Web-based Tools Solve Revenue, Cost and Other Tough-economy Issues

Webinars, webcasts, webmeetings, and Web demos: what they are and how they can help your business.

by Elise Oberliesen

Daily conference calls and weekly Web demos fill Scott Holbrook’s calendar. Instead of jet-setting to Toronto, Mumbai or Atlanta, Holbrook, who is executive vice president of Medicity, logs into his virtual meeting space where he can travel thousands of miles in seconds. Staff at the medical software company use such Web-based technologies because it offers executives like Holbrook the flexibility to join conference calls, sales demos, chat sessions or live product testing environments designed to provide customer support without leaving the office.

Recession pushes new adopters

Forced to make magic with budgets, instead of rationing Post-its and paperclips, more companies have incorporated Web technologies in hopes of saving money, says June Bower, vice president of marketing for Cisco’s collaboration software group. For a nominal cost of about $59 a month, products like WebEx, an interactive conference calling tool with VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) functionality that allows online collaboration where users share and edit documents, or exchange ideas right from their desktop screen. Other products, like Microsoft Live Meeting, are also collaborative with conference calling capability that allows groups to connect online, use a virtual whiteboard and present documents or slides, while interacting and updating documentation in real time. Both examples illustrate how technology can help companies position themselves with a global presence while taking a collaborative approach to problem solving.

Many companies are interested in buying the product, says Bower. And she partially credits the downturned economy for the spike in interest. “The economy has made people rethink travel and spending on travel. Maybe we should think about WebEx so we can share ideas instead of getting on a plane,” Bower says.

But savings is only part of the story. Collaboration stemming from social media creates excitement and it makes tools like WebEx attractive and fun. “It becomes a kind of a viral activity,” Bower says. She believes that Web-based tools help generate and improve ideas. And it’s for one simple reason — instant feedback from public input.

Face-time first, not Facebook

Creating a relationship is the first step in the sales cycle. Growing the relationship comes next. Working with new customers is like a first date — getting to know someone requires testing interpersonal chemistry for the tingle effect. Although both personal and business relationships can start on the Web, the bigger payoff starts with face-to-face interaction, says Holbrook. Once the relationship is established, technology can bridge the gap that miles impose. “Our products cost close to a million to several million dollars, and so it’s important, we feel, to have personal relationships and to build those,” he says.

Timing can crush or close a deal. Holbrook understands the nuances involved in customer relationships. He can assess whether customers are ready to continue in the courting phase or move toward online interaction — where both parties plunge into deeper technical aspects of products and services “We’ve typically already met the customer, now they want to go into an in-depth session,” Holbrook says. With a demo feature, for example, clients can essentially test the application and better understand how it works or whether it’s user-friendly.

Because more sales teams use Web-based conferencing tools, it’s becoming the norm. Keeping up with competitors means adopting new technology and knowing how to use it.

Learning curves and business opportunities

But not everyone knows how to use the technology, and that creates the perfect niche for Wayne Turmel, president of Greatwebmeetings.com. From large corporations to small businesses, he makes it his business to teach others how to better utilize the plethora of Web-based tools such as meetings, webinars and webcasts.

According to Turmel, fewer than 25 percent of licensed Web tools users actually use them. That’s why he takes his clients by the mouse to show them how to effectively use the myriad of tools. “Companies provide the tools but tend to skimp on training,” he says. “The problem with providing skills training is an accounting problem.” Since training budgets usually fall within the manager’s budget, often those dollars are tapped out, says Turmel. “The tools, like anything in technology, are only as good as people’s use of it. So when is the right time to use tools? And are we going to help them learn how to use them well or throw them into the deep end and expect them to magically know?” Turmel says. “And you get the CFO who throws their hands up and says, ‘We paid for WebEx, why aren’t they using it?’”

Do webinars win business?

Some say yes. Send a prospect the date, time and a brief description of the seminar and they show up — online. E-mail addresses come from existing customers or third parties and they typically fall into the target market, says Bill Sims, Medicity vice president, located in Atlanta. “We find it to be a highly valuable tool for generating leads, and we find it to be a cost savings,” Sims said.

The company plans to launch a webinar with Salt Lake City-based Intermountain Health Care in mid-May. “In three days, we’ve gotten over 65 registrants. You get a much higher hit rate because people just sit at their desks. If they are interested, they stay on the line; if not, they hang up,” Sims said.

Such feedback, says Sims, is a good indication of whether or not prospects are interested.

Turmel said webinars that are recorded and posted online on average reach an audience that is four to 10 times that of the original live event. And following up is as simple as running a report. With program reporting features, some platforms allow the host to track how many prospects dialed in that day, if they have buying authority, how long they attended the webinar or if they checked e-mail during the entire session, for example, says Turmel. It’s the sort of information that helps size up a customer’s motivation, or lack of, to buy.

Virtual, personal product support

Teaching customers how to use products is another use for the technology. Nurses, physicians and other allied health care workers get their hands on the product and learn how it works while the seller steers them through the process, a method that enhances the learning process, Holbrook says. “We use it for problem solving and education with the customer. We say join a meeting and let’s look at this together to problem-solve,” Holbrook said.

Strike a balance between virtual tools and interpersonal relationships to keep pace with the ever-changing demands of the business world. Whether on internal or external calls, Holbrook stays up-to-date on the pulse of change even when it’s thousands of miles away. Whether clients have questions, want solutions or just need advice, knowing how to use the right tools helps more companies create satisfied customers. “I sit on three or four voice WebEx calls per day; one a day with PowerPoint demos,” Holbrook says.

One-minute Vocabulary

Webinar
Definition: Interactive and live seminar, presentation or event. Held on the Web through a platform like WebEx, LiveMeeting, Gotomeeting or Dimdim.
Who uses it: Marketing departments.
Why: To attract new customers, expand the database and build the brand.

Webcast
Definition: Similar to a webinar, but usually non-interactive.
Who uses it: Sales, training, multiple departments.
Why: To add content to website.

Webmeeting
Definition: Team meeting that allows people to connect when geographically dispersed. Takes place through Web presentation platform. Highly interactive. Includes: webcams, audio, application
sharing, polling and assessment, PowerPoint presentations and video clips.
Who uses it: Open to any department.
Why: To share ideas, problem solve, check status.

Web Demo
Definition: Sales presentation presented over the Web. Live or recorded session.
Who uses it: Sales, training and human resources, open to virtually any department.
Why: To gain knowledge of a topic.