Transforming PLDT's web presence for competitive advantage / Anthony O. Alcantara

Year : 2007

Number of Pages : 77 leaves

Adviser : Prof. Edison D. Cruz

Executive Summary

Does PLDT really need a website? This simple question lies at the heart of this paper, which is about transforming PLDT's web presence for competitive advantage. An increasing number of people know that the Internet is important, and they see the Internet as a key to a door of new opportunities. The only problem is that most of them are not sure where the door is. This project aims to lay the foundations for the strategic web presence of the PLDT Group. It is a big undertaking that includes the overhaul and redesign of PLDT's existing corporate site, and establishing a permanent oversight team responsible for defining, implementing, deploying and consolidating the company's web presence strategy for the years to come. Four phases have been identified in the implementation of the project : Analyze Phase (gathering and analyzing data), Organize Phase (organizing the gathered information), Humanize Phase (interaction, functional and business design) and Energize Phase (building the site). This framework is based on the book "The Real Business of Web Design" by John Waters. In the Analyze Phase, the present situation of the PLDT website was assessed. Web statistics were gathered and an Internet expert was hired to help out with the initial analysis. This phase also involved putting the team together. PLDT is a big company and it has many subsidiaries and affiliated companies. For this reason, only the main departments in PLDT and the biggest subsidiaries were considered in forming the PLDT Website Project Team. It was very important to get the support of the management team, especially since this is the first time that a group-wide effort is being made to unify the web presence strategy of PLDT. Through the head of PLDT Public Affairs, the project was proposed and the support of the management committee was obtained. The views of the stakeholders from various departments and groups were gathered through a survey as well as informal interviews and meetings. The results showed that there are varied views as to what the Internet can do for the stakeholders. Some thought that blogs are irrelevant. Some think only about coming up with more and more product websites. Some think that putting up all the information on the website is enough. That showed that educating the team was necessary. And it wasn't going to be one-shot deal. Everyone needed to be updated about the current trends and developments over the Internet and how they could affect the way the various stakeholders do their work and, ultimately, how PLDT performs as a company. In order to address this, a workshop was held for the PLDT website team in order to educate them on the basics of the Internet and galvanize them into taking actions to align their efforts with a unified web strategy. In the Organize Phase, the website architecture as well as the functional and technical specifications were determined. As Chris Anderson said in his book, "The Long Tail," that organizing information is very important in the Internet. After the workshop, the PLDT site map was further refined, with each group represented in the PLDT website team making their own site maps for their respective sections in the PLDT website. Various audiences were identified for each concerned group. And various detailed personas were created to help plot the specific activities that lead to the ideal website experience for all users of the website. The Humanize Phase involves the visual design and the overall look and feel of the website. Humanizing the website means building its desirability, capability and viability. Desirability caters to the desires of the visitors of the website. The interaction of the visitors with the website is scrutinized and applied to the design. Visitors respond to certain stimuli when they browse websites. These determine desirability and the interaction design required to achieve it. A good functional design satisfies the criterion of capability. It is important that the interaction design be supported by the functional design. What is desirable may not always be possible or doable or even practical. A compromise must be reached if ever the desired functions could not be supported by the technology, manpower or budget. Viability is perhaps the most important of the three criteria. Whatever is done over the Internet must have a positive impact on the business operations of company. In this case, it must have an impact on the profitability of the PLDT Group. Otherwise, why bother with this website project at all? Ways to measure website traffic, inquiries, downloads, purchases, etc. must be built into the site in order to come up with useful information to help with marketing and sales.

The Energize Phase refers to the rapid building out of the website. This involves the preparation of the client-side code, building the databases and functionality for searches as well as other maintenance functions. This actually takes time since further refinements are made by the stakeholders as they think up of things that can further improve their web pages. There is also a lot of testing to ensure that everything in the website works. The back-end functions and support are critical, too. An online registration form that doesn't work is unacceptable, especially if it is supposed to part of a major revamp of the site. It is not only about technical specifications it is also about the manpower support. The IT staff and the customer support staff must be ready for any changes or revamp of the website. For a company the size of the PLDT, the processes involved in redesigning the website and creating a coherent and effective web strategy are a little bit tricky and time-consuming. The following are the author's conclusions and recommendations: 1) Support from the top is essential. Big companies sometimes have turf wars between various departments. PLDT has been in existence for 79 years and mostly as a monopoly in the telecommunications industry. The turf wars emanate from a need to be relevant. That is why getting the support of the chief executive or chairman is important in anything to do with a company-wide or group-wide strategy involving the website. Any vision or strategy must emanate from the office of the CEO or chairman. 2) It is all about reputation. Coming up with a website strategy is all about building a reputation. The website is the face of PLDT in the Internet community, and that community is expanding at an exponential rate. Since reputation impacts on the market value of the company, the website cannot be ignored. Anything to do with reputation must be part of an overall strategy that must be followed by all stakeholders. 3) Visual appeal builds credibility. Many people have been told that they "can't judge a book by its cover." However, despite the brainwashing since childhood, many think of this only as an afterthought. So it's better to pay attention with the aesthetics of the website while giving importance to the more substantial content. 4) Developing a website strategy requires continuous education of team members. The Internet is a relatively new phenomenon, and some people have formed perfunctory opinions about what the Internet can and cannot do for them. Some are still stuck with the old brick-'n-mortar thinking that has become inadequate in dealing with the world of bits and bytes of the Internet. The only way to remedy ignorance is through education. However, it should be continuous education. The Internet is a continually evolving creature, and updating the stakeholders in the PLDT website project about the latest developments in the Internet is essential in making any web strategy work. 5) There is a need to measure ROI. There is a tenet in psychology that says, "You get more of what you focus on." In the same way, the PLDT Group can get more of the benefits of the website if it focuses on and measures the returns or results of its efforts. ROI is simply the most straightforward and useful measurement tool that can be used in evaluating the effectiveness of the PLDT website strategy. Determining the things that should be measured and linking them to profitability is rather difficult. But there's no doubt that it is worthwhile. All of these things are meant to be repeated again and again. Website design and strategy is an iterative process that should be part of an overall business strategy. Business and technology developments dictate that companies ought to stay on top of the Internet if they are to survive.