Here’s an excerpt…..

Bloor Research identified that there were a number of solutions that organisations may have already purchased or are thinking of purchasing to solve the issues involved in gaining control of operations management.  Bloor identified that there were two key approaches of IT solutions built to support operations management.  The first is based around Business Intelligence which requires significant effort to tailor an appropriate solution.  The second approach involves the use of specialised applications consisting of a variety of automated components, including workforce management, capacity management, customer management, process management.

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Other associated link that may be of interest:

Linked in groups:

eg operations management http://bit.ly/cq6Egd

Operational Intelligence http://bit.ly/acZvOV

Blog: http://bit.ly/b6fVQ9

Suppliers also need to become more efficient and operating at lower costs.  But efficiency is meaningless unless excellent service is offered as well.  The bits of paper and email correspondence may just be ‘work items and cases’ but represent the real lives of customers.

Often with clients I hear that productivity monitoring and workforce management is key, which yes is paramount especially in the back office and customer contact operations.  However, it is not just time and attendance, productivity and absence management that should be used as performance measures.  How many providers work on getting it ‘right first time’ and practice good operations management?

If providers had the right Management Information they could allocate work according to available skills, manage the quality of work and ‘manage-the-tail’ of their work, ensuring action is taken on the most important work to ensure customer requirements can be met.  Thus reducing customer complaints.  With the right performance measures in place complaints can be reduced or in some cases avoided altogether.

Did you know that a typical business only hears from 4 percent of its dissatisfied customers? The other 96 percent quietly go away.  Of this 96 percent, 68 percent never reveal their dissatisfaction because they perceive an attitude of indifference in the owner, manager or employee.

This statistic is particularly dangerous for businesses because if a dissatisfied customer can’t express their complaints to a business, they’ll express them through other outlets such as friends, neighbours and family.  A typical dissatisfied customer will tell eight to ten people about their problem.  One in five will tell 20.  It takes 12 positive service incidents to make up for one negative incident. Seven out of ten complaining customers will do business with you again if you resolve the complaint in their favour.  If you resolve it on the spot, 95 percent will do business with you again. (Source: Art Waller, Regional Department Head for Utah State University).

So, as my colleague Andrew Baker mentioned in his ‘Quality’ blog whatever your measure for quality, how do you know the amount you verify, check, inspect or audit is enough?  And what can you do to build quality in before the event, rather than find out after?

If you would like to know more how good operations management can reduce your complaints and deliver bottom line results then take our free site survey.  Call eg today on 01785 715772

The latest UK Customer Satisfaction Index (UKCSI) results from the Institute of Customer Service show a consistent improvement in service standards in most business sectors.

The most encouraging performances have come from retailers and organisations in the tourism, consumer services, automotive, leisure and banking industries.  Three of eg’s clients who use the eg operational intelligence^® software suite are featured in the Finance (banks) sector.

UKCSI is the national measure of customer satisfaction and the latest results, based on the views of 26,000 consumers, show that overall satisfaction levels have risen to 75 out of 100 – a 9 point improvement since the Index was introduced in July 2007.

“Our latest figures indicate that customer satisfaction is continuing to rise which is great news for the UK service economy and all organisations that focus on their customers,” says Jo Causon, Chief Executive of the Institute.

The recession appears to have had a galvanising effect on service with more organisations understanding that improving their customers’ experience is the only real differentiator in the current tough business climate.

“Companies cannot afford to lose customers and the Index reflects a continuing improvement as organisations realise the competitive importance of delivering excellent service.”

The latest survey results are available at: www.ukcsi.com and are definitely worth a look.

With new pressures on costs, it is becoming more imperative to get better control of operations in the services sector and this white paper gives an insight into the subject of Operations Management.

Bloor Research looks at what is meant by the term operations in the services sector.  In manufacturing this is much clearer as it is the part of the busi­ness that is at the sharp end of producing the goods from the raw materials and then getting the finished goods to the customer. Operations management in the services sector is less clear; with a diversity of front line tele-sales, call centres, branch operations, service cen­tres and back offices where high volume re­petitive tasks or long cycle complex tasks are performed on behalf of customers.

The paper looks at what components make up operations management and solutions to address the issue as organisations need more than “just good enough” for this critical area of their business.

If you would like a copy of the white paper please email racheloliver@eguk.co.uk

The fast-growing and successful company won the award for a recent implementation of its software within Birmingham-based mutual, Wesleyan Assurance Society.  The project involved the support of an internal initiative to deliver an improved and differentiated customer service. 

The judges selected eg as it is the only operations management software applications vendor that guarantees return on investment and is paid based on the results delivered.  There is a myriad of different IT systems and methodologies that claim to resolve or contribute to solving the operational issues faced by organisations. 

eg’s software is used to augment these existing IT platforms – including BPM, BI, Workforce Management, CRM and core processing systems – to provide the missing link – historic, real-time and predictive operational intelligence.

Over the last 12 months eg has successfully demonstrated that the use of the eg operational intelligence® software suite achieves improved operational efficiency and significant cost savings.

Elizabeth Gooch, Chief Executive Officer at eg  said, “Receiving a highly commended recognition has helped everyone at eg feel recognition for the hard work they have invested through very trying times.  It also illustrates that we have triumphed in adversity and helps us to continue to feel positive for the future growth of eg. As our nomination concerned a client project, being a finalist illustrates that we are achieving significant successes for our clients during this difficult economic climate.”
 
“Despite the ongoing economic turbulence, eg has successfully demonstrated to potential and existing clients that the use of our solutions is guaranteed to achieve improved operational efficiency.  The company has made solid progress in converting its sales pipeline prospects into firm orders,” she concluded.

Mike Musson, ICT Cluster Manager, added: “This year we’ve seen the highest standard of award entries yet and competition has been incredibly tough. The ongoing judging process has been rigorous and the panel faced a major challenge deciding the final winners. It’s fantastic to see the quality and diversity of technology companies the West Midlands region has to offer.

The ICT Cluster Excellence Awards were presented at the evening Awards event following the Annual ICT Cluster Conference held at the National Motorcycle Museum on 10 November 2009.

The UK IT Awards, a joint venture between Computing and the British Computing Society (BCS), are a platform for the entire UK IT profession to showcase and celebrate best practice, innovation and excellence.

eg has been shortlisted in the ‘Best small IT supplier of the year’ category, alongside:

• Networks First
• Postcode Anywhere
• Telnic
• nFlow Software
• Memset
• DTP Group
• La Fosse Associates
• eg solutions
• ScriptSwitch
• ZyLAB

The new awards programme merges the longstanding Computing Awards for Excellence and the BCS IT Industry Awards. Last year eg was chosen as a finalist in the ‘Business Software Supplier of the Year’ category of the Computing Awards.

Elizabeth Gooch, CEO of eg, said: “The UK IT Awards are a benchmark for excellence throughout the computing industry and I am delighted that eg has been selected as a possible contender to receive an award.”

The winners will be announced at an awards ceremony on Thursday 12 November 2009 which will take place at Battersea Park Events Arena, London.

Follow eg on Twitter: http://twitter.com/egsolutions
Read more about the UK IT Awards: http://www.ukitindustryawards.co.uk/Home.asp

The event is a great opportunity for Heads of departments from areas such as Operations, Operational Excellence, Customer Service, Change, Transformation and Information Technology to take part in peer-to-peer information exchanges, learning, networking and the gathering of fresh ideas and cutting edge strategies.

The Business Process Excellence in Financial Services Exchange promises to help delegates improve business agility and performance whilst reducing cost and complexity, all crucial drivers in today’s climate.

Delegates who register for the event are asked to identify the types of solution providers they would like to meet. eg, registered as an operational intelligence provider within the categories of Process Management and Performance Management, will speak to delegates about how to use operations management and operational intelligence to effectively measure, manage and improve business operations.

The eg operational intelligence® software suite has been developed and refined over the last 18 years and forms a comprehensive work, resource and performance reporting tool. It enables clients to gather information about the key factors affecting performance, thereby identifying appropriate decisions and actions to improve efficiency and reduce costs in weeks – guaranteed.

eg’s software is working hard for client businesses across the globe, and with over 40,000 users it is resilient and built for everyday use. Read about how eg’s clients have benefited from the implementation of eg’s operational intelligence software and operations management services.

To register for the Business Process Excellence Financial Service Exchange, or to find out more, click here.

Follow eg on twitter: http://twitter.com/egsolutions

The recession seems to be having a positive effect on customer service. That’s according to the latest national measure of customer satisfaction from the Institute of Customer Service.

Organisations are paying more attention to customers’ needs and trying harder to retain business by improving the quality of their service and the way they provide it.

The latest UK Customer Satisfaction Index (UKCSI) reveals encouraging improvements in service delivery and performance across most sectors.

More than 25,000 people were asked about their personal experiences of service across the private, public and third sectors. Organisations were rated on factors that customers consider are most important; these include professionalism, quality and efficiency, problem solving, timeliness and being easy to do business with.

The benchmark for world-class customer satisfaction is an index score of 80 or above and 37 organisations and professions achieved this rating.

John Lewis topped the poll for service with a new record customer satisfaction score of 90. Other top performers include Waitrose, the Fire and Ambulance Service, Marks & Spencer, Mazda and the RAC.

“These results show organisations are trying hard to keep consumers satisfied,” says Jo Causon, chief executive, Institute of Customer Service.

“However we realise from the wide range of scores across the sectors that there is no room for complacency.”

The latest survey also asked customers for their opinions about which country offers the best service. The UK came out on top with 46%, comfortably ahead of the US with just 25.5% of the vote. Germany trailed in third place with 7.9%.

Download the executive summary for the full results: ICS UK Customer Satisfaction Index (UKCSI)

Gold Certified Partners are the highest level of certification recognised by Microsoft. In order to be recognised as a Gold Partner, eg was required to demonstrate its proficiency in a number of relevant Microsoft competencies. Each competency has a unique set of requirements and benefits, formulated to accurately represent the specific skills and services that partners bring to the technology industry.

eg achieved capabilities in three competencies: Business Intelligence, ISV/Software Solutions and Custom Development Solutions.

Phil Jones, Chief Technology Officer of eg, said: “Retaining our Gold Certified Partner status in the Microsoft Partner Program shows our clients that we are committed to delivering the highest quality of operations management software products and services. It is also a reflection of the dedication of our Software Development teams who ensure we meet and exceed the requirements of each competency.”

As a Gold Certified Partner eg will receive a valuable set of benefits, including training and technical support, which will help eg to continue to provide products and services which satisfy the needs of its clients.

This year’s conference theme is about managing the way through the recession and looking to a brighter future. There is an impressive line-up of speakers and sessions which cover the economic and political outlook, the mortgage market, cost control, funding, communication and strategic planning in the new market environment.

Come and see us on Stand 8 in the Exhibition Hall to find out how eg is helping organisations to dramatically cut costs and improve performance in this difficult operating climate. We offer a guaranteed return on investment with clients typically achieving benefits of 20-50%.

If you would like to make an appointment to speak to one of our team at the Conference, please call (0) 1785 715772 or email ask@eguk.co.uk.

To view the digital version of the Official BSA Conference Preview please use the following link: http://www.mfgonline.co.uk/bsa_conference.html. The hard copy will be distributed to over 5,000 individuals with the May issue of Mortgage Finance Gazette and of course will be available at the conference.

We look forward to seeing you there.