Rob feels very strongly about the web as a powerhouse marketing tool: "It’s the way of the future as far as advertising is concerned." The site allowed the company to immediately have a national presence, and made it easy for potential clients to learn about the company and have many of their questions answered before the first contact was made.
A freelance team created the first site, but as web technology advanced and more companies became web-friendly, Rob felt that the site needed to develop expanded functionality and to update its look. The scope of this revision was broad enough that Rob decided to outsource the job to a web design firm. He turned to ApresMidi, now doing business as InterMediaPost (http://www.intermediapost.com/), for a state-of-the-art solution. He says he was pleased with the results.
Rob feels that the biggest challenge he faced when creating the first site was keeping current. He hadn’t considered how time-consuming the constant updates would be, but he knew that keeping information on the site fresh was crucial. Ultimately, he decided that outsourcing the maintenance of the site made the most sense.
When we asked him about the immediate future of their web site – how it will help them operate more effectively -- he told us that in January 2002, another iteration of the PCI site will be unveiled which will include specialized features for both their client companies and the leased employees.
With the planned functionality in place, companies using PCI will soon be able to handle their human resources and payroll needs remotely through the website, and they will have the ability to research the different plan descriptions PCI has available. This will save the client both time and money. Rob noted that money saved (versus additional sales) drops directly to the bottom line, allowing for future growth.
In addition, with the new functionality, leased employees will be able to create accounts, allowing them to log in and check valuable personal information such as the status of their benefits or accrual of vacation days. Once again, the goal is to save everyone time and money, and to provide convenient service as important information becomes immediately available to both the company and the employees.
Rob believes that the future of successful businesses will belong to the swift: business owners willing to embrace technology and change sooner rather than later will stay out front. You won’t need to change your business or your business plan, but you will need to learn how to do what you are already doing more effectively.
Business profile courtesy of Family Business Strategies.
About the author: Robert Boffa, Jr. can be reached via
email or at http://www.pcipeo.com.
