CRESSKILL, N.J.--Commitment to the human resources necessary to support organizations’ Web-based communications is lagging monetary investments in those same communications. As a result, real-time communication is suffering, according to an analysis of the latest online survey of communication professionals from Charet & Associates, a New York-metro based recruiter of senior and mid-level executive talent in the marketing, communication and PR fields.
Refining Web-based Tools
Roughly two-thirds (66%) of 119 participants in our survey on Web-based communication trends indicated their organization had developed at least its third-generation Web site. Predictably, that number was appreciably higher among organizations doing business internationally and globally than for their counterparts conducting business on a local, regional and national basis, reflecting the more highly diverse and ever-changing dynamics of operating in markets around the world.
With posting of these next-generation sites, organizations now feature more sophisticated customer relationship management (CRM) systems and sections dedicated to providing visitors with information about the business (some companies have created Times Square-like news tickers) and the products or services they offer (through PDF downloads, DVD libraries and interactive animated features).
Meeting Market Place, Organizational Needs
In the market place, impetus for Web-based communications has been provided by a need to make current products and services visible to new markets (rated a highly important factor by 89% of respondents) as well as by a need to make new products and services visible to existing markets (rated highly important by 94% of respondents).
For manufacturing concerns as well as companies with more than 10,000 employees, the need to communicate information within the organization on a real-time basis was seen by 9 in 10 respondents as a highly important factor in the decision either to develop a next-generation Web site or to build new features into an existing site.
Refinements to JIT, advances in production-related technologies, the ever-increasing importance on customer service and the attendant reliance upon internal coordination have facilitated the need for effective, real-time communication in manufacturing companies.
Timely communication can be compromised by a heavily matrixed organizational structure, far-flung locations, language differences and cultural diversity – characteristics often found in the largest employers and those serving global markets. It is not surprising, then, to find that communication professionals from these employers view Web-related investments as tied to the need to disseminate information internally on a real-time basis.
Challenge and Opportunity
Despite respondents’ professed need for real-time communication, too many organizations appear to be inconsistent in effectively providing Web-based information on a real-time basis. An overwhelming majority (82%) of respondents indicated that when visiting other Web sites they find information has not been updated, while just under half (49%) reported information is superficial.
Among respondent organizations, more than a third (34%) have their Web site management residing within the PR/Communication department – the function most often mentioned as having day-to-day Web responsibility. Roughly one-fourth (26%) of survey participants said daily management of their organization’s Web site is handled by a cross-functional team of individuals. Neither result is particularly surprising.
What does give pause for concern is that only a little more than a quarter (28%) of respondents said their organization’s Web site is managed by a dedicated professional – that is, one whose sole responsibility is Web-based communications.
On the other hand, when one considers the trend in organizations’ Web-based communication activity over the next three years – not a single respondent believed his or her organization would be decreasing its investment, while three in five survey participants said their organization would either modestly (48%) or significantly (12%) increase their Web-related investments – it would appear that opportunity will be knocking for those who are well-versed in online communications.
