- MOST PERTINENT
- 4.1. CLIENT PROGRAMS
- 4.2. CUSTOMER SERVICE PROGRAM
- 4.3. CUSTOMER SATISFACTION PROGRAM
- 4.4. MANAGEMENT PROGRAMS, TRAINING PROGRAMS
- Recommended Sources
- POSSIBLY USEFUL
4.1. CLIENT PROGRAMS
"We've always been sensitive to that balance between having a relaxing dining experience and feeling like somebody is always trying to sell you something as you're involved in that process, so that's probably why we've been slow to develop a program in-house," says Dormán. As such, Jack Stack is proceeding cautiously with the development of a contact management program for its retail customers. Currently, the company tracks store visits through its customer service team in its shipping division, flagging callers by catalog, online or retail source. Another way the company leverages in-person interaction is via an insert that comes with the customers' bills in the check presenter. Jack Stack Barbecue Vice President Travis Carpenter says this insert promotes the shipping business with information on the program as well as a 10 percent discount offer. Called Jack's Bucks, this in-restaurant promotion helps acquaint customers with the store, Web site and catalog. [1]
A huge amount of money was spent in the construction of the new space, including rebuilding, equipment and furniture: R770,330,00 (approximately US640,000). The researchers had their attention called to this technique of interview in rather a casual way, from an informal chat with a member of the staff who had already worked with this kind of methodology in advertising agencies. From this point on the interest in the application of the method in the information services environment was awakened. Having this objective in view, a search of the professional literature was made, looking specifically for papers discussing the use of the focus group approach in relation to academic libraries. In this manner, it was possible to identify several texts dealing with the subject. In their book Service Quality in Academic Libraries, Hernon and Altman (1996) develop their research from information obtained by the application of the focus group approach. Another use of the technique can be found in an article by Radford (1998), in which the author deals with the problem of non verbal communication between customers and reference librarians. Rose et al. (1998) also use this technique to analyze the technostress at the reference desk of the Health Sciences Library of the State University of New York. [2]
How to use the library computer resources was not very clear to the customers. As they mentioned in the interview, they approved the acquisition and upgrading of the new machines put at their disposal but they considered that more information for using the on-line public access catalogues was needed. It became evident that the group did not have a very extensive knowledge about the services provided by the library. They commented, for example, that they were not acquainted with the Current Contents of Journals, a reference tool published by the SBD/ECA, which the librarians consider a very important source for research. [2]
Customer opinion surveys, focus groups and lobby intercepts are all excellent sources of information to help determine whether your organization's training and communications programs are producing the quality of service expected. [3]
Mystery shopping is another too to obtain valuable information regarding the success of your training program. Are your employees effectively determining the needs of the customer? Do your employees have appropriate product knowledge and offer options suited to the customer's needs? Do your employees reflect genuine concern for your customer A mystery shopper can obtain answers to all of these concerns while your employee simply executes his or her regular routine. Another tool is the closed account survey or "autopsy report," information gathered from those customers you've lost. Today's consumers are usually receptive to any forum which allows them to vent the reasons why they chose to abandon one financial organization for another. Finding out exactly why a customer has decided to move their accounts elsewhere may help you retain more of your existing customers. [3]
The current focus is on optimizing performance, by working with J. Schmid & Associates, e-commerce marketing firm DMinSite, and consumer data and analytics firm NextAction to develop more customer demographic information to guide prospecting and retention efforts. American Express helps on die retail side, providing demographic data on customers who use this payment method and who respond to the promotional campaign. Jack Stack reviews this data weekly for campaign adjustments as well as quarterly to make bigger program changes. [1] As for e-mail marketing, Jack Stack collects e-mail addresses during the checkout process and via a promotions program where prospects and customers can sign up to receive sales alerts. According to Dorman, the company runs a couple specific sales each year - an Add-On Sale, where customers can tack on products to barbecue packages, and a summer Rib Sale - and then supplements those efforts with weekly promotions for either new items or trigger messages. [1] With that in mind, we have developed the iPower Website Program to give Kia customers a highly engaging internet shopping experience," says Ryan Wein, Kia Motors America's Internet Lead Marketing Manager. "We chose Cobalt because they understand customer's needs and they offer a comprehensive solution that will greatly benefit Kia dealers. [4]
Our strategic client program, Treasury Exchange, serves to amplify our voice of the customer research. Clients are long-term program members in senior treasury and/ or finance roles within their organizations. They meet regularly - at frequencies varying from once per quarter to yearly. The program enables participants to share insights on best practices and learn from each other, while helping us to better understand their challenges and needs. A detailed executive summary that identifies key discussion themes helps pinpoint areas for deepening discussion and exploration. [5] Customer advisory boards and special client programs like Treasury Exchange augment our extensive voice of the customer research. It's important to be open to ideas from all sources. That's part of cultivating a culture of innovation. [5]
4.2. CUSTOMER SERVICE PROGRAM
Mager noted that while Springer's eBooks are available for purchase in packages only, the reference works can be purchased individually. "We want to give libraries the choice to add high-priced products to their collections," said Mager. For example, if a customer has purchased a clinical medical package (which includes eBooks and reference works), that institution can also purchase a biomedical reference work to complement its collection. It doesn't have to buy the entire biomedical package. While Springer's reference collection is already robust-it includes works covering 25 disciplines, from architecture and design to physics and statistics-Mager said Springer is focused on continuing its strong coverage across these multiple subject areas. [6] "The reference architecture is the base you need to have," says Sjoman. "It has the tools for a multi-service environment. It means you can use more generic solutions for different services without splitting them into stovepipes." Operational efficiency and customer experience are both closely linked to revenue and margin, says Sjoman. "That is why you need to have a holistic view and have a clear view of the relationships between those elements. [7]
You even have a great customer service training program for your new employees. Or so you think. A bank with a "great customer service training program" had employees, through no malice of forethought, make these statements to the bank's valued current and potential customers. [3] By effectively monitoring your customer service program, however, you can obtain valuable information that will allow you to make appropriate changes. [3] Hungry Hunter's award-winning Encore Service program relies heavily on customer input. "All of our servers know that it's part of their job to communicate with customers." [8] If you expect your customers to monitor your customer service program for you, think again. [3]
Involving customers in development allows companies to stand out from competitors with features other than price, says Christine Loeber, Online Retail Strategies program manager at The Yankee Group, in Boston. [9] While the vast majority of customer survey programs are honest by design, there will always be a few individuals who will go to extraordinary lengths to attain higher survey results. In the never-ending corporate struggle for truth, justice, and higher customer scores, this temptation to cheat is sometimes overwhelming. [10]
Offers of bonus points, miles or cash back often determine which credit card we pull and where we use it. As more consumers use credit cards in supermarkets, drug stores and gas stations, credit- card issuers have started pulling those offers back. Why? Now that they got you accustomed to using plastic at the supermarket or gas station, it's on to conquering other marketplaces, says David Robertson, publisher of the Nilson Report, an industry newsletter. To be sure, says Mr. Robertson, rewards programs are so successful in attracting and retaining customers that they're not going anywhere. "What's going to happen is they're going to be fine- tuned," he says. [11]
As discussed earlier, the focus of the strategic planning model variety is on achieving corporate financial objectives through designing and implementing product, pricing, promotion, and place (distribution) programs, i.e. marketing management. We define a strategic plan for the purposes of this paper as the sum total of a formulated strategy and tactical management program for its implementation. [12] Products and services include purchase order financing, factoring, asset-based lending programs, mezzanine debt, receivables management and business coaching. [13]
"The newly merged company management decided that the major reference works are an attractive product line to the end user and came up with a plan of expanding the product line, building the product according to a unified and customoriented editorial strategy as well as an aggressive expansion plan. This is what happened," said Mager. [6] "The strategy embraces all media types: print, electronic, and a combination product," said Mager. "This was new in a way to this product line in there was a strong electronic component to it." Like its eBook program, the electronic reference work content is housed on Springer's online platform, SpringerLink. Having SpringerLink already in place also helped this initiative progress and ensured that Springer would have one main entry point for all of its electronic content. [6]
If you dig deeply enough into any research survey project, you will eventually find some nuance of the program that can be called into question. This is almost inevitable, since any researcher will tell you that, alongside the statistical marvels and mathematical wizardry they perform, much of what researchers do is highly subjective and based on personal opinion. How can cheating on customer satisfaction surveys be allowed to happen? The answers are many, but most often they involve some form of organizational politics. Whoever has the management muscle to get his or her way in the company can usually construct reasonable sounding justifications for changes in the survey program. In any case, if your company has or is considering implementing a customer satisfaction measurement program, the previous examples should give you some idea of how these programs can be manipulated. [10]
The answer might not be what you imagine. During the course of writing this article, only five research companies could be identified as possessing their own customer satisfaction program: Burke Marketing Research, Consumer Research Inc., the Gordon Black Co., Maritz Marketing Research, and Walker Marketing Research. Although I am sure I have probably missed a few (and to those companies, I apologize), I am even more sure that this number is minuscule compared to the total number of existing research companies. Why wouldn't a research company, with all its research capabilities, employ such a tool? Why wouldn't any company? It requires extra effort and a strong commitment to the customer to embark on such a program. Nancy Bunn, director of Burke's customer satisfaction program, states that by employing satisfaction research internally, Burke really gets to listen to its customers and focus on their concerns. Bunn explains that at Burke, an independent auditor is used to contact its clients and to measure overall satisfaction ratings as well as specific ratings on individual projects, the account executive, and the project team. [14]
4.3. CUSTOMER SATISFACTION PROGRAM
The problem was the enormous scope of unforeseen difficulties and risks leading to project delay, cost and stress. It was believed that the problem arose as a result of poor project planning and communication; a lack of initial reference to the existing asbestos registers, and major refurbishment and /or demolition projects setting off with limited information on asbestos containing materials. By use of a case study methodology, this critical analysis studied the cost implications of setting out with varying degrees of information on asbestos containing materials, using 20 randomly selected refurbishment and/or demolition projects running concurrently with asbestos removals. It was hoped that the knowledge gained would facilitate the development of a strategy for cost containment for similar projects in future. The importance of this study lays in its multi-dimensional approach while paying particular attention to measures of project success of time, cost, quality, and customer satisfaction. [15]
"By implement our developed reference architecture in our NOCs we reduce the total cost of ownership of the telecom management systems. The reference architecture allows us to replace the'stovepipe' tools with more generic solutions without losing service availability to end-users and revenue streams for the operators." He uses the stovepipe analogy again. It's typical, says Sjoman, for an operator to use completely different OSS/BSS tools in each service offering. "There are different tools in different stovepipes, tools for billing, for activation, for mediation and so on," he notes. [7] GO FOR A GOAL. First, decide exactly what you want to achieve with your customer research program. [8] Externally, the telco's employee recognition program is based upon customer opinion. [16] Citrix Ready showcases select trusted solutions designed to meet various customer needs. Through the online catalog and Citrix Ready branding program, customers can easily find and build a trusted infrastructure. [17] Your staff probably already knows your customers better than you do. Get them involved in the input program from day one. Impress upon them that soliciting opinions and brief periods of customer communication are expected. Gary Kearns, manager of a San Jose, California, Hungry Hunter restaurant, tells his staff, "If you're not servicing a guest, you'd better be servicing somebody who is." [8] Your training program may be top notch, the best in the business, but that will only get you so far. That manager you hired? He may be knowledgeable in some areas but when you talk about good service with him, you are speaking in abstract terminology. The details swim around him like Einstein's theories. [18]
"Current, professional dress is important, as is a positive attitude and glowing references. Borrowers who have a chip on their shoulder from a previous business venture or employer will convey that message to prospective clients or customers and potentially put the business at risk. [13] We are acquiring, commissioning, and developing titles in all fields of science, ranging from astrophysics to radiology." The main component of the expansion was to offer the entire slate of reference works in all media formats, from print to online, and to make them more accessible to customers who might otherwise not have been drawn to this content. [6] Springer is also working to make the reference collection affordable for customers. [6]
Most important, a strong customer satisfaction program allows an organization to develop actionable strategies to reduce customer problems. The continuous nature of the research allows the firm to monitor the outcomes of these same action-oriented strategies. The results of this research can be applied in many different ways. [14] A good customer satisfaction program serves as an external form of quality control that is service-centered, communication-centered, and continuous in nature. It allows an organization to monitor the thought and opinions of its customers in a comprehensive manner that is both accurate and precise. [14]
Just measuring improves everyone's performance." Memorial Hermann has adopted a special focus on using data from its electronic healthrecord system to improve chronic care. One of its physician groups, me Physicians at Sugar Creek, doubles as the system's family medicine residency program. It uses the EHR to monitor clinical quality and provide a "healthcare home" for patients with chronic illnesses. All physicians, including residents, have a laptop computer to use while they see patients. [19]
4.4. MANAGEMENT PROGRAMS, TRAINING PROGRAMS
Breakbulk cargo may or may not have an identifying number. Because of its individual pieces or the piecemeal nature involved in shipping goods such as rolling stock, steel pipe, pallets, forest products and windmills, breakbulk shipping is significantly more complex than container shipping. GT Nexus has developed data-quality management programs to track breakbulk for shippers such as Crowley Maritime Corp. Karla Ruiz, Crowley's senior telesales representative in Jacksonville, Fla., described GT Nexus's trade platform as "very user-friendly. [20] As discussed earlier, value creation, communication, and delivery are accomplished by developing a marketing mix and integrating it into a marketing management implementation program (Figure 2 ). [12] The new regulations took effect on May 21, 2004. In order to meet statutory requirements regarding the compilation of asbestos information and records for all its buildings, as well as identify any asbestos that could pose a risk to buildings users, the London Borough of Hillingdon initiated a four-year asbestos survey program in 1999, to update its records. This involved the identification, management, and removal of asbestos from the property stock. [15]
The reference collection contains encyclopedias, handbooks, dictionaries, bibliographies, data collections, and atlases. The eReferences are available in both PDF and HTML formats. The PDF version is more printer-friendly for users who want a hard copy of the documents, while the HTML is geared toward those who just want to read the content onscreen. The HTML format also more easily enables Springer to add hyperlinks between reference works and allows for a quicker download time than PDF. The hyperlinks enable users to quickly find the additional information they seek. As a bonus, eReferences also have more robust content than their print counterparts. [6]
Like the journals and eBooks available on SpringerLink, the reference works also include a list of references at the end of each article that feature hyperlinks to the abstract of the cited article using CrossRef, PubMed, or other abstracting services. The main goal is to enable users to find answers to their questions regardless of their specific research needs. "The users have different motivation when they research a Web tool," said Mager. "Primary, secondary, and tertiary literature caters to different research needs, and we want to cater to them simultaneously. For instance, when a user enters "hemoglobin" into a search query, we have no idea which mode they are now operating. [6]
Kia Motors of America selected Cobalt for Kia's iPower Website Services program, a new phase of Integrated Marketing Services for Kia dealers. [4] Plateau Telecommunications in Clovis, N.M., has a similar internally regulated employee recognition program. Employees may recognize their co-workers for an outstanding effort on a particular project by submitting a form to the telco's director of employee services. [16] Customer satisfaction research can be used to develop long-term strategic plans as well as more immediate customer relations problems. It can be used as a valuable addition to training programs and even serve as basis for employee compensation and bonuses. [14] The taxonomy and frameworks, albeit based on positive observations, are presented as normative theoretical propositions. It is hoped that this paper is a step in the right direction for academicians to design and implement research programs to test the validity of these propositions and for practitioners to guide their decision making in the process of marketing strategy formulation and implementation. [12] There are, however, cases when the coding can start before the survey ends. This can be done manually or by using one of a number of software programs that can assist in accelerating the coding process. [21] Our working together meetings, product reviews, organizational meetings, skip level meetings, recognition programs and our operational commandments, put people first. [22] The challenges will range from expanding and simplifying recycling programs to developing clean manufacturing processes. Mobile energy-in addition to alternative-fuel systems for cars, companies need more flexible energy and power choices so that they can meet the needs of people who are becoming more mobile in their extended travel for business and pleasure. [23] The new iPower Website Program provides our dealers with a new, best-in-class inventory solution, brand new, flexible website designs, industry-leading organic search optimization and iPower program integration. "These new websites also provide our dealers with the opportunity to easily make edits and the ability to tailor their websites to meet local business conditions." [4] In the past 2.5 years, Springer has increased the prominence of stodgy reference works with the creation of the Springer References program, which consists of print and electronic titles published simultaneously. The program has been so well received that the company is set to release its 100th electronic title at any moment. [6] Like almost all leading schools, the Indiana University MBA program has required previous work experience as a condition for admission. (Current graduates are, on average, 27-years old with four years of prior work experience.) Faculty and placement office personnel are sensing that, in certain cases, employers are less concerned about previous experience than they are with specific undergraduate backgrounds in specialized areas. [24]
Apparently, the publisher had a solid model to follow. It had already accomplished that goal with its reference work program. [6]
Thomas Mager, Springer's director of product development, said the idea to build a multimedia platform around the company's reference works began in 2004 when Springer was merging with Kluwer Academic Publishers. [6] "When a university buys a Springer Reference title, all students and all faculty ofthat university have simultaneous access to that product," said Mager. "This means the visibility for a given piece of content is so much higher than it used to be. Exposure is so much larger and it's easy to convey this message to prospective editors in chief and authors. Their work is better invested." [6]
Thomas Mager, Springer's director of business development, displays some of the print Springer References products. [6] The taxonomy enables reference to product, pricing, distribution, and promotion strategies without running the risk of mixing setting marketing strategy at the corporate level with setting product strategy at the product manager level. [12] Marketing management is a marketing mix program designed for marketing strategy implementation! Adding insult to injury, the role of branding in marketing strategy formulation and implementation is almost confounded. [12] The taxonomy does not negate the above argument pertaining to the tactical nature of marketing management program, marketing mix, or the 4Ps decisions. [12]
Program integration allows for enhanced reporting and visibility into interactive trends and opportunities while reducing lead duplication. These leading edge website bundles offer highly engaging tools and assets for consumer interaction, custom designs to enhance the Kia brand and more flexibility than ever before for the Kia dealer to create and manage website content, features and other important integrations they need to build their own unique brand. [4] No screening process, hiring process, personality evaluation, reference or training program can adequately keep on top of every front-of-the-house person as is necessary. Any time you have multiple personalities working in a foodservice environment with as much freedom as they have, you will have problems. Of course, your GM is great and his store is running like a top. Yes, certainly your servers love their jobs and would do anything to ensure the success of your operation. [18] The process, mix, and program designed to create, communicate, and deliver the value are shown in Figure 2. [12] No screening or hiring process, personality evaluation, reference or training program can adequately keep on top of every front-of-the-house person as is necessary. [18]
No training program is 100 percent effective, and even good employees have "bad hair" days. [3]
The systemwide patient-safety training program, Breakthroughs in Patient Safety, encourages employees to think critically, communicate openly and consider alternatives. It gives employees a license to question, double-check, and communicate with their peers. A recent patient-safety climate survey showed that 85% of die system's employees agreed with the statement: "Colleagues encourage me to report safety concerns," Only 13% thought it was difficult to speak up if they saw a problem with patient care. [19] MBA programs are considering admitting a small number of high-quality, specialized undergraduate students with engineering, computer science and mathematics backgrounds. We want to know if this kind of trend fits with your thoughts about what kind of people will be needed by your corporation in the future. We appreciate you taking a few minutes to complete this survey. [24] A recent survey conducted by Claims magazine suggests that not all is well in the world of adjusters. Claims professionals report that they are demoralized and do not feel they get the respect they deserve from their employers. They attribute their problems to downsizing and expense reduction programs. [25]
The telco also utilizes a Star Award program, wherein any staff member may issue an accolade on behalf of another employee. Star employees receive the award from their supervisor, and a note is placed in their permanent record. [16] Branding is defined for our purposes as naming the offer to gain an identity, evolve meaning, and project an image conducive to building brand equity. As shown in Figure 3, not only does branding mediate strategy from formulation into an implementation program, but also, the role of branding spans naming the offer to differentiating the company's offer from its competitors' and positioning it in the customers' mind. [12]
One initiative the company is currently investigating, Premium Journals, involves the integration of journal content and reference work content. "It's an extremely interesting concept where journal articles are enriched by hyperlinks to reference material," said Mager. [6] Like all content on Springer-Link, reference works can be searched by keyword or other criteria, including date (in the last month; in the last year), subject (such as chemistry, life sciences), copyright year, publication, author, editor, or book type. [6] Users can search the online versions of Springer References via a variety of criteria, including within all content and within one specific work. [6] Users can also search within all content or within one particular reference work. In terms of editorial, Mager said he doesn't necessarily see three different media types: journals, books, and reference works. He sees three types of content: primary, secondary, and tertiary literature. [6]
The paper is conceptual based on a review of academic literature on marketing strategy chronicled in major marketing journals January 1990-April 2006. The author presents selected references classified by key marketing strategy topics for further pursuit by interested readers. [12] A year ago Ericsson described how a simplified reference architecture can reduce the total cost of ownership. [7]
RANKED RECOMMENDED SOURCES
(25 source documents numbered in order of appearance in text)
6. Case Study: Springer Raises Profile of Reference Works
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12. Marketing strategy: taxonomy and frameworks
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3. Great service expectations: Avoiding "bad hair" days
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14. Using customer satisfaction research to get closer to the customers
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4. Cobalt; Kia Motors America Partners With Cobalt for New Dealer Website Program
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16. How do you recognize employees for their accomplishments?
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18. Get real, operators: Consistently good service just a myth
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8. Feedback Helps Boost Repeat Business
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1. Multichannel Hospitality
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7. The third cornerstone: how to make it happen
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19. Empowered to improve
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15. A Critical Analysis of Asbestos Removal Project Cost Implications
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13. Hennessey Capital; SBA's 2008 Financial Services Champion Offers Advice on Avoiding the 5 Most Common Mistakes New Entrepreneurs Make When Seeking Financing
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24. A business school seeks customer opinions
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5. Case Study: Product Innovation at Bank of America
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2. Using the focus group approach for evaluating customers ' opinions : the experience of a Brazilian academic library
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10. How to cheat your way to higher customer survey scores
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20. Untangling the supply chain
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17. visionapp; visionapp Named Finalist for 2009 Citrix Ready Solution of the Year
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11. SmartMoney: Look Out for Costly Credit-Card Trends
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9. Infoworld e-business 100: Staples.com
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21. Untapped Gold
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23. Customer opinion critical in the next 10 years
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25. Mishandling claims will sink insurers
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22. Chrysler and minivans: Are we there yet?
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6. Case Study: Springer Raises Profile of Reference Works
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12. Marketing strategy: taxonomy and frameworks
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/SourcesC/18.html
3. Great service expectations: Avoiding "bad hair" days
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/28.html
14. Using customer satisfaction research to get closer to the customers
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4. Cobalt; Kia Motors America Partners With Cobalt for New Dealer Website Program
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16. How do you recognize employees for their accomplishments?
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18. Get real, operators: Consistently good service just a myth
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8. Feedback Helps Boost Repeat Business
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1. Multichannel Hospitality
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7. The third cornerstone: how to make it happen
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19. Empowered to improve
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15. A Critical Analysis of Asbestos Removal Project Cost Implications
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13. Hennessey Capital; SBA's 2008 Financial Services Champion Offers Advice on Avoiding the 5 Most Common Mistakes New Entrepreneurs Make When Seeking Financing
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24. A business school seeks customer opinions
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5. Case Study: Product Innovation at Bank of America
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2. Using the focus group approach for evaluating customers ' opinions : the experience of a Brazilian academic library
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10. How to cheat your way to higher customer survey scores
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20. Untangling the supply chain
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/SourcesC/13.html
17. visionapp; visionapp Named Finalist for 2009 Citrix Ready Solution of the Year
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11. SmartMoney: Look Out for Costly Credit-Card Trends
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/SourcesC/17.html
9. Infoworld e-business 100: Staples.com
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21. Untapped Gold
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23. Customer opinion critical in the next 10 years
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25. Mishandling claims will sink insurers
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22. Chrysler and minivans: Are we there yet?
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/29.html
4.5. GENERAL MANAGER, ONLINE MARKETING
The British spend almost twice as much per head on online supermarket orders as the Dutch, the world's second most enthusiastic internet shoppers, and almost four times as much as Americans, according to Datamonitor, the business analysis company. Unlike the U.S. start-ups, Tesco did not build expensive, dedicated warehouses to service its internet customers. It took orders online and sent pickers around its stores to fill customers' baskets. Not only did it cost Tesco far less to establish its online business than the U.S. start-ups, its well-known name and huge customer base also meant it did not need to market itself from scratch. Some of the web-only companies mocked Tesco in the early days for its relatively low-tech approach, but its online service outlasted them all. In the U.S., supermarket companies such as Safeway and Ahold are now more closely following the Tesco model in their online sales. It must be galling for Tesco to have come bottom in a recent customer survey of five online UK supermarkets. [1]
If it tells you where the issues are and how to fix them, that's analytics." It's also about identifying why customers leave an IVR. One of the main reasons is that "more often than not, you're asking them to do something they do not want to do," Fluss says. "Or the system could be slow, or you could be asking them for information they don't have. "There's a lot of information available, but you need actionable information like this to make a difference." As a side benefit all this can result in a reduction in agent call volume, Fluss says. Another analytics solution growing in parallel with CEA is desktop analytics, an internally focused technology that measures departmental performance and the agent's interaction with desktop servicing applications to cut call handling times. The two solution types, though still very nascent, are already making positive contributions to contact centers and their customers, the report states. Among the contributions, the report identifies helping contact center and enterprise managers address important goals, such as generating revenue, reducing customer attrition, increasing the use of self-service applications, improving agent satisfaction, and reducing agent attrition and turnover. "These applications are delivering cost savings of 5 percent to 10 percent to organizations," Fluss maintains. "When implemented properly, they help managers achieve their cost- savings goals while improving the customer and agent experience. [2]
"There is a lot of uncertainty surrounding the impact the 2002 emissions-compliant engines will have on our industry. The online survey is a way for Peterbilt to gauge how its customers perceive the various issues and their expectations on how those issues should be resolved," says Nick Panza, Peterbilt general manager and PAC-- CAR vice-president. "As Peterbilt continues to work closely with its engine suppliers, the information we learn from the survey results will be useful in helping ensure our customers continue to get maximum overall value from their investment in a Peterbilt vehicle." The survey includes twelve questions and explores topics such as if the new engines will accelerate or delay the decision to purchase a new vehicle, how the pre-owned market will be affected, and how the engines will affect vehicle weight, durability and cost. [3]
Just about every company measures customer satisfaction. Do the results lead to real service improvements for their customers? Forward-looking businesses are right to measure customers' opinion of their service. How else can they react to the ever-increasing pressure to improve the quality of the customer experience? Yet few managers believe the information they collect has any real impact on the way their business operates. Customer satisfaction surveys are now so popular with organizations that both professional researchers and customers complain of "questionnaire fatigue" and an increasing "nuisance factor". [4]
Remember, customers' requirements are like moving targets. Track the internal procedures that are supposed to produce the results the customers tell you they want. Once you have an established list of attributes to measure and have decided upon a unit of measure for each, then you must work these into performance and process standards for each business unit which provides a product or a service. Tell your people everything you learn--You must always focus on both the internal, as well as the external customer. It is just as essential to measure process performance as it is to measure the organization's overall performance to its customers. [5]
The focus of the strategic planning model variety is on achieving corporate financial objectives through designing and implementing product, pricing, promotion, and place (distribution) programs. The focus of the marketing process model variety is on the formulation of segmentation, targeting, differentiation, and positioning strategies designed to create, communicate, and deliver value to the customer to ensure their satisfaction and gain their loyalty, i.e. achieve marketing objectives. [6]
Many companies have been using electronic forums and on-line services for technical support, and the existence of on-line communities around products provides selfservice opportunities to customers. The Web takes this self-service component further, allowing a company to present a large amount of information on its products and services in an organized and visually attractive manner, and update it frequently. [7] Companies find it hard to act on customer feedback because there are a number of common corporate misconceptions acting as barriers to service improvement. It is widely acknowledged that managers have to deal with too much information. [4] Helen Stott, PR manager for Europe and Asia at Telia International Carrier (TIC), which provides bandwidth, voice and IP services, claims, WAS is an important part of our strategy. It will help us enhance quality of service and improve customer retention." [8]
Consumers mostly believe that the government should set minimum standards of quality for all products, but managers mostly disagree. Consumers also mostly believe that manufacturers are more interested in making profits than serving customers and managers mostly disagree with this. These indications show a public distrust of managers' ethical policies regarding prices, product quality and profitability. The good news is that most consumers now have a favourable impression about New Zealand goods compared with those made overseas. [9]
Consumers' perceptions of the quality of products also will be influenced by the sales service given and product reliability, whereas operations managers might think of finished goods quality in the factory warehouse. All of these factors tend to give operations managers a more optimistic view of the improved quality of New Zealand products than average consumers. Most consumers and managers agree that they will trade off some quality for a cheaper price but only to a limited extent. [9]
Operations managers in New Zealand firms feel strongly that the quality of most products has improved tremendously over the past few years. They almost all agree that their company's product quality has increased in recent years and, that consumers should have seen an increase in their product quality compared with overseas made goods. They also mostly agree that New Zealand-made goods are better quality now than overseas made goods. Most consumers in fact are neutral in their perception of improved quality and there are as many disagreeing as there are agreeing. Consumers mostly agree that New Zealand-made goods are better quality than most overseas goods, but they are not as strong in this view as managers. [9]
Before recent deregulation of import licensing, government policies of import substitution supported companies which could produce at a low cost without much consideration for product quality. Managers probably now believe that their management of product. quality has improved significantly as a result of better quality control systems and quality assurance procedures. The hypothesis for the research study was that most New Zealand operations managers probably believe their products now compare favourably in quality terms with competitive products from other countries. [9] The quality management survey of operations managers in manufacturing firms included further questions about product quality systems and quality techniques used. The analysis of this information was published separately. [9]
In one case, account representatives being held accountable for survey scores visited the customer's office and asked the survey questions directly, filling in the customer's answers on the survey form. When someone in the company finally questioned this approach, a parallel telephone survey conducted b an independent firm uncovered dramatically lower results. In another example, a hotel chain had its employees slip a survey under the doors of guest rooms. Employees quickly figured out that they were only hurting themselves by giving surveys to guests who had problems at the hotel. 2. Re-contact customers who have been sued and encourage them to alter their previous answers. One of the more insidious forms of cheating, this approach involves looking through customers' answers, contacting those who gave a less-than-desirable rating, and gently badgering them into giving a revised evaluation. During the course of follow-up conversations, customers are encouraged to state that they were "satisfied" after all. Exclude potentially unhappy customers from the list of those to be surveyed. If it is known beforehand that some customers will give low survey scores, a reasonable explanation can sometimes be constructed for excluding them from the survey. The technique was used to its fullest extent in a program where detailed listings of customer answers were relayed to company managers in the field each month. For the following week, these managers--the same ones held accountable for customer scores--were allowed to specify exclusions of individual customers from the database before the results were ever tabulated. [10] Even though it is voluntary and takes place in the morning before the office opens, the response is great, said General Manager Jim Crabtree. "The breakfast is a great opportunity to recognize the positive initiatives taken by various employees, and to thank them for their hard work," he said. The telco also keeps its customers abreast of accomplishments of YVT's employees via the company newsletter. [11]
Make the feedback relevant, personal and timely. If customer service measurement is approached in the right way, managers will stop talking about how they measure service and start talking about how they improve the quality of customer service. [4]
"We instituted our guest questionnaires in 1989 with the goal of improving communication and service." MOTIVATE YOUR STAFF. Recognizing the importance of guest satisfaction led Foodmaker Inc. to use customer questionnaires as part of the monthly quality inspections of its Jack-in-the-Box restaurants. By basing a percentage of its employees' bonus structure on these questionnaires, everyone from the grill person to the area manager is forced to face the importance of the customer's opinions. [12]
New physical facilities usually represent a substantial economic investment for libraries all over the world. This kind of investment is much more difficult in developing countries' libraries, where financial resources are always obtained in an uncertain manner. In those countries, when a library succeeds in getting a new building, it is always important to evaluate seriously how it will be seen and used by the customers. Frequently, the decision on building a new facility is made without paying enough attention to how the customers will face the new environment and even if the space is bringing actual advantages to their lives. Library managers should be attentive to their customers' opinions and try to use them in the planning of the services. It is always difficult to evaluate the customers' opinions due to the lack of human resources to accomplish more complex researches. For this reason, it is important to find less expensive techniques in order to listen to the customers. This article describes the use of one of those techniques - the focus group approach - applying it to the context of a Brazilian academic library and concluding that it can be adequate for this purpose. [13]
Much has been made about the Web's potential as a new channel for customer service and electronic commerce (e-commerce), which ties in with the inbound call centre, currently the primary channel for customer service and telecommerce. In its explosive growth of the last three years, the Web has evolved from a purveyor of simple, relatively static electronic content to a channel more capable of providing customer service and e-commerce capabilities. Both of these uses for the Web have been limited at present by the following issues: Lack of standards; security/privacy concerns; immaturity of technology; and greater level of comfort (and inertia) with call centre agents for satisfying customer inquiries and completing transactions. These issues hinder the development of widespread e-commerce, most notably in the short-term. [7] Tesco hit back, saying the Which? survey did not reflect "the reality we experience with customer feedback from some of our 1m regular online shoppers". They, said the retailer, "love our unrivalled delivery area, our cheaper alternative suggestions, bagless deliveries, convenient delivery times and efficient service". [1]
You could do nothing, hold your breath, sit back, wait and see, act fearfully. Or you could take risks, make waves, be bold, think about inspiring your customer and adding value to your customer experience. Innovators will see these topsy-turvy times as chances to gain ground, launch new products, create their own opportunities and draw customers closer to their brands. Fortune magazine recently revealed its list of most admired companies in their industries in the category of innovation. [14]
A Total Quality Management Society was formed and has been active in educating and training managers in quality improvements. Independent quality assessors have been trained and accreditation has been forced on many firms by their export customers. [9] Let customers tell you which end results to measure--After your list has been developed, rank order the product's or service's characteristics by occurrence and severity and by relative importance and level of satisfaction to the customer. Methods such as quality function deployment (QFD) and failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA) are excellent ways of doing this. [5]
"We are not convinced that the way forward to profitability is through VAS. However, Level 3 is looking at VAS in some areas -- maintenance services for customers on our long distance network, for example." TIC's approach on the other hand is that the carrier wholesale market is about improving its customers' (carriers and service providers) offerings to its end-users through voice and IP-based services. This can be enabled through VAS. TIC claims a growing list of voice and IP-based services, including IP transit, IP VPNs, international voice termination and the Telia Clearinghouse portfolio. [8] "Our philosophy's to be one step ahead in the service perspective," says Craig Adams, who leads Akamai's customer experience team. MTV Online Networks, a New York-based division of Viacom, experienced this firsthand. [15]
Writing in a forthcoming issue of the International Journal of Business Intelligence and Data Mining, Takahiro Hayashi of Niigata University, and colleagues, explain that their approach extracts subjective expressions from web pages. The system then scores them by degree of subjectivity and provides the reader with an indication of whether the website content expresses personal opinions or marketing speak about a product or service. The team has evaluated the performance of their system using 1200 web pages collected from four categories: product, tourist spot, restaurant, and movie. They found that their method is much more effective in finding personal opinion pages than a general search engine, in all categories. Part of the reason for this is that search engines, such as Google, tend not to rank personal pages highly. [16]
"As an educational trade association, it is our responsibility to help provide information and best-of-breed solutions to small and medium-sized merchants," said Brandon Dupsky, Managing Director, eCommerce Merchants. "We chose CREDITZ as a partner because they have deployed a creative marketing and reward engine built to address the primary CRM needs of online ecommerce businesses. CREDITZ Digital Currency is a new form of payment and a loyalty network system all-in-one package that is designed to be a win-win proposition for eCommerce businesses and their customers. CREDITZ are paid to customers for purchasing from online merchants who appreciate their business. Customers are then able to return and spend those CREDITZ back where they earned them or with any other merchant in the CREDITZ Network. It's simple and easy to implement, providing instant customer satisfaction while allowing eCommerce Merchants to directly benefit with increased sales and profits. "We believe this partnership provides members of the eCommerce Merchants with a unique resource to set them apart in a highly competitive online marketplace," says Roy Hayes, EVP of CEO America, Inc. "We are committed to helping eCommerce businesses grow by giving each of their online customers a free CREDITZ account and adding up to 200 CREDITZ (2 value) to each account to help them start building their CREDITZ balance. We are partnering with eCommerce businesses to help them show appreciation to their customers and finding ways to increase loyalty to their brands." This article was prepared by Marketing Weekly News editors from staff and other reports. [17]
What about opinion-formers? Professor Greyser believes that in large, fragmented markets which may have several stock exchanges, corporate advertising is a good way of reaching everyone who matters at once. Tim Ambler, senior fellow in marketing at London Business School, says that, other things being equal, the share rating of companies that are well known are higher than those that are not. Most fund managers unsurprisingly insist that corporate advertising makes not a jot of difference to their view of a company. [18]
There have been several newspaper and magazine articles and radio discussions about the improved quality of New Zealand goods. The survey has shown that the majority of operations managers have an optimistic impression of customers' opinions about the quality of their products. If managers accept these more accurate impressions of customers' opinions then they should be more highly motivated to improve quality further. [9] There are a number of reasons why New Zealand managers believe more strongly than consumers that product quality has improved. [9] New Zealand consumers generally do not perceive improved product quality in recent years as strongly as the managers. [9]
Increased competition is another factor which operations managers have seen at first hand more than consumers. This has made the companies which have survived import deregulation compete on product quality comparisons more than in the past. [9] Operations managers are generally from a higher socio-economic group than average consumers. The type of goods which they are buying for their companies tend to be different than average consumer purchases. Therefore, managers' perceptions of quality will be different. [9] Quality assurance working groups, committees, workshops and training sessions make recommendations, inform and motivate people, set an activity or project in motion. These methods all have valuable roles to play, but there must also be a practical means for managers to ensure that quality service is provided to patients on a continuing basis, and to be able to demonstrate the level of service attained. [19]
Avoid asking questions that might make you look bad. If you know that customer answers to certain questions will put you in a bad light, you can probably dream up a few reasons why those questions should not be included in the survey. In one example of this form of cheating, a senior manager lobbied for excluding a question that asked if customers thought the firm was "a well-run company." This question clearly reflected directly on his own performance, which was not sterling. [10] Now is the time to find out precisely why. "It is very valuable to know what our customers are thinking," says Larry Pera, a Jack-in-the-Box restaurant area manager in Hayard, California. [12] Brands also need to invest time internally to see where the "basics gaps" are occurring. Another outdoor apparel marketer, The Orvis Co., is concentrating on two areas of focus: keeping its best customers and finding ways to acquire new customers online. [14]
The customer may not always be right, but for Staples.com, the online extension of Framingham, Mass. -based office supply company Staples, the customer certainly makes the difference. While redesigning its Web site earlier this year, Staples.com concentrated its efforts on gathering customer opinions, on understanding customer interests, and, perhaps more importantly in the crowded online retail world, on learning how to keep them. [20]
"Today, with Contribute NOW, we are again changing the face of the industry, distributing the power to create and continually update customer communications throughout the enterprise. By enabling any business user, regardless of their role, to quickly and easily contribute new content, we give our clients the power to make each and every customer communication, regardless of the delivery channel, both highly personal and compliant." Recognizing the strategic importance of customer communications, Thunderhead has also introduced Analyze NOW, a comprehensive set of analytical tools designed to give management professionals unprecedented insight into their customer communications. [21] Jack-in-the-Box views complaints as potential future business. A letter from the area manager is sent, telling the customer how their particular problem has been remedied. [12]
Thunderhead NOW 5.0 empowers business users to contribute content to critical customer communications more easily than ever before. [21]
Springer has found that most customers purchase a bundled product: a combination of print and online that costs only 25 percent more than the print or electronic alone. [22] MarketLive Performance Index data shows that organizing extensive products into easily scanned, tabbed content boosts product page conversion - measured by dividing the number of cart additions by the number of product views - by more than 11 percent. With cart abandonment rates continuing to hover above 50 percent - and with shoppers ever more ruthless in their search for bargains online - it's important to be transparent about the total order cost. [23]
Eqos Deal and Terms Management manages complex promotions/deals, beginning with the concept; through supplier collaboration and negotiations; execution of the program; settlement of funds; and, ultimately, assessing the deal and supplier performance. Product buyers can work collaboratively with suppliers to structure deals and to negotiate terms such as net price, retro-discounts, returns and marketing contributions. Suppliers are able to self-manage their processes using the Eqos system within retailer security restraints. [24]
As the promotion/deal progresses, audit trails enable 'no dispute' tracking of information, while advanced security capabilities protect sensitive deal and terms information. "We're delighted that HMV has joined the growing list of leading retailers who rely on Eqos to support and scale their businesses," said Jane Biddle, Eqos Chief Marketing Officer. "As a leading home entertainment retailer, HMV remains on the forefront of the market by consistently offering an outstanding and evolving selection of products, across hundreds of stores, and through its on-line channel." [24]
The marketing department may understand the need for market research, repetitive message delivery, and luck, but the corporate communications efforts are more like one-time, broad-spectrum attempts to win the hearts and minds of the public. Such efforts are almost certainly doomed to failure because they fail to incorporate the lessons learned by political candidates when presenting the "corporate image." Some utility companies rely on their monthly bill statements to pass along corporate information. Though cost-effective, this path is not a viable means of motivating the general public or addressing a crisis situation. Most recipients, even corporate senior managers, give bill inserts a cursory glance, at best, before tossing them in the trash. [25]
The assessor, who may be a nurse manager, nursing officer, quality assurance officer or manager (with nursing background) conducts the audit with the sister or nurse in charge of a ward. Nurses in charge of wards should be made aware of all the quality standards against which their wards are being measured. only if they know what is wanted can they try to meet those expectations. The assessor and nurse in charge can refer to the standards required on every item looked at during the audit, as they are part of the document. This enables proper discussion to take place and, if need be, to find ways of meeting the requirements. Both the assessor and the nurse in charge are then working towards the same objectives. There is less likelihood of ward sisters or nurses in charge perceiving the assessor to be an adversary against whom they must try to score points, without being too sure of the rules of the game. Receiving positive feedback and encouragement motivates staff and maintains their willingness to keep quality issues to the fore in their work. [19]
Maoris and Pacific Islanders were more in agreement (43.2 per cent) than disagreement (31.8 per cent). Managers were asked if they agreed or disagreed with this statement. This was asked to investigate the managers' confidence in their improved product quality. Managers were asked if they agreed or disagreed. This was asked to investigate their perception of consumers' views of changing product quality. Respondents were asked to indicate how well they agreed with this statement. [9] The international standards of high product quality are progressively improving, so managers will have to strive continually to secure improved quality and remain competitive. [9]
Consumers were about evenly divided between agree, neutral and disagree (see Figure 2). (Figure 2 omitted) The managers' perceptions of improved product quality was much stronger than the consumers' views. Female consumers disagreed with this statement (40.7 per cent) more than males (30.6 per cent). There was little difference between the views of those who had travelled overseas and other consumers. New Zealand residents born in Europe were about evenly divided in their agreement and disagreement. [9] According to Which?, the consumer organisation, Tesco received a customer satisfaction score of only 58 per cent, well behind the 82 per cent achieved by the top scorer, Ocado, an online service that sells products from rival supermarket Waitrose. [1] When the rack of 118 numbers launched in December of last year, Oftel said: "For the first time consumers will have an easy choice of directory enquiries services at a range of different prices." From August 24, the public will have to make a choice between the various services, as they find a call to 192 provides nothing more than a list of 12 alternative numbers.The proof of the system's desirability will be just how long it takes for that list of operators to rationalise to two or three. [26]
A working party, headed by a research nurse, was given terms of reference by the unit general manager to provide the unit with a quality assurance system to be used on the wards. Packages available at the time were assessed as to their appropriateness but, as no package met the requirements of the unit, the working party addressed the issue themselves and devised the quality assurance ward audit. [19]
A usable return rate of 34 per cent was achieved. This was considered to be a representative sample of operations managers throughout New Zealand responsible for quality management and, in most cases, with a good knowledge of quality standards of bought-in items both from local firms and imported. Respondents were asked to indicate how well they agreed or disagreed with this statement. Most managers agreed quite well with this statement (77.6 per cent agreed at least a little). [9] The critical analysis proved an invaluable experience in furthering knowledge of the provision of project management services. The key issues and challenges encountered covered a broad range of the services that project managers provide for their clients. [27] Managers must be able to maintain the impetus for staff at all levels to check and to continue to provide quality service. [19]
Much has been written--and spoken--about the quality of students being educated by American business schools. This issue of HR Focus hopes to gain even more opinions and insights on the topic by including a survey designed jointly by the newsletter editors and staff members at the Indiana University School of Business. The results of this survey will be used to gauge the reactions of HR executives and recruiters toward students who graduate from both undergraduate business and MBA programs. [28] A mixture of high technology, along with cultural strengths, a strategic business plan, a daily operational routine, and a quality process, made for a winning team. We were very proud when the board announced that we had made the short list of finalists for the excellence award, but winning was a significant emotional event for all of us at Windsor Assembly. (We actually shut down operations at the plant during the award ceremonies so our people could watch them on TV.) [29] The report also identified a trend in increased real-time deployment of data quality solutions as data quality vendors embrace SOA standards, which has enabled data applications to be embedded into broader business processes for use online rather than just in batch, which was usually the case in the past. [30]
The pop-up reminders link to mini lessons explaining why a given indicator or action is important in treating a patient with a chronic condition. Residents leave the program with high expectations for EHRs in their future hospitals and medical practices. Memorial Hermann reports systemwide quality data on its public Web site, as well as on CMS' Hospital Compare site. Not only does the public Web site include the quality indicators, but also it puts them into context by explaining the significance of each measure and providing national average performance data. [31]
For many telcos, like Albany Mutual Telephone Association (Albany, Minn.) and Roberts County Telephone Cooperative Association (RCTCA, New Effington, S.D.), salary adjustments are a primary means of rewarding outstanding employee performance. At Albany Mutual Telephone, General Manager John Rose annually compensates with a cash bonus those of his 12 staff members who consistently demonstrate good workmanship. "I feel that it is important to reward those employees that put forth extra effort," he said. [11] While bonuses are rare at RCTCA, General Manager Pamela Harrington, acknowledges that the potential for salary raises, contingent upon employee performance, is an effective form of recognition for employees that work especially hard. [11]
Organizational compression, elimination of layers and centralizing responsibilities to shop floor managers is resulting in the deployment of authority to the employees. These may be three new commandments to management, but the autoworkers had been bending the company's ear for years trying to get it to listen and to help resolve problems of all sorts. These are union principles. These commandments provided the proper working environment for change to occur. [29] At MGW Telephone Co. in Williamsville, Va., President and General Manager Ron Smith recognizes the live-year milestones of employees at a meal shared by all of the telco's staff. "To ensure the survival of the company, we have to recognize the employees who have been with us for many years," he said. [11]
A team of scientists and researchers at Battelle, a research-and-development organization in Columbus, OH, has compiled a list of the 10 most important technological challenges that will face industry during the next decade. "These are market-driven challenges for industry, and anytime the marketplace challenges us, that's a tremendous opportunity for business growth and profitability. Global market forces are opening up these new opportunities, and they're driving the development of new technology and products," said Stephen Millet, manager of Battelle's Breakthrough Center. [32] There are three cornerstones to telecommunications management, says Anders Sjoman, strategic solution manager for telecom management of Ericsson. Ericsson has covered the first two of these in articles published last year in the OSS/BSS supplements of Global Telecoms Business, in March-April and September-October. [33]
In our Yankee Group Telecommunications Planning Service Report, Business Multimedia Update: User Concerns and the Impact of the Internet, we expected the efforts of multimedia vendors to be focused increasingly on the Internet as the primary platform for communications and collaboration. [7]
When marketers from MGM called in 2002, asking for a demographic breakdown of people who'd bought tickets to war movies, Art Levitt, CEO of online ticket seller Fandango, was surprised. "Back then I didn't think we'd be getting into market research," he says. With a database containing the age, location, and purchase habits of each user who registers to buy advance movie tickets, Fandango was able to help MGM hone its marketing campaign for the movie Windtalkers. Similar requests gave Levitt a revelation: Rather than simply selling tickets, Fandango might get more value from the 1.7 million of its registered users who have opted to receive e-mail by turning them into the ultimate focus group for movie marketers. [34]
To capitalize on the wider online marketing opportunities available, the company has begun exploring paid search, partnership options that might be a good fit for the brand and even social networking. "That's something that's generationally not in my age range," Dormán says of social media marketing, "so I leave that to Travis and the younger people to help us with. It's definitely on our radar screen, and we see the importance and the viral aspect of social networking as being potentially very significant for us." [35] "Kia and Cobalt agree that the best strategy for success is to maximize Kia dealer investments in online marketing and advertising through improved coordination by leveraging the Kia brand site features and content at the dealer level, which improves the consumer experience and increases visitor-to-lead conversion." [36] ECMTA is a leading educational trade association for thousands of small and medium-sized online merchants, helping its members increase sales, reward brand loyalty, acquire new customers, strengthen the customer relationship, and give online shoppers a reason to return to their ecommerce websites thereby increasing their spending. [17] Staff would then fax an invoice to the salesperson to inquire about the discrepancy. We incorporated an electronic sticky note with email capability in CashPro, so that clients could maintain their work-flow process in the online environment. CashPro is a great example both of innovating in increments to improve a product over time and of engaging clients in an evolutionary innovation process. [37] The focus of the strategic planning model is on achieving corporate financial objectives through the implementation of product, pricing, promotion, and place (distribution) programs. [6] The product image and message content for each product were consistent across the three model conditions. [38] Info online at: http://www.workflowindustrialproducts.com. Editor's Note: The viewpoints expressed in this item are solely those of the author(s). These viewpoints do not represent an official position of AACE International, nor is AACE International endorsing or supporting any product(s) commented upon in the item. [27]
An intranet electronic reporting tool called me Daily Flash Report is embedded on me computer screens of all managers, directors and executives. It shows current and historical quality measures, botii standard ones like me CMS core measures, and those specific to current quality- improvement efforts, such as performance on hospitalacquired infections and prevention of ventilator-acquired pneumonia. The displays are color-coded: blue for areas where me system is hitting its targets, and red where it's falling short. [31] Immediately following the audit the assessor or quality assurance manager draws up action plans to address items requiring improvement. [19] Senior managers may set quality objectives across departments or units as an immediate response to get something done. There is now, of, course a growing movement towards concern for quality with a capital Q, with slogans and posters designed to remind staff of the need for their personal commitment to the issue. [19] Senior managers can demonstrate that the use of unit resources effectively raises the overall quality score. [19] Nurse managers may assume that a competently staffed and managed ward will automatically guarantee quality care. [19] Operations managers have been directly involved in changing quality standards and increased quality training and procedures. [9] Many managers will argue that the quality of patient care on wards is and always has been a major concern, and that the best possible level of care is provided for inpatients within the resources available. [19]
4.6. SALES MANAGERS
A good friend of mine, an IS manager at a large Fortune 500 company, recently sponsored a survey to get users to "tell it like it is." [39] To help learn its customers' opinions and expectations regarding the EPA mandated 2002 engine emissions standards and their potential impact on trucking, Peterbilt Motors Co. has added an online survey to its website, www.peterbilt.com, the company recently announced. [3] In the example described above, with a Revenue Index of 67% and with reference to Figure 1, the result shows that the company is in the 65th percentile of companies - not bad but with room for improvement that can add value. [40]
The sites will contain listings and opinions about a wide range of services in a community, from auto-repair shops and beauty salons to restaurants and roofers. "It is essentially a substitute for other online yellow pages," Rick Levine, a co-creator of Word of Mouth, said recently. "'I`he value to consumers is that other people's opinions may be closer to their own than a yellowpage description a merchant is paying for." [41] Guillebon says the Multicast service increases the capacify of fibre to carry data and enables a wider distribution of multimedia content that most frequently congest the network. [8] Rose, P.M., Stoklosa, K. and Gray, S.A. (1998), "The focus group approach to assessing technostress the reference desk", Reference & User Services Quarterly, Vol. 37 No. 4, pp. 311-17. [13]
In Minnesota, Rogosienski is gong-ho on the potential of Word of Mouth, even though the site, like that of the Post's in Denver, has been up hardly a week. "We're working with them closely to develop a much deeper service than just an online directory," he said. [41] Word of Mouth might be the first B2C2BC in online journalism: A business-to-consumer-to-business-and-consumer service. [41]
Contribute NOW, a powerful, but easy-to-use Web-based solution, enables non-technical users across the enterprise to quickly and easily develop new content and business rules for Thunderhead communications. Staff from departments such as marketing, legal and compliance can now effortlessly contribute and update content in any communication without specialist skills or training. [21] Return on total assets is a metric relevant to the chief marketing officer or sales managers. [6]
Funds spent on study days for managers have been demonstrated to improve the ward management result. [19] Margin management or return on sales is a metric relevant to sales managers or the salespersons. [6] Cobalt's website platform incorporates frameless architecture, best-in-class organic search compatibility, and enhanced content management tools making it easier than ever to update dealer websites. [36] Platcau. "Being recognized for hard work is very important to employees, and so in the end, both the company and the staff benefit from programs that acknowledge that their hard work is not going unnoticed." [11]
Incubation and the cross-fertilization of ideas are important to the creative process. Bank of America is integrating online networking into its innovation process. [37] At Bank of America, all associates are invited to collaborate in the innovation process. Associates can submit their ideas online via IdeasZone, an internal intranet site. These ideas are furmeled into the idea stream and receive equal attention within our innovation process. [37]
The Intelligent Cash Manager, a new end-to-end Bank of America solution, gives a live example of the test-and-learn approach. [37]
The trend in decision-making for the call center has shifted increasingly toward the business level end-user and the IT manager, a trend accelerated by the integration of Internet technology into call centres. [7]
As online commerce of all sorts develops, it becomes possible to divide it into categories. There are sectors that are efficient and impersonal - such as Amazon, which delivers the books or other items without any fuss but without any human contact either. There are sectors that are inefficient and acrimonious, and which include many of those requiring interaction with a call centre. The online supermarkets are in a category of their own, because they involve someone turning up on your doorstep every week. You get to know the delivery drivers better than their employers do. This was another difference I noted between Tesco and Ocado: drivers from both companies were friendly but Ocado's seemed happier. Tesco's drivers delivered the goods but also took a few minutes to complain about the long hours and how hard they were pushed. It is not a crucial difference, but when you are a mouse-click from changing suppliers, it all counts. [1] Michael Price, president of America's Franklin Mutual group, points to Berkshire Hathaway, Warren Buffett's investment group, which does not advertise, as a shining example of wise frugality. More companies, he says, should concentrate on lowering their overheads-including corporate advertising budgets. America's TIAA<REF, the world's largest pension-fund manager is equally sceptical: its investors are already well informed and are guided by financial reality. [18] Attendance includes the senior staff managers, area managers, the core team, engineering, union reps, workers, and most important, the area supervisor. [29] "We had a site (Neopets.com) that was slowreally that's all we knew," says Rob Roskin, MTV's manager of online operations and emerging technologies. [15] Our managers must have more time on the floor. Try appointing a front-of-the-house GM and a back-of-the-house GM. Be creative, but do something! If we tackle this like we tackled food safety, our industry soon will reap the rewards others can only wish for. [42]
Most managers disagreed (58.8 per cent) but most consumers agreed (74.4 per cent) (see Figure 6). (Figure 6 omitted) Again, the consumers' view was opposed to the managers' view. Respondents were also asked how well they agreed with this statement. [9] The audit should not be seen as a checking device only, to be conducted by and providing information for managers. [19] From the plant manager to the supervisor, change occurred. This change did not come easily. [29] The biggest change has been the technology: broadband has made the process easier, faster and more reliable. The online supermarkets have improved their websites, too. [1]
SpringerLink, which launched 10 years ago as a home for Springer's online journals, currently contains more than 3 million documents from more than 21,000 publications (including journals, books, book series, and reference works). [22] Mager added that the electronic version allows for more frequent updates; online content is revised at least once a year. "With content that is sensitive to its sell-by date, we are looking at more frequent updating than the usual edition cycle," said Mager. [22] With more than 80 years of music retailing history, HMV operates 265 stores across the UK and Ireland; 138 stores throughout Canada; and manages a growing and successful online store. [24]
Affordable, home-based health care-increasing home health care will help contain rising costs while serving an aging population and will provide people with convenience and privacy. Micro security-people will be more concerned with their personal safety and guarding their homes and communities vs. monitoring and protecting national borders. Renewed infrastructure-more developed countries need to update their transportation, bridges, water, and sewage systems, while less-developed countries don't have advanced infrastructures. This requires new materials and construction methods to keep costs down. [32]
The 'value-add' comes through simultaneously being able to distribute heavy content to a large audience through online video and audio streaming. In response to whether or not developing VAS is an effective long-term strategy, Guillebon asserts, "VAS will be a major competitive advantage for France Telecom over those that do not offer them. [8] "Reference works are neither research literature or review articles. [22]
Regardless of which projects top your priority list, measuring the results of improvements is crucial. [23] A few days later, Moore returned the list with certain titles highlighted. Fandango then sent the trailer for one of Revolution's family-oriented movies to users who had seen those films. Movie research--a business worth an estimated 200 million a year--has been dominated by companies like Nielsen Entertainment NRG, which specializes in offline activities such as exit polling. [34] Think of an online yellow pages that includes customers' opinions about the business, and you get an idea of the Word of Mouth concept. [41] Selected references of the literature reviewed, classified by marketing topics are listed at the end of the paper for readers interested in further pursuing the subject. [6]
RANKED RECOMMENDED SOURCES
(42 source documents numbered in order of appearance in text)
9. Comparative perceptions of product quality management
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/34.html
19. Quality Assurance Ward Audit
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/37.html
11. How do you recognize employees for their accomplishments?
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/6.html
1. It is competition that delivers the goods
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/SourcesA/16.html
6. Marketing strategy: taxonomy and frameworks
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/SourcesC/18.html
22. Case Study: Springer Raises Profile of Reference Works
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/SourcesC/15.html
41. Worst oil change ever: Now online
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/16.html
7. Call centres slowly evolving to merge with Internet
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/20.html
37. Case Study: Product Innovation at Bank of America
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/SourcesB/2.html
8. Where's the value in wholesale?
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/13.html
29. Chrysler and minivans: Are we there yet?
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/29.html
12. Feedback Helps Boost Repeat Business
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/36.html
4. Viewpoint: Why customer satisfaction research doesn't get results
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/12.html
24. Eqos; HMV Selects Eqos to Streamline Promotions and Supplier Deals
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/SourcesA/19.html
21. Thunderhead; Thunderhead Introduces Analytics and Collaboration Tools with New Release of Customer Communications Management Solution
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/SourcesA/13.html
34. Puppet's Got a Brand-New Bag Online ticket seller Fandango is finding that its customers ' opinions are more valuable than their money.
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/1.html
31. Empowered to improve
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/SourcesB/10.html
36. Cobalt; Kia Motors America Partners With Cobalt for New Dealer Website Program
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/SourcesC/11.html
27. A Critical Analysis of Asbestos Removal Project Cost Implications
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/SourcesC/6.html
17. CEO America Inc.; CREDITZ Digital Currency Announces Strategic Partnership With eCommerce Merchants Trade Association
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/SourcesA/1.html
23. Boost Customer Experience
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/SourcesB/15.html
15. I WANT (AND GET) MY MTV!
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/SourcesB/12.html
18. Business: Puffed up
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/18.html
5. The quality measure is customer opinion
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/30.html
3. 2002 Engine Survey on www.peterbilt.com
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/10.html
13. Using the focus group approach for evaluating customers ' opinions : the experience of a Brazilian academic library
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/17.html
32. Customer opinion critical in the next 10 years
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/21.html
10. How to cheat your way to higher customer survey scores
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/31.html
14. Which road are you on?
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/SourcesB/4.html
42. Get real, operators: Consistently good service just a myth
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/SourcesC/19.html
2. Emerging Analytics Tools Could Cut Costs by 10 Percent
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/SourcesB/5.html
20. Infoworld e-business 100: Staples.com
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/15.html
16. Inderscience Publishers; Personal discrimination on the Web
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/0.html
38. HOW PRODUCT TRIAL ALTERS THE EFFECTS OF MODEL ATTRACTIVENESS: An Adapted Etic Approach in Romania
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/SourcesA/9.html
28. A business school seeks customer opinions
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/26.html
25. What I learned on the campaign trail
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/24.html
35. Multichannel Hospitality
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/SourcesB/7.html
33. The third cornerstone: how to make it happen
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/SourcesC/16.html
40. What good customers are worth to a shrewd buyer
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/11.html
26. Consumers never knew they wanted more than just 192
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/9.html
30. Melissa Data; Melissa Data Ranks Highest in Customer Satisfaction in Data Quality Landscape Report
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/SourcesA/3.html
39. IS Departments Haven't Dispelled Their Image as Villains
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/35.html
9. Comparative perceptions of product quality management
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/34.html
19. Quality Assurance Ward Audit
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/37.html
11. How do you recognize employees for their accomplishments?
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/6.html
1. It is competition that delivers the goods
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/SourcesA/16.html
6. Marketing strategy: taxonomy and frameworks
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/SourcesC/18.html
22. Case Study: Springer Raises Profile of Reference Works
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/SourcesC/15.html
41. Worst oil change ever: Now online
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/16.html
7. Call centres slowly evolving to merge with Internet
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/20.html
37. Case Study: Product Innovation at Bank of America
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/SourcesB/2.html
8. Where's the value in wholesale?
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/13.html
29. Chrysler and minivans: Are we there yet?
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/29.html
12. Feedback Helps Boost Repeat Business
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/36.html
4. Viewpoint: Why customer satisfaction research doesn't get results
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/12.html
24. Eqos; HMV Selects Eqos to Streamline Promotions and Supplier Deals
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/SourcesA/19.html
21. Thunderhead; Thunderhead Introduces Analytics and Collaboration Tools with New Release of Customer Communications Management Solution
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/SourcesA/13.html
34. Puppet's Got a Brand-New Bag Online ticket seller Fandango is finding that its customers ' opinions are more valuable than their money.
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/1.html
31. Empowered to improve
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/SourcesB/10.html
36. Cobalt; Kia Motors America Partners With Cobalt for New Dealer Website Program
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/SourcesC/11.html
27. A Critical Analysis of Asbestos Removal Project Cost Implications
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/SourcesC/6.html
17. CEO America Inc.; CREDITZ Digital Currency Announces Strategic Partnership With eCommerce Merchants Trade Association
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/SourcesA/1.html
23. Boost Customer Experience
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/SourcesB/15.html
15. I WANT (AND GET) MY MTV!
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/SourcesB/12.html
18. Business: Puffed up
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/18.html
5. The quality measure is customer opinion
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/30.html
3. 2002 Engine Survey on www.peterbilt.com
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/10.html
13. Using the focus group approach for evaluating customers ' opinions : the experience of a Brazilian academic library
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/17.html
32. Customer opinion critical in the next 10 years
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/21.html
10. How to cheat your way to higher customer survey scores
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/31.html
14. Which road are you on?
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/SourcesB/4.html
42. Get real, operators: Consistently good service just a myth
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/SourcesC/19.html
2. Emerging Analytics Tools Could Cut Costs by 10 Percent
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/SourcesB/5.html
20. Infoworld e-business 100: Staples.com
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/15.html
16. Inderscience Publishers; Personal discrimination on the Web
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/0.html
38. HOW PRODUCT TRIAL ALTERS THE EFFECTS OF MODEL ATTRACTIVENESS: An Adapted Etic Approach in Romania
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/SourcesA/9.html
28. A business school seeks customer opinions
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/26.html
25. What I learned on the campaign trail
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/24.html
35. Multichannel Hospitality
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/SourcesB/7.html
33. The third cornerstone: how to make it happen
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/SourcesC/16.html
40. What good customers are worth to a shrewd buyer
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/11.html
26. Consumers never knew they wanted more than just 192
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/9.html
30. Melissa Data; Melissa Data Ranks Highest in Customer Satisfaction in Data Quality Landscape Report
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/SourcesA/3.html
39. IS Departments Haven't Dispelled Their Image as Villains
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/35.html