An E-Team is the Key Behind Any Successful E-Business

by Ron Helms, Iowa Western SBDC, Council Bluffs, IA If your e-business strategy is to "leave it all up to the technology guy," you might as well plan for failure—one of the most common mistakes businesses make when developing an e-business strategy is assuming one person can do it all. If you're serious about using e-business strategies to boost profits and increase efficiency, you'll need more than just somebody who knows who to build a Web site. You'll need a team of individuals that not only know your business inside and out, but who also have a variety of skills and knowledge necessary to thoroughly examine your business goals and see how technology can help you get there. Your e-team doesn't have to be comprised of 15 IT wizards either. All you really need are 3 or 4 people that can work together and utilize their unique skills and talents to develop a real plan of action tailored to your business ... they might even be people on your staff right now. To have a really solid e-team, you'll need to assign responsibility for the following: Systems Administration Content Development Business Integration Employee/Customer/Partner Service So, if, for example, you're going to start selling your products online, in addition to the "technology guy" that's going to build your new e-commerce Web site and make sure all the bells and whistles are working correctly, you'll need someone that can write the content for your site that will help you to get and keep customers. You'll also need someone who can ensure that when orders come off the site they are processed efficiently and correctly and are shipped in a timely manner. Finally you'll need another person to deal with all of the questions your potential customers send via email after visiting your site. The bottom line: If you think one person can handle all of these responsibilities well and in a way that reflects your business's best interests ... think again. Doing e-commerce is a lot more than simply slapping up a Web site and waiting for the orders to roll in-you've got to plan it to death with people who understand your business and your business goals. These questions will get you started. For more information on e-commerce, contact a consultant at a Small Business DevelopmentCenter. > See also: E-Commerce
Maureen Collins-Williams is Director of the University of Northern Iowa SBDC in Waterloo, IA. Visit the Iowa Business Network at www.iabusnet.org. For further assistance, contact a consultant at a Small Business DevelopmentCenter.

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