Networked Episode 8 – August 9^th 2000 – Andrew Grill

Interviewer: Welcome Andrew and thanks for joining us at our Sydney Offices, how are you today ?

Andrew Grill: Fantastic - good to be here!

Richard Hume: Hi Andrew...when do you think that everyday households will have access to "cable" or adequate Internet access which allows good delivery of video and graphics...today's Internet is still so clunky.

Andrew Grill: You would have seen, only yesterday, Telstra announced our ADSL pricing, ADSL was one of the technologies I spoke of. This will allow you access at up to 1.5 MB per second which should greatly speed things up. Check www.telstra.com.au/adsl for all the info.

Alison: Recently in the news I have heard about the combination of TV, Internet and communications. What does this all mean, when will it happen and what impacts would this have on home life and business ?

Andrew Grill: It's happening already - it's often referred to as Convergence, at Telstra research labs we've even developed an internet fridge that lets you surf the web and order that extra bottle of milk! So, in short, it's happening already.

rn: What do you think this future eCommerce world means for the traditional retailer ? Will this be the end for the High Street ?

Andrew Grill: I see it as an opportunity for today's small business to reach a far greater market than they can today. Remember, on the internet, you're open 24 hours a day, but people will still want the human touch.

rn: You talked about Business Hubs on-line. Are there any of these up and running yet in Australia ? Is Telstra doing anything on this type of thing ?

Andrew Grill: Telstra launched mySAP.com, powered by Telstra last week as one of the first exchanges, and as you would expect we're involved in a number of other initiatives that will help small businesses get on-line, trade with each other and larger corporations.

rn: Do you know when the renting of Software will start ? Will programs for accounting packages be available, such as Quick Books ?

Andrew Grill: We've been trialling Microsoft Office 2000 as a rentable application for the last few months, and towards the end of the year you could expect to see more applications available on line commercially.

rn: Many people are still wary of the web for business purposes due to security. What steps have been taken to ensure the net is a safe place to trade ?

Andrew Grill: Telstra is involved in developing a number of products that ensure both the privacy and security of on-line transactions, and you would have noticed in the paper recently, organisations such as Australia Post are offering digital certificate services. The web today is still safer in my opinion, than handing your credit card to a waiter in a restaurant.

 rn: You talk about the fax machine disappearing. How do we get over the issue of requiring signatures on certain forms?

Andrew Grill: Just as the law had to change to accept a facsimile of your signature, I would expect that other methods of authorising payments or documents will be developed to reduce the need to see a physical signature on a piece of paper. Even today, buying things over the phone doesn't require a signature.

rn: If faxes disappear, will these mobile devices have printers? If I am on a building site I need to get a paper copy of plans which are normally faxed to me.

Andrew Grill: Short answer - Yes. And you'd expect also that the same device would also allow scanning of documents in the field.

rn: You suggest putting aside some budget to trial new ideas. How much money will these things cost, eg. Renting MYOB for one month ?

Andrew Grill: You wouldn't expect to pay much more per year for software you rent compared to software you would buy, but this may mean you have access to software with more features. It's a bit like hire purchase - when you buy a car on HP, you tend to go for the better model, likewise with software you can probably afford the up-market version by renting it. As a guide, why not put aside whatever you were going to spend on software upgrades, to trial new ideas.

Richard Hume: What are the main dangers of trying to sell online...are there any ?

Andrew Grill: In a business-to-business (B2B) environment you need to know who you are dealing with, so on-line transactions for B2B will have to include some sort of interaction to qualify who you are dealing with for the first time. Once this has been established it should be fairly straight forward to buy and sell with trusted suppliers and buyers. But, as always, you would expect to protect your credit card just as you would in real life.

rn: I need a website design. How do I go about getting this done and how much should I pay ?

Andrew Grill: There are a number of packages that can get you started, one is called Business in a Box (www.ebib.com.au) As the name suggests, it has just about everything you need to get started, this costs around $500.

Richard Hume: Thank you. How about business-to-consumer ?

Andrew Grill: Dangers of B2C include the normal risks of dealing with someone you don't know, but as I indicated before, there are systems and technologies in place to combat this. As always, it's a case of buyer beware!

rn: I need a website designing. How do I go about getting this done and how much should I pay ?

 rn: Which do you think are the best products for me set-up to transact on-line ? I've heard of Business in a Box, is this a good one ?

Andrew Grill: Yes, Business in a Box, that I mentioned earlier, is a great way to get started. My suggestion would be to give it a try as part of your budget to experiment on line.

rn: How can Small Business compete on the web with large business ? They seem to own the space now and obviously have much bigger budgets. Any suggestions ?

Andrew Grill: The great thing about the internet is that the smallest company can appear the same size as the big guys! And you also are marketing to a global audience. The trick is in enticing your customers to visit you on-line, why not include your web address in all of your business communications, from letterhead, business cards, and flyers, so that your customers can contact you anytime. Look at any TV ad today and most of them have a web address at the end, your business can too!

Richard Hume: Do you think there is a future for pure online retailers with no "bricks and mortar" ?

Andrew Grill: Absolutely - this is how Amazon.com got started - but you need a clear view of what your businesses strengths are if you have no physical presence. Perhaps your product or service is better served on-line, and a physical presence would add to the expense.

Alison: Do you think we will become a cashless society soon with all this e-commerce going on ?

Andrew Grill: More importantly, the notion of e-commerce may soon disappear, and we will refer to it only as commerce - as it will all be conducted electronically. Australians love credit and we have been moving towards the cashless society for some time. The e-commerce revolution will certainly accelerate the move towards a cashless society.

Richard Hume: Do you do a lot of shopping online yourself ? Are there products you would never get online / always want to pick up personally before buying ?

Andrew Grill: Yes, I have bought books, CD's, University research material, a PC - on-line, but it's a bit hard to try on clothes on the net, and I love shopping like everyone else, where I can touch and feel the product. What I have noticed though is things like B-Pay and internet banking gives me back my lunch hour, so I can go clothes shopping! (laugh)

Interviewer: How do people find out more about the Telstra eWorks Services Andrew ?

Andrew Grill: Have a look at telstra.com and look in our products catalogue in the Telstra Services section.