In the ongoing AOL sweepstakes, it appears MSN may be the winner over Google. So, what will it mean for all three companies?
AOL On the Block?
As you may know, the AOL unit at Time Warner has been thrashing around for the last year while trying to find a way to remain relevant. The problem for AOL, of course, is the continually decreasing use of dial-up modems as a method for accessing the Internet. Depending on the study you look act, dial-up modem access now accounts for approximately 40 percent of all Internet users. This number is consistently dropping as DSL and cable Internet access systems become more popular. The resulting struggles at AOL are having an interesting impact on the search engine wars.
Google and MSN are trying to position themselves to dominate online search. The situation boils down as follows: Google is the king, MSN wants to be it. This situation takes on particularly interesting impact when one considers that Google now supplies ads and search results to AOL. In doing so, Google derives roughly 10 percent of its revenues from the AOL relationship.
In the summer of 2005, rumors started that AOL was for sale. MSN and Google were obvious buyers. The only problem was both companies realized AOL was a good short term play, but a terrible long term one given the death of dial-up modem systems. So who would buy AOL and how much would they be willing to pay? Would Google let MSN swipe 10 percent of its business? If so, how high could Google drive up the price of AOL for MSN?
Google Makes Major Mistake
If rumors are to be believed, MSN and Time Warner have reached a deal on the AOL platform. So, how much will MSN pay Time Warner for AOL?
Nothing. Not one penny.
By the end of December 2005, MSN and Time Warner are expected to announce a partnership wherein the two companies will intertwine their Internet units and pursue joint advertising efforts. In turn, Google will be kicked off all AOL listings, to be replaced by MSN or some AOL-MSN mix of search results and advertisements.
The executives at Google are making a major mistake, a critical blunder. Google will lose 10 percent of its business to MSN without MSN being required to expend any resources for the business. The Google Adwords program, the primary revenue source for Google, will no longer be on AOL. Surely Google could have come up with something more enticing to AOL or at least forced MSN to pay some serious cash for the acquisition. Instead, it failed on both accounts.
Google is a great search engine, but this is just one in a number of business mistakes made by the Internet giant. How could it lose 10 percent of its business without making MSN pay for it? If MSN pulls this off, one will wonder who is at the controls at Google and what they could possibly be thinking.
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Senin, 05 April 2010
Senin, 08 Maret 2010
Addressing Emotions: Live Chat And Customers
When people buy things, the decision to actually purchase is a combination of logic and desire. That latter half of the buying process is clinched and what the web seems to lacking – some heart.
If you leave a visitor on his own to buy from your site, what would encourage him to make the actual purchase? How do you nudge the ones who have doubts?
Searches are not enough.
If there is someone to answer questions, rather than referring to a list of FAQs, a prospect is more easily converted into a customer.
On a web-based store, this can be made possible with the technology of live chats. When a visitor has established a history in his visit (length of stay, depth of search, number of visits, etc.), you can already see the interest. An online sales agent can then pop up a dialogue box asking what he can do to help. Better than a search box, he can guide the visitor into buying something, or help that person find something suitable.
That special treatment.
Many, if not all buyers, want to be treated as valued customers. That personal touch of having someone know what you want, is an edge that pushes sales further, even generate repeat sales.
Post-sales support is also enhanced by this personalization. A dissatisfied customer is not likely to come back for any more dissatisfaction. If there is a person who can answer a challenge, or respond to a query in a way that is suited for that customer, you will have some happy people coming back for more.
Some tips.
It isn’t all that easy though. In a live chat, your agents must be careful. There is still the danger of breaking the deal. Here are some tips that can help make the chat more positive, if not a success:
1. Be courteous. Do this especially if the visitor is aloof or rude. A canned intro helps. This should bear your company tone and stance.
2. Avoid making your customers repeat themselves. Have your agents read the profiles and histories of your customers before they engage in the chat.
3. Let your agents personalize after the intro. All calls are unique. Cases vary among customers and so do the responses to them. Make sure your agents are well-equipped with the knowledge and training that will not only give a satisfactory answer, but also actually respond to the situation at hand. On the other hand, if you are wary about this much latitude among your agents, have a group think of every possible scenario in creating the canned responses, though that can prove to be a lengthy and drawn-out process.
4. Keep all records of all chats in the history. If possible, create a summary of the chat session to go with the file to save time for people reviewing it. This will help you create a more precise profile of your customers.
Surely, there are more things you should bear in mind, but these will do for a start. The more you use this technology, the more you’ll learn on how to make it more effective.
If you leave a visitor on his own to buy from your site, what would encourage him to make the actual purchase? How do you nudge the ones who have doubts?
Searches are not enough.
If there is someone to answer questions, rather than referring to a list of FAQs, a prospect is more easily converted into a customer.
On a web-based store, this can be made possible with the technology of live chats. When a visitor has established a history in his visit (length of stay, depth of search, number of visits, etc.), you can already see the interest. An online sales agent can then pop up a dialogue box asking what he can do to help. Better than a search box, he can guide the visitor into buying something, or help that person find something suitable.
That special treatment.
Many, if not all buyers, want to be treated as valued customers. That personal touch of having someone know what you want, is an edge that pushes sales further, even generate repeat sales.
Post-sales support is also enhanced by this personalization. A dissatisfied customer is not likely to come back for any more dissatisfaction. If there is a person who can answer a challenge, or respond to a query in a way that is suited for that customer, you will have some happy people coming back for more.
Some tips.
It isn’t all that easy though. In a live chat, your agents must be careful. There is still the danger of breaking the deal. Here are some tips that can help make the chat more positive, if not a success:
1. Be courteous. Do this especially if the visitor is aloof or rude. A canned intro helps. This should bear your company tone and stance.
2. Avoid making your customers repeat themselves. Have your agents read the profiles and histories of your customers before they engage in the chat.
3. Let your agents personalize after the intro. All calls are unique. Cases vary among customers and so do the responses to them. Make sure your agents are well-equipped with the knowledge and training that will not only give a satisfactory answer, but also actually respond to the situation at hand. On the other hand, if you are wary about this much latitude among your agents, have a group think of every possible scenario in creating the canned responses, though that can prove to be a lengthy and drawn-out process.
4. Keep all records of all chats in the history. If possible, create a summary of the chat session to go with the file to save time for people reviewing it. This will help you create a more precise profile of your customers.
Surely, there are more things you should bear in mind, but these will do for a start. The more you use this technology, the more you’ll learn on how to make it more effective.
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