How To Right-Channel Credit Card Customers

by Catherine Graeber, Ron Shevlin, Tom Watson, Jeremy Sweeney, January 8, 2004

Credit card providers are right-channeling customers to the Web, but just 22% of online cardholders access their account online regularly. Successful firms involve the branches and call center to move customers online.

Which Service Channels Financial Consumers Want

by Benjamin Ensor, Dr. Therese Torris, Remus Brett, Joost van Kruijsdijk, Elena Giovannini, January 7, 2004

European consumers seem to prefer human channels, even for simple customer service interactions. But their behavior is changing. Successful financial firms will understand and encourage this change to benefit from it.

Best Practices In Travel CRM

by Henry H. Harteveldt, Joshua Walker, Charles P. Wilson, December 29, 2003

Today, CRM in travel focuses on customer loyalty. But within two years, CRM will spur travel firms to overhaul their operations based around customer value.

Best Practices For Remote Usability Testing

by Moira Dorsey, Bob Chatham, Bruce D. Temkin, Michelle Amato, December 23, 2003

When implemented correctly, remote usability tests combine scenario-relevant feedback and clickstream data to help site managers detect and quantify design flaws.

The Future Of Workload Management

by Galen Schreck, Laura Koetzle, Angela Tseng, December 22, 2003

Future data center architectures will force workload management tools to learn new tricks. To automate firms' data centers, vendors will integrate workload management tools with three key technologies.

For Information & Knowledge Management Professionals

Online Configurators Need An Overhaul

by John P. Dalton, Bruce D. Temkin, Michelle Amato, December 22, 2003

Online configurators overwhelm customers with mind-numbing intricacy. Firms must abandon misconceptions about how users interact with their sites and redesign configurators to satisfy real user needs.

Making Auto Retail Lean

by Mark Dixon Bünger, Joshua Walker, Esther H. Yuen, December 22, 2003

Auto's inefficient demand chain costs the industry $110 billion annually. To cut out the waste, carmakers and dealers must work with dealer technology vendors to introduce lean principles into the business of selling cars.

Choosing The Right Search Marketing Tools

by Hellen K. Omwando, Jaap Favier, Iris Cremers, December 22, 2003

Search marketing is effective but growing in complexity. Marketers must pick the right search marketing tool, based on their campaign goals and customer profiles, and take charge of managing search complexity.

European Classified Ads' Cross-Channel Struggle

by Rebecca Jennings, Jaap Favier, Tim van Tongeren, December 19, 2003

Net classified ads continue to compete with traditional media for attention. Online-only players partner and diversify for success, while cross-channel titles adopt channel-agnostic strategies to move users across media.

No More IT Security Widgets, Please

by Laura Koetzle, Galen Schreck, Natalie Lambert, Angela Tseng, December 19, 2003

Firms concentrate on deploying new IT security gear - but technology is the least of their woes. IT security chiefs must: 1) rethink audits; 2) reuse existing controls; and 3) refocus on nontechnology issues.

The Power Of Design Personas

by Harley Manning, Bruce D. Temkin, Nicole Belanger, December 18, 2003

Though increasingly popular, personas remain widely misunderstood. Successful efforts key off of actual user behaviors, read like a story about a real person, and get used by everyone.

For Infrastructure & Operations Professionals

Deploying X Internet Technology

by Michelle de Lussanet, Bernt Ostergaard, Christopher Mines, Niek van Veen, December 18, 2003

The extended Internet has three basic components - networks, sensors, and services. Early-adopter firms lead the way to attain new levels of insight into the whereabouts and condition of their assets.

How Effective Are Japanese Web Sites?

by Ron Rogowski, Bruce D. Temkin, Michelle Amato, December 17, 2003

Forrester evaluated 16 major Japanese sites - finding that retailers deliver the most consistent user experience. To improve usability for customers, Japanese firms should adopt Scenario Design.

Making Dashboards Actionable

by Laurie M. Orlov, Christopher Mines, Liz Herbert, Colin Teubner, December 17, 2003

In the post-Enron era, dashboards have become the latest tech toy for top execs. But these projects are disconnected from business operations; firms must link dashboards to business processes and actions.

For Business Process & Applications Professionals

The X Internet And Business Profitability

by Navi Radjou, Christopher Mines, Ryan Hudson, Natalie Lambert, December 15, 2003

The X Internet connects firms' IT systems to physical products, assets, and devices. Winners will proactively use it to transform their ops, processes, and business model - and shut out rivals.

Convergence Strategy Counters Substitution Threats

by Lars Godell, Bernt Ostergaard, Andrew Parker, Michelle de Lussanet, Niek van Veen, December 11, 2003

European telcos face significant fixed-mobile substitution threats but lack a strategy across the fixed-mobile divide. Telcos need a long-term convergence plan, breaking up separate fixed and mobile silos.

Online Service: Finance's Best Practices

by Charlotte Hamilton Clark, Remus Brett, Dr. Therese Torris, Elena Giovannini, December 5, 2003

Finance firms turn to a mix of service tools to satisfy their online goals. They must discriminate between three service models to cut costs, boost lead conversion rates, and create a new cross-channel experience.

The X Internet And Consumer Privacy

by Christine Spivey Overby, Josh Bernoff, Esther H. Yuen, December 2, 2003

Everyday objects that are connected to the Internet promise marketers an unprecedented view of consumers' lives. Companies that want to tap into this channel must offer the right value to earn this consumer data.

EMRs For Small Physician Groups

by Eric G. Brown, Bradford J. Holmes, Sara E. McAulay, December 1, 2003

From digital hospitals to sprawling physician groups, electronic medical records are moving from pipe dream to mainstream. But most MDs practice in small groups, and, as they embrace EMRs, their requirements will reshape a market that will reach $1.4 . . .

How To Get To Multichannel Merchandising

by Carrie Johnson, Joshua Walker, Charles P. Wilson, December 1, 2003

Retailers try to optimize online merchandising but don't succeed. Why? Because they first need a multichannel technology foundation that enables consistent product organization and display.

Sizing Services Automation Apps

by George Lawrie, David Metcalfe, Sonoko Takahashi, November 18, 2003

Competition forced services automation vendors to consolidate. The market will grow from $470 million in 2003 to $820 million in 2008. Vendors must grab market share before market maturity hits in 2008.

Forecasting Europe's Outsourcing Stampede

by Andrew Parker, David Metcalfe, Manuel Ángel Méndez, November 13, 2003

IT services spending in Europe will shake off its early-decade blues to recover to €129 billion by 2008. But a surge of outsourcing uptake will reshape the whole market, forcing vendors into wholesale reinvention.

Rebuilding Consumer Loyalty

by Christopher M. Kelley, Kate Delhagen, Esther H. Yuen, November 5, 2003

Consumers constantly shop across competing retailers. To decrease cross-shopping and increase loyalty, retailers need to execute continuity marketing programs that enhance their brands' unique value proposition.

Searching For Digital Marketing's Growth

by Charlene Li, Chris Charron, Sheila Baxter, Charles Q. Strohm, October 31, 2003

The Net's increasing influence on consumers is pushing marketers to shift advertising and brand budgets online. Search will drive US digital marketing to $16 billion, or 4% of the marketing budget, by 2008.

The Site Redesign Playbook

by Paul Sonderegger, Bruce D. Temkin, Harley Manning, Michelle Amato, Nicole Belanger, October 30, 2003

Firms' misunderstanding of the Web leads to poor experiences. To maximize online investments, firms should adopt Iterative Scenario Design - a methodical approach for fixing the highest-impact design flaws.