A Comparison of Capabilities

Introduction

PresenterNet recently surveyed all of its users to characterize their previous experience with Web Conferencing and online presentations. The primary purpose of this survey was to identify and learn more about PresenterNet customers who had already been Webex users before choosing an alternative service provider. Since this customer group has had successful Web conferencing experience, the survey objective was to understand their needs and expectations relative to PresenterNet. The overall survey goal was to answer three generic questions:

1. What factors stimulated interest in an alternative service provider?
2. What capabilities brought them to select PresenterNet?
3. What actions can PresenterNet take to maximize user success?

Basic Survey Questions and Responses

The following questions addressed all respondents, unless otherwise indicated.

Question: Before selecting PresenterNet, did your organization use another Web conferencing service? If so, please indicate which service.

No others	Webex	MS Live Meeting	Raindance	Others
43%	40%	9%	5%	3%

Question: (Asked only of customers using another service) As an experienced user of another service, why did you select PresenterNet?

Replacement	Unique Features	Lower Price	Other
9%	53%	34%	4%

Question: As an existing Webex user organization, why did you evaluate additional service providers?

Replace Webex	Cost justify new and smaller applications	Address applications needing unique features
5%	44%	51%

Question: Regarding cost justification of new and smaller applications, what organizational functions required lower costs?

Sales	Training	Marketing	Investor Relations	Other
53%	26%	11%	4%	6%

Question: Regarding needs for unique features, what PresenterNet feature or capability was most important in your selecting an alternate service?

Ease of Use	Interactive Slides	Application Showrooms	Cross-Browser or Cross-Platform	Media Asset Management	Multi-media formats
10%	22%	17%	24%	9%	18%

Although PresenterNet differs technically and strategically from Webex, longtime Webex users continue to add PresenterNet to extend their Web conferencing abilities. Companies using both services report that Webex serves many of their needs, yet they choose PresenterNet for applications where Webex may be cost-prohibitive or lack certain features. Overall strategy of these customers is for PresenterNet to co-exist with Webex for optimizing budgets and expanding into new applications.

PresenterNet and Webex both include an array of features and tools designed for people who use visual presentations to sell, inform, or teach their clients and customers. Though these services may overlap in some instances, the two offerings perform differently, resulting in significant differences in costs and application.

Small meetings where users cannot afford Webex: User pricing of PresenterNet is far lower than Webex pricing. For comparison, the Webex Web site quotes the company's rates at $.33 per person, per-minute. This means that a one-hour Webex meeting with a presenter speaking to a 3-person audience would be calculated as: 4 people X 60 minutes X $.33, at a total cost of $79.20. If the meeting were held weekly, four meetings per month would cost $316.80. PresenterNet charges a flat rate of $29.95 per month, for unlimited use of an online conference room.

Sales presentations requiring capture of audience responses: Salespeople report that they are most effective using online conferencing when onscreen slides ask questions and record audience responses. PresenterNet's InterActors placed on PowerPoint slides enable onscreen questions and audience feedback. Presenters can view this information immediately, though all audience input is stored in the presenter's database. This proprietary technology supports slides for such uses as creating invoices onscreen from audience input, gathering proposal information, or creating qualification data used for sales follow-up.

Continuous Lead Generation Webinars: Along with large-event Webinars delivered on Webex, many companies need small, frequent events to facilitate continuous lead generation. For example, some sales or marketing people present a low-key event every week targeting up to 25 online attendees per session. The cost for this service with Webex at the published price of $.33 per people-minute would be $2,059 a month for scheduling four, one-hour conferences per month. Using PresenterNet, the total flat-rate price remains $29.95 monthly.

Spontaneous Sales Calls: Sales professionals who sell primarily by phone often benefit from communicating with visual media. Though phone contact may be their primary communications method, sales people know that certain explanations require prospects to view such things as complex pricing pages, diagrams, or product photos. PresenterNet enables these users to spontaneously integrate onscreen visuals with any conversation without pre-scheduling, downloading plug-ins, etc. Any prospect who can view a Web page can enter a salesperson's online conference room by typing only a room name and a passkey provided to them. Once prospects enter, salespeople can instantly display documents, spreadsheets, photos, diagrams, animations and PowerPoint slides.

This one-on-one application is usually too costly for Webex charges at cost-per-people-minute rates, and cannot be spontaneous if the session must be pre-scheduled on Webex.

Additional PresenterNet Comparisons Cited by Users

Storing Slides Online: Webex enables desktop-to-desktop connections, so that all media such as PowerPoint slides are stored in an individual user's PC. PresenterNet converts PowerPoint and other media to Flash format, then uploads, stores and organizes all slides and documents individually in an online media library. Because all visuals are always available online, users enjoy the following benefits:

1. They can search for any slide during a presentation, and display it regardless of the presentation where it resides.
2. All PresenterNet members within a user organization can use a shared-access central library. This enables companies to create Media Asset Management environments, where a single source creates, manages and controls critical presentations, to ensure consistency and legal compliance.

Application Showrooms: To help users reach the widest possible audiences, PresenterNet provides a standalone option called a Showroom. Every PresenterNet account includes a Showroom, in addition to the rich set of capabilities used for live presentations and conferences. A PresenterNet Showroom helps users to engage with people who want to preview information privately or anonymously without attending a live presentation. By entering a Showroom, visitors can control and view a standalone slide presentation at any time. Each user's Showroom has a unique Web location named by the user and used as a link from Web sites, invitations or promotions.