ADDING THE HUMAN TOUCH TO E-BUSINESS
Lynk White Paper

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

As more players enter the E-Business and E-Commerce arena, the model of the Internet as merely a functional interface for delivering information and takings orders is rapidly changing. A new approach recognizes the importance of reintroducing the human element-integrated with electronic technologies-in gaining and retaining customers.

This white paper addresses the benefits of using Voice over IP to enhance E-Business/E-Commerce in view of the Internet's ever-expanding reach and its indisputable role as an economic superpower. It explores technologies that enable companies to interact with their growing online customer base, focusing primarily on Web call-through technology and E-TeleLynk, Lynk's cutting-edge solution for E-Business.

Three E-TeleLynk scenarios are provided to illustrate typical applications and the trends that are taking shape in business today. To remain a leader, your company needs to take advantage of the opportunities presented by the new Web/human interaction paradigm.

THE EVOLUTION OF BUSINESS IN THE INTERNET AGE

Presence on the World Wide Web has become essential for businesses that wish to compete and thrive in today's digital economy. With more than 240 million people worldwide with access to the Internet and a growing demand for instant access to information and services, the Web provides a powerful means for developing and strengthening relationships with customers.

The Internet¹ is rapidly turning into a mainstream medium for various forms of E-Business (electronic business) including its most well known aspect, E-Commerce (electronic commerce), the buying and selling of goods and services across the Internet. Forrester Research predicts the US market for E-Commerce services will go from today's $10.6 billion to $64.8 billion in 2003. Spending will also rise dramatically in the UK and Germany beginning this year and next, followed by gains in France, Italy and Japan in 2001 and 2002.

But why engage in E-Commerce?
The answer is that participating in this industry enables companies, ranging from manufacturing and distribution giants to small entrepreneurs, to capture market share with astonishing speed and generate new revenue streams. In addition, companies are discovering that an effective E-Commerce site promotes customer satisfaction and repeat business.

Besides consumer commerce, E-Business is also about a range of online consumer services including banking, stock portfolio management, training and education, consulting services, technical support and more. It also encompasses commerce between businesses-estimated at more than five times that of consumer E-Commerce and business to business communications, for example between business partners and across supply chains (suppliers, distributors and resellers).

While E-Business/E-Commerce is flourishing, few ventures utilize the full potential of their Web presence. Customers browsing a Web site seeking a particular item or specific information can get lost in the endless information labyrinth. Complicated navigation, lengthy or intrusive transaction processes and contact forms, or simply the lack of a quick and easy way to make requests or resolve problems, forces the customers to disconnect from their Internet session and use the phone line to call the business for assistance. More often than not, the customer abandons the transaction at this point and surfs on to a competitor's site. Immediate attention, convenient service, and human contact-these are the things that attract and keep customers. This white paper looks at the technologies that make this happen.

¹ The term "Web" and "Internet" are used interchangeably in this document.

HUMAN INTERACTIVE WEB SITES

Bringing together the reach of the Internet with the power of human interaction not only makes good business sense, but is a natural and relatively simple step for a wide variety of online businesses such as call centres, ISPs, shipping companies, help desks, stores, banks, insurance companies, hotels, travel agencies, educational institutions, and more.

The ability to provide live and personal service directly through your Web site offers several advantages:

• It lets you communicate with an online audience that you may not reach otherwise.
• It puts you in touch with users who are likely to be more serious prospects, since they usually have already read the literature on your site before contacting you.
• It allows you to provide the specific information or ordering assistance needed at the point of sale (in this case your Web pages), while the interest is still alive and your products are fresh in the customer's mind. This provides a distinct advantage over competitors who rely on traditional sales methods.
• And finally, human contact appeals to people intrinsically. Providing live help in the impersonal environment of the Web caters to people's preference for communicating with other people. Only a real person can guide the customer, respond to special requests, solve problems, assist in purchase decisions and even upsell. Gartner Group research identifies customer intimacy as the differentiating ingredient for success in the 21st century.

TECHNOLOGY CHOICES

There are several technologies designed to integrate human interaction with the Internet. These technologies can be divided into two main categories:

1. Offline help, after the user disconnects from the Internet
2. Real-time human interaction, while the user is still browsing the Internet

Depending on your business model, target audience and objective, there are pros and cons for each solution, which are reviewed next.

Offline Help

E-mail
E-mail is the most conventional way to interact. Most Web sites have a hot link with their "mail to" address. The user simply clicks on the link to automatically launch their E-mail software. Automatic Response Systems, which automatically send an immediate E-mail response to the user, are often used to control the flood of E-mail. The response can be a simple message confirming receipt of the E-mail, or can be a sophisticated response that relates to keywords found in the user query.

E-mail is a widespread method for interaction, and is easy to print, save and forward. It is not adequate, however, when a user needs immediate help. Studies show that queries must be responded to within 24 hours to be effective. In a recent study by Jupiter Communications, 42 percent of the 125 top E-Commerce sites either took longer than five days to reply to customer E-mail, never replied, or were not accessible to customers via E-mail. Oftentimes, users who do not get a fast response will not return to the site and will try the service at the competitor's site.

Forms
Another common method of interaction is through "Contact Us" forms or "For More Information" forms on the company site. These forms require users to fill in personal details or demographic information and then type in their question. The form may contain radio buttons or checkboxes to make it easier to complete as well as sort and route to the appropriate person within the organization. Radio buttons may also help in setting up an Automatic Response System that is programmed to send an E-mail response to the user. The advantage of such forms is that they provide the company with information about the customer, which can be maintained in a database for marketing and other uses. The drawbacks are similar to those encountered with E-mail-customers may not be willing to wait for a reply and seek alternatives. In addition, many potential customers do not wish to fill-in forms either because they are pressed for time or because of privacy concerns.

The click & talk button "hides" information that is set in advance by the company's Webmaster or network manager and can easily be changed as needed. This information includes the destination telephone number as well as the IP number of the telephony gateway through which the call will be terminated. When the customer clicks the "click & talk" button, Voice over IP (VoIP) technology is employed to transmit voice signals from the customer's PC to the agent's phone and vice versa. A VoIP gateway is needed to seamlessly bridge the gap between the packet switched public Internet and the traditional circuit-switched Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN). The gateway converts analogue voice to digital voice packets and vice versa and transfers these packets between the Internet data network and telephony network. This makes it possible for customers to surf the Web and conduct voice calls at the same time, without going offline. Some gateways also provide advanced features including least cost routing, authorization/authentication instructions, and billing information.

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