Is this a good idea of a communication tool to replace the telephone, for sme’s?
About 50% of those SME's do trading/retail and wholesale of goods. Goods need to be reordered from suppliers. They most of the time do ordering via phone or email. Phone calls are forgotten, emails get lost. The two solutions offer very little ways to keep track of orders. While sales/Inventory systems are in place, they don't usually have supplier collaboration features.
Im asking this question in the perspective of the Philippines. Just try to imagine the situation. The startup I am thinking of involves a product that potentially addresses the issue. It's a web-based sales/purchasing system that organizes the way suppliers communicate with customers and vice versa. Think of it as a social network however built for Business to Business transactions. In essence, it allows the two entities to transact, to make orders to suppliers, and for suppliers to send invoices to customers. Through the system, both entities can track receivables/payables.
It's going to have a basic CRM module where customers can submit issues on their products. It'll also have a project-management module for project-based deals where customers and suppliers can track milestones and billing schedules.
At this point it's still a rough idea. What do you think?