BizWebPro.com: Internet helps streamline business communications

Without communication it would be impossible to do business. Ancient traders communicated by any possible means from hand gestures to translators. Now, communication has evolved to include the Internet.

BizWebPro.com, a Nixa-based Web system, hosting and network-design company, specializes in helping businesses communicate over the Internet.

Founded in 1996, BizWebPro.com has grown from one employee to a staff of 15.

"What makes us different is how we design Web systems to solve real-world business problems," said President and CEO Michael Ariew. "We interview our clients to find out what problems they'd like to solve. For example, they may want to stay in touch with customers or broaden their customer base. We develop a solution and use the Internet to address those problems. The end result is a return on their investment."

Cost for creating an Internet presence for a small company starts at $1,500, according to Ariew, but can go much higher depending on needs.

"It's hard to say (about the cost) because we're not a cookie-cutter kind of an environment. We address each client's problems separately," Ariew said.

Ariew finds client companies use Internet-based communications technology in various ways.

"We have several customers with offices in cities around the country. To keep their staff updated on products and prices, they have a private Web area set up where employees can go to get that information," Ariew said.

"In addition, they are able to put out their product catalogs on the Internet instead of mailing the catalogues out. E-mail to customers can direct them back to the product catalog Web site and save a tremendous amount of overhead in printing and mailing," he added.

SMC Packaging, parent company of Southern Missouri Containers, and Superior Gearbox are examples of how companies use the Internet to streamline business communications.

BizWebPro.com is designing a process so SMC Packaging's customers can order from the Internet and the order will automatically be routed to the correct plant, thus making distribution easier.

Ben Jones, director of information systems at SMC, said his company is pursuing this method of communication "to add a value-added service to our customers, so it will be easy for them to place orders with us and give them a 24-7 access."

BizWebPro.com controls Superior Gearbox's entire Web site. Bill Chy, Superior Gearbox CFO, said BizWeb-Pro.com helped set up, manage and design the Web site.

Chy said his company uses the Internet for communication because "people are using the Internet. It's something that will ultimately tie in with both our customers and vendors. It's also something useful right now, providing descriptions and information on our products to prospective customers who otherwise we might not even talk to."

He added, "BizWebPro.com is working on ways to increase the use of our Web site by people out there looking at the Internet for something that ties in with our products."

The Internet, however, won't replace face-to-face contact or telephone calls, the business owners believe.

"At SMC, we'll never take the human element out simply because our company is pretty much founded on personal service and we feel that's very important to have the one-on-one human interaction for the customer," Jones said.

Said Chy: "Certainly, in many cases it reduces the amount of that type of communicating you need to do. It also increases the detail you can provide to somebody so that you can talk to them over the phone about it."

Ariew said he does see face-to-face contact going away in some areas of business that can be automated such as repetitive customer orders.

"Will everybody that buys a home go to an online mortgage company? No. There will still be those face-to-face transactions that need to be completed on-hand between the provider and consumer," Ariew said.

However, Ariew also believes that in the future, "the Internet will become like the fax machine or telephone; businesses will have to have an Internet presence to compete."