Help / FAQs

Q. What is FLOW hospitality training?
FLOW hospitality training provides the learner with the fundamental knowledge needed to build a successful career in the hospitality industry. For people that are looking to work in the hospitality world – bars, restaurants, hotels or outside catering, the FLOW hospitality training modules provide a great platform for learning.

Q. What's included within the hospitality training package?

For each individual learner the purchase includes:

• Interactive training modules that can be downloaded.
• FLOW certificate when you or your learner passes each module.
• Product knowledge information at the end of specific modules.
• FLOW management system

Q. Is FLOW training fully accredited?
Our FLOW online training modules and exams are fully endorsed by the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA)

Q. How quickly will I be contacted after inputting my initial enquiry?
A member of the FLOW team will contact you within 24 hrs of your email or phone call.

Q. Who do I contact if I have problems accessing the modules?
If you have any problems accessing the modules contact the helpdesk, available from 9am–6pm, Monday - Friday, on 0844 445 7119 or email help@flowhospitalitytraining.co.uk. Outwith these hours all emails and phone calls will be responded to within 24 hours.

Q. Can I get my Personal Licence Holder (PLH) qualification through FLOW?
In order to gain your Personal Licence Holder (PLH) qualification you need to purchase the PLH training module from our sister company PLH ONLINE.
You can provide your staff with the 2hrs mandatory Licensing and Social Responsibility training with the FLOW Licensing & Social Responsibility module.

Q.How long does the FLOW hospitality training last?
Each hospitality training module will take an individual approx 2hrs to complete. After each module has been successfully completed a certificate is issued, and on five of the modules training materials are available to download as PDFs for ongoing reference.

Q. How quickly can I start the training?

• Individuals and small companies (10 employees or less):
  As soon as you have completed your online purchase, you will be asked to set up who the learners are, and once we have these details you can start training immediately.
• Medium to large companies (11 or more employees):
  As soon as your company details have been set up on the FLOW Management System by our FLOW admin team you will be able to start training.

Q. How long do I get to complete the training module?
There is no limit to when you or your employees can begin, however after each learner logs into the training module their unique access code will only be valid for 1 week  (this gives them 7 days to do the training e.g. if you start on Monday at noon, you have until Monday at noon the following week to complete it). 

Q. Are you required to complete the modules in any specific order?
No, but your manager may advise you as to what is the most appropriate routeway for you.

Q. What happens if I fail the exam?
You have three attempts at sitting the exam and most people do pass it within three attempts. If however you don't pass on your third attempt you will need to contact your manager. Your manager may be required to purchase a new module for you or may be able to re-activate your module.

Q. Can I access the module after passing the exam?
No. You have access to each module for 7 days once opened, but as each module is completed you will not be able to access it again. On five of the modules product knowledge PDFs are available to download at the end for ongoing reference.

Q. When will I receive my certificate?
Your certificate can be printed at the end of each exam. If you don't have a printer or if you have any difficulty in printing your certificate then your manager will be able to access it for you, or you can contact the FLOW helpdesk help@flowhospitalitytraining.co.uk and we can email you or send you a copy.

Q. How do I access the product knowledge?
Product knowledge PDFs are available to download and print off at the end of specific modules; The Waiter, The Bartender, Cocktails, Wine and Coffee.

Q. What do I do if I do not have the necessary equipment to complete the module?
Try where ever possible to source the equipment, your manager should be able to supply you with any of the items required. If you don't have all of the equipment available you can still complete the modules and consolidate what you have learned back in your workplace.

Q. How do I consolidate my learning?
When returning to your place of work ensure that you put the training into practise as soon as possible. Where appropriate, check with your manager or trainer for guidance and support.

Q. Why can’t I access the exam?
Your manager may have put a block on the exam to allow them to determine when and where the exam is sat. If this is the case you will need to ask your manager about when to sit your exam and your manager will need to input an authorised pin code to allow you to sit it.

Q. If I have any questions regarding the content of the modules who do I contact?
If you have any questions at all please phone or email the helpdesk on 0844 445 7119 or help@flowhospitalitytraining.co.uk Outwith these hours all emails and phone calls will be responded to within 24 hours.

Q. Can I do the FLOW hospitality training modules at work and at home?
Yes, your access code will allow you to perform the training wherever is most convenient to you and you can use it on up to 3 different PCs.

Q. What is the FLOW Management System?
The management system allows you to manage training, check progress and view results for all your staff. You can set up all of your company as individuals, branches, areas or regions, depending on the size and structure of your business. You can also allow different levels of access for different managers to the management system, depending on who you want to view what information.

Q. How do I give my employees access to the training & exams?
Once you have purchased the training you will be asked to define who is to do the training via the management system. Once you have added your learners they will be emailed Training Instructions and they can get started training and sit their exams.

If the learner does not have an email address you will be able to print off the Training Instructions for them.

You will be able to review each employee's information and see if they have begun the training or not on the management system at any time.

Q. Once I have set up a learner and allocated modules can I amend the details?
You can change their personal information at any time, the only thing you are unable to amend or delete are any training modules that have already been allocated to an individual.

Q. Can I be specific as to what modules my staff can access?
Yes. Modules are allocated per individual, so you choose which staff receive access to which modules.

Q. What are access codes?
Use of the interactive hospitality training modules is controlled by access codes. Each individual learner receives their own unique access code once they have been entered into the FLOW management system.

Q. Why do I need a connection to the internet?
Access to the hospitality training modules are controlled via access codes which are unique to you, so the training module must connect to the FLOW website to ensure the code you enter is valid.

Q. Why is my access code saying it is invalid?
An invalid access code is a code that does not exist on our systems. Make sure you have entered the access code exactly as on the instructions given and that you have a connection to the internet. If you are sure you have entered the code correctly and have a working internet connection then please contact our helpdesk on help@flowhospitalitytraining.co.uk or 0844 445 7119 and we will be able to help you out.

Q. My access code says it is has expired, why?
From the point an individual learner opens the training module you have 1 week (7 days) to complete the training. If you get a message saying your code has expired then you must have had the module open for longer than 7 days. If you are unsure at all then please contact our helpdesk and we will be able to help.

Q. My access code says the user limit has been reached or that I can only use the training on a limited number of PC's
To prevent misuse of the FLOW training modules each access code is limited to a maximum of 3 different PC's. This will still allow you to perform the training from multiple locations e.g. from work, your home and at one other location. 

Q. How do I purchase training?
For low quantity transactions you can purchase online using our secure credit card facilities. If you have a requirement for larger quantities please do not hesitate to get in contact to discuss different payment options to suit you or potential discounts if you are buying for a company.

Q. I need to train a lot of people, can I arrange to pay on invoice?
For larger firms with multiple premises we would be happy to discuss different payment options and potential discounts and are available on 0844 445 7119 or sales@flowhospitalitytraining.co.uk

Q. What are the minimum system requirements for the training module?
Operating system: Windows XP SP2, Windows 2000 or Windows Vista.
At least 1GHz Intel Pentium processor (or equivalent), 512 MB RAM (1 GB recommended), screen resolution 1024 x 786, 16 bit display (32bit recommended), 1.5 GB available disk space.

Q. I get a screen saying loading and then a time out?
The software requires an internet connection to confirm that your access code is valid. Please confirm that you have an internet connection and if you still can't get access contact your own system administrators or contact our helpdesk.

Q. I have a slow online connection, will the interactive training module run for me?
Yes. The training module itself is too rich in videos and interactive demonstrations to be run over any internet connection so the training module needs to be downloaded first and run from your PC.  On a slow connection it may take some time to download it initially.

Q. I don't have an internet connection where I want to do the training, can I still use the training module?
No, you must have an internet connection to validate your access code and launch the training module.

Q. I have a Macintosh, will the training module run on Macintoshes?
Unfortunately the training modules will not run on a Macintosh at present. We are currently working on a version of our training modules that will run on Macs, which should be available from July 2010. If you would like further information on this or would like to be notified when it is released please contact us.

Q. If I lose my power during the end of module exam do I have to start at the beginning again? Yes - but you only have to start back at the beginning of the exam, not the beginning of the module.