Verizon Tops the List of Companies That Know How to Engage Small Businesses Online - Compass Intelligence's New SBOnline Portal Provides Rankings

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., Nov. 9, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- Compass Intelligence has ranked the TOP 10 Small Business vendors, after examining more than 40 companies in the new SBOnline Information Portal.  Companies are ranked in terms of their ability to provide relevant online experiences to Small Businesses.  The focus of the research is Small Business-specific buying and learning experiences on business-to-business websites and includes more than 20 facets of this process.  Verizon ranked #1 in 3Q 2010 due to a major redesign in recent months.

"The Small Business market is one of the largest and fastest growing market opportunities in the world.  And, it is also the most challenging segments to reach," said, Kneko Burney, President & Chief Strategist at Compass Intelligence.  "However, the Web has emerged as a powerful route to this market, wherever they may be."  

Compass Intelligence research shows that in order to be successful with Small Businesses online, vendors must invest in the right online capabilities that together create an integrated and tailored web experience for them. Verizon's latest redesign does all of the above.  It offers an elegant mix of multi-media, easy-to-understand product details, online buying and compelling customer stories that connect to an actual solution.  The Verizon Small Business Center, which is a component of the company's Small Business portal, goes a step further by offering an interactive environment for users to take part in. Other companies to grace the top spot in Compass Intelligence's Online Experience rankings in recent years are IBM, Dell and Microsoft.  

Mrs. Burney adds, "Being one of the top ranked vendors is a good indicator for a company's commitment to the Small Business market.  And, we expect to see a lot more activity in this space, as there are still more ways that B2B providers hope to empower Small Businesses in the US and around the world using the Web."  

The new SBOnline Information Portal is a private, customized information environment providing actionable competitive intelligence, real-time perspectives, expert videos & insights, feature/function analysis and Quarterly rankings.

Key findings include:

• 3Q 2010 Top 10: Verizon, AT&T, HP, Intuit, Windstream, cBeyond, Microsoft, Cisco, Sprint and IBM (in order of rank).
• Best Practice this period:  Many vendors are providing "intuitive" purchasing funnels for customers, which connect directly to a customer story.  Some vendors that do this are seeing better click-throughs and conversion rates.

To download a free summary of our SOHO/Small Business research and view a summary video on this research, click here: http://tinyurl.com/2bwz7a5

About Compass Intelligence

Compass Intelligence, a global consulting and market analytics firm, specializes in segment and vertical market intelligence for the high-tech and telecom industries; and offers clients a tailored research experience through excellent customer support. Compass Intelligence provides subscriptions and research reports, insight videos, forecasts, competitive analysis, market data and expert recommendations on multiple markets. Find us on http://www.compassintelligence.com or follow us on Twitter (www.twitter.com/CompassIntel).

SOURCE Compass Intelligence