Ernie nets $1m premium

Ernie, Ernst & Young’s new $6,000 per year Internet consulting service, which has been up and running for the last five months, has just made its first million dollars in revenue.

The service, which allows clients in the $20m to $200m bracket to access the question and answer service, has focused on answering basic product-related questions, but now clients can access more in-depth information more readily.

“We have added a new feature using the question and answer facility, where clients will be able to input information about a product that they want to develop, ask a series of questions about off-shore manufacturing, tax implications and business conclusions and then go on to more detailed information about business in that country. They can get background information and draw conclusions on the conditions in that country,” said Brian Baum, director of Internet services at Ernst & Young’s US consulting practice.

The additional feature enables clients to access background information: including what happens if they break into new geographical areas, which firms are in that market and how will they survive. Firms, that fall into the category of “frequently asked questions”, will be routed straight to the firm’s database and news clipping service.

“We are trying to create a new interface for Ernst & Young, a more informal means of access. We thought that the Big Six in general have a very formal presence in the market and we wanted to be informal.”