Make your client's life easier: The power of an extranet
Over the past several years, extranets have become a popular
tool used by service companies to enhance their client
relationships. Originally, they were implemented to overcome the
time and cost barriers associated with a distance relationship.
Today, service companies use extranets to serve clients who are
right down the street because of the many ways they make the
client's life easier.
What is an extranet?
An extranet is a web-based
collaboration tool that allows a defined group of internal and
client users to access projects and documents in a secure
environment.
One way to think of an extranet is as a shared filing cabinet.
It allows clients to access documents immediately, all organized
by project. It is particularly useful when groups of people need
to access the work at the same time, and need everything
organized in the same way.
Who uses extranets?
Any company that shares documents with clients can benefit from
using an extranet. Advertising agencies, law firms, real estate
brokers, financial service companies, architectural firms - the
list can go on and on.
How does an extranet enhance client relationships?
Enhanced relationships result from the many benefits extranets
offer to clients. The most important is time savings. Rather
than searching emails or paper files, everything is organized in
one place to assure a quick review and response. A client
extranet assures that nothing is lost and that the correct
version is being reviewed. Many extranets feature an alert
system to assure that documents are posted and reviewed on a
timely basis.
Other benefits include easy client access to past work through
the use of an archive, the ability to limit access to selected
individuals when needed, the documentation of all activities,
and a higher level of security than is offered by email.
The bottom-line
Enhancing client relationships supports retention and saves
administrative time. At minimum, this impact on both revenue and
costs often allows the extranet to pay for itself, and in many
cases can result in increased profits.