The Hindu Business Line : <I>Turn visitor into customer </I>

Current numbers are said to be dismally low, at 1 to 3 per cent, meaning that only 1 to 3 of every 100 visitors of a site make themselves visible by sending an e-mail or by pressing the `contact' button.

"Aren't we then losing an opportunity of addressing the balance 97 visitors?" That's the question BNA Technology Consulting poses in a white paper on `value added Web-based services'. The company's solution is named `Livserv', and it is based on `presence detection and live interaction'. The paper explains that the key differentiator of Livserv is the providing of `pre-sales agent' support for the client as an outsourced service. "The client does not have to buy any IT hardware or software or even recruit people and train them for providing the service."

This is how it is said to work: A visitor `walks' in to the Web site, and "the pre-sales agent (PSA) immediately detects him and a customised chat window opens, with a warm greeting".

PSA is quite talkative; it runs a conversation with the visitor, saying things like `our company is a leader in hotel booking'. No dumb agent, it is, because the PSA "tries to profile the customer, using probing questions in order to understand his requirement and recommend to him the right product".

Then? "Finally, the agent offers a `reward'. This may be "a white paper on the subject or a comprehensive `best offer', or may be a recommendation from an expert on the subject." In return, PSA collects contact information of the visitor.

The story isn't over yet. "The entire chat script along with the contact information is passed on to the sales and marketing staff of the client company, for appropriate follow up."

I'm sure somebody will think of giving the PSA a pleasing form too, to take the idea forward!

One phone, one number

As telecom users, I'm sure that phrases such as `One India' and `lifetime validity' would have captured your attention.

How about FMC? Not Ford Motor Company or Frequently Made Comment, but `fixed-mobile convergence'.

What does it mean? "For consumers, FMC means one device for all their access needs, less expensive calls, better coverage within buildings, and an enhanced experience for high-bandwidth applications such as streaming media.

For business users, it also means toll-free calls while connecting to enterprise networks," explains www.semiconductors.philips.com.

The site speaks of Unlicensed Mobile Access (UMA) technology providing "access to GSM and GPRS mobile services over unlicensed spectrum technologies, including Bluetooth and Wi-Fi."

FMC is the union of wireline and wireless technologies and services to create a single telecommunications network foundation, explains Flextronics Software Systems.

The vision of using `one telephone with one number' whether at home, at work or on the street and of `networks smart enough to hand over a call in progress' is approaching reality, says the company.

What makes FMC attractive to the industry? `Obvious reasons,' says the company. "New revenue streams, reduced operating expenses and future-proof network architectures."

As a provider of "licensable technologies and full spectrum services in the areas of voice over packet, IP multimedia subsystems (IMS), broadband, SS7 signaling, data communications, wireless and handset, billing, OSS and network management," Flextronics sees potential in FMC.

For one, wireline service providers need no longer be tethered to landline networks. Plus, they can "reverse their loss of voice-service minutes and revenue" foregone in favour of cellular providers.

On the other hand, mobile operators anticipate that FMC will allow them to "expand services into the landline space while maintaining control of the call."

To us, the users, FMC means one handset, one number, one voice mail, and one bill `for all our telecom services'. Let's hope the bill is not a fat one!

Healthy and informed

Do you know that IT firms such as Covansys, Cognizant, Infosys, Wipro, Medicom, Cerner, and ISoft have teams of health IT professionals? And that they are involved as health IT consultants, system analysts, domain consultants, process consultants, HIPAA and HL7 experts and test engineers?

"At present many of these health IT firms are focusing on North America and Europe, where law impacts healthcare a lot," writes Sandeep Sinha, Industry Analyst - Healthcare Practice, Frost & Sullivan, in a paper titled `Healthcare IT Professional Services'. HIPAA, as you may be aware of, is short for Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) of 1996 in the US.

"A complicated and multifaceted law," www.hipaadvisory.com opines. HL7 or Health Level Seven standard is about the structure to present patient data in support of payment claim, explains www.neotool.com.

Don't we need IT services closer home, for our health too? "The Indian healthcare IT market is at a very nascent stage, but has massive potential in the healthcare delivery space both in the Government and private sector," says Sinha.

Indian healthcare is a $18-billion industry, one learns.

"According to The World Health Report 2002, India's health expenditure is 6.1 per cent of its GDP. Public and private health expenditure is 21.3 per cent and 78.7 per cent, respectively Health insurance is extremely marginal but has a great potential to tap the 78.7 per cent market," cites Sinha. The 2005 edition is on www.who.int.

He notes that the average budget of hospital groups in India on healthcare IT solutions and infrastructure runs to Rs 2 crore annually.

"Most of the hospitals groups in India have teams of healthcare IT professionals headed by CIOs or CTOs."

Sinha foresees that future healthcare delivery in India will be driven by health insurance, which in turn will need an effective IT platform. It may not be long before the Government announced standards for health IT and healthcare delivery. Or, is that too optimistic to be healthy?

Picture by Shaju John

ITworks@TheHindu.co.in

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