Compass Intelligence Ranks Key Small Business Online Portals for 2011 -- Verizon, AT&T and Sprint are Top Rated

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., March 15, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- According to strategy acceleration firm Compass Intelligence, the top three telecom operators have the  highest ranked Small Business portals out of a  ranking of 49 companies.   The year-end review examines more than 20 capabilities across four parameters over the four quarters of 2011.   The research shows that Verizon, AT&T and Sprint have built some of the most comprehensive and diverse experiences for  Small  Business  customers  in  2011.  Vendors  are  scored  and  ranked  each  quarter  in  terms  of  their  ability  to provide relevant online experiences that extend beyond e-commerce.  Aspects, such as online learning, site design and  messaging,  in  addition  to  e-Commerce  capabilities  are  examined,  using  monthly  research  with  decision- makers in this market as guidance.

"Creating a relevant experience for the Small Business market continues to be a challenge - one which vendors are taking head on.  Today's Small Business portals are cleaner and more elegant than ever.  They are also starting to include improved content hierarchies and thought leadership tailored to this market," says Kneko Burney, Founder &  CEO  of  Compass  Intelligence.  "By  creating  an  experience  that  is  architected  around  the  way  in  which  Small Businesses operate and/or their goals – vendors can position their solutions in more relevant ways – resulting in better conversion rates over time."

The  research  conducted  in  2011  suggests  that  a  strong  self-learn  environment  coupled  with  simple,  intuitive navigation will result in an "ideal" Portal environment for this market.   Sean Rowe, Portal Researcher at Compass Intelligence  adds,  "Sometimes  less  is  more,  and  Small  Business  Decision-makers  want  to  spend  as  little  time possible researching and purchasing products. I expect to see a lot of focus on tools and capabilities that help with the sale of products, being incorporated into product pages rather than external resource centers."

Key Findings include:

• 2011 Top 10 – Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, Cisco, XO Communications, Dell, IBM, Windstream, cBeyond and CenturyLink
• Best Practice this period: Theme-based Simplicity – a clean site experience built around contextual content relevant to the target segment.
• Best Help & Support: Sprint offers an extremely intuitive Help & Support center, which incorporates multiple media types.
• Best Learn Experience: AT&T's InSite offers the most to Small Businesses wanting to develop and grow.
• Best e-Commerce: Dell offers tools to help Small Businesses by providing comparison tables, user ratings and product images.
• Click to here to download a summary of this period's customer research

About Compass Intelligence

Compass Intelligence, a strategy acceleration firm, specializes in providing decision-support from idea to execution, including  customer  analytics  for  the  high-tech  and  telecom  industries.  Our  team  of  experts  deliver  insights through  a  variety  of  resources,  from syndicated  reports,  market  forecasts,  expert  videos  to  information  portals such as SBOnline and www.ne2ne.com (an M2M community).  Find us on http://www.compassintelligence.com or follow us on Twitter (@compassintel).

For Interview or Other Requests
Kneko Burney
President & Chief Strategist
[email protected] 

Sean Rowe
Portal Researcher & Expert Guide
[email protected]

SOURCE Compass Intelligence