Merge

It used to be common to hear “doing business has changed over the last 25 years” – in today’s global marketplace, the art of doing business has changed dramatically over the last 25 months. Creative solutions are sought after and doing more with less is no longer a shock, but a common practice.  I had a Skype conference chat with a good friend of mine in Europe, and he remarked “Well, my new job is a bit difficult and complex.  I do some sales, some customer service, marketing has crossed my desk and it is bizarre that I was hired as an Operations Director!” 

Just as our jobs and roles have evolved so has the purpose and capabilities of web sites. Websites are traditionally looked at as billboards and, reference places.  But I do not believe that websites should be quiet and serene like a library or art museum.  Websites are people too!! 

What do I mean by this?  Imagine your website as a person … that one employee that never gets sick, never goes on vacation, AND is a workaholic with an insomnia problem.  Imagine this employee as consistent in every conversation with your clients.  Imagine this employee able to replicate what your best sales person does or can help a confused customer in the best way like your rock star customer service rep!?!  And to top it off … imagine this employee delivering the operational and analytical information that provides the insight you need to make that crucial decision!!!!  What could an employee like that mean to your organization?  Could it lift the pressure off the human employees? 

Now, will a website give that personal touch … provide that voice … and attend to those small details that can only be uncovered through a personal relationship? No. However, websites, if correctly and strategically planned, can manage and perform the mundane tasks allowing those fabulous humans to add those special touches that DO count at the end of the day. 

So this is where I begin to change my semantics.  Business leaders are better served when they stop seeing their www.companyname.com as a website.  Think about it.  A site is stagnant. A site can be pretty and a site and be fabulous the first visit, but where is the measureable value at the end of the day?  What the next thought leaders need to embrace is the idea of a web solution. A solution is not so easily defined but dynamic; therefore it can be manipulated to the eye of the beholder.  A solution can be changed and altered in conjunction with the problem it is there to solve. 

Bottom Line: A web solution has a stronger resume than a website and can multitask without complaint.  What could be better?