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m62 visualcommunications presents to the world with WebEx

m62 visualcommunications is the world’s leading presentation production company. Founded in 1997, m62 specialises in the delivery of dynamic, memorable PowerPoint presentations. It has developed a method for delivering successful visual presentations that combine technology with quality presentation techniques, using proven psychological principles to maximise the amount of information retained by an audience. These presentations differentiate m62’s clients from their competition and can transform the results of their sales operations. Using m62 presentations to sell to prospects, its clients have won over 85 per cent of their key bids.

In the 10 years since being founded, m62 visualcommunications has delivered over 6,500 advanced presentations for global companies including Jaguar, Bayer, Imperial Tobacco, Proctor & Gamble, Symantec and PricewaterhouseCoopers. The company is based in Liverpool, with international offices in Singapore and the US.

The Challenge

"Seeing our product in action is absolutely crucial for all prospective customers," explains Richard Newman, Director of m62 visualcommunications. "We sell our presentations based on their visual impact, so demonstrations are an integral part of the sales cycle - from initial contact through to the completion of each project."

The sales process begins with an initial visit to prospects to demonstrate m62’s credentials and give examples of the kind of presentation the team can create. If these leads are converted into sales opportunities m62 first creates a storyboard to outline the overall direction and content of the presentation, then upon signoff from the client starts work on the final version, with customer approvals required at several key stages. Timing and collaboration are essential as even small delays can derail the whole project. The demand for close collaboration with its customers was taking its toll on m62’s employees, who faced lengthy periods on the road. With midproject approvals usually done on very short timescales, some employees were spending more time travelling to and from meetings with customers than actually in the meeting itself – hardly a productive use of their time. "As the company grew, we realised that we would need a solution to this problem, especially when selling to a global market," says Newman. "It became clear that we should take advantage of technology and find a way to present our product online."

The Solution

Web conferencing, where technology allows people to meet online and share documents and presentations, was identified as the answer. The company needed a service that would not only do justice to its brand of dynamic, highly visual presentations, but would also be accessible and easy to use for all its customers, requiring minimal time and effort on their part. Initially, m62 chose Macromedia Breeze – but the product couldn't match the company’s high demands. "Breeze was very rich in functionality and easy to use," continues Newman, "But the one essential component – our presentations – didn't function at all well and were left extremely limited. Because our PowerPoint slides are far richer in graphics quality and sophistication than the average ‘bullet-point’ slide, animations and graphics didn't display properly and it just wasn't a viable solution."

On investigating other online collaborative solutions m62 decided to try the industry leader WebEx. WebEx offered the accessibility and ease of customer use it needed, plus had no problem delivering the presentations remotely. Its Meeting Center service allows all attendees to view the presentations as they were intended, no matter where they are located geographically. All attendees can also annotate in real-time and share any document or application on their computers. In addition, WebEx could give m62 the ability to create webinars for broadcast to new and existing customers – a valuable marketing tool. Deciding it was the correct option to choose, m62 implemented WebEx in spring 2006.

The Benefits

Since choosing WebEx, m62 has seen several benefits. Using WebEx Meeting Center m62’s employees can fully demonstrate its presentations to customers without leaving the office. The first benefit of this is that sales leads can be pre-qualified before making a face-to-face visit. The difference this has made is significant, as Newman explains: "Before we started using WebEx, prospective customers could only really understand our product after a face-to-face visit - a large time investment considering we often had no idea what their reaction to the service would be. We now use WebEx for all cases where a prospect is interested in learning more after the initial call." This allows employees to reach far more prospects in far less time, and gauge their interest more intuitively than before. By concentrating on the best leads, m62 has improved the effectiveness of its sales team. "Around 80 per cent of prospects who agree to a five-minute WebEx meeting go on to request a face-to-face appointment," says Newman.

"Around 80 per cent of prospects who agree to a five-minute WebEx meeting go on to request a face-to-face appointment."

Richard Newman, Director - m62 visualcommunications

When working on projects with existing clients, WebEx has speeded up the approval process and final delivery of presentations by easing the ongoing collaboration. "There are many stages within each project where we require clients to approve the work-in-progress," explains Newman. Before, if it couldn't reach clients face-to-face, m62 would resort to emailing the presentation over for review. "It’s something that we’d rather avoid if possible," continues Newman. "Working via email can lead to several working versions of the presentation with contradictory comments and changes, which just cause misunderstandings. With WebEx we present live to the client and conduct the review process alongside them in the meeting. It saves a lot of time and confusion that way."

By enabling this live collaboration, WebEx has removed the traditional geographic boundaries for doing business on a global scale. From its international offices in Singapore and the USA, where face-to-face client visits would be costly or impractical, m62 operatives can conduct online review meetings and conferences with their clients, and relay feedback to headquarters to keep the project on track. On a recent project for a major account in Australia, WebEx’s One-Click Meeting functionality allowed m62 to deliver inside the client’s deadline of five days. "It could have been a very difficult project as the key contacts were travelling during the project period," says John Bevan, Client Liaison Manager for m62 in South- East Asia. "I was able to conduct online, on demand review conferences with the client in Melbourne, the Project Manager in the UK, and the Director in the USA, all from our Singapore office. Without this functionality we would never have been able to execute. Now all I need is a feature that will make coffee and wake everyone up in time for the meeting!"

m62’s marketing department has also seen benefits from using WebEx. By using WebEx Event Center, a tailored product for broadcasting events or presentations to a worldwide audience, the company embarked on a series of webinars to discuss the business advantages of getting presentations right. Entitled the ‘Killer Presentation’ series, the events were held at times convenient for both Europeans and Americans. "Using WebEx Event Center we've expanded the reach of our marketing to a global scale," says Newman. "Being able to hold an interactive marketing event from our office, but with attendees from hundreds of miles away, is hugely cost-efficient and will help us expand the business further internationally."

The Future

So what’s next for m62? The success of WebEx has demonstrated the productivity and cost benefits collaborative technology can bring to the business and Newman is keen to develop it further. “We’d like to work more with the recording functions," he explains. “That would allow us to have pre-recorded demonstrations available ondemand for prospects or customers who would like to see them again." or the time being though, m62 is content to continue working with WebEx Meeting Center and WebEx Event Center to reach out to new prospects, market to new audiences and collaborate with customers. “WebEx has made a big contribution to the business," says Newman. “As we continue growing and expanding geographically we hope it will continue to support us as effectively as it has over the last 18 months."

Highlights

• WebEx is used to demonstrate m62’s presentations to prospects
• m62 is also using WebEx to collaborate with clients on ongoing projects
• WebEx Event Center is used as a platform to hold webinars and marketing events for a global audience