What Are Online Business Cards? Explaining the Benefits and Considerations of Digitization!

Capabilities of Online Business Cards

Exchange Business Cards During Web Meetings and Online Negotiations

With remote work becoming standard, many companies are increasingly conducting internal meetings and client negotiations online. By implementing online business cards, you can exchange contact information digitally during web meetings and online negotiations.

Attach Online Business Cards to Email Signatures

Since online business cards are accessible via URLs or QR codes, they can be easily attached to email signatures. This allows you to share your contact information effortlessly, not only when sending emails for new business development but also with clients you may not have the opportunity to meet via web meetings or online negotiations.

Include Multimedia Elements Such as Photos and Videos

While paper business cards have limited space for corporate information, online business cards can incorporate data such as photos and videos. By including videos of your products or services, you can convey extensive corporate information in an easy-to-understand format. Additionally, you can easily add links to your corporate website and social media, serving as a tool to increase traffic to these platforms. You can also use various designs and photos to help employees express their professional identity.

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Latest Trends in Digitizing Business Cards

According to a survey on the "Usage Status of Business Card Management Tools" by Keyman's Net, conducted between July 13 and July 26, 2022, the current state of business card management methods in companies is as follows:

- Physically managed by individuals in business card folders (1st place, 49.5%)
- Managed using company-introduced business card management tools (2nd place, 25.9%)
- Individually managed using smartphone apps (3rd place, 16.5%)

Compared to the October 2020 survey, the percentage of "physically managed by individuals" has decreased by 8.7 points. However, online business card management has not yet fully permeated the market, indicating that offline management remains deeply rooted.

Benefits of Digitizing Business Cards

Subtly Share Corporate Promotional Information

Paper catalogs and brochures can only be shared through in-person handovers or mail. With online business cards, you can share information through PDFs, static images, and videos that clearly explain your products. By consistently attaching your online business card to your email signature, you can enhance your company's credibility.

Serve as a Communication Tool with Existing Customers

Online business cards can serve as a conversation starter during online negotiations or visits to existing customers. By including links to social media or showcasing photos, you can facilitate better communication with your counterparts.

Facilitate Icebreaking During Online Negotiations

Icebreaking refers to topics or themes intended to ease tension and build rapport. During online negotiations, information and topics are often limited compared to in-person meetings, making it difficult to engage in small talk or conduct a proper introduction. With an online business card, you can use information such as office location or social media links to bring up local topics, helping to break the ice and create a more comfortable atmosphere.

Share Information Beyond the Participants of the Negotiation

By using a business card management system that integrates with CRM and SFA, you can seamlessly share information obtained during online negotiations within your company. Recently, "knowledge sharing" has gained attention as a means to improve operational efficiency and eliminate reliance on specific individuals. To achieve knowledge sharing, data-based management is essential rather than paper-based information. By digitizing customer information and negotiation details, you can create a state where data is readily available, thereby realizing effective knowledge sharing. As knowledge sharing progresses, team-based data analysis and the elimination of individual-dependent sales activities can lead to increased corporate revenue.

Avoid Overlapping Approaches by Other Departments

There are often issues where sales representatives approach a client that has already been contacted by another member of the company. By sharing digitized business card information internally, you can check the status of visits and negotiation details in advance, helping to avoid overlapping sales efforts.

Points to Consider When Introducing Online Business Cards

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Accuracy of Information

When introducing online business cards, there are various types of systems, some of which require manual data entry. Manual registration is time-consuming and carries the risk of input errors and duplicate registrations. Input errors during registration can significantly impact corporate credibility, and duplicates create unnecessary administrative work. It is important to introduce a high-precision system that can instantly digitize data to manage and utilize business information quickly and accurately.

Manage Paper Business Cards Digitally

It is advisable to introduce a business card management system that allows you to utilize paper business cards received in person alongside digital ones. We recommend a system that can import paper business cards and integrate them with information exchanged via online business cards. This enables smoother information management and searching, contributing to improved operational efficiency.

Choose a System That Integrates with CRM and SFA

When selecting a business card management system that supports online business cards, it is crucial to ensure it integrates with CRM and SFA to drive efficient sales activities. Systems with limited functionality or data capacity hinder knowledge sharing, making it difficult to advance team-based organizational approaches.

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mSonar: The Corporate Information & Business Card Management App That Integrates Customer Data for Both Online and Offline

Capture Business Cards Quickly and Accurately

"mSonar" instantly digitizes business cards when captured via camera or scanner. Since you can also register photos taken in advance, you can digitize business cards without panic during sudden online negotiations or web meetings.

It includes a deduplication feature, so there is no need to worry about duplicate entries. Corporate information is also automatically updated, ensuring that sales activities are always based on the latest data. Additionally, you can register up to six business cards at once, making the digitization process highly efficient.

Identify Prospective Companies Without Prior Business Card Exchange

"mSonar" allows you to search for prospective companies with whom you have not yet exchanged business cards by leveraging one of Japan's largest corporate databases.
You can easily identify paths to key personnel, which is useful for speedy sales activities. Furthermore, you can manage not only the information of contacts you have personally exchanged cards with but also business card exchange information between companies.

Integrate with CRM and SFA

"mSonar" enables efficient business card management through integration with MA and SFA tools. By centralizing business cards in one tool, you can quickly access accurate information. By openly and smoothly sharing transaction status and negotiation details, you can advance data-driven knowledge sharing and never miss a business opportunity. This leads to effective strategies that meet customer needs.

　

• Corporate Information & Business Card Management App "mSonar"

Customer Success Stories Using mSonar for Business Card Digitization

"mSonar (formerly Meishi Sonar)" allows you to maximize sales results by utilizing business card information.

Case Study: JTB Corp.

Challenges Before Introducing mSonar

• Customer information was managed individually by each sales office and person.
• There were challenges regarding the productivity of corporate sales activities.

Reasons for Implementation

• Business cards can be easily imported, and valuable corporate attribute information can be linked to them.
• The richness of industry and corporate information allows for the visualization of corporate groups and office connections, starting from business card data.

Implementation Results

• Monthly business card registration increased dramatically from approximately 3,000 to 7,000 cards.

For more details on this case study, please click Here.

Summary: Online Business Cards Are Tools That Accelerate Business

By utilizing online business cards, it becomes possible to engage in a wider range of interactions compared to traditional paper-based business cards. By simultaneously utilizing the valuable corporate information obtained in this way as data, teams can share expertise, which leads to improved corporate productivity. Advancing the digitization of information streamlines communication with customers and improves business efficiency. Let us aim to accelerate and expand corporate growth through the utilization of online business cards.