Taking Care of E-Business : How Today's Market Leaders Are Increasing Revenues, Productivity, and Customer Satisfaction

by Siebel, Thomas M.

• ISBN13: 9780385502276
• ISBN10: 0385502273
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2001-06-01
• Publisher: Doubleday Business

Summary

The founder and CEO of Siebel Systems, the world's leading provider of eBusiness software, reveals the eight principles of eBusiness that companies must master to succeed in today's economy. How is IBM, one of the world's most complex business organizations, tying its many operations together to gain a unified view of its customers andpresenta unified view to its customers? How does Marriott International achieve its exceptional focus on guest satisfaction resulting in occupancy rates dramatically higher than the competition? How is WorldCom transforming itself from a long-distance telephone company into a provider of total communications solutions? In Taking Care of eBusiness, Siebel System's founder, chairman, and CEO, Tom Siebel shows how these and other market leaders are applying information and communication technology to better understand and satisfy their customers. Thanks to today's eBusiness technology, organizations can conduct business in any way their customers want; anytime, anywhere, in any language and currency, and through any channel. In today's competitive climate, that ability, says Siebel, is no longer just an option; it is a matter of business survival. The age of eBusiness is in truth the age of the customer. Today's empowered customers are able to switch to the competition with unprecedented ease and speed. Nothing is more critical for business success, therefore, than delivering the highest levels of customer satisfaction. While companies must still compete on price, product quality, and distribution, those factors alone are not enough to gain a competitive edge: Only organizations that can consistently satisfy and even anticipate their customers' needs will win the escalating battle for customer loyalty. And Tom Siebel knows whereof he speaks. Siebel Systems is the world's leading provider of eBusiness applications software; the technology enabling many of the largest and best-known organizations to transform themselves into customer-focused eBusiness leaders. Based on his company's hands-on experience in implementing successful eBusiness systems, Siebel reveals the eight essential principles of eBusiness, and outlines a straightforward, five-step process any company can use to become an effective eBusiness. Illustrated with detailed case studies that take an insider's look at the eBusiness strategies of companies such as Chase, Dow Chemical, Honeywell, Quick & Reilly, and others,Taking Care of eBusinessis nothing less than a manifesto for success in today's hypercompetitive marketplace.

Author Biography

Thomas M. Siebel is the Chairman and CEO of Siebel Systems, Inc., the world's leading provider of eBusiness applications software. A noted industry spokesman, Mr. Siebel is also coauthor of <b>Virtual Selling</b> (Free Press, 1995) and <b>Cyber Rules</b> (Currency/Doubleday, 1999). Mr. Siebel attended the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he received a B.A., M.B.A., and M.S. in computer science.

Table of Contents

Foreword	vii
Part I: eBusiness for a Customer-Driven World	1	(44)
What Is eBusiness?	3	(8)
eBusiness, Not eCommerce	11	(4)
The New Competitive Reality	15	(10)
The Value of Customer Loyalty	25	(6)
eBusiness Addresses the Root Problems of Weak Customer Relationships	31	(6)
eBusiness for the Public Sector	37	(2)
How to Become an eBusiness	39	(6)
Part II: The Eight Essential Principles of eBusiness	45	(144)
Introduction	47	(2)
Principle One: Know Your Customer	49	(20)
One eBusiness Leader's Experience
IBM: Customer-Focused e-Business Enables Integrated Solutions for Customers	57	(12)
Principle Two: Use Multiple Channels to Interact with Customers	69	(24)
One eBusiness Leader's Experience
Threadneedle Investment Services: Investing in Customer Satisfaction	81	(12)
Principle Three: Personalize the Customer Experience	93	(18)
One eBusiness Leader's Experience
World Com: From Selling Long-Distance Service to Selling Complete Communications Solutions	99	(12)
Principle Four: Optimize the Value of Every Customer	111	(16)
One eBusiness Leader's Experience
Telstra Corporation: From Old-Fashioned Monopoly to Customer-centric eBusiness	117	(10)
Principle Five: Focus on 100 Percent Customer Satisfaction	127	(16)
One eBusiness Leader's Experience
Marriott International: Managing Customer Demand	133	(10)
Principle Six: Develop and Maintain a Global, Customer-centric eBusiness Architecture	143	(18)
One eBusiness Leader's Experience
Honeywell International, Inc.: Enhancing the Customer Experience	151	(10)
Principle Seven: Leverage and Extend the Ecosystem	161	(14)
One eBusiness Leader's Experience
Chase Manhattan: The Right Relationship Is Everything	167	(8)
Principle Eight: Cultivate an Organizational Culture Built on eBusiness Excellence and Innovation	175	(14)
One eBusiness Leader's Experience
Dow Chemical: Finding a Catalyst for Growth	179	(10)
Part III: How to Become an eBusiness	189	(58)
The Five-Step Methodology	191	(6)
Analyze: The eBusiness Readiness Assessment	197	(10)
Design the Multichannel Strategy	207	(4)
Develop Detailed Action Plans	211	(10)
Implement and Deploy the eBusiness System	221	(6)
Monitor, Measure, and Track: The eBusiness Scorecard	227	(18)
One eBusiness Leader's Experience
Nationwide Insurance: Getting Closer to Its Customers	231	(6)
One eBusiness Leader's Experience
Quick & Reilly: Putting Customers in Control	237	(8)
The eBusiness Imperative	245	(2)
Notes	247	(2)
Acknowledgments	249	(2)
Index	251