Ecommerce Information

How To Implement E-Business Solutions Successfully


Pitfalls of E-business solutions installation process

A large distribution company has decided to use a new online supply chain management solution. The people - those who were supposed to use the system - were quite skeptic about the ability of the system, as they did not have enough knowledge and had very little or no training in using a similar system. As a result, it took over a year for the company to bring the solution to its full operation. Productivity suffered severely. The final implementation cost came out to be several times more than initial budget. A large number of companies are reporting to face similar difficulties with the implementation of their e-business solutions.

The problems that occur while a company tries to implement e-business solutions, most likely, include:

Senior managers do not spend enough time and efforts to learn and understand the solutions. As a result, they have no idea how their workers will adapt to this new solution; and fail to set forth quantifiable objectives for them in terms of efficiency and productivity. The end users do not receive required training. As a result, treat the new solution as an added burden rather than a tool to increase efficiency and productivity. In many cases, IT infrastructure is not up-to-date enough and lacks power to support the new solution. Due to inadequate understanding by the management of the e-business solutions that they plan to adopt, often, the time and money allocated to the project are far less than required. Often the advanced Internet based e-business solutions require to be integrated with portion of old systems that the company is presently using, which in turn, sometimes generates software and system incompatibility. How to avoid pitfalls

E-business solutions are sophisticated systems that encompass significant areas of the company and its relationship with customers. That's why implementation of these projects should be carried out according to detailed plans.

Preparation

Create a well developed scope. In creating the scope involve all end-users of the solution, not only the technical and business model experts. Get answers to the questions like:

- What is the single most important goal that the company isplanning to reach thanks to this solution? - What critical problems the solution is meant to solve? - Are the time and money spent justifies its implementation? - What are the implementation milestones? - How you will know that you have reached those milestones? - Once you got all the relevant people of the company involvedin the process, choose an implementation taskforce of expertsfrom all required sections. This team should be responsiblefordeveloping the implementation plan. According to thisplan assignresources and deadlines. Upon completion ofeach stage ofimplementation get senior management involvedin order to reviewthe progress.

Education and Training

Education should cover the "why" side of the solution and training the "how" side.

- Identify the people that required getting trained and educated. - Define objectives - Define training and education criteria and select syllabus - Set the evaluation method - Conduct the actual learning process - Assess their progress

Implementation

Implementation of the solution should take place according to the strict predefined stages.

Upon completion of each stage of implementation get senior management involved in reviewing progress. Conduct reality check!

- How does the solution meet your expectations so far? - Is it doing what it's supposed to do? - Do you need to revise any of your priorities?

Once the implementation is over, set up a thorough post implementation meeting with the taskforce and the relevant end-users. The important thing here is to identify if everybody involved with the project is satisfied with the result or not.

In order to successfully implement e-business solutions, it is very important that you fully understand the technologies behind it. If require hire a consultant and work closely with her. In the long run, this might save you substantial time and money.

Here are other things to remember:

1. E-business solutions are mere tools. Don't expect them to radically change everything that you learnt about business processes.

2. E-business solution implementations like any other project require strict step by step project management.

3. Before considering an e-business solution, make sure that there is a sound business need to get it. E-marketplace, Private exchange, Business portal are few of the e-business solutions that help you attracting new customers and markets. These solutions also allow streamlining many of the vital business processes. In your e-business strategy these solutionsshould be at the top of the list.

4. Keep track of the new technologies and keep an eye to your competitors' e-business strategies. E-business is an extremely fast moving segment; you should be ready for changes and embrace them whenever it's necessary.

Nowshade Kabir is the founder, primary developer and present CEO of Rusbiz.com. A Ph. D. in Information Technology, he has wide experience in Business Consulting, International Trade and Web Marketing. Rusbiz is a Global B2B Emarketplace with solutions to start and run online business. You can contact him at mailto:nowshade [at] rusbiz.com, http://ezine.rusbiz.com/archivenews.html?nl_oid=43

  


MORE RESOURCES:

MyBinding.com Joins The Ecommerce Mafia
MarketWatch (press release)
Even the most experienced and seasoned ecommerce operators are facing a rapidly evolving and changing environment. Our goal is to create a climate where senior executives can communicate with each other efficiently and candidly.

and more »


Acumium Rebranding Efforts Strengthen eCommerce and Website Offerings
San Francisco Chronicle (press release)
Acumium's Strategic Re-branding of eCommerce, CMS and Email Marketing Platforms will Help Online Businesses Grow Madison, WI (PRWEB) May 23, 2012 Acumium, a solution provider who helps businesses grow online through their content management and ...

and more »


Ecommerce: 5 Things You Need To Know
Huffington Post
The ecommerce barrier to entry continues to get lower as more tools pop up to help even the most tech-aversive entrepreneurs go digital. "Almost anybody can set up an online store," says Mark Hayes, head of marketing and public relations at Shopify, ...



Ecommerce key to Mothercare transformation plan
InternetRetailing.net
Investment in ecommerce will be at the heart of a three-year transformation plan designed to take Mothercare back to “acceptable levels of profitability,” the nursery retailer's new chief executive said today. The plan, introduced by Simon Calver in ...

and more »


GoECart Announces First Breakthrough 'All-in-One' Ecommerce Suite
San Francisco Chronicle (press release)
'GoECart 360' is the industry's first truly integrated SaaS solution that combines an advanced ecommerce platform with multi-channel order management, inventory management, fulfillment, CR. Bridgeport, CT (PRWEB) May 23, 2012 GoECart® today announced ...

and more »


VSI Products Goes Big with Shopatron, Launching Seven New Online Stores
MarketWatch (press release)
The Shopatron eCommerce platform gives VSI the ability to sell all of its products directly to online shoppers in the US, and then assign the orders to local bike shops for delivery to the customer. "This partnership with Shopatron opens a new sales ...

and more »


BBC News

SAP Buying E-commerce Vendor Ariba for $4.3 Billion
PCWorld
By Chris Kanaracus, IDG News SAP is buying cloud-based e-commerce vendor Ariba for US$4.3 billion, the companies announced Tuesday. Ariba's platform focuses on business-to-business commerce transactions. It makes a natural fit with SAP's "broad ...
SAP to buy Ariba for $4.3bnFinancial Times
With SAP deal, Ariba's 13-year headstart pays offFT.com (blog)

all 455 news articles »


Home and Hearth Launches Fireplace Store Ecommerce Website
Seattle Post Intelligencer
Home and Hearth Outfitters announces the launch of their new fireplace and Viking appliance e-commerce store to allow purchase of fireplaces, grills, and outdoor living and fireplace products online. Home and Hearth Outfitters is proud to announce the ...

and more »


DermStore, blush and BellaSugar Pave the Way for eCommerce
MarketWatch (press release)
MANHATTAN BEACH, Calif., May 23, 2012 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Sister sites DermStore.com and blush.com are excited to unveil the newest breakthrough in ecommerce. By delivering a hybrid content/commerce experience on BellaSugar--the beauty ...

and more »


Discovering More Information On The Ways An Ecommerce Website Can Guide You
The Bakersfield Voice
Finding out more about how an eCommerce website can be of use to you can put this powerful and effective financial tool at your disposal. Making the most out of any future investments you may be considering will only be possible when you have access to ...


Google News

Article List | Index | Site Map
All logos, trademarks and articles on this site are property and copyright of their respective owner(s).
The comments are property of their posters, all the rest is Copyright © 2006 CanadaSEEK.com - All Rights Reserved.