XHOTT Guide – serie

The rules change when the tools change Generating traffic to a website and catching the interest of the visitor, in order to make him buy a product or a service, is within everyone's reach today. Intensive research, try­ outs and the learning experience of E-Commerce pioneers have helped to uncover the marketing & sales possibilities of the Internet. But now that we have customers visiting our site, how do we keep them coming back? How to get a clear profile of each customer, so we can give him (or her!) the service he's looking for? And offer him other products he could also be interested in? To achieve this, companies are increasingly turning to Customer Relationship Management: the concentration of sales, marketing and service forces by integrating all dataflows into one data warehouse, thus blending internal processes with technology. The right way to market, sell and service customers requires a different CRM strategy for every company. Some organizations that reengineered their CRM processes are reporting revenue increases of up to 50%, whereas others have had obtained minimal gains or no improvement at all. The difference between the success or failure of a CRM project lies in the knowledge and ability that an organization brings to its efforts. This Hon Guide defines CRM from different points of view: sales, marketing, customer support and technology.

Data: from acquisition to interpretation Historically, the major challenge for organizations was capturing data. Years ago, businesses were able to leverage the information they could get, but weren't very good at getting detailed information across a range of business processes. In the business environment of today, virtually every transaction and minute business data is recorded in databases to enable better, more effective decision making throughout the organization. Most of the technology emphasis has been on storing data, with less attention paid to tools for transforming data into meaningful information which can be easily accessed and shared by executives. A data warehouse system can take meaningless data and, using intense analytical processing, offer insight into changing market conditions before they occur. The capability to optimize customer interactions and supply chain operations is becoming a source of great competitive advantage. This Hon Guide will give you access to all the essential information about the newest was to store and interpret data: through articles by expert trendwachters on strategic considerations, how-to reports defining the various ways to extract the data needed for critical business decisions, technical papers clarifying technologies and tools, business cases and key concepts that will provide the reader with a comprehensive overview of a business solution that is already indispensable.

Net Banking Unveiled The world of banking and financial services is in the midst of dramatic change. Driven by deregulation, consolidation and information technology, the financial services industry is busy reshaping itself - moving away from traditional "brick-and-mortar" branches to focus on new delivery channels, improved customer service and 24-hour-a-day access to information and transactions. According to IBM Consulting Group, within 10 years, Internet will become the dominant delivery channel for financial services, even if currently Internet banking operations represent approximately 5% of transactions total volume in the USA and in Europe. As the industry changes, financial institutions are experimenting with and embracing a wealth of new technologies. Through automated teller machines, Internet banking, extended-hour call centers and more, banks and other operations are educating their consumers on how advanced technology can lower costs while improving the level of customer service. "Bankers' hours" used to be from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday. With the help of new technology, today's consumers can check their account balances, apply for loans, get cash or conduct transactions 24 hours a day, seven days a week. This Hon Guide reveals all the ins and outs of this new online phenomenon. You are invited to read the expert opinions from bankers, trendwatchers and financial consultants, and explore the new banking solutions through white papers and reports.

Inspiration for the wireless revolution The big Geneva Telecom 99 exhibition will probably go down in history as the moment when Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) made its debut in the world. A slew of vendors launched their first WAP phones and carriers announced their first WAP services. And this time it's Europe that's the frontrunner. 'For once I'm not proud to be an American', said Larry Ellison, the CEO of softwaremaker Oracie, in a speech delivered at Telecom 99. Europe is at least 18 months ahead of the United States in deploying WAP. The Telecom 99 show could mark the beginning of a bright, very bright future for WAP. Analists predict that a significant part of Internet access will be via wireless devices within a few years. It's important not to get carried away. When the computer industry gets hold of a new concept like WAP it becomes the 'Next Big Thing'. Vendors pre-announce products and the mass media prints hype. When the revolution fails to materialize during the following months the hype will die soon. But this time it's different. The business case is overwhelming, the numbers are staggering, and it's the 'cash loaded' telecom industry that is delivering the key products.

'There is no doubt', dr. Kevin Nunley wrote, 'the Internet really is the biggest gold rush of our lifetime. It is unlikely you or I will get another chance as big as this one to earn huge profits anytime in the next 100 years. Someday people will look back and judge us as one of two groups: those who didn't recognize the Internet revolution and missed the greatest chance of our age, and those who smartly made a place for themselves in the new business model that will dominate the future. It is time to get on board. ' Ing. Adrian Mulder Content Editor Adrian Mulder is an Internet journalist who writes for major business computing magazines. He combines a technical background with a vast experience in the computer and business trade magazine industry The Ultimate Internet Advertising Guide Acknowledgements Many people and professionals have contributed directly or indirectly to this book. To name them all would be practically impossible, as there are many. Nevertheless the editors would like to mention a few of those who have made the production of this book possible. Executive Editor for SCN Education BV: Robert Pieter Schotema Publishing Manager: drs. Marieke Kok Marketing Coordinator: Martijn Robert Broersma Content Editor: ing. Adrian Mulder Editorial Support Dennis Gaasbeek, Rob Guijt, Richard van Winssen Interior Design: Paulien van Hemmen, Bach. Also, we would especially like to thank dr. Roland van Stigt for laying a solid foundation for the Hon Guide series to grow on.