9 February 1999
Host: Soraphan Jantarch
Guest: Pitinon (Ron) Poonsaengsathit
Radio 107: Tell us a little about your history and work experience.
Ron: Although I am Thai, I was born and raised in California. I studied at the University of California in Irvine where I specialized in interface design and received a bachelors degree in Information and Computer Science.
In 1991 I came to Thailand to help by grandfather with the family business, the Indra Regent Hotel.
Radio 107: How did you decide to start Cyberimage?
Ron: Even though I was working at the Indra Regent Hotel, I followed the IT industry and used Internet email to communicate with my family and friends in the U.S. When Internet use started to become popular in 1995, not many companies were offering web site design services and the ones that did were sub par in my opinion. Since I came from a computer and interface design background, I decided that this is what I wanted to do. I wanted to show people that a Thai company can develop international standard web sites.
Radio 107: What year did you start this business? At that time how did you start? How much did you invest?
Ron: Cyberimage was founded in 1995 by a few friends and myself. We all had day jobs so we met and worked in the evenings. Since we didn’t have an office or drew salaries, we didn’t have much fixed expenses. The only investment was our time.
Radio 107: Who were the founders and how did you divide the work?
Ron: There are 4 shareholders in Cyberimage. Voradis Vinyaratn is our Marketing Director and oversees marketing, sales, and client service. Nattaphol Vorasaph, our Project & Development Director, takes care of project design and development. Amnad Ounayakovit assists Voradis as a Business Development Advisor. I’m the Managing Director of Cyberimage and have pretty much do everything!
Radio 107: If someone is interested in Cyberimage service what do they have to do?
Ron: They can contact us by calling 714-3000 or send email to sales@cyber-image.com. We will arrange for a presentation of what we can do for their company.
Radio 107: What are the important factors in creating a web site? How long does it take to create a web site?
Ron: Creating effective web sites requires knowledge from many fields. We use what we call our ABC formula. A is for advanced technology, B is for business marketing strategy and C is for creative design. A right balance of the ABCs is required for a quality web site. The time it takes to create a web site varies depending on the scope of work. This can range anywhere from 1 month for small projects to 1 year for large, on-going projects.
Radio 107: In general, what are the different categories of web sites?
Ron: You can categorize web sites by its purpose. There are web sites for public relations, directory of services, product catalogs and of course, electronic commerce.
Radio 107: What type of web sites are the hardest to create?
Ron: It is easy to create a web site, but it is difficult to create an effective web site. Every web site has its own challenges since they represent different business types, objectives and target groups. How do we make each project interesting and attract visitors? That’s the hard part.
Radio 107: What types of clients does Cyberimage have?
Ron: Cyberimage tries not to concentrate on clients of just one type of business. We have a broad portfolio of clients from different fields. Anyone can be our client nomatter what type of business they do or if they are large or small. We represent clients in real estate, industrial, hotel, hospital, entertainment and computer fields. Some of our better known clients include the Siam Cement Group, Thaioil, Sansiri, Tai Ping Carpets, Hitachi and UFC (United Foods).
Radio 107: Who was your 1st client? How did you feel when you finished the project?
Ron: Our first client was Thonburi Hospital. When we finished the project, we were very proud since it was very large and comprehensive. At the time, most Thai web sites only consisted of a few pages and were not too informative. The web site contained over 100 pages which included the history of the hospital, details of services, doctor’s history, even Dr. Boon’s welcome speech audio!
Radio 107: At the beginning, what type of feedback did you receive? What did you have to do to adjust or improve?
Ron: The feedback was very positive. Before, people didn’t understand why we emphasized certain things about web site design. They thought just being on the Internet was good enough and didn’t pay much attention to quality. After our first web site went on-line, we knew that we couldn’t work at nights anymore and had to start looking for an office and full-time staff.
Radio 107: At that time, you presented to all the clients yourself. Is that right?
Ron: At that time everyone helped out. There were no set positions or job descriptions. We all helped to do sales, project management, graphics and programming. I even had to act as messenger, and submitted invoices and picked up checks myself!
Radio 107: Is there any type of business that you can’t design a web site for?
Ron: I feel that every business, whether large or small, can benefit from having a web site on the Internet. I don’t think there is any business we can’t design a web site for and promote on the Internet … except for maybe illegal businesses!
Radio 107: Is there any ethics in this field of business? What are they?
Ron: I think it is the same as for other advertising media. Don’t copy other people’s work or ideas.
Radio 107: At this time does Cyberimage have a lot of competition? What are the outstanding points of the projects that Cyberimage designed for its clients?
Ron: We don’t see others in this business as competitors but more like business partners. The more quality designers there are, the better because it helps broaden the market and makes people aware of the importance of the Internet. I think the market is large enough for companies that do quality work to co-exist. Cyberimage produces all custom work. We do not sell any set package since every project has different requirements. For each project, we use our ABC formula to design a web site to meet the client’s needs. We also pride ourselves in client service. Cyberimage works very closely with its client from start to finish. We discuss everything from the information to be included in the web site to how to make the web site interesting. We submit proofs for clients to approve every step of the way.
Radio 107: Can anyone at home with a computer and access to the Internet design a web site? What qualities do they have to have?
Ron: Of course any person with the right tools can design a web site. That is one of the benefits of the Internet - any one can create a web site. That’s why you see a lot of personal web sites on the Internet. However, like I mentioned earlier, it is easy to create a web site but hard to create an effective web site. For example, anyone with a video camera can make a home movie. But to create a professional movie you need a good concept, script, actors, etc.
Radio 107: How did you start to design web sites for international clients? I hear that you have a branch in the U.S. also. How is it doing and you have clients in how many countries?
Ron: I return to the U.S. often to visit my family. I would bring my notebook computer with me and often show people the work we do. A lot of businesses wanted to hire Cyberimage to do work for them. I could not handle all the work so I set up Cyberimage International to take care of marketing, sales, and client service in the U.S. All design and development work is still produced in Thailand.
Radio 107: The price of designing a web site depends on what factors?
Ron: The price really depends on the scope of work – the type of information, graphics, animation and functions it will have. Thailand is the only place where designers give a price quotation based on the number of pages a web site will contain. In the US and other countries, designers charge according to the time and resources required for the project. I think it is this way in Thailand because people who started this type of business didn’t understand that fees for creative work couldn’t be fixed based on quantity. Early designers thought it would be easy to charge by the page.
I think that companies that quote a price per page before discussing details with the client has already fixed their cost and resources. They just want to churn out packaged web sites and this process isn’t fair for their clients. For example, if an interior designer quoted a fixed price per square meter for a project before asking the client his or her preferences, the quality of the materials used are probably inferior. The same goes of a tailor shop that advertises suites made-to-order for, let’s say 2,000 Baht.
Radio 107: How do you see the future of this industry? Can you expand larger than this?
Ron: We are confident that the only direction for this industry is up. Today there are hundreds of millions of Internet users and is constantly growing rapidly worldwide. People are not just realizing the importance of the Internet but are becoming dependent on it. Our concept is to grow according to our needs and the needs of our clients. We don’t have a set goal how big we would like to be. The important thing is that we can continue to design and produce work that everyone in our company can be proud of - work that satisfies and impresses our clients.
Radio 107: How is the market in Thailand?
Ron: I think that Thailand is behind the U.S. by a few years. People know about the Internet but are not yet willing to invest in this media compared to other media. They can invest millions in other media but have a small budget when it comes to advertising on the Internet. In the U.S. it is very different because the market is mature. Companies already know what the Internet can do for their business.
Radio 107: Up until today, how many years have you been in this industry? Do you feel you have succeeded? What do you still have to improve?
Ron: We have been in business for 4 years now. I believe that we have succeeded to a point. However, I believe that if you are satisfied with the progress right now … it’s time to quit. I believe that we must continue to move forward. The Internet industry moves so fast and there is still so much to learn.
Radio 107: How do you feel about the government and private sector supporting SME (small, medium enterprises)?
Ron: I think that it is great. All companies have to start small sometime. By supporting small and medium size companies, we are helping Thailand to grow. We can help people see that they can make a career out of doing things that they enjoy.
Radio 107: What do you have to tell the listeners about your motto for doing business?
Ron: There are many business mottoes or sayings that I like. A few of my favorites are "If you don’t have a dream, how are you going to have a dream come true?" and "Those who attempt the impossible have little competition."
