Welcome to version 2 of the web. The face of the internet is changing so fast and so often these days that it no longer makes sense to talk about specific statistics and developments. Instead, it has become much more appropriate to look at aggregates and trends, affecting how the net works. One of the most important of these trends -from a marketing and branding point of view- is the shift of the corporate website from sitting on the marketing periphery as an on-line brochure, into the centre of companies' marketing strategies. Telecom New Zealand is one of the first Asian examples that has taken this mental step forward and put it into practice.

We redesigned our site to get you the information you need.
Quickly. Simply.
We understand that your needs change over time.
So keeping this site fresh and relevant is another part of our commitment to always bringing you the superior services you deserve.
We promise.
www.bell.ca

The end-user telecom business in the 90's has become sort of a strange beast from a marketing perspective. The company's primary product, supplying a circuit and routing calls, has become so reliable that perfect service is just taken for granted by the customer. Instead, the companies now must compete almost purely on price and how well they can provide customer service to their existing base. This is where a version 2 corporate website fits in so well. Telcom New Zealand has replaced their brochureware type website with what is essentially an alternate channel for providing value to their customers through responsive service.

The site contains all of the key features we have come to expect from any major telecom homepage such as white & yellow-pages directory listings, details about how to read your bill and promotional messages about the latest & greatest features to make your life simpler. What sets the Telecom New Zealand site apart from its regional counterparts is, strangely enough, where it falls short. Many companies seem embarrassed by shortfalls on their sites, and mask this with blaring on-line signboards announcing "Watch this space for more great features, coming soon!" Notices which often last for months, frustrating customers and convincing them in fact not to check again. Telecom New Zealand treats these issues with a straight forward honesty that involves the customer in organically growing the site into what they think would be most useful. In the unfinished 'business lounge' the company asks for specific suggestions about what topics and features the customer would most like to see. Not only will the suggestions be dropped into a huge anonymous 'suggestion box', but they can be attached to that specific customer's "profile" which the site maintains. When the same customer returns to the site they can be presented with content (promotions, features, tools, etc) that reflects who they are and what the company knows about them. To handle the dynamic content delivery, the company has installed the Vignette Story Server, (www.vignette.com) which will slowly build up a relationship on-line with the customer eventually providing specific marketing efforts that are directly relevant to the customer. Similar systems from Broadvision (www.broadvision.com) and NetPerceptions (www.netperceptions.com) are starting to slowly pop up in version 2 websites around Asia.

The Telecom New Zealand site falls short in two key aspects though:
Integration, and Branding.

"No website is an island" may be the interactive marketing mantra of the future. In order to fully service the customer, great company websites need to contain more than just relevant and compelling content. These next generation sites must give the customer access to all of the information and self-service tools that they would access through the company's traditional call-centers. This means integrating the corporate Internet presence with the existing legacy systems throughout the company. A fine example of this in the telecom industry is Singtel (www.singtel.com.sg) whose site connects the customer not only with the accounting legacy systems (for personal billing inquiries) but also with the technical systems. This integration allows the customer to page subscribers, change their personal feature sets, and alter system settings real-time and on-line.

The second shortfall of the Telecom New Zealand site is ineffective brand building. When changing to a functional website companies cannot forget the importance of presenting their brand consistently in their designs, messaging and of course integrating what they do on-line with their off-line efforts. This website seems to change layout fairly regularly, and the copy often misses the interactive dialogue nature inherent of the Internet. The web is not a static one-way medium like a brochure. Marketing messages on-line, and particularly in outbound e-mails are a part of a dialogue with the customer and should reflect that in their tone, content, and honesty. However, functionality does not mean you cannot sell your brand, it just needs to be done appropriately. An effective example of a direct, honest, but promotional message on a telecom site can be seen on the splash page for Bell Canada (www.bell.ca) which is displayed only on the customer's first visit to the site.

Overall Telecom New Zealand has taken a big step forward in their on-line marketing efforts with their attempt at creating version 2 of their site. Or, at least a great version 1.95