Don't forget to rate the article

Ask any Tom, Dick or Harry why he has a website, and I bet ninety percent of the time you'll get an answer – because everyone else has one. One had heard of keeping up with the Jones, but keeping up with your net counterparts might be slightly more heavy on your pockets, if you haven't really understood why are you there. Understanding why you are creating a web presence will help you develop an Internet strategy that will accomplish your goals. So before your launch off into cyberspace be clear as to why you want to be there, what you want out of your website and then devise the strategy of how to get that. And remember, vision, governance, resources, infrastructure, and alignment are the stepping stones for a successful Web strategy whatever the aim.

There are mainly four main missions companies seek to accomplish on the Internet. Brand Development, revenue generation, cost savings and customer services.  Amongst other things, having a website demonstrates that your company is keeping up with technology. Having a website gives you the cutting edge. But if you understand the main purpose behind the site then your design and overall website performance will be better.

Now suppose brand development is your main aim. You are already a brand in the real world and want to carry this brand development into the virtual world. Simply defined, your brand is the image of your business in the minds of customers and prospects. So everything about your site – quality of design, clarity of wording, colour scheme, download time, the sense of interest and excitement – contributes to your image, and your image is your brand identity. Your goal is to make people remember your site positively when they leave, and that when they revisit, they'll make a purchase, or pick up the phone and call you. The web design you present to the customers, the backroom technology that you need to fulfill the promise you make, will all then be tailor-made to achieve this aim. There are no real shortcuts here. Major corporations spends millions of dollars to develop their brand image and keep it fresh in the minds of consumers.

So how can a small timer compete. Well in the virtual world there is no distinction- Yes, your site can look every bit as good on the Web as a major corporation's, and without spending the big bucks they do. But please take professional advise, do not attempt this with a do it yourself kit.

Now if cost savings is your aim, then a website can be used in many different ways to save on operating costs. Firstly advertising costs-Remember that your website will be available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, anywhere in the world. While you are asleep at night your website can be advertising your products and services. No other form of advertising gives you this amount of coverage for so little cost – this is a very inexpensive way to change your business from local to national, or to start moving into overseas global markets.

Secondly savings in Product Information dissemination. Your website can include pages that detail your products and services. This saves you time and money, and the customer gets the information they require faster. Any announcements you would like to make to keep your customers up-to-date with your products and services can be put up on a News page. This page can be used to advise your customers of new products and services, company changes, special deals. 

Thirdly-Customer Feedback, doing a customer survey via phone or mail can be both costly and inconvenient. The net online survey is an inexpensive way to get feedback.

Web site usage also lowers staffing costs as normally the  customer has to enter an order over the Internet and in online stores, customers usually wait on themselves, so you don't need as many sales clerks. However, you will need to increase staffing in other areas – answering e-mail, for example. One can devise automated email response systems and provide enough staff to respond to more complex inquires.

Procurement departments have found that online transactions dramatically cut the cost of processing a purchase order. With the availability of Web-based EDI (Electronic Data Interchange), many smaller businesses are able to conduct B2B commerce electronically where it was previously cost-prohibitive.

Distribution of sales materials especially in the case of catalog businesses, or sending sales materials to far-flung offices, requires a lot investment in terms of money and energy. Here again the web offers a cheaper and faster alternative to distribute great amounts of information.

Updating of data is simpler, too, especially on database-driven sites. Customer services and support is another very basic aim in which the web is an ideal medium. If you have a product that requires you to offer support to your customers then a website is the best place to offer that support.

You can set up a FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) page where people can find the answer to commonly asked questions about your products. You can offer more detailed support by adding a Support Question form on your website. The customer can fill in this form, answering all the questions that you require to solve their problem, which is then e-mailed directly to you. You can research the problem and e-mail a reply back to the customer.

After you have identified, your strategic vision for the website, then you should put into play the other four aspects of your web strategy- How do you govern the dotcom operations ? How do you allocate key resources for the dotcom operations? What's your operating infrastructure for the dotcom operations ? Is your management team aligned for the dotcom agenda?

The challenge of how best to govern the dotcom operations is daunting. Managers must attract and retain key management talent. Two major categories of decision influence the governance mode : operational decisions (production, sourcing, logistics, marketing, and human resources) and financial decisions (investment logic, funding sources, and performance criteria).

Closely related to governance is the allocation of resources : how best to assemble and deploy the key resources i.e. human, technological and financial for succeeding in the dotcom world. Traditional companies need these critical resources to migrate their operations to the Net, and new entrants seeking to establish their superiority in the new world also need them. 

The next major requirement is to design the operating infrastructure. An integration of the physical-digital platform, attaining superior functionality, offering personalized interactions, and streamlining transactions will influence the simplicity and efficiency of the infrastructure. The main aim should be to design digital infrastructure to enhance customer value

Finally you need to be clear as who leads your corporation to the dotcom world ? Is it the CEO or the CIO? Articulating the roles of key members of the management team is central in shaping the strategy of the dotcom operations. Many companies treat their dotcom operations as a project. 

Some see this as an extension of technology-led business initiatives. So be clear on the power equations in this venture. Once your aim is clear the strategy will follow. Based on these fundamentals the strategy will help achieve the aim.

Aru Srivastava

Feedback

Rate this article