Evolving Expectations
PlaNET Internet has evolved over its 10+ year lifespan right along with the arts in which we work – marketing, branding, and all things Internet. When PlaNET was founded in 1998, clients’ business objectives could often be summed up as “Publish our capabilities, be creative, reach the largest business/consumer audience as possible.” Over the years the goal shifted to, “Find out what our audience is looking for and convey our capabilities accordingly, in a way that hasn’t been done before.” Continued evolution and PlaNET’s approach today: “Help me define, segment, and understand my audience, boil down my company’s differentiation, determine metrics for success, use mediums that will squarely address the above, in a way that is cost-effective, crystal clear, and cuts through the rest of the noise.” This sums up our approach, and in this way we build measurable business value into every project we take on.
Why Outsource…and to Whom?
OK, you’ve made the big decision – you’ve decided that you should stick to the business you know best (after all, that’s what made you successful, isn’t it?) and involve outside experts in your web development project. You’ve decided to outsource.
It’s sometimes a difficult decision to make. You are, after all, trusting your business reputation to an outsider. But often an outsourcing firm can bring a new perspective to your business goals. The old saying ‘you can’t see the wood for the trees’ can often hold true. An outsourcing company has the ability to look at your business in the context of the competition from an impartial point of view, something that may be difficult to achieve from an inside position.
But taking that decision to delegate is only the beginning. The next decision is just as crucial to your business survival. Is it better to go for the large corporate entity with the big reputation and an equally large set-up? Or should you go for a smaller company with the more personal touch? We at PlaNET Internet Solutions believe that you need to consider several factors before you decide who should get your valuable business.
Large outsourcing firms certainly have a large number of experts, all aiming to give you the best advice and service. But don’t forget all the support staff, accountants and administrators who are needed to back up the experts. It’s a given that the larger the corporate entity, the more the effort that goes into running the company. And these support staff don’t work for free – their services are included in your bill.
And how about flexibility? What if you need to change your project direction in a hurry? We all know how difficult it is to get an ocean liner to respond to a sudden change in direction – it can take forever.
The same thing can happen to your project when you involve a complex external company, whether it’s a marketing agency or an IT consultancy. By the time you have reached the decision-makers to request a change, you’ve lost your opportunity. With a small, responsive, independent team like ours, you are working directly with senior-level professionals – no billable middlemen here – who are able to take and implement decisions immediately. Think of us as a speedboat.
But it is not enough to make your project a success. At PlaNET Internet Solutions, we believe that you should not only get the best possible solution to your problem, but that you should also be able to quantify that success. Rather than making promises such as “we will improve your bottom line”, we aim to give you tools that will enable you to measure that improvement as part of our service.
Perhaps you are concerned about the depth of experience in a smaller firm. Do they have the headcount to ensure your project gets the attention it deserves? But then, it is not just a question of the number of resources available. You want your project to move forward as efficiently as possible, and what better way to ensure this happens than by working with a dedicated team of resources. The continuity afforded by this approach pays better dividends than working with a team of different resources that need to be brought up to speed each time the team changes or is juggled around.
The bottom line? If you want measurable results, need flexibility, want to be able to communicate directly with independent experts without wading through the middlemen first, want to have control over your budget – and keep your budget low – then PlaNET Internet Solutions has the answers. Unique and customized services tailor made to your requirements – that’s the PlaNET promise to you!
