And the World Wide Web is only the beginning. Increasingly, small companies are establishing intranets that link PCs within an organization and extranets that provide secure transactions for outside firms. Using these tools, it's possible to venture into a growing universe of business and commerce solutions, including real-time price quotes adapted to a specific customer, shipping information, payment and invoice records, and product availability. It's also possible to provide calculators and worksheets that assist with ordering. Some companies have been able to sell products online and capitalize on the nascent trend toward electronic commerce, but for most firms it's the gritty business functions that provide the greatest return on investment.
People generally go online looking for information.
The easier it is to navigate a site and find what they're looking for, the more likely they are to use it over and over again. In most cases that translates into functionality rather than eye-popping graphics. For example, one of our Clients, uses Cold Fusion a web base application we implemented for them to keep track of fuel claculations at Honolulu International Airport. Airlines can log in and see how much fuel left they have at the airport. As a result the company reports fielding fewer phone calls and the conversations that do take place are shorter than before.