Search

The article offers information on the customer service provided by Charming Shoppes Inc. It states that the company's method of collecting and disseminating customer feedback was less than organized. It mentions that various departments and brand groups gathered input from customer emails and online product reviews, while store personnel received verbal comments from shoppers. INSETS: Add Customer Voices to CRM;Hotel Chain Looks for 'Moments of Truth';A FRACTURED MARKET.

The article reports on the efforts made by FedEx to globalized its Web site in the U.S. It is geared in translating its Web content and applications for non-English speakers throughout the world, to improve its services offered to consumers. It notes that FedEx's site supports 25 languages and it is ahead of most companies in terms of Web globalization strategies. According to Tracci Schultz, manager of global content management, the strategy is a lot more than translating words into multiple languages because it involves a globalized function of shipment tracking, searching, shopping carts and reservations. The most crucial thing to consider is branching out into different languages such as Chinese that requires double-byte character sets.

Deals with helping employees conduct their own online transaction through the use of Web-based, customer self-service human resources application software. Attitude of employees toward self-service human resources applications; Advantages of giving employees online access to human resources processes; Overview of high-end self-service tools used by companies.

Presents guidelines for companies to succeed in customer-initiated and Web-based self-service. Importance of focusing on customers; Role of call centers in implementing self-service; Technique in marketing self-service Web sites; Integration of customer relationship efforts with self-service features.

Deals with the approach used by information technology (IT) executives to address the demand of its customers. Why customer service is a major responsibility of IT departments; Common techniques of IT executives in handling their customer service responsibilities; Technologies that should be considered by IT executives in addressing customer demand.

Provides information on Web-based customer services in the United States. Demand of consumers of online music retailer N2K; Savings from contacting consumers over the Internet; Information on self-service Internet applications. INSETS: Spoon-feeding Internet newbies;Helping consumers help themselves.

Explores the issues on how to provide customer software support in dozens of locations worldwide. Name of companies that have outsourced support of their enterprise resource planning application; Challenges information systems teams face when putting together standardized and companywide systems; Customer service tips.

The article presents information on several information technology (IT) shops that are testing new ways to use the latest technologies to increase revenue, and improve customer service. The Community College of Rhode Island in Warwick is working on VM-ware's View and Liquidware Labs' ProfileUnity software to bring virtualized applications for 18,000 students at the university. The American College of Physicians (ACP) is testing a mobile version of its medical knowledge self-assessment program.

The article presents several ideas from information technology (IT) leaders on how to market IT. It suggests finding opportunities in corporate written communications such as in annual reports. It then mentions that creating customer touch points offers opportunities for communicating with business users that can lead to customer satisfaction. It further states that employing hallway marketing is important, staff needs to understand and accept that marketing is part of their job.

The article focuses on the five business intelligence (BI) technology strategies from five executives in the U.S. Danny Siegel, director of data warehousing and business intelligence at Pfizer Inc, who introduces the radical variance, as the earliest and easiest means in achieving BI success. Robert Fort, CIO at Virgin Entertainment Inc. in Los Angeles points out the importance of using the right BI tools to help boost both worker productivity and daily sales. Meanwhile, Jim Lollar from Ford Motor Co. asserts that successful BI is all about providing users with actionable information.

Focuses on the challenges faced by companies in analyzing and managing click-stream data, a customer data in a Web site. Benefit that a company can gain from analyzing click-stream data; Critical task faced by companies about click-stream data; Difficulties in analyzing click-stream data.

Offers a look at how three companies use feedback data to drive electronic commerce improvements. Making metrics from anecdotes by Staples.com; Gaining online customer insight by WBStore.com; Rating pages in real time by MVP.com.

Focuses on the effort of Ford Motor Co.'s chief executive officer (CEO), Jacques Nasser to use information technology (IT) to transform the company into an automotive services company. Model view by Nasser for integrating technology; Strategy imposed by Nasser to help improve the sales of the company; Views of Nasser on direct interaction with customers; Goal of Nasser on his strategy. INSET: Changing With the Times.

Focuses on customer services in the mail-order industry. Application of information systems technology; Marketing strategies; Satisfaction guarantees; Return of purchases; Customer convenience; Technical support; Calyx and Corolla; Spiegel Corp.; Software Support Inc.

Discusses customer service in the computer industry. Customer service as an oxymoron; Claims of companies as key competitive weapon; Economic aspects; Application of information technology; Compatibility of customer service and productivity; Appeal of technology to customers. INSETS: Fast facts.;Loyalty lost, by Julia King.;Quiet diplomacy, by Julia King..

Looks at the results of the test conducted by the author to determine the response time of some companies to electronic mail (E-mail) queries. Use of automatic-response software by some companies; Response from Mariane Paine of General Electronic Co.'s GE Answer Center; Response to an inquiry addressed to the `Ask Betty' section of General Mills Inc.'s Web site; Leading e-mail routing and answering software.

Identifies the factors complicating the global customer software support. Includes the high tariffs that make inventory costs prohibitive; Currency differences; Telecommunication regulation.

An interview with Deputy Commissioner of Technology and Support Services John A. Benanti and Assistant Commissioner Donald Stanton is presented. When asked about their favorite technology, Benanti replies that he loves iPad. Stanton comments about the Fire Department Operations Center (FDOC). Further they comments on the challenges they faced during developing and deploying software.

The article focuses on the importance of business intelligence (BI) applications for companies in the U.S. It notes that creating analytic tools and data available on smartphones can improve the company's service and boost productivity as it gives them the ability to interact with their customers and business partners. It claims that the mobile trend will improve with the smartphone's ability to display graphical data and graphical interfaces for BI visualizations.

An interview with computer specialist Rob Faludi is presented. He narrates how he had become interested in creating sociable objects which are devices that share information with one another and with people. He explains how these objects and networks be a great example of having a real affect both in the individual and the world as well. He also tells how he came up with the concept of the Wild Light, which is set up as a lamp with a networked connection to an outdoor solar sensor.

An interview with Rob Alexander, chief information officer of Capital One Corp., about the company's approach to finance, customer anxieties and information technology to boost efficiency. He relates that the financial crisis makes them more competitive. He also claims that the iPhone and other mobile devices have put new information technology (IT) demands on the company that will deliver mobile solutions. Moreover, he states that the IT innovation is very critical for financial services.

The article tackles the significance of Web 2.0 tools in monitoring blogs and social networks to better communicate with users and know their concerns. It is noted that companies not implementing Web 2.0 tools are faced with the risk of losing their businesses to rivals that do. Comcast Corp. has launched the Comcast Cares program, which monitors Twitter feeds and respond to customer concerns posted at its Web site. Most commonly used Web 2.0 tools are internal blogs, social networks and online communities. The increasing popularity of these tools has prompted the launch of the Customer Service 2.0 tools.

The article features the Computerworld's best places to work in information technology (IT). It mentioned the Apollo Group Inc. creating role-based customer relationship management (CRM) system, which will provide assistance to students. Another one is the Harrah's Entertainment Inc. offering best training and leadership development, including the use of cutting-edge technology. Additionally, there is Calence LLC , which rolled out a professional assistant module for the Microsoft Dynamics AX ERP system and moving new data center to pass IT operation.

The article discusses several approaches on how business relationship managers (BRM) or customer relationship managers (CRM) can be successful in changing the perception of information technology (IT) from that of a passive dispenser of requested services to a proactive provider of business value. It is noted that the attainment of their success depends also in the visions of chief information officers (CIOs) who employed them. By establishing a relationship management of trust, one can enable to point out some areas where IT can improve. In addition, CRM has been created to deal with service problems and they should meet with business leaders to discuss their strategic project needs. INSET: Managing With Less.

The articles discusses several technologies that have been adopted by the fast food industry. McDonald's Corp. has offered wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) service to its customers and it gives the company a platform to use wireless applications within the restaurant. Other technologies that transform the restaurant business include the tools for automating operations, contactless payment systems, kiosks, digital menu boards, and Web and mobile ordering and payment technologies. In addition, these innovations are considered to be a big leap for an industry.

The article discusses how the Rohm and Haas Co. was able to cater a world-class information technology (IT) service among its customers around the world. According to the author, the company conducted sessions with employees and corporation around the world in order to determine some faults on its services. With these sessions, the company was able to obtain two key issues: two many channels for communicating with IT and lack of transparency into IT service delivery. The IT service catalog, a concept that has been advanced by the IT Infrastructure Library and other IT process frameworks, was the foundation for moving to a more service-centric IT model and delivering world-class service.

The article reports on the effects of the purchase of the business intelligence vendor Hyperion Solutions Corp. by Oracle Corp. in the U.S. In March 2007, Oracle agreed to buy Hyperion for $3.3 billion in cash. Users and analysts claimed that the procurement benefits Oracle, but Hyperion customers are likely to experience a decrease in service with less negotiating leverage. Bart Klein, the vice president of Missouri-based UMB Financial Corp., is concerned about the loss of leverage of businesses as a result of continued merger of major technology solutions.

The article focuses on the Web services of Sabre Holdings Corp., which boosted the business for Abacus International. According to Sabre director Lim Lai Hock, the Web services-backed travel data from Sabre Holdings is received by Abacus, which increased its online bookings to 11 percent of its transaction volume in 2005 and now represent 20 percent of its total volume. Moreover, Lim states that the costs of handling Web services-based transactions are much lower, and bookings are more efficient, from a customer support perspective. Andrew Teel, senior principal architect at Sabre adds that the Web services effort of Sabre began as a research and development project in 2003 to help company executives determine how the use of a service-oriented architecture could help customers. INSET: A Side Trip to Agile Development.

The author focuses on the business conditions of several companies in the computer industry in the U.S. in 2006. Dell Computer Corp. has experienced disappointing earnings, executive departures and customer service problems. The International Business Machines Corp. (IBM) has fallen behind in its price and performance ratio, and staked its future on ill-conceived ventures. IBM's failures have opened up opportunities for Compaq Computer Corp. Compaq has mastered the art of IBM computer compatibility and understood the value of portable computers

The article focuses on the use of business intelligence (BI) software by United Pipe & Supply to maintain the operations of its supply lines that was affected by Hurricane Katrina in the U.S. Purchasing vice president Dan Kraxberger has generated a critical-items analysis and has sent the analysis to each vendor. Vendor feedback is the basis for the continuous update of the data. The use of BI software has enabled United Pipe to keep its regular customers supplied, and has transformed many aspects of its business operations.

The author reflects on the similarities between operating a restaurant and running an information technology department through an analysis of the television program "Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares" featuring chef Gordon Ramsay. The similarities identified by the author include both are service businesses and each attempts to meet its customers' demands in a way that generates a reasonable amount of profit.

The article discusses the significance of monitoring the level of service for each transaction to gain better insight on the service for customers and employees of service industries. Monitoring the experiences of the users in businesses such as Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide Inc. in White Plains, New York, has become critical, according to sources. If customers fail to receive the service they need, they would take their business to the competition. Thus, Starwood and other companies turn to new appliances and software tools to monitor the level of service for each transaction. According to the author, although monitoring tools may not be the complete solutions, they provide a different view of the situation and improve the problem-solving process. INSET: Monitoring to Improve Best Practices.

The article presents a list of considerations for corporate customers to follow in order to avoid certain traps in the Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) agreements. First, SaaS providers typically send electronic contract notifications with an "I agree" button for customers to click on, in which one should be aware of the significant risk on the agreement of online software with terms they are not familiar with. Second, SaaS agreements offer attractive characteristics, in which they do not require large up-front financial commitment. Third, service-level agreements that guarantees vendor response time are critical components of SaaS contracts, in which some charge extra fees, while others do not. INSET: AN AGREEMENT THAT WORKS.

The article presents information related to the growing number of home agents in the U.S. call center industry. According to a poll by Princeton, New Jersey-based Opinion Research Corp., seven out of ten callers needing customer service were likely to remain dissatisfied. There is no doubt that home trend in the call center industry is speeding up. Fueling the change are voice-over-IP, wireless and computer-telephony integration technologies. According to Brenda Bayliss, a home-based call center agent for Golden, Colorado-based Alpine Access Inc., she can easily immerse herself in the virtual work realm. Alpine Access has invested in technology to save employees like Bayliss from having to commute to a mega call center. Many call centers with remote employees prohibit at-home agents from taking calls on cell phones for fear of dropped calls. INSET: Safe and Secure.

The article discusses the development of Schneider National Inc.'s tracking technology. In 2006, the company has installed almost 30,000 tracking units in its freight trailers. To date, the company is one of the largest commercial fleet worldwide to have installed the technology. Back in 1995, Schneider has work with several vendors over an eight-year period to research on its options. Finally, in 2003, the company partnered with Qualcomm Inc. to develop a multimode cellular technology-based system. Furthermore, the system has improved the company's delivery times, improved customer service and more-efficient freight routes.

The article presents tips on how information technology (IT) organization can have a smooth transition to service-oriented architecture (SOA). IT organization must understand the definition of SOA, align resources and fully support the new paradigm. Office staffs must be trained and educated on the fundamental tenets of SOA and the benefits of deploying it. An enterprise governing committee must be established to ensure a enterprise focus when decoupling applications and developing reusable services. Finally, SOA should not be implemented overzealously. INSET: WHY BOTHER?.

The article focuses on the approach of Judith Spitz, senior vice president of New York-based Verizon Communications Inc., in addressing the information technology (IT) service needs of her client companies. Spitz adopted a strategy that placed his information technology workers right in the call centers, engineering centers and dispatch centers to get job run smoothly. She believes that through this way, IT workers could primarily see how to ameliorate business processes. Executive Mary Jane Johnston revealed how the system has benefited her company's operations.

This article discusses the successful alignment of information technology (IT) and business at Pfizer Inc. The theme of achieving value through innovation and cost control through efficiencies is based on five principles, namely: alignment with the customer, focus on the business process, communicating the ways in which IT delivers value, recruitment and selection of good people, and emphasis on operational excellence. Recommended books on IT-business alignment include: "Manage IT as a Business: How to Achieve Alignment and Add Value to the Company", "Beyond Control: Managing Strategic Alignment Through Corporate Dialogue", and "Practical Strategy: Aligning Business and Information Technology".

The article comments on the free services given provided to the public by the advertising industry. Services such as Web sites, broadcast television, radio, newspapers and magazines comes as a result of advertising. The author observes the growing interest in testing whether advertising-based models can be applied to enterprise information technology markets while most free services have been targeted at individual consumers. For a long time now, advertisers have tried to reach people in the workplace.

The article presents the views of IT leaders on the importance of building stellar staffs and overseeing multiphase projects. Farzad Golshani, vice president of IT infrastructure at Transamerica Retirement Services in Los Angeles cites employee loyalty, personal involvement, staff empowerment, delegated tasks and the responsibility and freedom of employees as the source of success. According to Dennis E. Michael vice president of IT and strategic planning at Watkins Motor Lines Inc. in its quarterly department meetings the company always has an outside presenter, usually from another part of the business, to explain to employees what they do. Cara A. Babachicos, ClO and corporate director at Partners Continuing Care System Inc., says that she tries to find candidates who are very good communicators and have had accolades for great customer service. INSET: RETENTION: This Time, Its Personal..

This article comments that the H-1B visa program of the U.S. is plagued by myth and abuse. One myth is that the law requires U.S. employers to seek H-1B applicants only when qualified Americans cannot be found. But it was not a scarcity of talented Americans that led American companies to attain the 65,000 H-1B visa cap for fiscal 2006. It was because H-1B workers have largely become a first option, not a last resort. And many H-1B visas, including the 20,000 for advanced-degree graduates of U.S. institutions, are used by companies that offer lower-cost technical services by non-U.S. citizens.

The United States-based energy company, Northeast Utilities Service Co. has started a four-year project to consolidate three customer information systems into one and six call centers into two facilities. The company made investments to develop a common set of customer service processes to support its four operating companies' customers. The company is in the process of consolidating its six call centers into one facility in Windsor, Connecticut and another at an undetermined location while putting a new .Net front end on an IBM mainframe-based CIS that has been in place since 1999. The goal of the project is to provide a more efficient customer service group while moving into single integrated customer information systems. INSET: User Input Key to Success of NU Integration Project.

This article focuses on the move of various organizations to service-oriented architecture (SOA). Sabre Holdings Corp. is moving its legacy mainframe systems to SOA to encourage developers to tap the travel firm's growing registry of services for new projects. TVH Inc. has used SOA to integrate internal applications and link with external partners. Danske Bank has been operating a homegrown SOA to help developers find the best reusable functions for business requirements. INSET: Programmer's Toolbox.

The article reports that as companies are stretching their supply chains around the world in response to market forces, they are looking for ways to tweak their pricey supply chain management (SCM) systems. Along with globalization come the pressures of meeting ever higher customer demands, fulfilling tough service-level agreements and adding increasingly sophisticated forecasting, tracking and replenishment systems, such as those based around radio frequency identification technology. These new challenges follow the SCM boom of the late 1990s, when companies devoted considerable resources rolling out and then stabilizing complex forecasting, supplier management and replenishment applications. However, as supply chains grew, the volume of information generated increased, demanding greater scalability for the SCM applications. So, in this critical SCM process exploiting business intelligence software to boost planning accuracy in fine-tuning supply chain is becoming a better option. INSET: Stand-alone OR Suite?.

The article focuses on the complaints of users of Veritas Software Corp.'s storage management tools, that the company has done little to improve its confusing and hard-to-track software licensing models. Many IT managers at the annual Veritas user conference here also expressed concerns that its licenses could become even more difficult to manage after Symantec Corp.'s planned purchase of Veritas. In addition, some users said they fear that the acquisition will hurt Veritas' customer service operation. Douglas Britz, a storage administrator at farm equipment manufacturer Deere & Co. in Moline, Illinois, agreed, saying Veritas needs to do more to improve the tracking of its software licenses. Tom Lake, a network administrator at LandAmerica Financial Group Inc. in Richmond, Virginia, said that his organization has had a difficult time tracking Veritas software licenses, and he believes that it may be paying for licenses it doesn't use Britz and others also voiced fears that support will suffer as a result of the Symantec buyout--mostly because of what he called Symantec's reputation for poor service.

The article offers suggestions on how to deal with delays in early-morning processing in a call center. First, it is important to write down minor annoyances and use them as signals of small problems. Second, it is significant to review each situation that came up and place it into one of three categories: people, processes or technology. Third, it is required to add up the number of situations in each category. And last, formulate a plan of action for one item on the list.

The article focuses on the implication of operations research (OR), the application of modeling and mathematics to business problems, at the Procter and Gamble Co. ( P&G) when it was first tried in 1968. That all changed in 1993, when P&G hit a financial home run using the process and OR leapt to prominence at the company. The project team developed computer models that pointed the way to a supply chain restructuring that would consolidate P&G's North American plants by 20 percent and lower supply chain costs by 200 million dollar a year. While many companies put OR in their engineering or research departments, P&G put its OR group in its IT shop. Global Analytics has no fixed annual budget; instead, it must find internal clients willing to fund its services. Jean Kinney, a purchasing manager at P&G, tells of the launch of a new global health care product whose success hinged on the careful choice of plant locations and sources of raw materials. INSET: Operations Research: It's Not Just For Supply Chains Anymore.

The article informs that when a patient in crisis calls Magellan Health Services Inc., it's imperative that a properly trained clinician answers the phone promptly. The Farmington, Connecticut-based behavioral health care company serving mental health and substance abuse patients focused on this requirement when redesigning its call center network 18 months ago. The call volume is huge: Twenty-two call centers across the country collectively handle an average of 30,000 calls per day. Rerouting also reduces the number of T1 access links required at each site and eliminates the need to pay for a long-distance carrier to forward calls to after-hours sites. An incoming call can now be rerouted over the company's frame-relay or Asynchronous Transfer Mode service, reducing the peak number of concurrent calls for which any one site must be optimized. The company is planning to migrate to Avaya's Linux-based $8700 Media Server for high-volume call center environments. At that point, says Odenheimer, all calls will be routed through $8700s in the company's call centers in St. Louis and Columbia, Maryland.

The article reports that Cisco Systems Inc.'s prices have typically been higher than those charged by its smaller networking rivals. But some information technology (IT) managers and analysts said last week that the pricing situation has improved modestly for Cisco customers. Two analysts who attended Cisco's Worldwide Analyst Conference here said that in recent months, the networking market leader has lowered some of its prices by a small amount or improved the performance of products without increasing their cost. John Chambers, Cisco's president and CEO, acknowledged in an interview that users frequently voiced concerns about pricing when he talked to them in the past. However, Chambers said that complaints have stopped since he began conducting quarterly reviews of pricing and new-product development two years ago. Earlier this year, some IT managers said they were willing to pay premium prices for Cisco's products because of its financial stability, reliability and strong customer service.

The article focuses on the risks associated with purchasing of used storage equipments. The hottest used items include tape and optical libraries, as well as other archive and backup products, where performance is less critical and the obsolescence cycle is slower, according to resellers. The benefits go beyond cost savings to include faster acquisition cycles and more-flexible maintenance programs. But there are risks involved. The vendor should also offer a warranty that the equipment is in working condition upon arrival at the customer site and possibly even for 30 days until the system comes under a service contract with the manufacturer or a third-party provider. Vendors may also provide maintenance contracts more readily if one buys from an authorized reseller of their equipment. Otherwise, they may require a site visit and an audit to perform necessary upgrades or firmware changes. One gotcha on used storage equipment is compatibility with newer equipment, particularly in the areas of firmware revisions and interface compatibility. INSET: Stick With What You Know.