Dell
New
Dell Sales Tool Can Reduce Dell Sales Call Times by 10 Percent or More, Substantially
Improve Profitability
In the past, sales representatives who work at Dell call centers used as many as
40 different information systems to understand customers and meet their needs, which
limited their ability to deliver an optimal customer experience. To address that
challenge, Dell built the Integrated Dell™ Desktop (IDD), a smart client solution
based on Microsoft® software. IDD provides everything that Dell sales representatives
need to assist customers and sell the company's products within a single, easy-to-use
desktop application—one designed from the ground up to support the sales process
and optimize call center operations. Currently rolled out to more than 8,000 desktops
at nine locations, the IDD smart client is helping deliver decreases in average
call duration of 10 percent or more, a 45 percent decrease in training time, and
improved profit per sale.
Thomson Financial
Leading
Financial Data Provider Standardizes on Web Services for Product Delivery
Due to a history of growth through acquisition, Thomson Financial had multiple systems
that delivered the same types of information and forced customers to access the
company’s different offerings in different ways. To appear as a single company
to customers and to reduce the cost of product delivery, Thomson Financial developed
a common product delivery architecture—dubbed Thomson ONE—using Microsoft®
.NET technology. Based on a reusable set of software services and a highly configurable
desktop client, Thomson ONE solutions are helping the company enhance user productivity,
integrate more deeply with customer systems, reduce IT costs, and accelerate time-to-market.
With Thomson ONE solutions, the company can say “yes” to customers more
often, letting customers—and not internal systems—dictate how Thomson
Financial products are used.
Starbucks
Starbucks Supports
Corporate Marketing Programs and Strategies with MapPoint Web Service
Starbucks had included a store locator on its starbucks.com Web site since 1999.
But the service, maintained on a separate Web site by an outside vendor, was slow
and expensive to update, and it lacked flexibility. So, Starbucks migrated to the
Microsoft® MapPoint® Web Service to take advantage of MapPoint driving directions,
route maps and international coverage. In addition, Starbucks now has the flexibility
to add new features including new searchable categories such as store amenities,
whenever it wants, without expense and delay. Because Starbucks hosts the store
locator application itself, it can easily extend it to support other corporate marketing
objectives, such as an annual community service campaign, Starbucks gift card and
T-Mobile HotSpot Service Internet hot spots.