Planting an extranet into your business will help you to reap commercial prosperity
Extranet Web Application Developers
An extranet, unlike an
intranet, is an online application that helps your business to communicate with external business associates, such as important customers, partners and suppliers. Another way to look at an extranet is as an extension to your intranet.
As with an
intranet, extranets can help your business to increase revenues, reduce costs and increase productivity. But how your firm addresses these business challenges derives from finding avenues to
deploy intelligent customised extranet solutions.
This now leads us on to explaining how extranets can realistically help your business grow and succeed.
How can a Customised Robust Extranet Solution help your Business to Prosper?
Stable Online Customer Service Solutions
A large number of firms provide their customers with the ability to gain access to current account information and communicate with virtual sales and customer representatives.
A good example of this type of extranet functionality can be found on the Royal Mail website. It allows customers to register and set up an account. After login it is then possible to ‘Track & Trace’ mail.
A virtual customer service centre is available to assist both personal and business customers. It acts as a gateway to finding ‘Solutions’ to an extensive number of ‘Situations’, such as sending mail, receiving mail, missed deliveries, etc.
More firms are adopting
bespoke, cost-effective, online customer service solutions, such as this. Technology-spoilt customers have high expectations of businesses to take customer service very seriously.
Affordable Online Cash Flow Management Solutions
Research from Lloyds TSB Commercial shows that almost a third (29%) of UK small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) reported cash flow difficulties in the second half of 2008. 70% of these firms gave late payment of invoices as being the primary reason.
So, how do recession-hit businesses find a
solution to collecting invoice payments on time? The question struggling businesses should be asking themselves is this: is it better to wait and collect a larger some of money or be paid less and have the cash deposited in your account sooner?
Being
creative with your profit margins in conjunction with
deploying innovative online payment solutions can help your business to weather ferocious financial storms.
Extranets are powerful applications and can help you to i
ntegrate web-based invoice management systems. Invoices in turn can be paid quickly and securely online.
Profitable Online Training & Education Solutions
Extranets provide training companies with the ability to
run cost-effective courses online. Added to this, a large number of schools use extranets to enable students to interact with courses irrespective of the student’s physical location.
Effective Online Project Management Solutions The construction industry is a prime example of where extranets can
improve and automate the project management process.
Large construction companies often employ smaller building contracting firms to deliver projects.
An extranet is perfect for supplying businesses with
secure and stable online project management solutions. Essentially the team (internal and external) that is part of a large construction project can keep track of its progress.
Non-Traditional Sales Techniques: Deploying Innovative Online Virtual Sales Solutions
Imagine the impact on your business if your sales representatives, consultants or advisors could
deliver interactive presentations online. Meetings would be arranged more quickly; your geographic reach could be extended; customers would find the
non-traditional sales technique compelling and engaging; travel costs would be significantly reduced and the opportunity would then arise for you and your colleagues to
swiftly close lucrative deals.