The customer service life cycle described by Blake Ives provides a structured perspective on the process of making the purchase decision, acquiring the product, owning it, and finally retiring or disposing of a product or service. After putting this process into an E-commerce framework, the successes of various organizations matching these needs were demonstrated. As one of the recognized successes, Dell Computer is now doing 40 percent of its total business through its web site. The Customer Service Life Cycle The CSLC described by Blake Ives is a thirteen phase process covering the customers activities associated with making the purchase decision, acquiring the goods or services, owning and maintaining the product and finally retiring it when it is no longer serving its purpose. Each sub-phase should be looked at through the customers eyes and the whole process expedited through the effective design of an E-commerce process.
The phases are summarized below Requirements Establish requirements Establish a need for the product Specify Determine product attributes Acquisition Select source Determine where to obtain the product Order Order the product from a supplier Authorize and pay for Transfer funds or obtain credit Acquire Take possession of the product Test and accept Ensure that product meets specifications Ownership Integrate Add to an existing inventory Monitor Control access and use of the product Upgrade Upgrade the product if conditions change Maintain Repair the product as necessary Retirement Transfer or dispose Move, return, or dispose of product Account for Monitor product related expenses In the requirements phases there is a real opportunity for strategic alliances and creative cross selling. Having links to your web site from complimentary products or services is an effective form of on-line data mining.
The Business plan on New Product Development Process 2
For every successful new product, many new product ideas are conceived and discarded. Therefore, companies usually generate a large number of ideas from which successful new products emerge. I work as a strategic manager in Solarland Co., Ltd. This company does business of electronic appliances. As a Strategic Manager, I have been directed by my BOD to introduce a new product in Bangladesh. I want ...
Cross-selling other of your products or even upgrading the purchase can be easily accomplished in the well-designed website. Blake showcased a number of web sites that aided the purchaser in specing-out their purchase, verifying availability, capturing ordering and delivery information, and settling payment. Areas for Further Consideration As mentioned previously, the Internet is a disruptive technology. The new technology brings new customers and organizations have to be careful not to leave the old customers behind. Channel conflicts can also be a major barrier for an organization wanting to sell direct. Existing relationships must be dealt with. New processes will be required when dealing directly with consumers. Customer service relative to pre-purchase product testing, training, returns, and customer complaints now become the responsibility of the manufacturer. If the seller does not have the processes and staffing in place to satisfy these customer needs, they will quickly lose customers and credibility. Another area of concern is the growing power of third party evaluators. There is a plethora of web sites purportedly ranking, evaluating or otherwise steering customers, based on some criteria, to the best sites. An E-commerce organization will need to monitor these evaluators and take necessary actions to make sure that they are being treated fairly.
