CEO Software Shortens Sales Cycle, Reduces Training Costs Via WebDemo™ Online Conferencing Tool

The Situation:

Founded in 1985, CEO Software Inc. is the recognized leader in event management software. Its solutions, which enable users to graphically design convention/meeting seating setups and floor plans, are used daily by a Who's Who of major companies and organizations such as the Hilton and Hyatt hotel chains, the Miami Beach Convention Center, Atlantic City Convention Center, Proctor & Gamble, Sears Roebuck & Co., the Federal Reserve System, and many others.

While CEO Software's products have made life easier for meeting planners the world over, selling and servicing the company's many customers is often anything but a snap. Presentations must be made to prospects who are sometimes many thousands of miles from CEO Software's Tucson, Arizona headquarters. Dozens-even hundreds-of customer personnel must be trained to use CEO Software's products, necessitating trips by CEO Software instructors to user locations or, alternately, by customer personnel to CEO Software's Arizona training center. 

Such demands often place a huge travel burden on all concerned. Despite a steady flow of business, company executives in late 2000 were ready for an alternative that could simplify product training/sales functions while reducing costs for customer and vendor alike.

Don Cozzetti, Chief Operating Officer of CEO Software, personally got involved in identifying a Web-based, real-time conference and collaboration software tool that would deliver electronic presentations from a distance. Cozzetti, co-founder of CEO Software and a pioneer in the scheduling industry, felt such solutions had come of age.

"I had been keeping an eye on the development of e-Conferencing software products," said Cozzetti. "I was convinced the technology had moved forward sufficiently to warrant serious consideration. A truly robust product could have a big impact on our business."

Using the Internet as well as his personal contacts, Cozzetti set about the task of finding a reliable, full featured, server-based Web conferencing solution that would enable CEO Software to turn a new page in the demonstration and knowledge transfer of its increasingly popular products.

The Solution:

In February 2001 Cozzetti found his answer-and it was surprisingly close to his own front door. Converging, located less than ten miles away across town, offered a simple, powerful solution called WebDemoÔ that delivers any presentation or training session onto an unlimited number of desktop PCs simultaneously.

WebDemo, the flagship product in Converging's LinktivityÔ line of real-time communication and remote control software, enables instant browser-to-browser conferencing, collaboration, and help desk support via the Web. Available in server-based and integrated system formats, WebDemo is an affordable way to extend a complete view of any desktop, including documents and applications, to or from any location. 

"I felt that WebDemo had all the features we were looking for in an electronic conferencing and training solution," Cozzetti said. "It offered voice and keyboard chat, which would allow our customers to ask questions of CEO Software staffers online. It allowed the audience to take control of the interface when necessary, so supervised, 'hands-on' training could take place. The interface is simple to learn and simple to use; what's more, WebDemo is very competitively priced."

Shortly thereafter, Cozzetti and his team made the decision to go with WebDemo. Installation and initial training took place in a single day. "It didn't take long at all for our people to master WebDemo's features," noted Cozzetti. With the new software ready to go, the CEO Software sales and training staffs began putting WebDemo to use under real-world conditions.

The Results:

The company sales team quickly experienced WebDemo's effectiveness in presenting the company's products to prospects. "With WebDemo, customers can see our software in action without ever leaving their desks," noted Cozzetti. "The Java-based technology lets customers participate in meetings with just a browser and Web connection. It's been a great time saver."

According to CEO Software's sales organization, six to eight WebDemo presentations are made per week on average-pitches that might not have occurred via traditional face-to-face or telephone-only appointments. "With WebDemo, we're able to dynamically and graphically display the power and flexibility of our software. It's been a most effective sales tool," Cozzetti added.

As valuable as WebDemo has been in landing orders, CEO Software trainers have been even more enthusiastic. Over the first seven months, approximately three dozen major training seminars have been staged via WebDemo, in groups ranging from less than 50 to nearly 1,000. "The ability of WebDemo to train remotely has given us a measurable competitive advantage," observed Cozzetti. "It saves our customers costs, and helps us close deals faster."

Convinced of WebDemo's contribution to CEO Software's bottom line, the company is currently evaluating other options that can leverage the application's capabilities. One consideration is the addition of an online tech support feature that would enable technicians to "see" a customer's computer screen remotely in order to solve operational issues.

Overall, Cozzetti says WebDemo has streamlined the sales function for his organization while giving it new opportunities for service. "WebDemo makes selling and training more convenient for us as well as the customer. We find our people are more productive, thereby improving our cost structure. It's a solution where everyone wins."

About Linktivity
Linktivity, a 20 year-old Tucson, Arizona-based division of Converging Technologies Inc., provides server-based communications and control products that enable person-to-person interactions through a browser window. Linktivity products include WebDemo, a Web-based, real-time conferencing and collaboration software tool, and WebInteractive, a real-time software tool that gives support professionals an efficient way to manage and resolve online support requirements for personal computers. For more information, please visit www.linktivity.com.

About ATX
Since 1992, ATX, has pioneered a leading tax software that is easy to use and is sold at a competitive price. The company offers unparalleled tax season support with over 40,000 tax professionals now using ATX tax software. In 1998, the firm moved its headquarters to Caribou, Maine from upstate New York, and the company opened a facility in Fort Pierce, Florida. For more information please visit www.atxinc.com.