Vaudeville, the Web, and Taxes
February 20, 2008 | By Raymond T. Hightower
Film producers in the early 1900s did not understand the movie camera’s hidden potential. Typically, they would sit a camera in front of a stage and film vaudeville acts. What a waste! Then someone had the bright idea to take the camera outdoors and walk around with it. A completely new entertainment industry was born. So… what does vaudeville have to do with the web?
We are now in the vaudeville-camera stage of the web.
A Better Way: Taxes at H&R Block
H&R Block, the tax preparation company, has moved the camera away from the stage with Tango. Tango is a web-based service that combines tax preparation with online chat & support in a creative way. Check out the video:
Advantages for the Customer
All online tax prep services give users the ability to prepare taxes 24×7. All bricks & mortar services offer a live person that customers can talk to about their particular tax situation. Tango blends the two into an interface that customers can use in the privacy of their home or office. And Tango’s tax preparation office never closes.
Advantages for H&R Block
- Differentiation. How many other tax preparation services offer something that competes with Tango?
- Better customer service. Some customers will blaze through their returns without contacting the online professionals. Customers who need help will find that it’s only a click away.
- Lower operating costs. The reps who answer online questions can be located anywhere in the world. No need to spend money on expensive office space. Professionals can work anywhere there’s an internet connection, as described in The World is Flat by Thomas Friedman.
- Higher volume. How many customers can H&R Block service simultaneously with a web-based service that never closes?
Not An Endorsement
Note that this article is not an endorsement of Tango, H&R Block, or any other tax preparation service. Rather, this is an exploration of what can be done by old-school companies that are willing to think & act creatively.What About You?
What about your business? Which of your product or service offerings can be presented via the web? Stop thinking about books and flowers. Be creative.