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BEST PRACTICES: Web site gives signal company the greenlight

By RUTH BAUM BIGUS Special to The Star

The company: Kustom Signals Inc., based in Lenexa, is a manufacturer of traffic enforcement devices. The company produces radar and laser devices, speed monitoring awareness trailers and in-car video systems. These products are sold to the law enforcement and public safety market including municipal police departments, federal law enforcement agencies and military police as well as some private industry, including railroads and security firms. The company does not sell to the general public. Local clients include the Overland Park, Lenexa and Kansas City police departments.

Challenge: Building and serving its core customer base

Background: The equipment that Kustom Signals manufactures is used to catch speeders across the country. The company found itself receiving more calls from the general public attempting to purchase equipment or figure out how it works.

"They wanted to be able to use this information in court to get out of tickets," Fagan said. "They would ask for the literature, owners' manuals, comments from cops (on the site) -- whatever they could get to help them. We wanted to spend our time servicing our customers, not answering these inquiries from habitual speeders," he said.

Fagan said the company wanted to find a way to limit access to certain information for the general public yet enhance communication with clients and provide better customer service.

Action: Kustom Signals was looking to develop its Web site, yet was still concerned about product information getting into the wrong hands. Fagan discussed his concerns with Mike Astrachan, whose firm, Astrachan Communications, provides e-business and marketing solutions. The two met through a professional direct marketing certification program they participated in at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. Fagan retained Astrachan's company to help develop Kustom Signals' Web site, creating a "preferred Kustomer" program that would help identify core customers and give them exclusive access to certain parts of the new site. With the program, Kustom's customers are given a password for the Web site. The general public is excluded from these areas. Customers receive the password after the Kustom sales staff verifies all the information.

"They can selectively pick products, configure it with what options are available and get a quote," Fagan said.

The password allows customers to view information on upcoming trade shows, special pricing, new product updates, contract news and other customer service options. There is also a special section geared from the firm's international customers. With this program, customers can securely download manuals, brochures and product installation manuals.

There is also an e-mail option.

"Our customers can then respond by e-mail if they want more detailed information," Fagan said.

Results:Kustom Signals put the preferred customer program into place about six months after it launched its Web site. Fagan said the program is working well for his company, helping to expand its customer database.

"We've grown this from nothing to having 5,000 (customer) contacts who have given us permission to e-mail them, and that's pretty significant," Fagan said. "It's a good list from a direct marketing standpoint because they're highly qualified and highly interested."

Fagan said the Web site is getting in excess of 10,000 visits monthly and customers are spending more time on the site.

"It's helped to build some interest," as well as sales, Fagan said.

"The speed of this allows us to maintain communications with them and expedite the sales process for this industry that works 24 hours a day and seven days a week," Fagan said. "We can get specs out to them faster than we can through the mail."

Fagan was quick to point out that his sales staff still must follow up with customers. But the preferred customer program helps.