Businesses are failing to convert prospects into customers over the Internet, according to a study released yesterday.
Sixty percent of the 500 businesses studied are failing to turn potential clients into customers as a result of not following up with requests for more information within 60 days.
The study, “The Impact of the Internet on Response Management,” was conducted by Performark, a Minneapolis-based provider of business-to-business response management services.
The study measured responses to over 1,000 inquiries, which were both Web-based and traditional business response card and toll-free telephone inquiries.
The Web is not increasing responsiveness by businesses, Performark said. A study it conducted back in 1995 showed that 43 percent of the companies it surveyed failed to respond within 60 days to traditional business card inquiries.
The study also showed that B2B companies are not adequately linking inquiries to sales in that only 12 percent of all inquiries resulted in a follow-up phone call from sales.
