Companies need new attitudes - not 'Web silos' - for online success

Traditional Australian businesses need to adopt new attitudes before they adopt new technology if they are to transform successfully into 'dot corporations', Fujitsu Australia General Manager, e-Business, Suzanne Pattie told a business gathering in Sydney today.

Addressing the Australian Marketing Institute's NSW Chapter, Ms Pattie said the key to becoming a 'dot corp' was a change management mindset that permeated the entire organisation.

"Too many companies that want to transition to dot corps are setting themselves up for failure because they don't understand their own business well enough, they don't understand this new person called the 'dot customer', and they don't understand what they have to change in their business to service that customer," she said.

"The opportunity is there, but many corporations are being held back because they don't have the right mindset - a change management mindset.

"To become a dot corp, you need a vision. You have to understand the new way your company will operate, and what it's going to look like in five to 10 years time. And you have to recognise the need to make logistical changes and introduce different processes."

Traditional corporations should heed the lessons of the failed dot coms when extending their business into an online environment, she added.

"Many dot-bombs failed because they had an idea, but no business structure. They addressed just one part of the business model - the online part," Ms Pattie said.

"It is crucial to have a plan to understand what you want to do and where you want your company to go. Then you reengineer your business processes and bring in the technology to facilitate it. You don't implement technology without knowing what it is you want to achieve from it, and how you are going to do it."

A common mistake made by traditional businesses extending their enterprises online was building the Web arm as a separate business.

"You don't build a new business for online - if you do, you end up operating in a Web silo that isolates and frustrates customers when they try to deal with you in a different way," Ms Pattie said.

"You extend your enterprise to the Web by including it as one of your contact channels where the customer experience is the same."

While companies are starting to add personalisation, tracking and categorise content on their Web sites, many are missing the value of the Web as a marketing tool by simply publishing brochureware.

"Becoming a dot corp gives you new, more comprehensive and accurate ways to capture valuable customer data that you don't get by publishing your brochureware and an email address for the webmaster," Ms Pattie added.

"It's the difference between publishing company information as a community service, and creating a pool of customer data that becomes a powerful strategic marketing asset."