InFocus Story April 3, 2000
From
Our Archives Hosting in the "e" generation
The Internet explosion has made the
technologies that enable STEPHEN DELLUTRI
One of the main motivators for any
organization’s foray into eCommerce is to provide their customers with the
ability to serve themselves as much as possible. Another is for the
"little guy" to look and act like a "big guy" in terms of presence and
ability to handle customer needs. As commerce on the Internet becomes more
commonplace, and more and more competitors spring up every morning, even
the early adopters are finding that self-service alone is just not enough
to satisfy all their customers. Additionally, they are learning that price
alone is a poor differentiator when there is always someone out there on
the web willing to sell the same item or service for less, even if it
means taking a loss. And, at just one click away, those competitors have
never been easier for your customers to access. As website developers search for ways to
attract people to their sites, many are missing a crucial element for
getting people to stay–personal interaction. Savvy companies are beginning
to offer both self-service and personal interaction over the Internet. By
allowing them to find and access what they need, these organizations allow
their customers to meet their own needs when possible, and receive more
personalized service when that is what’s required. This allows businesses
to offer the best overall experience, which leads to customer
satisfaction, customer loyalty and success. By empowering businesses to
provide these services, web enabling the call center has gone from
sensible to essential. Telcos, Internet service providers (ISPs)
and application service providers (ASPs), must constantly searching for
value added services to license to or host for their customers. These are
usually high-end technologies that would be prohibitively expensive for
small to mid-sized operations to purchase, implement, staff or maintain.
The Internet explosion has made the technologies that enable eCommerce and
eCustomer Care ideal revenue generators. eCare technologies can be licensed to hosted
customers in a variety of ways: All of which can be implemented with or without
an additional set-up charge. In addition, there are complementary tools,
accessories and services that can be sold individually or bundled as
special service packages for customers of a certain size. A small to mid-sized company with a desire to
make a splash is faced with certain specific difficulties, including
scarcity of human resources, technical expertise and time to handle all
the various aspects of launching and maintaining a successful eCommerce
site. These firms need help to make themselves appear larger, more
established, more capable and more in control. That’s where a service
provider can be an invaluable resource. A relationship with an ISP, ASP or
network operator provides access to the resources, infrastructure,
technology, even staff, required for new or smaller companies to compete
with the "big boys" on a level playing field. Many ISPs, ASPs and telcos already offer an
easy mechanism for display of their customer’s products and/or services by
providing website design and development, email, voice mail, accounts
processing, Internet access, dial tone and more. Hosted eCommerce and
online customer care are the next logical additions to the array of
services and technologies available to those same customers. Things to check out before adding eCare
technology to the hosting options of an ISP, ASP or telco: As a small to mid-sized company considering
becoming or already the customer of an ISP, ASP or telco there are a
number of advantages to be gained. Whether they have a sophisticated web
presence and want to add eCommerce and eCare to their established Internet
offerings, or they are just entering the eArena for the first time, there
are a number of considerations. Generally, their size precludes them from
purchasing eCare technology and staffing a full-fledged call center on
their own, so they turn to a service provider for help. Things to check out before signing on for eCare
as a hosted service: With the right combination of tools,
technologies and services, any company can make it in the Internet
economy. Service providers who offer these essential eCare options allow
their customers to leverage their own products and services with the
personalized service they would be unable to provide on their own, making
web-enabled customer care a win-win situation. A Call to Action The table below offers some basic points to
remember to be successful in eBusiness: Service
Provider End
User Offer desirable/differentiating services
to customers. Find service providers to help you expand
your eBusiness presence. Team up with technology companies that
focus on the service providers' specific
needs Focus on your core business competencies
and utilize outsourced services for the
rest. A company that keeps these points in mind, and
gets the answers to the questions outlined earlier before making any major
commitments, will be well on the way to offering the eCare that is
essential to eBusiness success. Visit the CosmoCom website. September 27, 1999 Telephony July 28, 1997 Telephony Enterprise
E-Commerce Complete Idiot's Guide to e-Commerce
(Complete Idiot's Guide) Exploring E-Commerce, Global E-Business
and E-Society The Business of E-Commerce : From
Corporate Strategy to Technology (Breakthroughs in Application
Development) E- Commerce: E-Commerce : Implementing Global
Marketing Strategies E-Commerce Made E-Z
Guide The E-Commerce Question and Answer
Book: May 8-9 Wireless E-Commerce
Summit May 9 e-Networks Visit the
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