I don't usually post marketing oriented things, but I know that a lot of automation marketing professionals read this blog and read Control and ControlGlobal.com, and I ran across something interesting.
Back in the mid-1990s, when I was putting together a website for a company that I was director of sales and marketing for, I believe I originated the practice (in the automation industry at least) of posting service manuals and specifications on the web for both reading and downloading. It was time consuming, and it was costly.
So I read the below press release from a company called Nauvou in Little Rock, Arkansas with some interest. Using cloud technology, they appear to have made it easy and inexpensive to post most kinds of collateral for both marketing and service.
Have a read, and tell me what you think!
Nauvou Announces Self-Service Partner Portal
LITTLE ROCK, Ark., Aug. 10, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Nauvou announced today the availability of its Partner Portal, a groundbreaking platform for the delivery of cloud services via a web-based user interface. Partner Portal provides an easy, low-cost method for small- to medium-sized manufacturers to sell to and support their existing dealer network.
Nauvou Partner Portal is now completely self-service. Manufacturers can sign up and create their customized company Partner Portal for their sales network without the need to ever speak with a salesperson. Customer support, however, is just a phone call away.
"With more and more businesses depending on the Internet for communications, Nauvou Partner Portal addresses the fundamental business need for small and medium manufacturers to communicate with partners," said Eugene Jones, CEO of Nauvou.
Manufacturers can customize their entire dealer portal for free. The Partner Portal is a cloud-based web service, so once you allow dealers to start using the system, there will be a small monthly fee.
Benefits of the system include: product configuration, product ordering, purchase order processing, dissemination of sales literature, online delivery of specifications and all manner of service bulletins. Of course, being web-based, images and video are supported.
Eugene Jones went on to say, "Despite what you may have seen, manufacturing in the United States is still very powerful. We produce and export more manufactured goods than any other country."
So, what is happening with manufacturing? In a word, AUTOMATION is advancing manufacturing! In the U.S., we are producing more goods with fewer people. This is how we stay competitive with emerging economies. In general, we move the tasks that are difficult to automate to the emerging economies.
You can sign up and build your own Partner Portal at http://www.nauvou.com, and it's free. Alternatively, contact Eugene Jones at [email protected], or call 501-223-2100.
This is simply the next step for manufacturers focused on delivering customer satisfaction 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Communicating in print is, of course, vital in the worldwide export market. Customers need access to secure systems all hours of the day and night. Even mid-sized and small manufacturers need to find cost-effective solutions to communicate with their distant distribution channels.
While many systems are available to communicate with your partners, Nauvou is focused on manufacturers who produce serial-numbered (or VIN) products, which require configuration.
