Business-to-Business Internet Marketing, Fourth Edition - Lifecycle ...

164 BUSINESS-TO-BUSINESS INTERNET MARKETING
Direct Mail
Direct mail remains the primary means of inquiry fulfillment. Typically,
an inquirer receives a basic fulfillment package—a letter, literature, and
a reply card—by mail.
Traditional direct mail fulfillment has been improved with the use
of electronically distributed fulfillment requests and inventory control
procedures. Some marketers have set up automated 800 numbers connected
to voice response systems or autofax machines. Such systems
accept an inquiry and electronically transmit it to the fulfillment operation,
which picks and sends the appropriate literature pack within days
or sometimes hours. The direct mail fulfillment material itself may be
prekitted, waiting for a personalized letter and mailing label to be generated
and affixed. In extraordinary cases, literature or other fulfillment
materials may be sent via priority mail or overnight delivery
services. Overnight delivery is less common in inquiry fulfillment, but it
is becoming more common in order fulfillment. Larger mail order companies
contract with an overnight delivery service to reduce the shipping
cost so that low-cost one- or two-day delivery can be offered to
customers as a service enhancement.
Fax
Facsimile transmission is increasingly used to supplement or even replace
direct mail fulfillment. Common among larger b-to-b companies
is fax-on-demand, or autofaxing. The inquirer calls a toll-free number
and enters his or her fax number and a product code. The responding
fax-on-demand system immediately generates a data sheet on the corresponding
product and faxes it to the inquirer. This type of fulfillment is
inappropriate if a color brochure or multipage booklet or manual must
be sent, but it is acceptable for fast distribution of simple information.
Its overwhelming benefit is the speed of response, which does offer a
significant advantage in many cases. Sometimes, autofaxing is used to
precede direct mail fulfillment.
Telephone
In the context of providing essential information immediately, the telephone
can be a viable fulfillment medium. If an inquirer makes an inbound
call to a toll-free number, the telemarketer can be trained to
provide the caller with the necessary information by phone or offer to
send additional information via fax or direct mail. Outbound