Commandment Six: Consider Convenience
Above all, simplify! The Internet is all about convenience, but convenience and readily accessible information should not suffer at the whim of IT professionals who do not understand what it means to build and navigate a simple Web page.

Everyone wants their page to be an opus to creativity, but once again, clients and customers want speed along with easy-to-navigate pages and a workable structure. A consistent look and feel will not only attract them to your site, but also keep them there by allowing them to readily locate the information they are seeking. Let form follow function.

If you conduct e-commerce, along with the presentation and structure of the Web site, the security and ease of use of the payment method (via credit card or electronic check) for services, products, subscriptions, etc. is equally important. Too many steps to complete a transaction deter clients/customers, as does a lack of trust in the security of your site.

Do not give them reason to give up! If the client/customer perceives it is easy to conduct financial transactions safely through your site, not only will it be an added convenience and service to them, but will reduce your time and cost as well.

Have a focused strategy and purpose for your Internet presence, and stick rigorously to it. Drifting away from your stated goals will cause confusion for both you and consequently, your clients/customers. Do not try to become the another Yahoo! or Amazon if that is not your core business -- not only will it become difficult for potential clients/customers to find crucial information, but your identity will become unclear to them (are you really a portal or large online store?). For clarity and convenience, stick to what your business is about and avoid the potential frustration of a client/customer trying to use your site.

Commandment Seven: Personalize it
One of the buzzword phrases in the new millennium is "high-tech/high-touch," a tribute to the technically crazed '90s in which complex technology ruled needlessly over a more personal approach to doing business. The marketplace realized these circumstances and have begun a reversal to the more personal style, albeit while keeping technology at hand.

Consider a few examples. Simple words can mean a world of difference (i.e.: a "Call me" button or bar versus the traditional "Contact us".) Another personal methodology is to provide information of interest to your clients, such as a value-added email message with an embedded URL to information that would benefit the client or customer. This "high-touch" way of thinking will do wonders in making the Internet warmer and friendlier.

Internal systems also can benefit from more personalized service. Just as every staff member should have access to a computer and the Internet, every person also should have email capability along with phone numbers for personal contact. These addresses and numbers should be on your site.

An added touch, if it makes sense and your consultant agrees, is to have photos of all staff with brief descriptions of experience and capabilities. This way, customers and clients can associate a name with a face. While seemingly hokey, this "meet the team" does much to personalize your site, and give clients/customers a better sense of connection with your company.

Commandment Eight: Manage Your Client Relationships
You have maintained a close connection to your clients and customers in your bricks and mortar setting, so why should an e-business be any different? According to Jupiter Communications, 42 percent of 125 well-known sites took at least five days to respond to a Web-enabled request (most likely through email), and some sites never responded at all. Additionally, many sites did not even list an email contact.

A quicker response and way to do so is definitely in order! Return emails or phone calls promptly, but more than that, manage the relationship on- and off-line with an integrated approach.

Clients want to know you listen and value them as a part of your business. At the same time, they also want the ability to perform some functions on their own. Businesses, particularly professional services' firms, have put systems like loan calculators and checklists on their sites, with the advice, of course, that clients should contact the business for an explanation if needed.

Clients will increasingly expect the convenient access to the company's personnel and information (especially project-specific documents and communications) that the Internet can provide. This must be delivered without the delay and hassle in responding to requests for information or feedback that traditional communication methods can cause.

Commandment Nine: Make Innovation a Constant Focus
A solid Web strategy is great on paper, but once it is applied in the online environment, the scenarios can change quickly. The real work begins when a site goes "live." Far too often, companies build e-business sites and send the maintenance of the site to the back burner.

In the olden days of perhaps five years ago (remember the three- to one-year ratio), administrators and secretaries learned HTML and were tasked with maintaining and changing Web pages. The problem in this workaround solution is that the staff was constantly derailed based on the multi-task environment.

Fortunately, time has been an advocate in proving that a dedicated person maintaining pages is definitely beneficial in the long run. Maintenance should be this person's highest priority, but what if firms and companies do not have the wherewithal to hire this person? Outsource! Why not? It makes sense in many respects and companies will get what they pay for in many cases. Managers still have to have oversight, but outsourcing page alterations and other changes is simply good business.

Innovations can also be seen in the features your site has and the way your clients or customers use these features. As the world becomes savvier in how to build business online, users will become accustomed to more advanced features and demand innovation. Companies in the e-business sector should constantly seek new solutions and become self-educated on the environment.

Content, too, should always be fresh. It gives the client/customer reason to continually visit the site, giving you the opportunity to inform them of new services, products, events and to repeatedly impress upon them the range of your offerings and services they might otherwise have forgotten or not needed earlier.

Outsourcing content also makes sense not only for the sake of time and posting information quickly, but to obtain material that may have a spin or twist to what is developed internally. Many companies can assist in developing content. The more creative ones are stepping up the plate and batting 1,000 in their efforts to supply business with content that is strategically focused to a particular situation. Remember that is a continual investment -- not a one-time up-front cost.

Commandment Ten: Stay Alert
The Internet marches on Internet time, and changes happen faster than most of us can comprehend. New competitors and firms offering enticing new features, services or communications to current and potential clients and customers will appear without notice. Unless your firm continually monitors Internet technology and competition, your industry and you may be left behind us just as Amazon.com and other winning sites left its traditional competition in the dust.

But who has the time? Well, even if you do have the time, you should not let your traditional business suffer while attempting to figure out what is happening in cyberspace. Partner with an Internet company and provider who specializes in your industry. It may be the most cost-effective means to accomplish this feat.

There are many companies and businesses who have leveraged their knowledge to benefit others in the same profession, and these companies have made an impression by servicing new clients or customers in a manner that truly serves as a partner to business, rather than an adjunct.

The key question is not have you thought about the impact the Internet will have upon your company, but rather, have you thought broadly enough about how this technological channel and communication medium will transform your client/customer base and the way you do business?

Delivering services in the e-business environment is the new way of doing business, and attention should be paid to details. Remember this: no one knows your business like you, and your e-business is a reflection of your personality and manner. Making e-business an active, integral part of your strategy will provide benefits for years to come.

First published on June 12, 2000.