Business Automation works with clients to develop Internet strategies and to implement those strategies with Internet-based communications and through the creation of a presence on the World Wide.

Business Automation follows a five-step approach to success on the Internet:

• Have an objective
• Establish a "personality"
• Do it sooner and better than your competitors
• Integrate it with the rest of your business
• Promote, promote, promote!

Examples of how companies have done this most successfully can be found in the "slides" for Brooks Hilliard's presentation, "The New Industrial Revolution: How the Internet is Changing the Foundations of Business"

Setting objectives

The first step in putting together an Internet presence is to recognize that although most businesspeople tend to think of the 'net as primarily a marketing medium, it really has much greater potential. Because communications is the common basis for all Internet strategies, the Business Automation Internet services begin with a comprehensive "issues session" covering all the ways in which the client communicates with its customers, prospects, employees, stockholders and others.

With that perspective, Business Automation and the client develop and prioritize a set of Internet objectives for all of the following areas that are applicable:

• Communications
• Customer service
• Knowledge base
• Financial transactions
• Recruiting
• Research
• Publishing
• Business partnering
• Training
• Investor relations
• Community service

and, of course

• Marketing and sales

Priorities are crucial. Although most executives tend to view the Web primarily as an advertising medium, its greatest contribution -- particularly for companies that sell to other businesses (as opposed to consumers) -- may be in reducing customer service costs rather than in sales and marketing . . . and this is where they should put their focus. Each situation is unique and Business Automation works with businesses to find the most appropriate objectives to match the Internet's capabilities with their needs.

Establishing a "personality"

Every good web presence has its own style and personality. Although Business Automation does not do graphic design, it does work with clients to adapt their corporate "personality" to a format that will work well on the Internet.

Acting sooner and better than the competition

The Internet rewards early adopters. The best known sites in any given specialty are not always the best put together. But because the 'net operates largely on reputations, they are usually the ones that established their Internet presence soonest. It's crucial to begin building the reputation soon, and Business Automation assists clients in establishing their presence quickly and building a good and widely-known reputation henever this is still possible.

Integrating the Internet with the business

Organizations that are most successful in using the Internet do not view it as a separate part of their enterprise. Instead they view it as a new set of capabilities that has potential applications in every part of their firm. As such they look for ways to build Internet facilities into their normal business wherever it makes sense to do so, and to give Internet-generated activity at least as much emphasis as activity stemming from their core business activities. In fact, because of the speed at which the 'net operates, it often requires special procedures to meet the expectations of those communicating and doing business with the firm via the web. Business Automation assists clients in deciding where to apply Internet capabilities in order to meet their objectives and mobilizing to respond to Internet activity with the priority it needs (without disrupting other business).

Promote, Promote, Promote!

Part of integrating the Internet into the business is integrating it into the business's marketing mix. When used properly, the Internet presence works in tandem with the traditional communications and marketing media, as well as with the company's products and services themselves. Business Automation works with clients to implement a "spiral marketing" approach so that its Internet and the non-Internet activities complement each other and provide synergy so that each one promotes the growth of the other.