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ConnectSite is a collaborative communications tool that allows users to securely share, review, edit, and store knowledge within communities of business partners without the cost associated with purchasing, installing, and maintaining enterprise solutions. ConnectSite serves as a central repository for project-related information and can be thought of as an Extranet where multiple firms go to securely work together or as an individual firm's Intranet.
Why would I want to use ConnectSite?
I. Efficiency
By utilizing ConnectSite in your business, you are able to gain efficiencies in all company communications, internal or external, through reduced cycle times. Cycle times obviously vary based on specific business processes.
The following provides examples of increased efficiency of ConnectSite over common communication methods:
ConnectSite vs. traditional hard copy
The savings can be measured in terms of:
- minimized costs from improved efficiency
- increased revenue from providing information to customers more quickly
- reduced cycle times thereby bringing products to market sooner
Relying on paper copies of documents is costly due to:
- the time involved with delivery, review, and editing of paper documents
- administrative costs of copying and transporting paper copies
ConnectSite vs. email
Email attachments present efficiency challenges in the form of:
- Version control - With email, multiple copies are distributed to multiple computers. As members make changes to their own copy, consolidating changes becomes difficult and time consuming. Team members are not assured they are accessing the latest and most complete version. With ConnectSite, there is only one copy for members to access and edit. Additionally, ConnectSite users can see the evolution of any document by viewing past versions of the document.
- Formatting - Email attachments can become corrupt or truncated while transferring through corporate firewalls - resulting in the delivery of incomplete or changed files.
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II. No internal IS support or capital expenditures required
ConnectSite is a rented application that is hosted, managed, and supported by ConnectSite.com personnel. You subscribe to the service on a monthly basis without being burdened by large capital expenditures for hardware needed to support the application or internal IS personnel to support the system. Moreover, our flexible pricing model allows you to 'pay-as-you-go', a feature that lets you choose where and how to use ConnectSite as appropriate for your business needs. |
How do I know my information is secure?
ConnectSite incorporates several technologies to ensure that project knowledge is secure:
- Encryption - ConnectSite utilizes Secure Socket Layer (SSL) technology to encrypt all data transmitted between your computer and our server, something email cannot provide.
- Access - ConnectSite bases user access on projects. Project owners can limit access to only relevant team members. In addition, users are assigned unique passwords that provide access to their personalized view of ConnectSite.
Can I track the changes made to a document?
Yes. You can view the actions (created, viewed, annotated, changed, etc.) performed on a document by each team member. You can also be notified when other team members access or modify a document. In addition, all prior versions of the document are available for viewing.
How many people can concurrently access our files?
There is no limit to the number of team members who can simultaneously view a document. However, in order to maintain document integrity and version control, only one person will be able to check out and edit a document at a time. Annotations or electronic sticky notes can be added to PDF documents by multiple users concurrently.
How can ConnectSite help me to protect my customer base?
Using ConnectSite increases your competitive advantage as it strengthens your relationship with each customer via efficient communications and central storage of shared documents. Once you start engaging your partners in day-to-day communications, their costs associated with switching to your competition increase.
How can my customers benefit from ConnectSite?
The only ways to truly add value to your customer are by reducing their costs or increasing their sales revenue. ConnectSite allows you to accomplish this by eliminating communications inefficiencies, leaving more time for value-added activities. For you and your customers, this translates into shorter cycle times and quicker responses to changing markets (i.e. product development, purchasing, etc.)
Can I add notes to documents that I am collaborating on?
Yes. When working on projects with internal and/or external customers, notes can be added to reflect comments relating to specific documents without altering document content. This allows for easy exchange of information between those collaborating on projects.
Can I print or download a file?
You can download any document from the web to your local drive. Any PDF file can be printed directly from the web.
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