But ebooks are slow aren't they?
What if I don't have an online ordering system?
Will my customers have the software to view this?
I want my buttons and interface to match my website?
How will my customers see the book when they have different screens and set ups?
How can I tell if my book is working the way I want it to?
Can I add surveys and feedback applications?
There are some features I want and some I don't.. can I pick and choose?
I've seen some of your clients, I'm only a small business, can I afford this?
How does the search work?
Can the book be added as a favourite or even added to a desktop?
Do I have to do all the work?
Can I buy the system?
I love this, can I sell it too?
I'm part of an organisation with lots of member companies, can I give them 'overprints' to use?
Can I put videos and moving clips in my ebook?
Will the contents page link up to the sections at the back?
Do you host ebooks? What is your server spec?
Won't your book get blocked the second I send it out in emails?
Some of my customers will complain if I attach links to emails
What does hosting and maintenance mean?
Why do you have different pricing tiers?
But e-books are slow aren't they?
The most common reason for an e-book to run slowly is a poor internet connection. You may find that if you are viewing a book in the UK around lunchtime that the speed may be decreased slightly - but certainly no more than any other web-based tool would be. This is a bandwidth problem affecting 'the web' generally. ActivePoint produce one of the fastest e-book systems available. This is due to the fact that we have invested heavily in DEDICATED servers, and we are constantly updating our technology. There are a number of other tweaks that we perform to keep ahead of the competition - but we like to keep those to ourselves!
What if I don't have an online ordering system?
In that case, we have three options for you: We can provide you with a dedicated secure ordering system with full back-office support and tailoring - OR - we can add our very own ActivePoint Shopping List to collate orders and have them emailed to an address of your choice. The third option is to have both! The shopping list is a brilliant way to capture online sales - so check out the full description in the features section. It can also be used to take quote requests, register interest etc, and provides a great 'call to action'.
Will my customers have the software to view this?
ActivePoint's e-books all work on a Flash-based system. Most computers have flash these days, but just to be sure we have added a 'Flash check' application that checks your system for the version number of Flash before opening the book. The application does this in less than a second, and takes no information from your system - we value your privacy. To our knowledge, we are the only provider to offer this check.
I want my buttons and interface to match my website?
No problem! We can change any part of the GUI (Graphical User Interface) for you, or even redesign the whole thing (not just change the colours!)! If you want to make the e-book match your branding perfectly, then an ActivePoint book is the only way to go. Manchester UTD, Gamestation and Harvey Nichols all decided to design their own GUI, and each one looks totally unique.
How will my customers see the book when they have different screens and set ups?
The ActivePoint e-book launches in it's own dedicated window. We did this for a number of reasons, but mainly because we can display the e-book for your readers in the LARGEST possible format. With the ever increasing use of toolbars within browsers, it's not possible to predict how much space an e-book will have to display itself in, and we wouldn't want our your e-book to be squeezed into a small space or to disappear off the bottom of the screen. For that reason, when an ActivePoint e-book is launched, your display settings are detected and the book is launched at it's largest and most readable size. Another unique feature of our e-books!
How can I tell if my book is working the way I want it to?
Two ways: On delivery of your ActivePoint e-book we will supply you with a web link so you can check your e-book's usage at any time. You can drill down to date, search criteria, click-through's.....just about anything! In addition to this, we will supply you with regular reports and offer advice and support to keep your stats high. We can tell at a glance if links on your cover are working in the way you anticipated, or if we need to highlight them more prominently. For more information on Stats, take a look in the Features section.
Can I add surveys and feedback applications?
Yes, in fact a number of our customers have had great sucess from adding a survey to their e-book. Surveys and feedback applications can be added in a variety of different ways; as a link to an external site, as a pop-up after the book has been closed, or as an invitation on the launch of the book. All feedback is valuable as it allows a dialogue between you and your readership.
There are some features I want and some I don't.. can I pick and choose?
Of course! ActivePoint offer a tailor-made service. You can pick and choose what tools/features you need, and leave out the ones you don't. You only pay for what you need, and you can always add more features further down the line if you wish.
I've seen some of your clients, I'm only a small business, can I afford this?
Not only can you afford it, but we can actually SAVE you money where compared to print and postage. Added to this the increase in sales and traffic to your website, and you're left asking "how can I afford to be without this?"
How does the search work?
This subject really deserves a section of it's own, but the short answer is; however you want it to work. We can tailor what the search looks for (keywords you define, searching the entire document, TX5 Search) and how the results are displayed (incidence of the word within it's sentence, simple page number, in page number order, in 'finds' per page). It's up to you - but it's also worth mentioning that the stats package monitors what people are searching for, and if they are consistently spelling a popular term incorrectly we can add it to the database so they always find what they are looking for. We can also add slang terms into the search, for example; Screwfix use several terms for "pry bar", which is also widely known as "crow bar, gorilla bar etc". Their readers can search on any of the slang terms and the system will recognise which product they want.
Can the book be added as a favourite or even added to a desktop?
Yes, it's a fairly simple process. We cannot make this happen automatically, however, as it violates privacy by putting shortcuts on people's desktops that they haven't granted permission for. There are several options for this, as you'd expect, so call us with your requirements and we'll run through them with you.
Do I have to do all the work?
No, not at all. You can handle the production yourself, or hand it to us to take care of. It's up to you.
Can I buy the system?
Yes, you can buy the Control Panel system, or AP-lite. Get in touch and we'll be happy to explain the process and the costs involved.
I love this, can I sell it too?
Yes, we offer a reseller package which is every bit as flexible as all of our other offerings. You can work from a trade price list, you can simply pass clients to us for a finders fee, or you can take a percentage of the retail/project price.
I'm part of an organisation with lots of member companies, can I give them 'overprints' to use?
We already work with several groups of companies who operate in this way. It gives a huge advantage to the parent company as they can provide their 'membership' with a fully customised book with their own covers, hyperlinks to their own shopping system, and in some cases even their own pricing! Powerful stuff!
Can I put videos and moving clips in my ebook?
Yes. We can stream video clips into your book, and have done so with great sucess with Gamestation's e-books. Animation can also be added to liven up a page - anything your imagination can come up with really. We have even added falling snowflakes to The Grove's Christmas brochure!
Will the contents page link up to the sections at the back?
Yes, we can add any number of internal links. These are not just limited to the contents page, but can also be used to link up complimentary products. Ordering that torch? Why not link to the section with batteries too? A great way to increase your sales and retain your customers.
Do you host ebooks? What is your server spec?
Yes, we host all ActivePoint e-books. For a detailed copy of our server spec, please get in touch.
Won't your book get blocked the second I send it out in emails?
Only the very strictest of security settings would block our harmless hyperlink. We have not had any reports of our e-books being flagged as spam, and the links are not seen as a threat to email systems. The link is not an attachment, and is not an 'exe' or executable file.
Some of my customers will complain if I attach links to emails...
This is usually because people hate to see huge hyperlinks spread out across their page - it looks messy. We can easily show you how to place the link behind a simple phrase or word within your email. It's all part of the support we provide.
What does hosting and maintenance mean?
Well, hosting is fairly self explanatory. It means that your e-book will live on our dedicated servers and be monitored constantly by both us and you (via the stats link). Maintenance concerns updates and new developments. If we create a new feature, we get in touch with all of our customers and ask them if they would like us to apply it to their system. It's a great way for you to stay ahead of the game, and ensures your e-book remains cutting-edge all year round.
Why do you have different pricing tiers?
Pricing is dependant on many factors: your requirements, whether you need product development, how many pages you will need, how often you will need a new book. Remember though; you only pay for what you need. |
