Ricoh Americas Corp. (a leader in office automation equipment and document software solutions) wanted to make it easier for customers to know which components of a new software suite would meet their needs. This is a common challenge faced by companies marketing technology products. The answer of what to buy can depend a lot on what infrastructure the customer has, their intended application, number of users, specs, etc. The more multi-faceted a product is, the more difficulty customers have deciding if it fits and how well. To address this, Presentek worked with Ricoh to develop a web-based configurator for a new enterprise software product - the GlobalScan Workflow Suite. Within a simple interface, customers answer questions about their situation and uses of the product. They are then presented with a recommended configuration in just a few clicks.
Under the hood, the application was developed using PHP, MySQL, the Adobe Flex 3 framework and ActionScript 3.0. This combination of technologies allowed us to design a "front-end" user-experience that is dynamic, fluid, and easy to interact with, all while giving us the capability to handle the complex logic and calculations needed to match the user with their recommended solutions. Once we had completed development on the web-based application, we adapted it into a desktop application running on Adobe AIR. Ricoh sales people may download and install the application directly to their laptops just like any other desktop software. This gives them the ability to configure solutions on-the-fly, in any location -- even if they are disconnected from the Internet.
Following are some screen caps from the application with a little commentary of what's going on. If you're interested, you can see the tool online at the link below.
Accessed through a web browser by direct link or linked from any web page, customers answer questions about their intended use that determine the right solution for them. Sales people can also use the configurator, answering questions for the customer and presenting the results.
Existing infrastructure can be a critical determiner of what the customer will need and even what features or options may be available.
Some questions have logic mapped to them affecting the configuration, while other questions collect customer demographic information and market intelligence, or can indicate if the customer is a candidate for related products or programs.
After a minute or two of answering questions, what is a broad suite of product codes is reduced to a more manageable number of targeted recommendations. The customer saves time, gets better information and is drawn into an interaction with the company.
If you're interested, you can see the configurator here: http://www.globalscanroi.com.
Do you have a portfolio of multiple products or solutions? Do customers need help understanding how your products match up to various applications? Is it confusing which accessories, extensions or add-ons are needed? If so, consider offering your customers an alternative to slogging through pages of product info. with a web application customized to your product, solution or service. Most companies have no idea how many times visitors simply close the browser. Draw them in with questions that ask what THEY need, what THEY want to accomplish and match your offering to those needs using a simple web application.
Free Application Assessment
Send us a url with info. on your product, solution or service along with any comments. We'll review and let you know if it lends itself to using a product configurator or web application, and if so how it could work.