Management: Customer Service and Information Technology
Case Study
1. How do information technologies contribute to the business success of the companies depicted in the case? Provide an example from each company explaining how the technology implemented let to improved performance.
Information technologies are imperative to businesses and organizations that want to be successful. In this case, there were three companies that demonstrated how information technologies helped their business. The first company was eCourier. eCourier delivers packages around London and wanted to “keep real-time tabs on customer satisfaction”(Textbook, pg 5). eCourier used SeeWhy software to help give them customer data faster. This software allowed eCourier to see when client’s accounts were going dormant or if there were changes in the bookings. With this new data, eCourier saved money by not having to add extra staff to monitor who was happy with service and who was not.
The second company was Cablecom. Cablecom was also interested customer satisfaction. They used statistical software to look through customer data and filter out trouble. They also found that using survey research in combination with statistical software gave a more accurate look at customer satisfaction or dissatisfaction. These two information technologies allowed Cablecom to see which customers were unhappy and helped them retain those customers.
Finally, the third company was a law firm called Bryan Cave. Bryan Cave needed an alternative to the hourly fee normally charged by law firms. Clients wanted “fixed pricing and pricing that was adjusted during a project” (Textbook, pg 6). The law firm had spreadsheets to help breakdown the collection of fees and how much profit was being made but these spreadsheets were difficult and confusing. The company used business intelligent tools to help “lawyers track budgets in real time so that they could quickly make adjustments”(Textbook, pg. 6). The use of this technology led to improved profitability for
1. How do information technologies contribute to the business success of the companies depicted in the case? Provide an example from each company explaining how the technology implemented let to improved performance.
Information technologies are imperative to businesses and organizations that want to be successful. In this case, there were three companies that demonstrated how information technologies helped their business. The first company was eCourier. eCourier delivers packages around London and wanted to “keep real-time tabs on customer satisfaction”(Textbook, pg 5). eCourier used SeeWhy software to help give them customer data faster. This software allowed eCourier to see when client’s accounts were going dormant or if there were changes in the bookings. With this new data, eCourier saved money by not having to add extra staff to monitor who was happy with service and who was not.
The second company was Cablecom. Cablecom was also interested customer satisfaction. They used statistical software to look through customer data and filter out trouble. They also found that using survey research in combination with statistical software gave a more accurate look at customer satisfaction or dissatisfaction. These two information technologies allowed Cablecom to see which customers were unhappy and helped them retain those customers.
Finally, the third company was a law firm called Bryan Cave. Bryan Cave needed an alternative to the hourly fee normally charged by law firms. Clients wanted “fixed pricing and pricing that was adjusted during a project” (Textbook, pg 6). The law firm had spreadsheets to help breakdown the collection of fees and how much profit was being made but these spreadsheets were difficult and confusing. The company used business intelligent tools to help “lawyers track budgets in real time so that they could quickly make adjustments”(Textbook, pg. 6). The use of this technology led to improved profitability for