion of online sales has grown by 230% and private bookings are soaring due to a focus on search engine optimisation. 
www.napier.ac.uk/lifelonglearning