Our focus is enabling digital technology to bring you more business
Align Systems Pty Ltd is an Australian company that develops websites and messenger chatbots for small to medium businesses with a focus on bringing you more business. That doesn’t mean just selling products online. Every business provides some sort of product and/or service. Our expertise is in enabling technology like a website or Facebook page to create engagement between the consumer and business, ultimately leading to more sales for you.
A bit of history
The company was founded in 1993 by Vic Ratnieks and Leonie Ratnieks who still own and work in the company.
We were early adopters of the internet even before email was a standard and before the term cloud computing was used. We began developing websites for online ordering, sending takeaway orders to restaurants via fax or to clothing retailers via password protected email. That was 20 years ago when ordering online was still considered risky, but a novelty. Thank goodness faxes are now a thing of the past, we can scan and send documents from our phones and online ordering is readily accepted.
Integration between online and back end systems is still lagging
Delivery of the order to the business is still primarily done via email and in most cases still not integrated with back end systems. Most businesses run a number of different systems which unfortunately still rarely talk to each other. However, integration is slowly happening with software vendors writing Application Programming Interfaces (API) and through the mass use of Open Source software with systems like WordPress, WooCommerce and the countless plugins available. This is making software functional and affordable for the small business owner and is where we assist businesses.
Social media and messenger is driving new business
The invention of smart phones and apps on mobile devices, especially social media apps like Facebook, Instagram and Twitter has driven the sales of phones incredibly and has put a powerful communication and ordering device into customers hands. In recent years there’s been a migration away from SMS and texting to using messaging systems like Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp.
This is driving a change in the way customers browse and shop for products and services. No longer are they content to fill out a contact form on a website, knowing it will be hours, if not days before someone replies. They want to engage in direct communication with the business when most convenient for them.
Chatbots work for you 24×7
An exciting new development is conversational chatbots using Facebook Messenger which tirelessly work 24×7 and can introduce the customer to your products and services and answer common questions. Connection between customer and business is seamless. Press a button and you’re connected. The customer can subscribe to ongoing communications and opt out at any time. This is changing the face of direct marketing and like it or not, it’s here and generating business. A win-win for consumer and business. e-mail marketing is still far from dead, but facing a challenge from this new way of engaging with customers.
Have a look at our chatbots service to give you an idea of what’s possible. It’s really only limited by your imagination. Want to get ahead of your competition? The time has never been more right to take action now.
We’d love to talk to you
If you’d like to have a chat, you can fill out our Contact Form. But if you can’t wait for us to read the e-mail that our Contact Form will send us and you want to talk now, click here to chat to us via Facebook Messenger. If you’re curious about how Chatbots work, click the Chat icon on the bottom right.
Thank you. We look forward to working with you and helping your business become more successful.
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