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If used properly, the Internet can be a very powerful business tool, helping you
to serve customers better, increase productivity, and importantly, help to drive
up profits. These days more than ever before almost every organisation needs to
make sure they are getting the most out of the internet.
The Internet is the worlds new information infrastructure. It consists of millions
upon millions of networked computers around the world in homes, schools, universities,
government establishments, offices, and more.
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The examples we provide below try to show just how the internet is changing the
way companies and people are doing business together, and perhaps offer clues as
to how it can be better used in your own business situation.
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Supporting your employees on the road
Providing your sales team or employees on the road with vital timely information
can help them to carry out their work more effectively and efficiently. Email can
be used to send, receive and modify important documents such as contracts, invoices,
etc. Important relevant information can be provided securely over the Internet from
the company web site, examples are:
- sales presentation materials
- pricing information
- business contacts
- business competition information
- sales hints
- product instructions
- component specifications
- parts lists
- engineering drawings
- client location maps, etc.
Providing up-to-the-minute information
It's very important to keep your customers, suppliers and business partners up to
date with information they need. Your web site can be easily updated to provide
the very latest information offering increased client and customer satisfaction
and all round improvements in information distribution.
Increased dissemination efficiency
The costs and time scales associated with information production and distribution
can be greatly reduced. Making on-the-fly changes to current information is also
greatly facilitated. Traditional paper based information distribution is often very
expensive to produce, difficult to modify and resource intensive (not forgetting
environmental considerations).
Improved business communication
The Internet greatly improves general and day-to-day business communications. Email
facilitates lines of communication between companies and among employees at all
levels. Direct lines of communication can also be constructed between business partners,
suppliers and important customers.
Collaborative product development
Internet connectivity enables organizations to work more closely together facilitating
product development. Engineers can electronically exchange design information including
CAD models, component and material specifications, etc., greatly decreasing lead
times while increasing overall design flexibility. The web site can be used to test
and develop new products before launch by researchers and customers. Project leaders
can be kept up-to-date with project status information via email and/or desktop
applications (Microsoft Project) integrated into secure private sections of the
web site or internal Intranet.
Electronic commerce
Internet encryption and security technologies enable enterprises to provide on-line
shopping using integrated credit card transaction facilities. Electronic commerce
technologies can dramatically reduce the cost of order fulfilment and distribution.
It presents an ideal trading mechanism for mail order companies, software vendors,
booksellers, information service providers, etc. Purchase orders, invoices and bills
of lading can also be exchanged through tight web integration with customers and
suppliers.
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Opening International Markets
The Internet spans the globe, the corporate web site located in Birmingham, England
can therefore be accessed just as easily in Tokyo as it can on home ground. This
introduces excellent opportunities to market products and services to overseas clients
offering them immediate access to your products and services.
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Opening a dialogue with international markets is now as simple as with a company
in the same town. For companies with overseas offices, the corporate web site is
a boon, enabling colleagues at these offices to access up-to-date information, produce
reports, etc., all for the price of a local phone call.
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A recruitment tool
The Internet provides an excellent recruitment channel for universities, government
agencies, private commercial enterprises, recruitment consultancies, etc. In general
better quality applicants, having a good familiarity with modern technology, can
be resourced on the Internet.
A 24 Hour Global Service
The corporate web site is available to serve customers, business partners and suppliers
24 hrs a day, 365 days a year in all time frames and geographical locations. Commerce
is global but your working hours aren’t, Internet technology therefore provides
a convenient excellent commercial marketing tool.
The Internet as an excellent marketing tool
The Internet presents an additional marketing facility creating new opportunities
to increase sales, offer better customer care and increase customer satisfaction,
thereby significantly increasing the commercial competitiveness of your organization.
The following examples illustrate how the Internet can be used as an effective marketing
tool.
People Networking
It’s not what you know it’s who you know, as every smart businessperson is aware.
The global and 24hr nature of the Internet provides a channel to facilitate business
networking. Corporate web sites and email offer opportunities to present yourself
and your enterprise to millions of potential customers worldwide.
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The Internet is the great equaliser
Small organisations can now compete on equal terms with much larger corporations
thanks to the Internet. A business may be small in size, but its web site can be
as innovative, creative, and as functional as any much larger organisation, this
is where quality counts – not quantity. A small company can show it is innovative,
keen and ready to serve its customers by making good use of Internet marketing strategies.
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Testing new products and services
Effective marketing research of new products and services has always presented many
challenges, and often proves very expensive. Confidentiality is also a prime concern.
Using the Internet as a testing facility can pay dividends, both in terms of received
test data and in cost.
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Visitors to your web site participating in a test marketing operation can offer
fast feedback, accurately and securely, producing a better informed view for your
organizations positioning of the new products or services within the marketplace.
Researching costs are also minimized due to the absence of expensive marketing materials
such as brochures, questionnaires, etc., requiring publication and distribution
– often more than once.
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Research and Information gathering
The Internet provides an enormous amount of information from government data, international
trade information, requests for bids, stock quotes, company information, economic
and demographic data, industry standards and specifications, materials data, weather
forecasts, world news and events, agricultural information and outlooks, patent
and trademark information, etc. There are also thousands of Internet Newsgroups,
these are discussion forums concentrating on particular topics. They offer a wealth
of vital information and can often provide useful relatively immediate help with
problems.
Reaching a demographic marketplace
The demographic of the World Wide Web user is probably the highest mass-market demographic
available. Often college-educated or being college educated, making a high salary
or soon to make a high salary, it's no wonder that Wired magazine, a choice magazine
to the Internet community, has no problem getting Lexus and other high-end marketer's
advertising. Even with the addition of the commercial on-line community, the demographic
will remain high for many years to come.
Reaching Specialized Markets
There are now approximately 100 million Internet users (and rapidly growing) around
the globe, this offers enormous scope for those wishing to market almost any specialized
product or service however narrow the interest group, from flying lessons, children’s
games, teaching materials, art reproductions and fish tanks to advanced polymer
materials, precious gems, engine components, industrial water seals and electronic
components, etc.
Newsgroups
A Newsgroup is a discussion forum concentrating on particular topics of interest,
they become invaluable sources of information, help and advice. There are thousands
of Newsgroups around the globe dedicated to all manner of topic including specialist
computer programming languages, bird watching, astronomy, Shakespearean literature,
marketing, science topics, engineering topics, financial strategies, etc. A Newsgroup
will encourage and foster discussion between those who have an interest in your
particular product or service area. Keeping an eye on the contents of a Newsgroup
can offer valuable marketing information.
The Internet increases customer satisfaction
Improving the perception of an organisation and increasing customer satisfaction
are vitally important ingredients for success. There are a number of ways a corporation
can increase customer satisfaction through the Internet.
Providing Immediate access to Useful Information
A corporate web site that is available around-the-clock providing vital up-to-date
information helps customers feel they are being served by a business that cares
for them – increasing customer satisfaction. Product updates, technical help, instructional
aids, product specifications, guarantee/warrantee information, servicing arrangements,
opening times, spares ordering, location maps, support information, etc. Forms can
be provided to help customers search for available colours, style and sizes. Customers
can use forms to evaluate loan arrangements or mortgages, calculating costs and
benefits there and then. All help to not only keep the phones quiet but facilitate
customer care and foster customer satisfaction.
Building closer links
Creating a secure Internet link between main customers also helps to cement bonds
and improve relations and co-operation. It also improves efficiency in many areas
such as product development and information transfer generating substantial cost
savings.
Giving the Customer time
Potential customers like to be given time to evaluate new products and services.
They need this time to convince themselves they are getting the best price, or the
highest quality, or a better service. A business can use its web site to provide
the information a customer needs and the time to evaluate.
Purchasing choices
The Web site can offer customers alternative purchasing channels. Traditional channels
such as telephone numbers for immediate ordering can be displayed as can the location
of the nearest retail outlet. Additionally customers may be able to purchase directly
from the web site.
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Multimedia benefits
Interactive multimedia is a great sales aid. Imagine a customer dragging fashion
accessories onto a model with the computer mouse! What about letting the customer
sit in the driving seat of new car - using a mouse and a wrap-around interior view,
the web site visitor can view the internal space of the vehicle from any angle.
How about letting a customer hear part of a record before purchase. Web technology
today has advanced sufficiently to enable sound, video and moving graphics to enhance
any product or service.
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