HOT NEWS IN THIS REPORT:

1. Building the next-generation Web site
2. Beware of domain name "hijacking"
3. Nokia launches broadband solution for "the last mile"
4. Cool tool: Bullseye Pro 2.0

Executive Technology Briefing (ETB)
Editor/Publisher: Jordan Ayan
Contributing Editor: Chuck Frey

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--BUILDING THE NEXT-GENERATION WEB SITE--

For many businesses, web-enabling key business processes is no longer an option - it's a matter of survival. In an amazingly short time, the Web has grown into a powerful, disruptive force that savvy companies can use to streamline business processes, cut costs and serve customers in ways never before possible. Complacent companies can quickly be outrun by competitors employing aggressive Web-centric business strategies.

Many companies realize that the time is now to build a "next-generation Web site," one that will enable them to take their sales, product support and market channel communications to the next level. But most aren't sure what steps they need to take to get there. That's why this issue of ETB contains a practical guide to planning and building your company's next-generation e-business Web site:

WHAT IS A "NEXT-GENERATION WEB SITE?"

In addition to getting companies away from "brochureware," Next-generation Web sites share some common characteristics:

- Most importantly, they streamline business processes that have a direct impact on their customer's operations. For example, they let customers help themselves -- to find product, configuration and pricing information or check order status, for example.

- Personalization is a key technology of the next generation Web site. Most people view the Internet as an anonymous, impersonal place. People like to be welcomed to a Web site. Personalization technology can tell a visitor what's new on your site since his or her last visit. It's now possible to precisely customize Web site content to individual users, based on detailed personal profile information.

- They enable multiple people (teams, departments, divisions) to administer content to the site and maintain it, with appropriate editorial and document versioning controls.

- They tend to be "information portals" that contain not only information about a company's products and services, but also extensive knowledge bases and resources about the categories and markets they serve. The goal of a next-generation Web site is to become an essential resource that your customers need to do their jobs.

- Next-generation Web sites often make use of interactive tools that bring a human touch to your Web site. Using live chat technologies like HumanClick (http://www.humanclick.com) or LivePerson (http://www.liveperson.com), representatives of your company, or service bureau operators that can respond immediately and personally to questions from a prospective buyer visiting your Web site. Your Web site must provide the same level of access to your staff as a phone call - otherwise, why should they use it?

AVOID E-COMMERCE MYOPIA

While next-generation Web sites often include "e-commerce" capabilities - the ability to handle transactions online - you shouldn't make e-commerce the only focus of your Web strategy. Automated transactions are only one part of what's really possible.

Instead, take a broader strategic view. Think about your key customers and their needs in terms of a total product "life cycle":

Pre-sale: What are their information needs prior to the sale? This is the segment that most businesses are focused on today, with their "brochureware" oriented Web sites.

Point of sale: How can you help them to purchase your products whenever and wherever they're ready? Web-based technologies at this stage of the customer life cycle include product configuration systems, finance or leasing calculators, and build-to-order systems.

Post-sale: After the sale, what types of information and support do your key customers need? Replacement parts? Service and repair information? Web-based technologies in this middle segment of the product life cycle include electronic parts catalogs, product knowledge bases and Web-based training sessions.

End of the product's useful life: And finally, when they're ready to sell or dispose of your equipment at the end of its useful life, how can you enable that transaction so they can purchase more new products from your company? Web technologies at this final stage of the product life cycle include used equipment and auction sites.

The bottom line is this: Those companies that make it as easy as possible to do business with them will win in the Digital Economy. Spend time brainstorming on your key customers' business needs throughout the product life cycle, and you'll undoubtedly generate dozens of Web-based applications and solutions that could deliver added value to them, and help to differentiate your company from its competitors.

The other critical success factor for e-business is speed. The faster you can "Webulize" your business processes, the better. On the Web, speed to market usually translates into market dominance. Think of Web strategy as an iterative process, not a one-time exercise. Get the first iteration of your next-generation Web site up quickly, and then improve it and add to it by soliciting an ongoing stream of customer feedback.

Conversely, procrastinating -- the opposite of speedy, iterative development -- could be very dangerous to your company. Why? Because most Web technologies are relatively inexpensive, and even smaller, less-capitalized competitors could implement them and quickly take market share from your company. In addition, the abundance of venture capital means that your company could soon be threatened by new, unforeseen competitors. Therefore, you need to be proactive to start enhancing the value your Web site offers today and protect your company against any new competitive threats.

THE STRATEGIC PLANNING PROCESS

Planning for your company's next-generation Web site should take place at two levels; both are essential to your company's success:

1. Tactical: What can you do in the next 60-90 days to improve your company's current Web site? These are relatively simple "quick fixes" that you can do now to solve some immediate problems. Getting these out of the way now should also give your team some valuable momentum. Most corporate Web sites have at least a few of these nagging problem areas that haven't been solved. Address them now, so they don't get in the way of your planning process later.

2. Strategic: Start the strategic part of your planning process by asking yourself these three key questions:

First, why are we doing this? In other words, what do we hope that this enhanced Web site will accomplish? If you can't answer this question in 10 to 15 words, don't proceed with this project until you DO have a crystal-clear answer.

Second, and equally important, ask yourself: "What do our customers want?" Too few companies ever ask themselves this question. Unfortunately, a lot of corporate Web sites are designed around the company -- its divisions, its products and services, and the whims of its executives - not around the core business needs of its key customers. Don't make this mistake!

Third, how can we transform our Web site into THE leading source for any and all information about your category of product or service? How can you make the content within your next-generation site so compelling that it becomes an essential part of your customers' day-to-day operations? One way you can do this is by creating an extensive knowledge base of articles, white papers and information. Let your customers know how to select, use, maintain and get more productivity out of the types of products your company sells. Discussion areas also add value, and give prospective customers tangible evidence of how your organization responds to customer questions and complaints.

Other valuable strategic planning questions include:

- How will this e-business site transform our relationships with our customers? Suppliers? Dealers or distributors? Investors? Other key constituencies?

- How can we gather all of the information we have about our customers into a centralized database, so we can start to develop detailed profiles of their purchasing patterns, needs and preferences?

- How can we use our Web site to save our customers time, money, or help them to avoid problems?

- What can we give away for "free" to our key audiences? Not free in the sense of a physical product, but rather free information and advice, focused upon what your customers and other target audiences need to make their lives easier. A great example is ManufacturingNet (http://www.manufacturing.net), a comprehensive collection of tools and resources focused upon the day-to-day business needs of manufacturers.

In short, brainstorm ways in which you can dominate your product category on the Web. During your planning process, don't feel that you have to reinvent the wheel. Look at business models and other industries that are successful today. Analyze them and figure out what makes them tick, then adapt these lessons to your industry.

ASSEMBLE YOUR PLANNING TEAM

For best results, assemble a small, cross-functional strategic planning team and take them off-site for the actual planning session. You need their undivided attention, in a creative environment that is free of extraneous interruptions. Also, don't be afraid to hire a Web strategy expert to help you evaluate your company's information assets, customer needs and strategic opportunities. This consultant should be familiar not only with e-business tools and technologies, but should also develop a strong understanding of how the operations of a typical company in your industry interact with each other and with outside audiences. Ideally, this "e-wizard" can help you to make creative connections between these elements.

During your planning process, don't forget your customers - the reason you're investing in a next-generation Web site in the first place. I recommend that you select several key customers who are passionate about the Web and invite them to your strategic planning meetings. Ask them open-ended questions about their needs and preferences, and how you can make your company easier to do business with. Be sure to compensate them in some way for investing their valuable time with you.

SYNERGY WITH YOUR CORPORATE PLAN

I also recommend that you use the planning process for your next-generation Web site as an opportunity to dust off your corporate strategic plan. Review it with several key questions in mind:

- Is it still on track with the evolution of the Web, or does it fail to take into account the disruptive effects of our fast-moving, networked economy? Chances are, it needs to be updated to take into account the many e-business opportunities and threats your firm faces today.

- Who are the "hidden challengers" that could upset your competitive position in your industry? Hidden challengers are emerging companies that are aggressively leveraging the Internet to create a better value proposition than the one you currently offer. Imagine your company is Barnes & Noble: Who are the Amazon.com's that you may have discounted at the time your corporate strategic plan was written? Or imagine you are a record company with a start-up freeware company like Napster (http://www.napster.com) dipping into your profits.

CONCLUSIONS

I strongly recommend that in most cases you do NOT delegate your Web site to your IT department (this is not meant to offend those of you in IT). Nothing will kill a Web site's growth and vitality faster than an IT-centric approach to the Web. Your next-generation Web site should be managed by someone who is much more customer-focused than most IT organizations.

Remember: speed is critical in planning your company's next-generation Web site. Don't spend years trying to figure out every nuance of your plan; rather, make it a fast, iterative process. This is your NEXT generation Web site, not your LAST. If you don't take action now, you may become handicapped by other internal and external factors and you may NEVER take action.

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--BEWARE OF DOMAIN NAME "HIJACKING"--

Online magazine Internet.com recently had its domain name "hijacked" when someone illegally transferred ownership of several of its domain addresses to another firm. Apparently, this person spoofed Network Solutions into giving him or her the right to change the administrative contact on Internet.com's domain registration record, and then used these rights to transfer several of the publication's domain names to two other firms. Several similar cases were also recently reported involving non-profit institutions in Canada.

While these incidents are probably rare, they are still a cause for concern. You may want to consider viewing your domain name record once or twice a month just to make sure it hasn't been tampered with by someone.Additionally, you may want to make sure you know who the contacts are that are listed on your domain record (in some cases,clients have found that previous employees are listed as the domain record holder). Simply go to the Whois Web site (http://www.whois.net) and type in your domain name.

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--NOKIA LAUNCHES BROADBAND SOLUTION FOR "THE LAST MILE"--

http://www.nokia.com/bwa/cityhopper/

One of the problems of extending broadband Internet access to small businesses and home is the so-called "last mile" problem: Internet providers are finding that it's prohibitively expensive to extend their WIRED broadband network between local switching stations and the huge number of small offices and homes that could use this service.

Nokia announced a WIRELESS solution to the last mile challenge, CityHopper. It employs a series of many rooftop routers to create a "mesh-like," redundant network - much like the Internet - that can transmit data into small businesses and homes at just over 2 Gbps - faster than a T-1 line! Because each of these rooftop routers are connected to all others within their line of sight, data traffic can be routed through the most efficient path to the user. In addition, Nokia says its unique solution automatically reconfigures itself when neighboring routers are added to or removed from the network.

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--COOL TOOL: BULLSEYE PRO 2.0--

http://www.intelliseek.com

A new desktop search tool, Bullseye Pro 2.0 from Intelliseek, offers busy executives a powerful set of tools that simplifies searching for almost anything on the Web. Like Copernic Pro, reviewed in a past issue of ETB, Bullseye Pro queries a number of search engines simultaneously, de-dupes the results and presents them in a summary report with hypertext links. Bullseye Pro lets you save existing searches and automatically re-run them at selected intervals, to "track" any new sites that meet your search criteria. You can also add notes to sites you've visited and can generate HTML reports of your search results, which you can save or e-mail to co-workers.

Bullseye Pro 2.0 appears to be ideal for monitoring competitive activities, breaking news, corporate announcements and even product prices. A basic, free version is available for download from the Intelliseek Web site; the Pro version (reviewed here) is also available for downloading and costs $249.

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That's all for now! I welcome your comments and feedback on the Executive Technology Briefing, which will help me to focus it even more closely on your needs.

Jordan Ayan
President
Create-it!