According to Forrester Research, companies doing business online spend less time processing orders and more time delivering exactly what the customer wants. Plus using a Web catalog for product information means never getting put on hold. Both customer service and order-taking are cheaper on the Net. Forrester says Internet inquiries are two-thirds less expensive than telephone queries. Still, success doesn't happen overnight.
Awareness is the biggest hurdle.
Companies that see the best results from their Web efforts work hard to drive traffic to their sites. One firm says it took two years of cold calls, sales presentations, and golf dates to get clients to try its Internet system. Amongst corporations, we have seen perceptions about the Internet turn 180 degrees in just a year. It only takes one great experience on your corporate Web site to shift a customer's view in a similar fashion. The Internet is adding an average of 2 million new users each month.