Merkado client case study - OneAccess increased client engagement 3 - 5 times with an improved, web-based customer buying experience
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OneAccess Networks, founded in 2001, specializes in multi-service access routers for communication service providers and has seen substantial growth, increasing sales by 11% to €67 million in 2013. To enhance its market position and attract investors ahead of a planned IPO, the company modernized its website, shifting from a technology-centric to a customer-driven approach, resulting in a three to five-fold increase in client engagement. The revamped site now effectively caters to both technical and non-technical stakeholders, simplifying the buying process and showcasing OneAccess' unique value propositions.
Merkado client case study - OneAccess increased client engagement 3 - 5 times with an improved, web-based customer buying experience
- 1. CLIENT OVERVIEW Founded in 2001, OneAccess Networks, designs and sells enterprise multi- service access routers to communication service providers (CSPs) worldwide, who use them to deliver managed and/or Cloud-based communication services – IP business telephony, high-speed corporate data and Internet, and other specialized applications – to small and mid-sized enterprise office sites. It currently serves more than 120 CSPs worldwide, including global brands like Orange, Vodafone and Telefónica. Supported by its 400-person workforce, OneAccess grew its business 11% in 2013, recording €67 million in sales, helping it become the second largest supplier of branch office access routers in Europe. To fuel further growth the company recently launched a line of Mid-range multi-service routers directed at large businesses sites, and it is continuing its expansion into North American and Asian markets. ONEACCESS’ BUSINESS CHALLENGE As a steadily growing enterprise IT company OneAccess faced two distinct, yet related business challenges. Up until now the company was privately owned, financed by a mix of private investment and commercial loans. To drive further growth its corporate board had begun to prepare the company for an IPO on the pan-European Euronext exchange. To position it more in-line with other leading industry players, the company’s CMO, Pravin Mirchandani, needed to modernize its aging corporate Website, to present itself in a more attractive way to future investors, and to prospective clients in key markets like the US and China. OneAccess’ original website had been developed using a technology-centric approach, organizing its router portfolio according to characteristics like the networks they were suited for, the range of access technologies supported and the maximum data throughput of each device. This approach addressed the concerns of its clients’ engineers and technical product leaders who historically had important sway in their company’s purchase decisions. However, as a result of greater competition in the communications services market, driven by the shift towards developing more differentiated, customer-driven services, this approach was no longer fully aligned with today’s market reality. While not an e-commerce site, OneAccess’ new website would still need to serve a broader range of technical and business-minded stakeholders, making their purchase journey more straightforward, while addressing the needs of institutional stakeholders, like future investors, all in a straightforward way. To modernize its Web presence while delivering a better customer buying experience, OneAccess faced several specific issues: Case Summary: A global enterprise IT vendor introduces a better, web-based customer buying experience, streamlining the buying process, leading to renewed client engagement. Target Audience: Small company - Business Owner, VP of Marketing and Sales Med & large firms - CMO, Director of Product Marketing, Digital Marketing Director Key Point: Commercialize your offers with a market-led approach, while making it easier for clients to research and find the most suitable offers by streamlining their buying journey. ONEACCESS INCREASES CLIENT ENGAGEMENT 3 - 5X WITH AN IMPROVED WEB-BASED CUSTOMER BUYING EXPERIENCE CLIENT CASE STUDY
- 2. merkadoservices.com 2 } Presenting its product and service offers in a more market-driven way – The company’s product portfolio was organized in technology-based product classes (e.g. TDM transport, value-added software), which did not reflect the true advantages or value they offered customers. Under the current categories, as technologies changed or became obsolete, or as customer needs evolved, the products and services could lose their perceived relevance. } Laying a clear path from its customers’ key issues to associated solutions – The customer solutions showcased on OneAccess’ existing website were simply another way of organizing the company’s portfolio based on related technology terms. The proposed solutions (e.g. Solutions for voice over IP, IP-VPN or WAN optimization) were based on an inside- out approach, leading with specific products and describing specific use case. This approach lacked an explicit description of CSPs evolving market and operating context, their current challenges and therefore the subsequent solutions for resolving them. } Making it easy for new clients and non- technical stakeholders to appreciate and navigate its offers – Unless a site user was already well versed on the technologies used by OneAccess, it was quite challenging to easily appreciate, compare and identify the best offers to address a specific business or market need. THE SOLUTION: DESIGN A BETTER WEB- BASED CUSTOMER BUYING EXPERIENCE To help OneAccess improve its web-based customer buying experience, making it easier for site user to identify the most suitable offers in a simple way, we completely redesigned this vital commercial touch point. The website had to allow range of key client stakeholders – engineers, technical and strategic product managers, marketing managers and purchasing managers – at both new and existing CSP customers, to conduct the various activities involved in their purchase-decision process: § Explore OneAccess’ offers and capabilities § Appreciate the key technologies used § Search and compare specific products § Identify the most suitable solutions to resolve existing issues § Learn about the distinctive value offered by OneAccess’ products and solutions § Obtain specific, customer value-driven material to help justify the buying decision After a careful analysis and comparison of the company's full 66-item product and service portfolio, and in collaboration with their product marketing and product management leaders, we reorganized the company’s portfolio into a set of market-driven product families based on the services and the related advantages offered to the chief stakeholders at both their service providers clients and their enterprise end-customers. For each product family we developed a unique value proposition statement with supported by relevant messaging and content. Similarly, for each product/service we developed an underlying yet distinctive value proposition statement, supported by the key comparative advantages and features offered. To facilitate the client discovery and selection process, we introduced the ability to search for the right products based on a combination of market and technical criteria (Figure 1). Based on search results, site users can now easily perform side-by-side comparisons of a set of related products, and easily identify the similarities and differences. Figure 1 – CPE Finder: Needs-based product search tool
- 3. merkadoservices.com 3 For clients looking to address selected service delivery issues, working with OneAccess’ marketing team we identified some of today’s important delivery challenges, showing how through a combination of its products and services, OneAccess can help resolve them. BUSINESS RESULT: 3 TO 5 TIMES GREATER CUSTOMER ENGAGMENT The redesigned customer website (Figure 2) went live in January 2014 and has been successfully serving clients and other stakeholders since. According to OneAccess marketing staff, the new site is simpler to navigate, and product and solution information is much easier to find and understand that before. More importantly, from a customer standpoint, the new site has generated three to five times greater client engagement, as measured by the number pages viewed and the increased volume of client- generated questions and requests for further information on the firm’s solutions and products. Backed by a fresher, better web-based customer experience, OneAccess CEO, Bertrand Meis, recently announced the company’s intention to launch an IPO in 2015, inviting potential investors to learn more about the company, its successfully growing business and its rising status within the enterprise router marketplace. Find out more at: oneaccess-net.com RECOMMENDATIONS FOR TECHNOLOGY COMPANIES 1. Identify the main participants in your client’s buying process and their key interests – Beyond simply targeting specific business-types, marketing and sales leaders at B2B tech companies need to clearly understand the individual roles – buyers, expert-influencers and users – and groups that make customer buying decisions. A deeper understanding of clients’ decision-making units, and the issues and interests of the key stakeholders, will help design a more relevant commercial approach. 2. Commercialize your products with a market-led approach – Many B2B tech companies naturally organize and sell their products by the technologies used and/or the functions delivered. However, since most products and technologies eventually become obsolete, business leaders should instead favour a market orientation that seeks to satisfy their customers’ essential and continuous needs, ensuring greater relevance over the long term. 3. Improve the customer buying experience: Make it easy to research and find the most suitable offers – In today’s complex and quick changing world of technology, prospective customers are constantly faced with new emerging challenges, driving them to seek out new ideas and perspectives to support business decisions. Marketing leaders should offer their client audience a streamlined path for understanding the latest industry issues, supported by unique and informative content, helping them easily identify the most relevant solutions along with the comparative value of each. Figure 2 – OneAccess modernized customer website
- 4. merkadoservices.com 4 About Merkado Merkado helps technology companies create customer value and business growth through our practical and integrated go-to-market solutions. From market opportunity evaluation to strategic sales support, we deliver a full range of go-to-market advice, assistance and methods, combining proven, international experience with a first-hand understanding of the latest consumer and business technology trends. Contact Us To see how Merkado can assist your organization please contact: Juan Carlos Sanchez Managing Director jcsanchez@merkadoservice.com For more information visit: www.merkadoservices.com Merkado SAS 10 rue de Vouillé 75015, Paris France Copyright © 2014 Merkado Services. All rights reserved