The most recent articles from Infomatics

Poor content, poor portal ...

Mike Davis — 2002-11-25T24:00:00.000Z

Mike Davis, Infomatics, Monday 25 November 2002 at 00:00:00

It is still good quality content that makes for a successful enterprise portal, argues Mike Davis.

An enterprise portal offers a single interface to multiple, digital information sources or systems. Normally operating via a browser, it uses programs known as portlets to connect to the other systems, and to deliver an appropriate display within the portal.

In the past 18 months or so, portals have become de rigueur, sold by the major players on such key benefits as:

Simplified management and administration
Ease of access
Security
Performance enhancement.

In spite of the economic downturn, interest in portals appears to have held steady and, while procurement cycles have been extended, and the required business cases are becoming more detailed, enterprise portals are still being purchased and deployed, especially by larger organisations. But are they being sold on the right benefits?

What really makes a portal valuable?

The long-term value proposition for a portal - the real advantage it can offer to an organisation - is that it will become the core IT infrastructure.

If an individual is accessing an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system via a portlet in the portal, it does not matter whether the ERP system is to be found in the local computer room, at a remote data centre or even outsourced.

As the portlet gives a customised view of the application, it is possible to change the underlying ERP system with no visible, and therefore potentially disruptive, change for the individual.

At Butler Group we have seen a number of successful portals in operation. Sadly, we have also witnessed a number of situations where, as with many IT deployments, the return on the investment - the four key claims cited above - will not be achieved.

We have seen many organisations deploy portals for tactical reasons believing that, by allowing an individual to access multiple systems easily from a single screen, they will be more efficient.

But for the organisation to gain the benefits from this investment, employees, partners or customers have to recognise that the portal is the core IT infrastructure.

They have to have the motivation to use the portal, to believe that it will benefit them and so want to stay within it for as much time as possible.

Creating a sticky portal

The big issue here is 'stickiness'. For example, the commercially oriented internet portal Yahoo, currently the world's number one internet site, has added a range of functionality for users such as Personals and Auctions, to attract regular access and so drive advertising revenues.

This is not to suggest that all organisations need to provide a dating service to get an individual's attention, but it does show that having the right 'content' - information that is useful to the individual, either work-related or personal - is key to success.

So what else can help with stickiness? Email is the one type of content that all organisations deploying a portal will currently have. It is not, as an organisation suggested to me only last week, "a directory of all employees, their titles and their locations, and a copy of all company policies"!

It should be no surprise that Yahoo offers web email too.

Another application that has been seen as a success in business-to-employee portals is self-service personnel functionality, such as updating bank or address details.

This is not truly 'sticky', however, as the individual will normally only undertake such actions infrequently.

As part of the stickiness issue, many portal vendors emphasise the 'personalisation' that a user can undertake within a portal as a way of adding value to their experience.

Our research suggests, however, that personalisation is seen only as a 'nice-to-have', not a 'need-to-have'.

Most users are not actually that interested in colouring or reorganising their desktops. They have been able to do such things with Windows for years and, apart from the odd family photo or Formula 1 logo, most have stuck to the standard Windows colours and the standard Windows sound on start up. Similarly, only a small number of people personalise via MyYahoo.

Seek and you shall find ...

One thing that people do go to Yahoo for is its search facility, currently purchased from Google.

When you consider that employees can spend an estimated 10 hours a week in search of pertinent information, digitally stored or otherwise, search and retrieval is clearly important within organisations.

Most enterprise portals include a repository and a sophisticated search function, potentially provided by a third party, to assist in this process, and this can certainly make the individual, and therefore the organisation, more effective.

In general, however, there are often limits to the type and range of documents that can be accessed, and this is where Butler Group believes a major step in portal development is taking place.

Content is becoming the differentiating factor. While we have the delivery mechanism in the form of the portal there is not generally the integration with, and seamless access to, the wide variety of pertinent content that will add stickiness for the individual, whether employee, partner or customer.

Content is crowned king again

Many portal vendors are lining up in support of the content argument. Microsoft will be tying its Content Management Server very closely to the next release of SharePoint, for instance.

Plumtree, perceived as the most successful of the pure-play vendors, has released version 4.0 of its Content Server, and announced in mid-October 2002 that it is teaming with Oblix and content management provider Documentum to offer what it is calling The Enterprise Web.

And in the same month, content management vendor Vignette purchased the number two pure-play vendor Epicentric.

IT aside, the logic of more closely aligning and integrating portal with content is very sound. With its moving roof, Cardiff's Millennium Stadium is a wonderful building, for instance. That is infrastructure.

But to attract people into the seats and to justify the investment, there needs to be something in the centre, either a sporting event or a pop star. That's content.

ABOUT THE BUTLER GROUP

Butler Group, the independent IT research and advisory organisation, informs IT and business managers on current, emerging and future technology matters, and their impact on business.

Butler Group delivers a broad spectrum of research, analysis and advice on all issues surrounding the practical application of technology in business. Analysis is available via direct access to experts, written research and conferences.

Call centres: this time it's personal

Keith Symondson — 2002-04-25T09:30:38.000Z

Keith Symondson, Infomatics, Thursday 25 April 2002 at 09:30:38

There needs to be a balance between technology and the human will to provide a personalised service, argues Keith Symondson.

Visit your favourite website or call your bank and you're greeted with: "Welcome back, Mr Clark! We have recommendations for you" or "Hello Mr Clark. How may I help you this afternoon?"

It's called personalisation and it seems to be all about going the extra mile; showing your customers that you really do value their business and understand their requirements.

Back to the future

Personalisation is a way for marketing strategies to take heed of the old-fashioned shopkeeper scenario. The shopkeeper's purpose was to help customers enjoy their time in the shop, recommend goods that would appeal to them, convince them to purchase, leave them feeling satisfied with the purchase and encourage them to return.

The shopkeeper wrapped up all the 'front-end' functions of the modern company - sales, marketing and customer service - into one seamless interface.

Whatever the size or sophistication of your business, and whichever medium you choose to communicate with your customers - from the intimacy of face-to-face to the virtual world of the web - the aim to provide the best service should be the same.

And now we're starting to see more and more examples of companies relying on multiple channels to service customers in order to maintain that personal touch.

Volkswagen, for instance, recently announced that it is to increase its telemarketing activity to drive sales and enhance its customer retention programme.

This will support its direct mail operation, and there can be little doubt that the personal approach over the telephone will play a key role in fulfilling the company's aim to build closer relationships with customers.

Nor is Volkswagen alone. A recent survey by Noetica, which develops software solutions for the successful management of customer interactions in call centres and over the web, found that 65 per cent of marketing managers now use call centres as part of their marketing programme.

Efficiency v. effectiveness

But in order to deploy that telephone contact to enhance the relationship between a company and its customers, what counts is how you collect the data and what you use it for. This is where the 'efficiency versus effectiveness' argument comes into play.

The Noetica survey found that call centres are under increasing pressure to prove their accountability to marketing managers. Almost two-thirds of the marketing managers questioned said that they set regular volume targets for the call centre to hit, with almost half receiving daily activity reports.

But the same managers would not look favourably on 50 calls a day that result in no sales, even though they may be the ones pushing for targets to be met and exceeded.

Success isn't about rushing through interactions with the customer and consigning collected data to the dustbin of history. It's about maximising sales effort, getting to know the customer and making use of the data gathered, i.e. effectiveness.

The data game

As analyst firm Giga argues, the future of personalisation is in data mining. Database analysis will seek to find out everything there is to know about your customers: demographics, lifestyle, who they have bought from in the past, what's prompted their interest now.

Software exists that will help call centre agents write their own scripts, designing a valuable profile tool by giving an intuitive feel to a conversation.

There are masses of offerings but, if a business doesn't know what it really wants from a technology, then the technology is really only as good as the person that's using it.

Take CarChase. The online advertising provider increased its effective contact rate when it started using its data to identify when customers were about to replace their car, and choosing that moment to contact them with special offers on new cars.

Cross-selling - accessories, services, extended warranties, finance deals and so on - has provided CarChase with ongoing revenue from customers, as well as ensuring that it continues its relationship with customers. As the relationship continues, CarChase has experienced a progressively easier selling-on process.

The internet has definitely propelled personalisation. On the web, one of the best ways to provide a good service is to allow users the opportunity to customise their own pages on your website.

Whether it's allowing them to decide on colour schemes or clicking on a news site where they can customise content to their preferences, the company is giving a sign that it recognises the importance of the individual.

In perfect harmony

We know that customer retention is less expensive than customer acquisition. More customers change their spending behaviour than defect altogether, although the former can have more of an impact.

A recent report by analyst firm McKinsey found that the losses caused by one retail bank's customers defecting to another were actually lower than the losses created by customers who merely reduced their balance.

So perhaps we can turn loyalty on its head by saying that the challenge of personalisation is not about building customer loyalty, but about building the organisation's loyalty to the customer.

Ultimately, what matters is the need for the skills of the customer-facing salesperson to be at their best. This is where effectiveness and efficiency mesh.

No business will succeed without the customer, and it's often the most back-to-basics values of common sense, conscientious thought, and going that extra mile that reflect true personalisation in the eyes of the customer.

Keith Symondson is commercial director at Noetica.

E-shoppers criticise online services

Infomatics Digest — 2001-01-02T24:00:00.000Z

Infomatics Digest, Infomatics, Tuesday 2 January 2001 at 00:00:00

The new year began badly for ecommerce as it emerged that online shopping over the festive season had failed to come up with the goods.

The new year began badly for ecommerce as it emerged that online shopping over the festive season had failed to come up with the goods.

Despite an estimated seven million people logging on to purchase Christmas presents, it seems that hundreds of customers were left angry and frustrated at the level of after-sales service.

According to a survey of 25 major ecommerce websites by PLAUT Consulting, 72 per cent of sites had serious problems with order cancellations and the returns process, only 15 per cent provided a service equal to that of the high street and the remaining 32 per cent managed just an "average" service level.

The survey unearthed 13 major problems in the ecommerce after-sales process including customers being unable to contact the company via email or phone, goods being delivered after customers had confirmed a cancellation, customers being charged for purchases that had already been cancelled, and e-tailers losing online orders and failing to accept returned goods by post.

Karl Thurston, managing director at PLAUT UK, said: "This study shows that many ecommerce sites are paying lip service to customer service. Service this poor wouldn't be tolerated on the high street, and must be putting people off [online] shopping."

Suppliers take the lead in ecommerce

Infomatics Digest — 2000-11-01T24:00:00.000Z

Infomatics Digest, Infomatics, Wednesday 1 November 2000 at 00:00:00

Suppliers are taking the initiative when it comes to business-to-business ecommerce.

Suppliers are taking the initiative when it comes to business-to-business ecommerce.

A study by Total Research shows that of those surveyed, 46 per cent of the major UK suppliers now have ecommerce solutions in place in order to sell more efficiently to their new business customers. This is almost double the number who had fully operational ecommerce solutions in March.

A further 20 per cent said they were now using e-procurement solutions to sell to their customers, while only 12 per cent said that they were participating in online exchanges.

The low participation in exchanges is surprising given the fact that exchanges and e-markets are currently enjoying significant media and industry attention, dwarfing that afforded to e-procurement software solutions.

Over one third of suppliers who had adopted ecommerce or e-procurement said that their main driver was being invited to take part in customers' initiatives.

In other words, they needed to adopt the same method of electronic commerce to continue to sell to their customers.

Big Brother's real losers

Infomatics Digest — 2000-09-25T23:00:00.000Z

Infomatics Digest, Infomatics, Monday 25 September 2000 at 23:00:00

UK businesses have lost £1.4 million for every week the controversial game show Big Brother was broadcast. According to Unipalm, the cost of £300,000 per day was due to employees accessing the Big Brother website from their desks.

New data from Websense reveals that this is just the cost of employees accessing one website from the many millions available to staff who have unrestricted access to the internet.

Channel 4 was getting between 100,000 and 150,000 unique users every day, their website being hit for an average user session duration of 15 minutes. This works out as £2.91 per video stream, based on information from the Office for the National Statistics.

Unipalm's e-security product manager, Wendy Hoey, said: "These findings are obviously quite worrying, but they also demonstrate just how powerful a draw Big Brother really is. However, bosses don't have to be powerless in stopping this kind of employee abuse of internet access ..."

UK technology industry fighting fit

Infomatics Digest — 2000-08-31T23:00:00.000Z

Infomatics Digest, Infomatics, Thursday 31 August 2000 at 23:00:00

Deloitte & Touche has declared the UK technology industry 'fit and well' in its second annual survey.

Deloitte & Touche has declared the UK technology industry "fit and well" in its second annual survey.

The survey targeted over 2,000 technology companies from a variety of sectors including software, hardware, biotechnology and telecommunications.

Results revealed that the industry is in a strong position, revealing high levels of optimism at a time when corporate activity is generally moving quickly.

Access to skilled staff and concerns about wage inflation are still major issues, and 29 per cent of companies claim they see sales and marketing as their biggest challenge, after finding skilled staff.

However, once the companies have found the staff, the survey suggests that they are doing all the right things to keep them. On top of traditional reward schemes, approximately half the companies now offer equity options.

The USA and UK are viewed as the best countries for market expansion.

Correspondingly, the biggest threats are seen to come from the USA or domestic rivals.

Europe is seen to be an increasingly attractive market but European companies are perceived as being of little threat.

Millennium brings increase in working from home

Infomatics Digest — 2000-08-31T23:00:00.000Z

Infomatics Digest, Infomatics, Thursday 31 August 2000 at 23:00:00

Approximately a quarter of a million people joined the teleworking workforce last year, an increase of 19 per cent, according to an IES analysis.

Approximately a quarter of a million people joined the teleworking workforce last year, an increase of 19 per cent, according to an IES analysis.

The results of the Spring 1999 Labour Force Survey found that approximately 1.2 million people in the UK work from home for at least one day per week in their main job, using a computer and a telephone link to their employer or clients.

Just one year later and this figure has risen to 1.5 million, representing 5.5 per cent of the British workforce.

According to the survey by the Government's Office of National Statistics, seven out of 10 teleworkers are men, despite the fact that men make up little over half of the workforce as a whole.

Most teleworkers are in senior jobs: 28 per cent are managers, 22 per cent are professionals and 18 per cent are in associate professional or technical occupations.

Size does matter, say students

Infomatics Digest — 2000-08-31T23:00:00.000Z

Infomatics Digest, Infomatics, Thursday 31 August 2000 at 23:00:00

A recent survey of IT students in the UK and Ireland has shown that, to them, the most attractive employer is Microsoft, with Sun Microsystems and IBM following closely.

A recent survey of IT students in the UK and Ireland has shown that, to them, the most attractive employer is Microsoft, with Sun Microsystems and IBM following closely.

The results of the survey, carried out by Globeroom, indicated a distinct preference for older, more established organisations. The giants of the IT industry are perceived to offer challenging roles and act as perfect springboards for a career.

Although respondents to the survey named large companies as their preferred first step onto the career ladder, they revealed that in the long-term they would be happier to work for a small or medium-sized business.

The 760 IT undergraduates and postgraduates, from the top 20 schools of IT and computer science, were also asked what they wanted most from an employer. Sixty five per cent state that achieving a good work/life balance is higher on their list of considerations than high salaries, flexible working hours or 'intellectual challenge'.

For the full survey results visit: www.globeroom.com

Ecommerce to rise from the ashes

Infomatics Digest — 2000-08-31T23:00:00.000Z

Infomatics Digest, Infomatics, Thursday 31 August 2000 at 23:00:00

In spite of the recent well-publicised market slump, there is huge potential for ebusinesses to grow the online shopping market in the UK.

In spite of the recent well-publicised market slump, Taylor Nelson Sofres finds that there is huge potential for ebusinesses to grow the online shopping market in the UK.

Almost one in five internet users in the UK said that they have bought goods or services online in the past month. Eleven per cent said that they have considered buying online but decided against it, and 13 per cent said they plan to shop online within the next six months.

The study also shows that more than a quarter of Britons (approximately 12 million adults) are internet users.

"These findings suggest that there is considerable potential to double the UK online shopping marketplace in a relatively short time frame," says Pete Cape, Director at TNS.

"Not only is there a significant minority of internet users who are likely to become online shoppers by the end of the year, but there is also an opportunity for ecommerce marketers to focus on converting interested online browsers into actual shoppers."

Full of Middle Eastern promise

Infomatics Digest — 2000-06-18T23:00:00.000Z

Infomatics Digest, Infomatics, Sunday 18 June 2000 at 23:00:00

According to research by ITEuropa.com, IT sales will boom in the Middle East and Africa over the coming three years as small and medium sized companies in the more developed countries start to automate their operations.

The new report, Middle East and Africa, the Computer Channel profiles the top channel/IT services companies across 27 countries, including the top 30 in Turkey, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, South Africa and Iran.

The report estimates that PC sales should rise 15 per cent to over three million units in 2000 but impresses that the leading IT players are growing a lot faster than that.

These companies average sales growth runs at over 30 per cent in half of the countries covered in the report.

The countries in the most advanced markets fare best, with Turkey claiming a 41 per cent growth rate, Egypt 32 per cent and South Africa a staggering 57 per cent.

For more information: www.iteuropa.com

PCs are all the rage!

Infomatics Digest — 2000-05-07T23:00:00.000Z

Infomatics Digest, Infomatics, Sunday 7 May 2000 at 23:00:00

Nearly half of computer users in the UK now suffer from PC rage, according to new research.

Nearly half of computer users in the UK now suffer from PC rage, according to new research, with the most common symptoms being hitting the computer, abusing colleagues and hurling equipment across the room.

The research, commissioned by software company Symantec and carried out by NOP, found that 57 per cent of the small companies surveyed admitted to having lost productivity as a result of PC problems.

Furthermore, over a quarter of those surveyed admitted suffering computer problems on a weekly or daily basis.

The findings suggest that the growing reliance on computers is only adding to workplace stress, which kicks in when computers fail.

"Over half of all working days lost to sickness in the UK are related to workplace stress," says Fiona Dennis, stress management trainer with Priory Healthcare.

"Individuals are expected to achieve a higher performance level in all areas of their lives and have become slaves to technology."

The solution, ironically, is yet more technology, according to Aled Miles, managing director UK and Eire at Symantec.

"People need not suffer. With a utilities software package such as Norton SystemWorks, PC rage can become a thing of the past," he said. Well, he would, wouldn't he?

Wasted years on 'menial' tasks

Infomatics Digest — 2000-05-07T23:00:00.000Z

Infomatics Digest, Infomatics, Sunday 7 May 2000 at 23:00:00

Senior marketing staff are wasting the equivalent of a whole working week approving and amending direct mail and brochure copy, according to marketing communications specialist Elateral.

Senior marketing staff are wasting the equivalent of a whole working week approving and amending direct mail and brochure copy, according to marketing communications specialist Elateral.

Over a 10-year period, this could amount to a year's worth of time reviewing copy and sending it back and forth between design houses and printers.

The statistic, based on feedback from 20 customers worldwide, suggests that the average brochure takes four and a half working days from start to finish.

"I don't think it's too much to ask for printers and creative agencies to harness technology and streamline approval processes," said Richard Watney, chief executive of Elateral.

"Marketeers shouldn't be slaves to paper. If teams were freed up from menial and administrative tasks, their efforts and good work would be much more clearly visible."

Naturally, Elateral claims to have developed the world's first web-based marketing production tool, designed to allow control of promotional activity and print material over the web. Channel partners can customise brochure material that will increase the effectiveness of direct mail campaigns.

Convergence - is the hype now a reality?

Infomatics Digest — 2000-05-07T23:00:00.000Z

Infomatics Digest, Infomatics, Sunday 7 May 2000 at 23:00:00

Sixty-five per cent of companies expect to achieve some form of voice and data integration over the next two years, according to an NOP survey.

Sixty-five per cent of companies expect to achieve some form of voice and data integration over the next two years, according to an NOP survey.

The survey, conducted for Miller Freeman at its Networks Telecom and CT Expo shows, threw new light on the hot topic of convergence. With 41 per cent of respondents claiming to have already begun integrating voice and data technologies, it appears that the marketing hype is finally becoming a market reality.

Miller Freeman's report, Voice and Data Convergence 1999-2000, suggests voicemail will be the most popular CT product of the future. Sixty-five per cent of companies have it, with 15 per cent having bought a system in the last six months.

It is the small to medium-sized enterprises that present the real sales opportunity for voicemail, though. Penetration of SMEs is only 42 per cent, compared with 84 per cent of enterprises.

Overall, the more mature PBX still dominates, penetrating 74 per cent of UK companies, but alternative methods of managing voice communications (LAN-based PBX, CT server) are gaining ground.

CT servers were the most popular buy in the first half of 1999, followed by CT-enabled customer software, unified messaging systems and fax on demand.

Stop the churn, fill the sales gap

Infomatics Digest — 2000-04-16T23:00:00.000Z

Infomatics Digest, Infomatics, Sunday 16 April 2000 at 23:00:00

Sales managers worried about churn may be missing the easiest way to solve the skill shortages - understanding the aspirations of existing employees.

Sales managers worried about churn may be missing the easiest way to solve the skill shortages - understanding the aspirations of existing employees.

Although almost 75 per cent of firms are worried that they can't predict which skills will be in short supply in a year's time, less than 25 per cent have taken time to research employees' skills and plans over the same period.

This is the conclusion of a survey of 1,500 middle managers by business software supplier Infinium.

The biggest obstacle a business faces when attempting to anticipate the future is the speed of change in the marketplace. While little can be done to change this, firms can do something about the second biggest obstacle in their path - their lack of information about employees.

According to Infinium's research, 65 per cent of employees reported that their ideal job existed within their current company, with 22 per cent aspiring to move up the career ladder. Around nine per cent felt a change of direction within the organisation would be preferable.

"In today's constantly changing business environment, employees can be the biggest and most stable asset a company has," said Terry Joint, vice-president of international operations at Infinium.

"It is unthinkable that so many companies do not take their development into account when planning for the future."

Permission email most e-ffective

Infomatics Digest — 2000-04-16T23:00:00.000Z

Infomatics Digest, Infomatics, Sunday 16 April 2000 at 23:00:00

Permission email marketing is five times more cost-effective than direct mail and 20 times more than eeb banner advertising, according to IMT Strategies and Primus.

Permission email marketing is five times more cost-effective than direct mail and 20 times more than web banner advertising, according to IMT Strategies and Primus.

The findings published in the report Permission Email: The Future of Direct Marketing suggest that permission email now out-ranks every other targeted marketing vehicle, including TV and radio. It proposes that this method of marketing communication is ideal for marketers hoping to drive business through their web channel.

The research shows that nearly half of all email users felt positively about permission email marketing, and three quarters of users have responded to this method of communication.

It estimates that email marketing will be worth more than $1bn by 2001, as it offers users a number of benefits alongside its high response rates, including lower costs per lead acquired and significantly higher ROI on marketing programmes. The report can be found at www.imtstrategies.com/forms/emaillink.html.