Do I Have Any Business on the Web?
Most large and small businesses now have websites, but there are also many that do not. If your company is thinking about creating a website, has a website and wonders what it is actually doing for the company, or if your company has decided not to have a website, you may want to address this question: Do I have any business on the Web?
To answer this we must first clarify what doing business on the Web is. If your company has a website that does not necessarily mean it is doing business on the Web. Doing business on the web means that some function of your business is actually carried out via The World Wide Web. This can be customers purchasing your products online, or that parts of your operations are supported by an Internet application. To decide what parts of your business belong on the Web we will first look at some strengths and weaknesses of doing business on the Web and then look at some examples that Information Point Technologies has implemented for their clients.
When considering what parts of your business to conduct over the Web, consider these strengths and weaknesses:
Strengths of doing business the Web:
- Stores and sorts all types of information like text, photos, files, etc.
- Organizes searches and reports on data
- Accessible from many locations
- Accessible 24 hours a day
- Easily maintained and updated
- Updates and new data are immediately available to all users
- Can tie into larger corporate databases and in-house business applications
Weaknesses of doing business the Web:
- No interaction with an actual person
- Requires a connection to the Internet
- Some people are adverse to the Internet
- Usually involves building a custom application from scratch
- Printing reports and other formatted material requires special consideration
- Can involve ongoing costs for hosting and updates and changes to the application.
This is not a complete list but some key points to consider. Another key point to remember is that tools that are developed and placed on the web will not be used until people are shown how to use them, and that they are of value. Now that we have an idea of some of the strengths and weaknesses, we will look at two examples that IPoint-Tech has implemented.
In the first example the client was collecting daily sales data from 13 stores around the state of Colorado via faxed-in forms filled out by store managers. The forms were then entered into Excel spreadsheets by the corporate receptionist and printed out for review. This took away time from the receptionist every day, led to many data entry errors, and made cumulative data hard to analyze. IPoint-Tech replicated this form on a secure extranet site that can be accessed by all store managers 24 hours a day. This site is secured by a user name and password and store managers are restricted to the data for their store. Once the data was entered, any number of reports could be generated for the corporate office. This application has been in use for over two years now and is an important resource for the store managers and corporate office. Their return on investment was realized by reducing the amount of data entry errors and freeing up roughly 4 hours a day of their receptionists time. Corporate managers had instant access to the reports from home or the office. As time goes on the client is leveraging the existing application and adding functions for more detailed weekly information and employee record information.
In the second example the client was starting a new business to accept entries to fairs and livestock shows over the Internet for events around the country. IPoint-Tech began by creating a working demo of the web site so that potential customers could see the functionality that was being offered. Then, as the client received their first customers, IPoint-Tech created a fully functional web application from the ground up.
Some key features of this application include:
- Complete online administration that allows the client to create new events from any computer on the Internet.
- Any number of category levels can be created for each event.
- Any number of custom entry forms can be created for each event.
- Logos of each event can be displayed and there is a direct link from the events web site to their categories.
For example our client can create an event with a main category, two sub-categories, and a unique form for each sub-category designating which fields are required or creating drop down boxes with choices.
People signing up for an event can go directly to an event through a link or search the events offered. They then drill down through whatever categories are set up and fill out the entry form. They are able to upload files and view records of events they have signed up for.
The client leveraged their return on investment by creating a prototype that was less expensive to develop and waiting for customers to respond to the new service offered before creating the entire application. This site is finishing its second year of service and has undergone many improvements and additions as customers request different services.
Hopefully these examples show that the Web can be used for much more than offering a shopping cart. When considering if you have any business on the Web remember to consider things that will help your company be more productive and offer better or more services to its customers.
Written By: Brian Vos, Applications Developer for Information Point Technologies
Written On: August 22, 2005
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