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

Clients now have greater flexibility to administer and deliver eg’s training solutions.

e-learning includes a forum and discussion groups around specific topics to encourage learners to share questions and ideas.  It also has an assessment facility to validate participants understanding of specific modules or courses.

Administrators can manage users, roles, courses, instructors, facilities and generate reports for end users, Team Leaders and Customer Service Managers.

Some of eg’s core training modules, such Daily Activity for staff and Team Managers and eg operational intelligence^® reporting which support the implementation of the eg operational intelligence^® software suite, are now being undertaken through e-learning.

The e-learning tool will improve the accessibility of training through a centralised and easy-to-use portal offering multiple benefits such as:

• Building effective training programmes to accommodate staff located in multiple locations
• On-going access to on-line training to support sustainability requirements
• Easy deployment and full Management Information reporting
• Measuring the success of training and staff knowledge
• Increasing efficiency of training through role based training and individual/group training curriculums
• Courses can be completed remotely and self-paced
• Networking with peers through the virtual forums
• Branded front-end for customised ‘look and feel’

The training provided through e-learning will be supported by on-site support to ensure complete skills transfer.  The management information available will allow Managers to see who has completed the training, test results and any areas of concern.

Tim Becker, Head of Client Solutions commented:

“Feedback from Clients showed the demand for access to consistent training following the initial implementation both in relation to the use of the eg operational intelligence^® software suite and the eg principles of operational management^®.

It eradicates the ‘sitting with Nelly’ strategies that typically exist and ensures consistency of learning and complete flexibility for our clients”.

For more information or to arrange a demo, please contact Rachel Oliver, Marketing Manager at eg, on +44 (0) 1785 715772, email racheloliover@eguk.co.uk or visit www.eguk.co.uk.

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For more information please contact Rachel Oliver, Communications Manager at eg, on +44 (0) 1785 715772, email racheloliver@eguk.co.uk or visit www.eguk.co.uk.

Notes to editors:

About eg solutions plc

eg solutions plc is a global back office optimisation software company. Our software provides historic, real-time and predictive Operational MI.  When implemented with our training programme for managers and team leaders to use this intelligence, we guarantee improvements in operational results in short timescales.

eg’s proprietary software package eg operational intelligence® including eg work manager® has been developed and refined over the last 18 years and form a comprehensive work, resource and performance reporting tool. It enables clients to gather information about the key factors affecting performance and using eg’s operational management techniques identify appropriate decisions and actions that improve efficiency and reduce costs within weeks.

When implemented with the eg principles of operational management® methodology, eg operational intelligence® provides the opportunity for eg’s clients to double their productivity and dramatically improve customer service levels almost immediately. It also forms a foundation for continuous improvements in subsequent years.

The Company, which is listed on the Alternative Investment Market (’AIM’) of the London Stock Exchange, is committed to customer satisfaction and the ongoing development of its operations management solutions.

Bristol, 1st October 2009 – XTAQ Ltd today looks back at an amazing first year since launch of Nuqleus 3D at the Professional Planning Forum back office and end to end service event, at the London Chamber of Commerce.

At launch, Nuqleus 3D was hailed by XTAQ as the software tool which would revolutionise improvement initiatives by enabling the capture of data from all areas of the operation – including manual and transactional processes in contact centres and back-office processing centres – with or without user intervention.

“This first year, Nuqleus 3D has proven its exceptional flexibility,” says Spencer O’Leary, Business Development Director at XTAQ. “The variable automation feature, which means as well as prompting users for details, it can be set to automatically capture information from data fields as they are completed, has revolutionised what our customers are able to accurately measure.”

“In addition, because Nuqleus 3D doesn’t require integration with the IT systems in use – it is system-agnostic – there’s no need for the IT department to invest time and money on integration projects. For our customers this means they can start seeing results very swiftly indeed, delivering trustworthy data within just a few short weeks of the live implementation.”

“Our customers are delighted at the benefits they are seeing so quickly from Nuqleus 3D. The quality of the data which Nuqleus 3D captures and the speed and integrity of the intelligence it delivers has been truly astounding.”

“And because it’s working in the live environment, operations management can further drill down or even make changes to what’s being captured, in order to get a deeper understanding of what’s happening, why it’s happening and the impact it is having on their business, their customers and the people within their operation.”

“One of the areas where customers are reaping significant benefits is in the setting of, and measuring against, benchmarks. So many benchmarks are based on gut feel or best guess. Yet benchmarks are used throughout the business as markers for Service Level Agreements, Resource Planning, Productivity and Shrinkage – and are embedded in reward, recognition and appraisal goals. With our new product, Nuqleus 3D, the guesswork is taken out of the benchmark. Nuqleus 3D enables accurate measurement and therefore accurate benchmarks to be set. Nuqleus 3D then continues to measure against those benchmarks, providing indisputable, quality information.”

“The integrity of the intelligence being provided by Nuqleus 3D enables informed decisions to be made on where to focus performance improvements. The decision-making process has become rational, intelligence-based and, because performance is continuously monitored, exceptions can be responded to appropriately and without delay. Accurate measurement with Nuqleus 3D is minimising risk and maximising potential for our customers.”

As one customer told XTAQ last week “Nuqleus 3D has given us the ability to understand areas of the business that we’d never previously been able to measure – and all with minimal impact on the day to day running of the business or the IT set-up.”

Another added “We can now clearly demonstrate just how much we’ve been able to improve our efficiency and service quality.”

eg’s software gives users access to historic, real-time and predictive Management Information about all the factors affecting operational performance.  It provides capacity planning, forecasting and modelling capabilities which enable organisations to make the right operational decisions to effectively measure, manage and improve business operations on a day-to-day basis, as well as forecast for the long term.

The new modules of the suite, eg work manager® v5.1.0 and eg operational intelligence® v2.1.0, improve the efficiency of the key daily functions users undertake, including:

• Work allocation
• Quality
• Reporting & Dashboards
• System Setup & Administration

Tony Lynock, Head of Software, said: “With over 41,000 users of our software across the world, eg’s priority is to continuously improve the functionality of our products to ensure our customers’ needs are met.  eg work manager® v5.1 and eg operational intelligence® v2.1 build on the features of our last major product release and are the platform for the development of our strategic next generation of web-based products.”

Since the release of eg work manager® v5.0 and eg operational intelligence® v2.0 eg experienced the fastest new take up of a new product release in the company’s history.

The new product releases will support customers implementing eg’s software for the first time and those currently using existing versions of the software suite.

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For more information or to arrange a demo, please contact Catherine Staite, Communications Manager at eg, on +44 (0) 1785 715772, email catherinestaite@eguk.co.uk or visit www.eguk.co.uk.

About eg solutions plc

eg solutions plc is a global operations management software company. Our software provides historic, real-time and predictive Operational MI.  When implemented with our training programme for managers and team leaders to use this intelligence, we guarantee improvements in operational results in short timescales.

eg’s proprietary software package eg operational intelligence® 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 and using eg’s operational management techniques identify appropriate decisions and actions that improve efficiency and reduce costs within weeks.

Additional modules of the suite include: eg activity manager™, eg work manager® work scheduler; eg work manager® archiving and eg operational intelligence® data views.  eg’s software can be implemented to individual users’ desktops or be deployed using Software as a Service.

• eg work manager®
• eg operational intelligence®
• Elements of the eg principles of operational management®.

One of the key benefits of the new online learning management system will be the provision of consistent training following initial implementations, for both eg’s software and operational management methodology. This will support new team members who are undertaking training for the first time or act as a refresher to existing users.

Within new implementations, the training provided through the system will be supported by on-site consultancy to ensure that the learning is put into full context. Management Information will be available to both eg and clients, providing details of who has completed the training along with test results highlighting any areas of concern.

Tim Becker, Client Engagement Manager, said: “There is a strong demand for a solution which can enable Managers and Team Leaders to take a more proactive approach to training. Many of our clients said they would like a straightforward, immediate way to refresh their understanding of eg’s operational management software and principles, train new users and improve the consistency of skills within teams.”

If you would like any further information about online learning, email ask@eguk.co.uk or sign up to our mailing list to receive regular updates about this and other eg news and events (see the sign up form at the bottom of the page).

eg solutions plc [eg], the global operations software company, recently launched a new module of its proprietary eg operational intelligence® software suite. eg activity manager™ complements eg’s existing software by helping users measure non-core areas and understand actual activity and time spent on tasks at a more granular level.

eg activity manager™ is a dynamic web-based measurement tool designed to enable businesses to record the actual time individuals and teams spend on work related and other activities. It can be used to determine the time spent on tasks, sets of tasks or end-to-end processes and also the time spent on ‘indirect’ activities such as meetings and training.

Elizabeth Gooch, CEO of eg, said: “Whereas other modules of our software suite are aimed more at core processing areas of customer services operations, eg activity manager™ has been developed specifically for non-core areas. This means that teams such as Human Resources and Finance, traditionally seen as undertaking the type of tasks which are difficult to quantify, can now also be measured on their operational efficiency.

“The current economic climate has seen organisations across every industry look at cutting costs – in eg’s experience their objective is one of two options: either doing the same volume of work with less staff or doing more with the numbers they have got. If you don’t measure and monitor what your people are doing, your ability to make these important decisions and manage your teams is limited. Importantly, there is a higher salary cost associated with people in non-core teams, therefore the value of implementing eg activity manager™ can be even greater than implementing other modules of the eg operational intelligence® software suite in core processing areas.”

eg’s software 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 enabling them to make appropriate decisions and take action to improve efficiency and reduce costs in weeks – guaranteed.

eg’s clients can also use the newly developed eg activity manager™ in the following additional ways:

• Any form of work measurement activity where accurate ‘real time’ operational metrics are needed
• Obtaining the core data for Six Sigma programmes and BPR analysis
• Developing measures where the actual time spent is key (e.g. telephone servicing areas where time is spent talking to customers, or the rate at which back office process are completed needs to be monitored)
• Business functions where time spent on particular activities or customers needs to be accurately recorded for costing or charging purposes.

To arrange a demo or for further information, please contact Catherine Staite, Communications Manager, on +44 (0) 1785 715772 or email catherinestaite@eguk.co.uk.

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.

Read Butler Group’s technology audit of eg work manager®:

Butler Group Report

To read other analyst reports, click here.

eg, the operations management software company, has announced that eg work manager® has passed the Microsoft Platform Test for Independent Software Vendors (ISV) Solutions, for Windows Server 2003 and SQL Server 2005. In meeting Microsoft’s certification and customer requirements, eg work manager® is now fully Microsoft certified. Adding to this achievement, eg work manager® has obtained an ISV/Software Solutions Competency.

eg work manager® is one component of the eg operational intelligence® software suite. The suite provides real-time, consistent operational intelligence across a balanced range of performance indicators to make the right operational decisions – providing capacity planning, line balancing and timely reporting at multiple levels. eg work manager® was required to pass at least two components tests, one of which had to be a foundation test component.

eg also take advantage of the Microsoft Partner Programme and ADC Support Programme to undertake performance and scalability testing, ensuring that eg products meet ever-changing customer demands of high performance, scalability and reliability.

Following the news, Phil Jones, Chief Technology Officer of eg, commented: “It is a great achievement for eg as this reinforces our commitment to developing products that meet evolving customer needs. eg work manager®is a robust operations MI tool that provides companies with access to mission critical information in real-time.”

Testing was conducted independently by VeriTest, a testing service of Lionbridge Technologies.

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“Historically, measuring processes that impact performance has been limited to those that are “easy” to measure rather than focusing on those that are “important” to measure,” says Spencer O’Leary, Business Development Director at XTAQ.

“Our customers have long been telling us many factors impact the performance of their operation. Performance improvement requires a delicate balance of many factors in each area – Operational Excellence, Quality, Resourcing, Customer Experience and Financial – changes in one area can significantly impact others.

“Before Nuqleus 3D, obtaining accurate, detailed and ongoing measurement of all the processes that impact these factors was difficult and costly. Data that could be measured was invariably historical rather than live data. So you couldn’t then drill down to find out more detail or change the measurement parameters to capture additional information. In a customer service environment, the flexibility to measure what is happening right now and to respond by changing what or how something is measured is paramount – seeing what was happening last month, last quarter or last year is just history.”

“Nuqleus 3D is in a class of its own,” he continues. “Nuqleus 3D is so flexible that it can be set to automatically capture specified data fields, live from an individual’s screen – it doesn’t matter what systems they are using. Analysis transforms the data into meaningful intelligence reports, available from a management dashboard with powerful drill-down capabilities.”

Not only has this been confirmed by the successful completion of a pilot at the UK Consumer divisions of Citi, but the speed with which the pilot was delivering valuable information was staggering – within just a few weeks the live pilot was providing trustworthy data.

The accuracy and integrity of the information being captured has already enabled Citi UK Consumer managers to review previously established assumptions and metrics. With benchmarks and standards having been redefined, the implementation will continue to measure the live business environment against them.