for the first time, security against project failure and a means of tracking profit to help justify money spent on IT.

Interchange's Pete Neville, Director of Business Strategy, said:  “Too many businesses have spent too many years and too much money investing in IT systems which don't deliver the benefits they had hoped for. As a result, they are cautious about where they spend their money next and often restrict their investment in new IT solutions.

“We recognise those concerns and are so confident in the ability of assure to deliver savings and improvements against a businesses’ own objectives, that we are guaranteeing results. We uniquely share the risk and the rewards, and we get paid proportionately to the benefits achieved by the customer.”

Assure enables CEOs to measure, manage and control IT solutions against their organisation's goals. Assure delivers results enabling companies to monitor IT projects and the level of return on their investment.

‘Thinks Customers’

Oracle has organised a series of ‘Think Customers’ Roadshows designed to show how Customer Relationship Management improves customer service and helps boost sales and profit. The sessions aim to help businesses to react more quickly, plan more effectively and maximise sales and marketing efforts.

There will be opportunities to hear customer success stories and to ask questions, exchange ideas, meet speakers and walk away with an action plan that can be implemented immediately.

Find out how to transform your business with the latest CRM solutions that drive a successful e-business strategy and create a new customer-centric way of doing business.

To register, see:

www.oracle.com/uk/events/thinkcustomers/c ontent.html

or call the Oracle Events Booking Hotline on

+44 (0) 870 166 6692.

• 3rd May – Manchester
• 14th May – Dublin

Interchange presents award to SPL for best marketing initiative

SPL, a leading supplier of furniture fittings, won ‘Best Marketing Initiative’ award at the recent ASFI/Woodmex show at the NEC, Birmingham. The award, for the most innovative pre-show marketing campaign, was presented by Interchange.

“We awarded the prize to SPL because of its creativity and customer awareness,” said Phil Vann. “Its marketing team displayed an excellent use of initiative by using the ASFI exhibition as a platform to launch its new corporate image. New designs of the corporate logo were printed on pre-show invitations and ID badges, and distributed to customers and key targets.

“SPL’s marketing plan proved that the company was making best use of one of its key resources – its customers.”

WHSmith

CUTS PAPER
MOUNTAIN

To tackle the issues, Interchange introduced Livelink, an intelligent desktop communications tool which helps companies share information by including document management, workflow, collaboration and search facilities.

It meant installing PCs with Intranet access in four stores in Bristol, Derby and Cambridge railway stations and Cardiff hospital, and proved such an early success that it was then extended to 10 larger stores – including Heathrow Terminal One – tackling a much wider mix of systems and procedures.

Matthews added:  “The first four stores had no electronic point of sale (EPOS) equipment or email access, so all contact was by fax or phone. Intranet access radically improved the way they communicated, enabling them to order online and share information.

“In the larger stores we found there were even more benefits, for example, at Terminal One it’s a 24 hour operation with 11 shops and 3 different shifts in each.  Livelink enabled the different shifts to communicate easily with each other and work together much more effectively.

“We have already achieved a substantial saving in stock reduction – stores used to have a 72-hour lead-in time because the order procedure was handled manually. 

“Interchange have cut that to 24 hours, which, for small stores means a huge saving in space and, in addition, information can now be circulated in hours rather than days.”

The battle of the ages

It is a recurring theme in IT that the older you become the less valuable you are to the industry. Companies that adopt this attitude are in danger of missing a trick.

Experience is an added advantage and one which the older employee can use to advantage over the younger worker. New blood offers enthusiasm which is important when identifying leads and new ideas, but it does not necessarily have the knowledge to make best use of these opportunities and identify the best leads. When making decisions too many younger employees take a ‘fly by the seat of their pants’ approach. Many lack the experience to justify and support their judgements and at times, enthusiasm can sometimes override practicality.

With age comes the opportunity to learn both from failures as well as successes. By accumulating this knowledge staff can be more confident in their decisions, help qualify leads and increase the chances of success.

By learning from past mistakes, employees can also pick up a wide range of skills along the way - skills which, not only enable them to learn new tricks, but also help them to identify the ones that do not work. Problems can be identified and solved more quickly without having to re-invent the wheel each time.

By getting it right first time companies can save large sums of money and improve productivity.

Getting it right first time is also crucial when speaking to customers. Many companies make the mistake of only hiring young and enthusiastic sales reps who are driven by sales targets and motivated by commission. 

Customers of today are not interested in the ‘hard sell.’ They don’t just require advice on products/services, but they want to be confident that the information provided comes from an in-depth knowledge of the industry – a value added service which few younger employees are capable of offering.

Understanding your clientele is one of the keys to success. The older generation has had years of liaising with clients and building relationships. However, by managing this knowledge effectively companies can ensure that their younger staff benefit from their more experienced colleagues.

One way is to establish an enterprise-wide central customer database; staff across all departments can gain access to accurate, up-to-date customer details. This information can be anything from the products purchased, past complaints or queries, down to their hobbies and interests – crucial information to help gain a better understanding of individual customers and for creating windows of economic opportunity.

So – yes, there are always the time-servers on companies who have been around for years, jealously guarding their territory and living in fear of the young upstart who they see as after their job – perhaps mirroring their own entry in the workplace

But wise heads can help guide and develop their protégés – given the chance.

New faces join the team

Interchange Group has expanded its business management team with two more appointments.

Joining as business managers are Steve Harvey and Stuart Gooderham.

Harvey has been working in a variety of customer-facing management roles within a leading worldwide facilities management company.

These roles have included management of multi-site, multifunctional contracts as well as developing new  business opportunities in this competitive marketplace.

Gooderham comes from an engineering and manufacturing background and for the past seven years has had a range of experience in customer management with companies such as MG/Rover and Land Rover.

The show must go on

It was a kind of magic when lookalike rock band Queen dropped in at MacIntyre Care’s Coffee Shop at Great Holm to present a cheque.

Four senior managers of the Interchange Group, who dressed up as the band, gave the charity a cheque for £1,232.This year’s contribution was raised through a raffle and auction of a toy drum kit.

MacIntyre Care provides housing and training for more than 100 people. It runs the Coffee Shop and Gardening Centre at Great Holm and the Clock Inn Cafe Bar in Shenley Church End.

Interchange online

Click on to the full range of Interchange services and solutions for business at our new web address,
www.interchangegroup.com
Interchange – providing major organisations around the world with the ability to maximise value from their investment in information technology.