Small businesses are increasingly turning to the Web to educate themselves before purchasing technology products and services. To help customers find the right solutions for their unique needs, Dell is investing in interactive tools with the help of a team of T3 innovators.

T3's team delivered the Virtual Office, an environment where users can explore Dell solutions in a real-life setting. Users enter the Virtual Office, zero in on any number of task areas and begin a self-guided, hands-on exploration of equipment and solutions.

From its audio voiceovers and 360 views to slick tweaking and browsing opportunities, the Virtual Office makes a real connection to real-life computing.

Going beyond the sale
The idea behind the Virtual Office was to enhance the online experience and put customers in control of their browsing and shopping experience.

The project gave T3 a chance to develop an engagement beyond the immediate sale and create an experience that reached customers in the research and consideration phase of their exploration.

T3 designed the Virtual Office as an experiential site that showcases small business solutions in a contextually relevant setting. This helps draw customers through the research and consideration phase toward an ultimate sale. The site was built to accommodate both product refreshes and additional solution settings.

Using advanced Flash animations and CGI scripting, T3 developed the entire site without the use of photography, which opened the way for 360 views and rich interactive experiences throughout.

Engaging success
By creating a friendly, inviting consumer experience for the target audience — micro-small business (1 to 9 employees) — T3 took aim at expanding the definition of success to include customer research and engagement. More time spent in the Virtual Office indicates that small business customers are getting a more complete understanding of a product's value in context with how it is used and paired with other technology in a total solutions approach.

"This is a new and innovative way for our customers to immerse themselves in the small business environment and see how products can form solutions, as well as give them ideas about how to use technology in their own businesses," says Lynda Foster, online advertising manager, Dell Small Business. "We are excited to see how the Virtual Office and the right technology solutions can help our customers succeed."

"Viewers can explore Dell solutions in a more benefits-oriented way now. They can virtually move the products and explore how they work and fit in a real-life environment," says Jennifer O'Connor, T3 Account Director.

Connections to conversion
Although the Virtual Office doesn't feature prices, it does make connections that allow customers easy access to buy if they're ready. Links from each product and category take viewers straight to the appropriate Web page on Dell.com.

Photos, videos and voiceovers focus on the value and quality of Dell product solutions.

To make customers aware of the Virtual Office, T3 created Flash and rich-media online ad units, promoted the site in Dell e-newsletters, included callouts in Dell's Small Business catalogs and highlighted it on Dell Small Business 360™, a site that unites small business resources, insights, advice and community.

The Virtual Office launched February 1, 2007.
Check it out at www.dell.com/VirtualOffice now.