ThinkDesktop FAQ, Frequently Asked Questions, Knowledge Base - ThinkDesktop

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ThinkDesktop FAQ, Frequently Asked Questions, Knowledge Base - ThinkDesktop


	DESKTOP MARKETING		SOLUTIONS		PLATFORM FEATURES		CLIENTS & EXAMPLES		ARTICLES

	Frequently Asked Questions General ThinkDesktop Branded Desktop Application (BDA) Questions What is a Branded Desktop Application (BDA)? I already have a Website, why do I need a BDA? How does OTOlabs' ThinkDesktop platform work with Advertising Agencies? How many people will download my BDA? Are ThinkDesktop BDAs Spyware? Can we purchase impressions in existing ThinkDesktop applications? Uses of ThinkDesktop BDAs How can a BDA be used to improve customer retention? Can a ThinkDesktop BDA be integrated into a brand's CRM system? Can a ThinkDesktop BDA be used in an email-challenged customer relationship? Can a BDA be used for customer acquisition? ThinkDesktop BDA Features and Functions What features can a BDA have? What are "Desktop Alerts"? Can a ThinkDesktop BDA be integrated with mobile? Can a ThinkDesktop BDA incorporate chat or instant messaging? How would a ThinkDesktop BDA integrate with ecommerce? Can I get reports on how people are using our brand's BDA? ThinkDesktop BDA Content Management How are BDA message and content channels managed? Can Web 2.0 user generated content be incorporated into a ThinkDesktop BDA? Will a ThinkDesktop BDA support multiple languages? Can I integrate a BDA with our existing customer databases? Can 3rd party content be channeled through a BDA? ThinkDesktop BDA Technical Issues What platforms does ThinkDesktop support? What kind of security will a ThinkDesktop BDA support? Does ThinkDesktop provide customer service? Can I add features to the BDA after it launches? What will be the impact of developing a ThinkDesktop BDA on our IT department? Creating a ThinkDesktop BDA for Your Brand How long will it take to build a ThinkDesktop BDA? What does the monthly hosted services fee cover? How much does a BDA cost? How do we get started building our BDA?

	General ThinkDesktop Branded Desktop Application (BDA) Questions What is a Branded Desktop Application (BDA)? A Branded Desktop Application (BDA) is a fully customizable program that runs directly from a customer's computer, eliminating the need for browsers or e-mail to receive information and updates. Installation is a simple as downloading and double-clicking the installation icon. Your customers can easily install the BDA in order to get convenient access to preferred information and interaction with your brand. [top] I already have a Website, why do I need a BDA? Simply put, a BDA is the best way to stay connected to your customer after they leave your site. Is email getting the open rates and interaction you want? Do customers return as often as they want and you want them to? A BDA can continuously interact with your customers throughout the entire sales lifecycle. Think of it as an additional communication channel that is solely dedicated to your brand and message! [top] How does OTOlabs' ThinkDesktop platform work with Advertising Agencies? OTOlabs has built many ThinkDesktop BDAs in partnership with major advertising agencies. OTOlabs can work flexibly with agency and client teams to produce an effective branded desktop application campaign. The ThinkDesktop Agency Partner Program provides extra services to make it easier for agencies to sell and produce ThinkDesktop BDAs for their clients. [top] How many people will download my BDA? The number of downloads of a BDA is directly related to its promotion. ThinkDesktop will work with the brand promotion team to develop distribution strategies and materials to help achieve desired download numbers. [top] ThinkDesktop BDAs are not Spyware No. ThinkDesktop BDAs are always installed and operated with the user's permission. Your customers are informed exactly what is being installed on their computers and what functions the application will perform once installed. If a customer decides they do not want it anymore, they can uninstall it quickly and easily through the menu in the BDA, in the system tray icon, or in the normal Add/Remove Control Panel. [top] Can we purchase impressions in existing ThinkDesktop applications? No, all ThinkDesktop applications are built specifically for our clients and do not contain any advertising or messaging channels that OTOlabs can fill. Clients can incorporate their own advertising channels within their BDA. [top]

	Uses of ThinkDesktop BDAs How can a BDA be used to improve customer retention? By keeping a customer engaged over a longer period of time and by providing them with highly relevant messaging and content a ThinkDesktop BDA becomes the best way to stay engaged with a customer after they leave a brand's website. [top] Can a ThinkDesktop BDA be integrated into a brand's CRM system? Yes, a ThinkDesktop BDA makes an ideal desktop component of a brand's CRM system, allowing for desktop alerts and messaging that bypasses email channels and can include personalized messaging and targeting based on other online behaviors. [top] Can a ThinkDesktop BDA improve on email message deliverability? Many brands have problems with email communications including spam filtering and declining open rates - some brands find that a very high percentage of their mail is lost to spam filters. Marketers with a young target audience are restricted from gathering personally identifiable information such as email addresses from their customers. In all of these cases a ThinkDesktop BDA can delivery brand messages, even uniquely targeted brand messages, without collecting personally identifiable information being limited by email filters. [top] Can a BDA be used for customer acquisition? A ThinkDesktop BDA can be integrated into an acquisition campaign and serve both as a reward for signing up, and as way to extend the brand exposure during the acquisition process. In addition a BDA can incorporate viral channels that will extend the reach of an acquisition campaign. [top]

	ThinkDesktop BDA Features and Functions What features can a BDA have? Messages, news, rich media, interactive games, coupons, special offers, RSS, podcasts and other content can be served into a BDA communicator as a content channel. Animated desktop ScreenMate characters can add an entertaining dimension to a desktop application. Special features and functionality can be developed to engage a brand's audience in a very specific way. By combining standard ThinkDesktop features, custom-developed features and integrating client functionality a ThinkDesktop BDA can be designed to achieve client-specific goals. [top] What are "Desktop Alerts"? Desktop Alerts are what initiate interaction with your customers. This generally appear a slide-up box (sometimes called the "toaster") that informs customers about new and relevant content in the BDA. Clicking on the alert will open the BDA which will already contain the updated information the user is looking for - including links to your site and other information of your choice. [top] Can a ThinkDesktop BDA be integrated with mobile? Yes, there are many ways to incorporate mobile integration into a ThinkDesktop project, including SMS integration, feed-driven WAP sites, sync to scheduling software, and handheld applications for platforms such as Windows Mobile, Brew and Blackberry. [top] Can a ThinkDesktop BDA incorporate chat or instant messaging? Yes, chat can be incorporated directly into a ThinkDesktop BDA using either ThinkDesktop chat servers, client chat servers or even IRC chat servers. Some instant messaging platforms such as AOL Instant Messenger can be integrated into a ThinkDesktop BDA, other platforms may be included as well. [top] How would a ThinkDesktop BDA integrate with ecommerce? A ThinkDesktop BDA can be used as an initiator of ecommerce activity. The user can be presented with current offers and then click through to a pre-populated shopping cart. Deeper integration with ecommerce systems is also possible. [top] Can I get reports on how people are using our brand's BDA? BDA performance can be measured in great depth. The measurement report includes these basic parameters, as well as additional custom parameters: Audience Audience to date Adopters (a unique individual who kept the application installed for more than one day) to date Audience during report period New Audience during report period New Adopters during report period Downloads during report period Interactions Time Spent Viewing Time With App Installed Pass-along Top distribution channels Page Views Clickthroughs [top]

	ThinkDesktop BDA Content Management How are BDA message and content channels managed? BDA message and content channels are managed either through ThinkDesktop content management system, or through the client's own content management system. [top] Can Web 2.0 user generated content be incorporated into a ThinkDesktop BDA? Yes, a ThinkDesktop BDA is ideally suited to both facilitate the gathering of user generated content (UGC), and to present that content back to the audience in engaging and entertaining ways. Additionally a ThinkDesktop BDA can be integrated into a Web 2.0 social networking environment to provide the user with dashboards and alerts designed to keep them informed and engaged with their network. [top] Will a ThinkDesktop BDA support multiple languages? Yes, the ThinkDesktop platform supports multiple languages including double-byte languages such as Chinese and Japanese. [top] Can I integrate a BDA with our existing customer databases? Yes, a BDA can be designed to allow users to authenticate against your existing customer databases in order for highly relevant messaging to be delivered to your audience. [top] Can 3rd party content be channeled through a BDA? Yes, engaging content is available from 3rd parties including weather reports, industry-specific updates, news, podcasts and other content relevant to your industry and customers. ThinkDesktop can work with your team to find and integrate relevant content into your BDA. [top]

	ThinkDesktop BDA Technical Issues What platforms does ThinkDesktop support? The ThinkDesktop platform supports Microsoft Windows, Macintosh Widgets, and Macintosh applications, Yahoo Widgets with other platforms being added. [top] What kind of security will a ThinkDesktop BDA support? Confidential or personal information is typically transferred using the industry-standard SSL protocol. Other methods can be implemented as required. [top] Does ThinkDesktop provide customer service? ThinkDesktop typically provides secondary technical support to the brand's own customer service team. [top] Can I add features to the BDA after it launches? Yes. Start simple if you prefer, then add functionality as your audience grows. With our technology platform, the Communicator can easily be updated with new features. [top] What will be the impact of developing a ThinkDesktop BDA on our IT department? In many cases, your IT group may never need to be involved! The ThinkDesktop platform can operate as a fully hosted solution using the ThinkDesktop content management system. If your BDA requires content feeds from your brand's systems then the integration process is typically very easy for your IT team. Most brand content feeds can be integrated into the BDA using the same web services used to deliver content to the brand website. [top]

	Creating a ThinkDesktop BDA for Your Brand How long will it take to build a ThinkDesktop BDA? Typically a ThinkDesktop BDA will take between 10 and 14 weeks to develop based on the complexity of the application. [top] What does the monthly hosted services fee cover? The monthly hosted services fee typically covers licensing, ongoing maintenance, content management, application updating, application hosting, send-to-a-friend, download process hosting, application hosting, landing page hosting and reporting. Third party licensed content such as weather feeds may also be included in monthly hosted service charges. [top] How much does a BDA cost? Just like building a website, there is a BDA development cost and monthly licensing and hosted services fees that will depend on the functions and features you want. Contact us so we can provide details and a quote for a solution that matches your needs and budget. [top] How do we get started building our BDA? The next step is easy - contact us and we'll discuss your goals and requirements with you and provide you with a simple one-page concept document outlining a ThinkDesktop BDA that will work for your brand. [top]

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