Half of SMBs would pay for better online visibility and customer information

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VIENNA, VIRGINIA: According to a new survey, small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) have two pressing needs they would pay to satisfy - visibility in online searches; and actionable contact information on consumers who phone them.

Exactly half of US SMB owners surveyed by Harris Interactive on behalf of TARGUSinfo in September say they would pay $25 per year or more for "merchant profile management." The service makes local-business Web sites or listings more prominent in major search engines by letting business owners define their own search terms. Almost half of the respondents (48 percent) who indicated a willingness to pay for the service said they would pay at least $100 per year.

Fifty percent of respondents would also pay $1 per phone line per month for "enhanced call detail," a Web-based call log that goes beyond Caller ID. Enhanced call detail provides the contact information of every caller to the business, including full name and often address, making it easy for the business to re-contact the caller. Among respondents who indicated a willingness to pay for the service, 48 percent said they would pay at least $5 per phone line per month.

"As a small business owner, I am the marketing department and I am the webmaster," said Kim Golway, Vice President of Cardigan Kitchen and Baths of Crofton, MD. "So if you can automatically improve my online visibility, help me get more leads from the Web and help me penetrate my market, and do so at a fair price, bring it on. I would stay with a provider who could do that."

Merchant profile management and enhanced call detail are emerging services that companies can acquire from participating phone or cable providers. The services add value to commodity voice and high-speed Internet access and may lead to improved customer retention and acquisition in the $25 billion SMB segment, according to the survey.

"The SMB market is evolving, with cable operators making inroads on the voice and data side, phone companies retooling for battle, and subscribers demanding more than just speed and feeds from a provider," said Gartner Research VP Alex Winogradoff. "SMBs are increasingly looking for service providers who can solve their business problems, not just string lines into a building."

The survey of SMB owners was commissioned by TARGUSinfo, the leader in On-Demand Data services for identification, verification, qualification and location.

"The SMB market is crucial to the success of every provider, and the survey affirms that providers will win loyal customers by providing valuable solutions that improve their businesses," said Mark Barber, TARGUSinfo VP and GM for Communications Service Providers.

TARGUSinfo operates merchant profile management and enhanced call detail services that communication service providers can offer their SMB customers through their subscriber portals. The company also provides value-added services enabling SMBs to automatically follow-up with warm prospects and be first to sell to new residents moving to a community. These services, too, are available through participating providers.




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