Expectations and realities in CRM projects. Recent Developments Harsh Realities: Conflict of Interest

Marine Voskanyan
Olga Melnik

The first thing an IT manager remembers when it comes to sales automation is the implementation of a CRM system. Indeed, vast experience in using CRM systems in the sales process has been accumulated all over the world. However, the experience is not always positive. We are trying to analyze the positive and negative aspects of projects to implement CRM systems.

CRM implementations usually have special expectations. Still, it's about sales, receiving or not receiving direct income. Most often, one of three scenarios pushes a company to a difficult decision to implement CRM:

• the emergence of a crisis situation: the manager left and “stole” clients, a sharp surge in competition, low debt collection, and it is necessary to control information and systematize the activities of employees;
• rapid business development (or need for development), which cannot be continued “the old fashioned way”, and the company requires automation of routine operations, efficiency control, collection and transfer of knowledge;
• a corporate standard that must be followed, increasing the investment attractiveness of the business by consolidating the client base.

Experts from IT service provider Sputnik Labs highlight precisely these situations as the most typical for Russia and note at the same time that more than half of customers do not even have a single customer register. In general, the customer company expects from the implementation of CRM, at a minimum, to restore order, reduce dependence on specific managers, and, at a maximum, increase sales, preferably exponentially.

Yes, a successfully functioning CRM system allows you to systematize information about clients and counterparties, both existing and potential (Fig. 1), to create a single information space and prevent losses and leaks of customer data as a result of layoffs and staff rotation. Here is the opinion of the head of one of the Russian companies: “CRM is an absolutely necessary and useful thing for any sales department. Even the simplest automation and the establishment of basic order in the client base gives an economic effect, makes the business more transparent and sustainable. If it is possible to implement more complex marketing and analytical and CRM management functions, the company significantly increases its efficiency."

However, when it comes to the impact of CRM on sales growth, it's not that simple. Of course, estimates of the possible return on investment in CRM directly relate to the effect of sales growth. Certain world statistics indicate that through the implementation of CRM the following are achieved:

• reduction of the sales cycle by an average of 10-15%;
• increasing the percentage of won transactions by 5-10%;
• increasing the retention rate of profitable clients by 5%;
• reduction in execution time routine operations by 25-30%;
• increasing the average profitability of transactions by 15-20%;
• increasing the accuracy of sales forecasting to 99%;
• reduction in costs for sales, marketing and subsequent customer support by 10-15%;
• increase in the percentage of cross-selling, including through the customer support department by 5-10%;
• increasing the effectiveness of marketing campaigns by 5-7%.

As a result of such statistics, a pleasant figure is called: “the profitability of the average CRM project is from 200 to 400% within two to three years.” However, not everyone agrees with this. Vipro CEO Oleg Skovorodnikov’s six-year experience with various CRMs gives a slightly different picture. In his opinion, there is no direct connection between improvements in sales and the implementation of CRM. Oleg Skovorodnikov lists the following as expected but not discovered effects.

1. Increase in sales.“No direct connection was found. Indirectly, sales increase due to the fact that managers work more efficiently and quickly. But it was not possible to prove this with numbers.”

2. Improving the quality of service.“We didn’t notice a direct connection either. Employees who served and sold well before the implementation of CRM continued in the same spirit. Clueless and inattentive remained so after the implementation of CRM. But it is very convenient if an employee is absent or fired - in these cases CRM is simply irreplaceable, it does not improve quality, but it creates the very possibility of service."

3. Increasing the number of repeat purchases, increasing customer loyalty, purchasing additional goods and services. "All this is entirely the merit of managers. No CRM will replace them, but it indirectly helps in achieving these goals."
As for another pressing problem - data security, it is also not solved by the actual implementation of a CRM system. “For example, the development director was fired,” comments Oleg Skovorodnikov. “He had access to the client database. They forgot to deactivate him. Five minutes before leaving, the man exported the client database and sent it to himself at home.” Mailbox. In general, if a disloyal employee appears in your orderly ranks, CRM can help him do something bad for you." We must not forget that the appearance of CRM in a company does not reduce, but increases the number of possible threats and requires adequate and, if possible, preventive measures from the IT service. measures

Despite some skepticism, the demand for CRM systems in Russia is increasing, according to various estimates, by 50-100% per year. The services sector, financial sector, IT, telecommunications, and trading companies are mainly active. As a rule, Russian companies want a flexible solution for their processes. Although there are often cases when, respecting the experience accumulated by a reputable manufacturer of CRM solutions, a company decided to change its business processes rather than make serious changes in the functionality of the CRM system.

In addition, solutions that provide front-office and back-office integration and integrated ERP/CRM systems are in demand. The fact is that up to 60% of the cost of implementing a CRM system is the cost of integration with existing CIS. And it’s not surprising: a CRM solution separated from an ERP system remains functionally incomplete. Without a normal back office, gaps arise in the company's business processes - for example, when transferring an order for execution or issuing an invoice.

CRM project failures

Statistics (according to Gartner Group, Cap Gemini Ernst & Young and Peppers & Rogers Group) on CRM projects in the West are sad - from 50 to 80% of implementations ultimately do not meet expectations. It is not known exactly what this percentage is in Russia, but it is unlikely to be less. Why does this happen? The most difficult case is the impossibility of implementing a project in the conditions of the existing corporate culture, the lack of an appropriate level of structuring of business processes to enable their automation (lack of regulations, internal regulations for conducting operations). And also the lack feedback between the implementation working group and the intended users of the system in the process of formulating a list of functional and other requirements for the system.

A common mistake is putting technology “ahead” of strategy. CRM is implemented when goals, processes, and structures have not yet been formulated. Only a “mission” is available, reminiscent of the historical calls of the CPSU Central Committee to “work better.” Installation of CRM applications occurs before the company has undergone the necessary organizational changes to implement a customer-oriented approach. In addition, many people want to implement everything at once. According to Andrey Pavlov, managing partner of FB Consult, there is a kind of myth: the more functionality, the better: both “in reserve” and “for a sample of work.” With this approach, a “black hole” is formed for money and effort: resources are scattered to acquire the maximum functionality, and thereby creates unclaimed technological redundancy. At the same time, instead of a step-by-step approach to transformation, the task is to transform the entire client business “in one step”: structuring the client base, differentiating offers, individualizing communication and customizing execution.

There are also classic mistakes - lack of proper attention from top management, errors during planning, problems with coordination between departments and departments within the company. In some cases, having already implemented CRM functionality, companies are not able to provide resources for the developed CRM strategy and carry out the necessary organizational changes.

The Alfastrakhovanie company, where the SalesLogic CRM system operates, notes as necessary conditions for the success of CRM implementation the strong will of the sales unit management and its supervision of the project, the sufficiency of internal system support resources, and in addition, the willingness of the sellers themselves to accept the new rules of the game, or rather, involving them in a new “game”. It is known that a specific and acute problem for CRM is largely the resistance of sales managers themselves. They rightly see it as a threat both in the form of increased control over their work and in the form of a loss of their own value as a carrier of knowledge about clients. It often happens that managers do not have enough skills or time to seriously analyze relationships with clients using all available tools and build a “sales funnel.”

There may also be functional and technological reasons: the system is simply inconvenient to use for specific tasks. As a result, instead of a working tool, it turns into a disturbing factor. The staff begins to simultaneously maintain lists of their clients in Excel files or in some other way. According to the IT manager of one of the large Russian customers, who had experience in implementing SalesLogix in 2001-2003, many Russian IT service providers begin work with the pleasant words “Tell me what and how you want, and we will automate it all.” Then a flurry of consulting activity begins, and the output is only paper. And as a result, either a boxed solution is offered (cheap, but fast), or the most integrated solution, with almost all the software available in the company (it will be beautiful, but expensive, and will it end?).

How to avoid failures?

Andrey Pavlov believes that during implementation it is very important to strive to obtain a unique business solution that should give the company an inimitable competitive advantage. You need to highlight the functionality that your business users really need and try to implement it, avoiding functional redundancy. The success of a minimalist project is ensured by the visibility of the result with reasonable effort. Then you can move in the same stages. This can also help in one particularly important matter - maintaining management's interest in a project that lasts for several months.

“What is needed is a focused and pragmatic approach, in which the business first puts in significant effort and time to identify exactly those business processes that will bring benefits, leveraging existing advantages or solving “front office” operational problems. “what” and not “on what” certain functions are implemented,” he notes and recommends choosing a “critical link” for starting - a strategically important task that can be implemented without much stress. Such links may be sufficient among “low-tech” initiatives. True, practice shows that if you pull one link of the system, you inevitably affect many other links... This is an art - to choose a link that is essential, but not too intertwined with others.

Redundancy of functionality, excessive reliance on technology as a universal panacea leads to the fact that a logic of action that is alien and incomprehensible to them is introduced into the work of managers. According to Andrey Pavlov, it makes sense to divide the task into two subtasks: to introduce into the system only logic that is understandable to top managers, taking into account ongoing organizational changes. And all other users should be “satisfied” by updating simplified but effective “add-ons”.

As for working with sales department personnel during the transition to a new system, the vast majority of managers firmly take a very tough position: force, punish, fine. In any case, it is necessary to ensure that people work according to the new rules every day. According to Vadim Dozortsev, director of the consulting company Berner & Stafford, it will not be possible to do without this. Sometimes you still hear about a more constructive approach, based on the employees’ own interest in increasing their productivity. Both purely technological methods and their combinations with organizational ones are successfully used. The seller receives a salary in proportion to the number of completed contracts. An agreement cannot be concluded without filling out certain forms in the CRM. Of course, this can be done one hour immediately before submitting the contract for signature, but such things can be easily tracked using the system logs. And they are already fined for this.

There are other organizational findings. As the practice of implementing the MetodiX CRM system at the Russian Development Bank has shown, user support at the time of implementation is very important. In this project, a team of implementation specialists was present at users’ workplaces every day for a month, monitoring the execution of processes and business rules, recording bottlenecks in processes and user wishes. Based on this, requests for changes in processes were generated. According to RBR representatives, “The presence of such a team takes the shock out of users during adaptation to working in the system.”

The role of the project team in the CRM system implementation project, as in any other IT project, is very important. It is desirable that it does not change and is unified: business units, its own IT department and the consultant-solution provider, each with its own fixed rights and responsibilities. Time frames adequate to resources, operational monitoring of what is happening, control of real results at least once every three months - customers talk about all this at conferences as a valuable experience gained with blood and sweat. And it would seem - the ABCs of project management...

And finally, a little about the cost of CRM systems implementation projects. According to Insight Technology, the cost of a CRM project is distributed as shown in Figure 4. However, Pavel Cherkashin from Sputnik Labs warns: “According to statistics, hidden costs amount to 200-500% of the initial cost of the project. So if you get the ratio others, check if you forgot anything..."

Address processing ( UrlRewrite) is used so that the script can respond not only to its physical address, but also to any other specified address. For example, you can set the settings for processing addresses so that the script in the file /fld/c.php responding to the address

/fld/c.php?id=15

also responded to the address

/catalog/15.php

The address to which the script will respond must not physically exist on the server. If such an address physically exists, the script will be called at this address. The address processing system will not start in this case.

Processing rules

Rules for processing addresses are configured separately for each site and are stored in the file at the root of the site urlrewrite.php. The file contains an array $arUrlRewrite, each entry of which is an address processing rule. File urlrewrite.php has the following form:

"#^/gallery/#", "RULE" => "", "ID" => "bitrix:photo", "PATH" => "/max/images/index.php",), array("CONDITION " => "#^/forum/#", "ID" => "bitrix:forum", "PATH" => "/forum/index.php",), array("CONDITION" => "#^/ index/(+)/(+)/#", "RULE" => "mode=read&CID=$1&GID=$2", "ID" => "bitrix:catalog.section", "PATH" => "/newforum /index.php",), array("CONDITION" => "#(.+?)\\.html(.*)#", "RULE" => "$1.php$2",),); ?>

Each rule must contain a condition for executing the rule that is unique within the site. The execution condition is written to the key " CONDITION" array and is a Perl-compatible regular expression pattern. For example, the condition:

"CONDITION" => "#^/index/(+)/(+)/#"

indicates that this rule should be applied to all addresses that begin with substrings of the form:

/index/<число>/<число>/

The rule may contain the address of a physically existing script that will be connected when the condition is met. This address is written to the key " PATH". For example, if a rule is registered in the address processing system:

Array("CONDITION" => "#^/gallery/#", "PATH" => "/max/images/index.php",)

and the user requested the page:

/gallery/38.php

which does not physically exist, then the address processing system will connect the script:

/max/images/index.php

A rule may contain a replacement rule, which is written to the key " RULE". If the replacement rule is set, then the address of a real-life plug-in script is formed by replacing the execution condition (expression template) with a concatenation by a regular expression physical path(key " PATH") and replacement rules (key " RULE"). For example, if a rule is registered in the address processing system:

Array("CONDITION" => "#^/index/(+)/(+)/#", "RULE" => "mode=read&CID=$1&GID=$2", "PATH" => "/newforum/index .php",)

/index/5/48/

$url = preg_replace("#^/index/(+)/(+)/#", "/newforum/index.php?mode=read&CID=$1&GID=$2", "/index/5/48/") ;

and the script will be connected:

/newforum/index.php?mode=read&CID=5&GID=48

If a rule is registered in the address processing system:

Array("CONDITION" => "#(.+?)\\.html(.*)#", "RULE" => "$1.php$2",)

and the user requested the page:

/about/company.html?show

then to generate the address of the script that will be connected, the code will be executed:

$url = preg_replace("#(.+?)\\.html(.*)#", "$1.php$2", "/about/company.html?show");

and the script will be connected:

/about/company.php?show

A rule can contain the name of the component that created the rule. This name is written to the key " ID". When automatically re-creating the rules file urlrewrite.php Using the tools of the administrative part of the site, only rules for which the key " is filled in are recreated ID". These rules are recreated based on the analysis of physical files in the site folder. Rules with an empty key " ID" When the file is automatically recreated, the rules do not change.

Connecting an address processing system

Before using it, the address processing system must be connected to the site. To do this you need:

• if your web server is configured to handle 404 errors (for example, for Apache the directive is set ErrorDocument 404 /404.php), then you must change the /404.php file by inserting the command at the very beginning of the file: include_once($_SERVER["DOCUMENT_ROOT"]."/bitrix/modules/main/include/urlrewrite.php");
• if you are using a module for Apache mod_rewrite, then in its settings you can specify (for example, in the .htaccess file): RewriteEngine On RewriteCond %(REQUEST_FILENAME) !-f RewriteCond %(REQUEST_FILENAME) !-l RewriteCond %(REQUEST_FILENAME) !-d RewriteCond %(REQUEST_FILENAME) !/bitrix/urlrewrite.php$ RewriteRule ^(.*)$ /bitrix/urlrewrite .php [L]

Component 2.0 support

When adding a CNC-enabled component to a page (" human-readable URL") (if the file is saved using the API), an address processing rule is automatically created. If the page is not created using the API, but, for example, written via FTP, then you need to re-create the rules (button on the toolbar on the page for setting up address processing rules) .

CNC support is enabled in a component using a predefined input parameter SEF_MODE. Moreover, in the predefined input parameter SEF_FOLDER The folder in which the component runs is installed. The folder may be virtual (that is, it may not physically exist). When saving a page with a component placed on it, switched to CNC mode (parameter SEF_MODE equals Y), through a standard interface, an address processing rule is created as follows: in the template application conditions key (" CONDITION") writes a regular expression obtained from the folder in the parameter SEF_FOLDER, in the key " ID" the name of the component is written to the path key (" PATH") the physical address of the page is recorded.

For example, let the component " bitrix:catalog" posted on the page /fld/c.php and its connection looks like this:

$APPLICATION->IncludeComponent("bitrix:catalog", "", Array("SEF_MODE" => "Y", "SEF_FOLDER" => "/mycatalog/", "IBLOCK_TYPE_ID" => "catalog", "BASKET_PAGE_TEMPLATE" = > "/personal/basket.php",));

Then when saving the page /fld/c.php an entry will be added to the address processing system:

Array("CONDITION" => "#^/mycatalog/#", "RULE" => "", "ID" => "bitrix:catalog", "PATH" => "/fld/c.php",)

Thus, when requesting addresses starting with the line /mycatalog/, the script will be connected /fld/c.php. In this script, the requested address can be analyzed and the required actions can be performed.

see also

• in the Administrator Basic course.
• in the course Bitrix Framework Developer.

the second rule will not work for “your” address (for example /about/news/55/), because the first, universal, works for this address. That is, more precise rules should be written at the beginning of the file, and generalized ones at the end.

in the same file create a condition:

"Bitrix", 2001-2019, "1C-Bitrix", 2019

Let's create an information block in BITRIX, display a listing of the created elements using the component bitrix:news.list and make the element's detail page a component bitrix:news.detail

Required fields to fill:
Information block tab

Access tab

Output of information security elements

To display information block elements, use bitrix:news.list in index.php

IncludeComponent("bitrix:news.list", "tour", // template array("IBLOCK_TYPE" => "content", // information block type "IBLOCK_ID" => "1", // information block ID "NEWS_COUNT" => "10", // number of elements displayed "INCLUDE_IBLOCK_INTO_CHAIN" => "N", "ADD_SECTIONS_CHAIN" => "N", "SET_TITLE" => "N", "PROPERTY_CODE" => array(0 => "NAME ", // enable the property from the infoblock),), false); ?>

List of all possible parameters for a component

If filtering is necessary, there is a FILTER_NAME parameter. Above the call to the bitrix:news.list component, we create a global variable with a filtering parameter.

1); // Those elements whose OLD property is set to 1 will not be displayed ?>

and in bitrix:news.list pass the filter.

"FILTER_NAME" => "arrFilter",

Setting up urlrewrite

In urlrewrite.php you need to specify URL processing parameters.

"#^/tury/(.*)/.*#", // Processing detail page"RULE" => "ELEMENT_CODE=$1", "ID" => "bitrix:news", "PATH" => "/tury/detail.php", "SORT" => 100,), array ("CONDITION" => "#^/tury/#", // Processing the main page of the section "RULE" => "", "ID" => "bitrix:news", "PATH" => "/tury/index.php", "SORT" => 100,),);

Detail page output

To display a detailed page in detail.php used bitrix:news.last. Minimum set of parameters for a call:

IncludeComponent("bitrix:news.detail", "tour", // template Array("IBLOCK_ID" => "1", // Information block ID "IBLOCK_TYPE" => "content", // information block type "ELEMENT_CODE" => $_REQUEST["ELEMENT_CODE"], // parameter of the transmitted page "INCLUDE_IBLOCK_INTO_CHAIN" => "N", "ADD_SECTIONS_CHAIN" => "N", "SET_BROWSER_TITLE" => "Y", "SET_META_DESCRIPTION" => "Y" , "SET_TITLE" => "Y", "ADD_ELEMENT_CHAIN" => "Y", "PROPERTY_CODE" => array(0 => "NAME", // include a property from the infoblock),), false);?>

Outputting images from infoblock properties

Displaying photos that are in the properties of an information security element is not so simple. In the data array of the detailed page, we will only see the photo IDs, and not the path to these files. Therefore, in the file result_modifier.php it is necessary to process the output of these photos.

In the template folder, in the file result_modifier.php we walk through the array of photos:

$photo) ( $photo_small = CFile::ResizeImageGet($photo, array("width"=>200, "height"=>200), BX_RESIZE_IMAGE_PROPORTIONAL, true); $photo_original = CFile::ResizeImageGet($photo, array( "width"=>800, "height"=>800), BX_RESIZE_IMAGE_PROPORTIONAL, true); $arResult["PHOTOS"] = Array ("original" => $photo_original["src"], "small" => $photo_small ["src"],); )

And in the file template.php We are already displaying the photos themselves:

"> ">

The PayCash system has become a commercial response to distrust in remote payment for goods using credit cards. The project was developed by Tavrichesky Bank and the Alkor-Holding group of companies and is designed to assist buyers and sellers of electronic stores (from providing an online payment system to hosting online stores). PayCash users do not need a credit card. This is an open payment system, any bank can connect to it. Payments on the Internet are anonymous, and the user receives a PayCash system account from which you can make any non-cash payments. Of course, before this you need to open an account with a bank that supports the PayCash system, after which the credited funds will be converted into “electronic cash”. Payment is made, for example, like this: a visitor to a virtual store clicks the “Payment via PayCash” button; order data is transferred to the Payment Acceptance Center; The seller receives a confirmation certified by a digital signature. After this, the Payment Center bears obligations to the store and transfers money to the bank specified by the seller in the amount of the PayCash payment. Doesn't it look like a reliable letter of credit form of payment? Of course, for using the system a commission is charged in the amount of 1-3% of the payment amount (depending on the conditions for entering the system).

For the buyer, using the PayCash system comes down to installing a wallet program on the computer and conducting financial transactions from it. The “wallet” contains a key for generating an electronic signature, which is used to “tag” any document sent from the program. The wallet program, fortunately, does not use algorithms for binding to PC hardware (for example, the serial number of a Pentium III processor), so the “wallet” can be painlessly transferred from computer to computer.

ASSIST

The ASSIST electronic payment system is a project that makes it possible to authorize and process payments made using credit cards in real time. In addition, the payment can be made, say, from the client's account with the Internet provider. When transferring confidential client information (credit or deposit card data), payment over the shared network is made through a secure connection using the SSL 3.0 protocol. Authorization and processing of credit cards are carried out in the CyberPlat system of Platina Bank. Information about the card details, of course, remains confidential and is not provided even to the direct seller. Only confirmation of payment is sent to the online store, certified by a digital signature with a 512-bit encryption key.

The ASSIST system is used by dozens of online stores and information and consulting resources. One of the most famous “adepts” of the system is the online store “oZon” (http://www.o3.ru) - another nominee for the National Intel Internet Award.

Dostavka.Ru

“Dostavka.Ru” is, if not a phenomenon, then an extremely successful commercial project in the Russian part of the Internet. Its business model is built on the principle of courier delivery of office equipment, communications equipment and information services (providing Internet access) with payment in cash on the spot. It works faster and more reliably than remote payment and delivery mechanisms, especially considering the “thoughtfulness” of our mail. The range of goods and services is, in principle, limited: the consolidated price list includes a little more than a thousand items. The store serves only Moscow within the Moscow Ring Road. Products are delivered free of charge: be it a printer cartridge, monitor or copier. Prices are not much lower than the Moscow average, but, of course, there are fewer headaches. The virtual server to which orders are received runs on the equipment of the Internet provider Zenon N.S.P. Delivery.Ru, by the way, became one of the first stores that provided its visitors with free Internet access (naturally, only for visiting its server).

The project was launched by just three people who had two computers and one modem - just like in overseas stories about the formation of “garage” companies in Silicon Valley. It took a fantastically short time to create the store - two months. Currently, about 20 staff are employed in office work. Typically, the store serves 50–70 orders per day, but is able to “digest” several times more requests with a systematic expansion of the staff (and, with appropriate demand, of course).

What does it take to grow? How to melt the ice of mistrust that has historically developed in relation to Internet commerce? “Yes, in general, there is no recipe,” answers Andrey Khromov, project manager at Dostavka.Ru. “Our task is to ensure that the client uses our services at least once.” Only personal successful experience helps to evaluate the convenience of online shopping. Moreover, delivery should be made in a matter of hours or days, and all this time the money remains under the reliable supervision of its rightful owner. These are not days of anxious waiting after making a bank transfer.

Does Dostavka.Ru feel the negative impact of legal gaps regulating the operation of the online store? According to the official reaction of the project leaders, they feel quite comfortable within the framework of existing legislation. According to Andrey Khromov, only those types of Internet commerce require certain legislation in which the seller and buyer never meet. For example, when paying with credit cards. Trade in goods that require special permission (sale of alcohol, tobacco products, jewelry, etc.) is also at risk. Web for Dostavka.Ru is simply a beautiful showcase, a convenient and cheap tool for collecting orders. The further organization of work with the client is not much different from some pizzeria. “We have an ordinary store,” confirms Khromov. “We work according to “physical” rules, not virtual ones.”

Among the difficulties faced by online commerce, Khromov noted the lack of an established B2B scheme for online stores.

Megashop.Ru

The Megashop.Ru web store specializes in the sale and delivery of computer equipment. Delivery is carried out only in Moscow, and payment can be made in cash, credit cards of all major payment systems and by transfer in rubles. You can “roll” the card in a slip machine at the time of delivery. In addition, the store undertakes to return the money, even if the order has already been actually paid for, but the buyer refused it, albeit without explanation (which is fully consistent with the “Consumer Rights Protection Law”).

According to official information from the project developers, it took six months and 100 thousand dollars to create the store. Rustem Akhiyarov, representing Megashop.Ru, also explained that promoting the store cost several times more. Having considered options for the hardware organization of the project, the company did not place the server on its premises and lay an expensive channel. As a result, we settled on the collocation option - placing the server on the provider’s site.

“The barrier of distrust towards online shopping is just a form of healthy human conservatism,” says Rustem Akhiyarov. The only way to overcome it is to provide convenient payment terms, low prices and a wide range. Web hosting of a storefront clearly helps reduce costs across all cost centers.

The management of Megashop.Ru does not particularly complain about obstacles from imperfect legislation. There are difficulties of a completely “everyday” nature - a consequence of the uncivilization of the market. “The situation is reaching the point of absurdity: not all suppliers of computer equipment can provide information on the availability and price of goods in the required format,” comments Mr. Akhiyarov. - The sales manager goes out of his way to make sales, but all he has is a price list designed for A4 format. The system programmer of this company can spend hours day after day explaining why it is “impossible” to get just a list of goods with prices in two columns, although for him this is 5 minutes of work.”

PAGERGATE.RU
SMS.GATE.RU

Many users of pagers and GSM mobile phones are familiar with the communication gateways http://www.pagergate.ru and http://sms.gate.ru. From these Web sites you can send messages to pagers and GSM cell phones serviced by 400 operators in Russia and the CIS countries.

According to Alexey Vinogradov (coordinator of the SMS.Gate.Ru project), the main labor intensity of the project was not even in developing and supporting services (this takes 30% of the time), but in communicating with operators and users. The bulk of PagerGate's income comes from advertising (provided by the Internet advertising agency Manifest). But now some companies are using SMS services for commercial purposes to promptly notify their employees. SMS-to-ICQ and ICQ-to-SMS services will be launched in the near future. In addition, there are already services that provide sending messages to radio communications via email (and vice versa). A service for working with mailing lists is currently being prepared (negotiations are underway with a large print publication and one of the mailing list servers). For corporate customers, such services as hosting the organization of message transmission through corporate Web sites, a dedicated SMS gateway, etc. are provided.

The project developers did not use any exotic equipment. There is a server at the “head” telephone exchange M9 and a second backup one at another provider site. SMS.Gate.Ru hardware consists of several different GSM phones and GSM terminals. The project is actually served by four people: a coordinator (general administration, programming, communication with users), a system engineer, a marketing and advertising specialist and a person responsible for general issues.