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Published on October 16, 2007

 In the era of the Internet, websites have become a vital business tool for corporations, which have come to rely on their virtual business units to attract customers at the front end of the business process as well as promoting their brand images.

Two Thai women saw the electronic trend developing 12 years ago, when the Internet and websites meant nothing to Thai businesses. Uraiporn Cholsirirungskul and Araya Choutgrajank, now 46 and 45, respectively, got together to form a pioneering company called Thomas Idea, which, despite the recent proliferation of competitors, remains a market leader.

Uraiporn and Araya foresaw that the power of the Internet would revolutionise the way business was done around the world. Their company began by providing a range of consulting services to help Thai companies catch up with, and take advantage of, the Internet.

Between 60 and 70 large corporations from within Thailand and abroad have since used the company's services to take care of their virtual business units. They include the Mahaphant Group, True Corp, Nippon Paint, Daimler Chrysler, CPF, TISCO, SB Furniture and TOA.

Uraiporn, the company's managing director, says that the more intelligent a website is, the more business it is capable of attracting, so websites are now transforming beyond their original role as simple information boards. They are playing a more important role in assisting business performance, particularly when companies make their websites dynamic and connect them directly to the "back end" of the business system, including customer relationship management and enterprise resource planning. Such companies will have a competitive advantage over others, she says.

The services provided by Thomas Idea include online strategic consulting, website or portal site design and development, and digital marketing services. Uraiporn recommends that the services be regarded as development stages.

The first step involves online strategy, in which a company's fundamental aims and a blueprint for online brand imaging is researched, considered and fixed. The strategy covers the website or portal site, e-marketing and e-business.

The second step is website or portal site design and development. In this stage the design features are identified and information architecture is applied, including the website's interaction design. Then follows interactive rich media application, online branding and development of web and mobile applications.

The third step is digital marketing, consisting of online campaigns, online advertising, online direct marketing, and interactive creative design.

Thomas Idea's core business is website or portal site design and development, along with strategic consulting. These services have made the firm widely recognised, despite a growing field of competitors.

"There are many providers of website design and Web development, but the thing that makes us different is that we design and develop websites by thinking of how they answer our customers' business requirements. We also focus on how the Web can be a crucial tool, not only to create a good brand image but also to build trust and confidence, as well as satisfying customers," Araya says.

Thomas Idea's main advantage seems to be a perfect combination of engineering and architectural expertise contributed by its two key women. Uraiporn and Araya both have two master's degrees.

Uraiporn has master's degrees in industrial engineering from Arizona State University and chemical engineering from Texas A&I University, while Araya has master's degrees in computer science and aided architectural design from Arizona State University.

Before launching the business, Uraiporn worked as an advanced control engineer in the construction of an oil refinery. The experience, using large, secure and very complex computer systems, combined with her fascination with the Internet, inspired her to become an entrepreneur with an Internet-related business.

Araya returned to Thailand to work as a company manager in computer aided architectural design. She soon left the job to become a consultant, advising local architects how to use computer-aided design to enhance their design quality.

When they combined their expertise by forming Thomas Idea, they achieved a unique mixture of science and art in designing their customers' websites.

They have now expanded the business to provide digital marketing services, with the aim of providing a total service to help corporations sustain their new virtual business units.

"Developing a corporate website or portal site is like building a house or a skyscraper. There are many scales with different conditions, but all require blueprints and experience. Some projects require only three months, but some need a year," Araya says.

The company has been certified Capability Maturity Model Level 2 and is considering applying for Capability Maturity Model Integration certification in the future. Capability Maturity Model is a widely recognised process model based on software best practices and effective in large-scale, multiple-person projects.

Thomas Idea is a company that has achieved "top of the mind" status among large corporations that are considering website design and development. Fifty of its customer companies are listed on the Stock Exchange of Thailand. The rest are international operators based both within and outside the country.

Thomas Idea's revenue this year is expected to reach Bt40 million - about the same as last year, because of the country's sluggish economic conditions. It is planning to set up a representative office in Singapore within two years.

As e-business grows in importance around the world, Thomas Idea has successfully established a niche market in the grey area between software development and the business of advertising agencies. As these two worlds gradually merge, Thomas Idea is gathering a wide reputation. It is also poised for future advances in a field that is evolving at a bewildering pace.

Asina Pornwasin

 The Nation