Mori poll shows Internet business benefits

NEWS Mori released research this morning which shows that over half of European companies with Internet access believe it has made them more productive. Only 4 per cent of companies who have made the move online say it has had a negative impact. The study, commissioned by Cisco, surveyed 900 senior directors of European businesses and found that 551 of their companies use the Internet. Of the companies with online access, 54 per cent have successfully incorporated the Internet into their business strategy. Customer services ranked as the most helpful use of the Internet. Simon Duke, Mori research executive, told Silicon News: "Customer services are like a transition area. They still rely heavily on email, but are taking businesses towards a more sophisticated use of the Internet." Recruitment procedures rank high for similar reasons - as does electronic trading. Mori found that Spain has the most developed ecustomer services, followed by the UK, Netherlands, France, Italy, and then Germany. Duke expected future growth segments to include marketing and business-to-consumer sales, as Web infrastructure develops and the rate of public access to the Internet increases.