Hello Folks!
As many of you already know, I will be conducting a webinar this Monday on Mobile Business Intelligence. The content is derived from my latest Mobile BI Market Study Report, which was released just last month.
In support of this event, I decided (after much deliberation) to purchase a new mobile device - specifically a mobile tablet. And, no, it's not an iPad.
But, this posting is not about the device. Instead, it's a story about the disastrous customer service associated with acquiring this device.
On Wednesday, I called the device manufacturer's sales line to order my new mobile tablet. The sales person was personable, knowledgeable and professional. I was quite impressed. Of course, I needed to receive the device ASAP, in support of Monday's event and impending road-tour next week. So, I requested (and paid for) overnight shipping. Since I was ordering after 1PM, I was told that the device would be delivered on Friday. I soon received email confirmation and an order number. I thought I was all set!
But, wait! While still on the phone with the sales person, I logged onto to their system and noticed that it indicated shipping via "ground" and delivery in 3-5 business days, not Next Day. My sales person assured me that the system was incorrect and that it would indeed be delivered on Friday.
The following morning (Thursday), I checked their system again. It still indicated 3-5 business days. I called and spoke to another sales person, who once again assured me that the package would ship Next Day Air and I would receive the unit on Friday, as promised. When asked about the online status of 3-5 business days, I was told that their internal system was accurate and the customer (my) view was out of date.
Later that day, I received shipping notice from the vendor's automated system, indicating that the unit had, in fact, shipped via ground and would be delivered in 3-5 business days - not next day. As you can imagine, I was rather upset. I immediately contacted my sales person, who still insisted that the package might still arrive on Friday and that the system must be in error.
With tracking number in hand, I verified this information the shipper's system and confirmed that the package would indeed be delivered via ground - and would not arrive until the following Monday (or Tuesday), NOT FRIDAY.
The last email that I received from my sales person (although apologetic) focused on the point that this error wasn't his fault. He put it into the system correctly and had never seen this happen before. To quote him: "it is simply not possible for me to charge for shipping without selecting it in our system. The only explanation I have is the same as before---a system error somehow failed to register the Next Day shipping as the shipping option once the order was completed." His only solution was to refund my $16 for overnight shipping, which didn't address my issue. He made certain to copy his boss.
So, with that lengthy explanation behind us, let's examine what should have occurred:
1) When the customer (me) alerted the sales person about the shipping method discrepancy, he should have sought help from someone with more experience. Fact is: systems typically do what they're told to do and the indicated status is probably accurate.
2) When the customer calls back and still indicates a problem, don't patronize him and do nothing. On Thursday there was still time to fix the problem. At that point they still could have shipped out another unit for delivery by Friday.
3) Don't blame the system for a customer service problem. The customer doesn't care who's fault it was. Acknowledge the mistake and come up with a solution.
As a final note, when I was tweeting about this issue, the vendor's social media customer service rep reached out to me and tried hard to fix the problem. In fact he had them ship another unit to me for overnight delivery. However, they (apparently) don't have the ability or didn't select "Saturday Delivery" as an option. So, the second unit will likely arrive at the same time as the first unit.
The old axiom of "A stitch in time saves nine" comes to mind. Fix a problem right away - when it's easier and there are more options - and before it gets out of hand creating (in this case) a customer service nightmare.
I'll share more of the saga at the webinar on Monday. For more info on the event - go to www.mobile-bi-study.com
Best,
Howard
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Mobile BI Vendor Rankings
Hello Folks!
As you are probably aware, our upcoming Mobile Business Intelligence Market Study Webinar is just over a week away and will take place on October 25th at 12:00 PM ET.
In preparation for this event, I have created a series of vendor rankings and thought I'd share one here - with vendor names removed.
Vendors were scored based on platform coverage and BI features/functions supported. As you can see, there are clear leaders and laggards - which will be identified during the webinar.
Ultimately, our objective is to provide tools that will help organizations make informed decisions surrounding Mobile BI.
This and other analyses will only be available through the webinar.
Visit our official Mobile Business Intelligence Website at www.mobile-bi-study.com for more information and to register!
Best,
Howard
As you are probably aware, our upcoming Mobile Business Intelligence Market Study Webinar is just over a week away and will take place on October 25th at 12:00 PM ET.
In preparation for this event, I have created a series of vendor rankings and thought I'd share one here - with vendor names removed.
Vendors were scored based on platform coverage and BI features/functions supported. As you can see, there are clear leaders and laggards - which will be identified during the webinar.
Ultimately, our objective is to provide tools that will help organizations make informed decisions surrounding Mobile BI.
This and other analyses will only be available through the webinar.
Visit our official Mobile Business Intelligence Website at www.mobile-bi-study.com for more information and to register!
Best,
Howard
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
A Business Intelligence Software Directory?
Hi Folks.
After discussing with some colleagues, I have decided it might be worthwhile to create an open-access Business Intelligence Software directory.
I envision this as a simple database application with basic vendor and product information. But, who knows what it might evolve into.
Please feel free to post comments and suggestions here.
Thanks!
Best,
Howard
After discussing with some colleagues, I have decided it might be worthwhile to create an open-access Business Intelligence Software directory.
I envision this as a simple database application with basic vendor and product information. But, who knows what it might evolve into.
Please feel free to post comments and suggestions here.
Thanks!
Best,
Howard
Saturday, September 25, 2010
Why we're different
Hell
o All!
I was speaking to a client the other day and was explaining why our research studies are different than all others and thought I might share this with you.
At Dresner Advisory Services, our key differentiators are: Experience, Objectivity, and Inclusion.
Experience: As some of you already know, I spent 13 years at Gartner, where I was a Research Fellow and Team Leader for Business Intelligence. During my tenure there I conducted numerous market studies, was responsible for the BI Magic Quadrants and created and chaired its BI conferences. I have been in the industry for 30 years and in the BI segment for 21. I have also published two books on the subject. All of this experience and judgment is applied in all phases of our market studies - delivering - what I hope is - a more complete and useful perspective on the market - and one that will save clients time, energy and money!
Objectivity: Unlike other organizations, we do not pre-fund market studies with sponsor money. In other words, we determine those areas that warrant in-depth research and then carry out the work of design, execution, analysis and documentation - without any guarantees of funding. This means that our market studies are unbiased and uninfluenced by vested interests. However, once all of the work is done, anyone can license our research - including vendors.
Inclusion: Although we invite members of our user community to participate in market studies, we also actively leverage social media to invite all to participate. This technique of "crowd sourcing" better ensures a more diverse and richer data sample. We also believe it serves as a better barometer for what's really going on in the market.
Current Efforts: Earlier this year we released our Wisdom of Crowds BI Market Study (TM) which has received both critical acclaim and broad adoption. This study will be conducted annually - with the next cycle planned to begin late Winter of 2011.
Our latest study focuses upon Mobile Business Intelligence and was released earlier this month. Enterprise licensees have been receiving their copies this month. This study has already been written up by Forbes, TechTarget, Datamation and B-Eye Network!
On October 25, 2010 at 12PM ET, I will deliver a webinar on Mobile BI called "The Five 'Ws' of Mobile BI". All attendees will receive a complimentary copy of the research study findings report, immediately following the event.
To learn more about our latest Mobile BI Study and to sign up for our upcoming webinar, please visit www.mobile-bi-study.com
I look forward to continuing as an alternative voice in the Business Intelligence and Performance Management markets and appreciate your ongoing support!
Best,
Howard
o All!I was speaking to a client the other day and was explaining why our research studies are different than all others and thought I might share this with you.
At Dresner Advisory Services, our key differentiators are: Experience, Objectivity, and Inclusion.
Experience: As some of you already know, I spent 13 years at Gartner, where I was a Research Fellow and Team Leader for Business Intelligence. During my tenure there I conducted numerous market studies, was responsible for the BI Magic Quadrants and created and chaired its BI conferences. I have been in the industry for 30 years and in the BI segment for 21. I have also published two books on the subject. All of this experience and judgment is applied in all phases of our market studies - delivering - what I hope is - a more complete and useful perspective on the market - and one that will save clients time, energy and money!
Objectivity: Unlike other organizations, we do not pre-fund market studies with sponsor money. In other words, we determine those areas that warrant in-depth research and then carry out the work of design, execution, analysis and documentation - without any guarantees of funding. This means that our market studies are unbiased and uninfluenced by vested interests. However, once all of the work is done, anyone can license our research - including vendors.
Inclusion: Although we invite members of our user community to participate in market studies, we also actively leverage social media to invite all to participate. This technique of "crowd sourcing" better ensures a more diverse and richer data sample. We also believe it serves as a better barometer for what's really going on in the market.
Current Efforts: Earlier this year we released our Wisdom of Crowds BI Market Study (TM) which has received both critical acclaim and broad adoption. This study will be conducted annually - with the next cycle planned to begin late Winter of 2011.
Our latest study focuses upon Mobile Business Intelligence and was released earlier this month. Enterprise licensees have been receiving their copies this month. This study has already been written up by Forbes, TechTarget, Datamation and B-Eye Network!
On October 25, 2010 at 12PM ET, I will deliver a webinar on Mobile BI called "The Five 'Ws' of Mobile BI". All attendees will receive a complimentary copy of the research study findings report, immediately following the event.
To learn more about our latest Mobile BI Study and to sign up for our upcoming webinar, please visit www.mobile-bi-study.com
I look forward to continuing as an alternative voice in the Business Intelligence and Performance Management markets and appreciate your ongoing support!
Best,
Howard
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Announcing "The Five 'Ws' of Mobile Business Intelligence" Presentation
Now that our Mobile Business Intelligence Market Study has been released to enterprise licensees, I'm focusing my attention on our upcoming webinar, scheduled for October 25th at 12PM ET. In support of the webinar, I've created a new presentation abstract called the "Five W's of Mobile Business Intelligence".
For anyone considering deploying Mobile BI, this is a "must attend" event which could save you considerable time, effort and money!
The Five 'Ws" of Mobile Business Intelligence
With the advent and adoption of devices like the iPhone, iPad and Android devices, we are in the midst of a profound shift in favor of mobile computing and the mainstreaming of Mobile Business Intelligence.
In this presentation we'll review the findings from our landmark Mobile Business Intelligence Market Study and will answer:
- Who: Who will deploy Mobile BI (Which users/organizations) and which vendors will offer the most complete solutions?
- What: What mobile platforms will be embraced or abandoned for Mobile BI? And, which features and functions are most important?
- Where: Where will Mobile BI be deployed most? How does geography impact deployment?
- Why: Why are organizations deploying Mobile BI (rationale)? What are the anticipated benefits and drawbacks? What are the greatest vendor challenges to delivering Mobile BI?
- When: When will Mobile BI be deployed over the course of the next two years? How will vendor solutions evolve to meet user needs?
To register for the October 25th webinar, please visit or Official Mobile Business Intelligence Market Study website at http://www.mobile-bi-study.com today! "Early bird" pricing will be in effect until September 26th and seating will be limited.
Webinar attendees will also receive a complimentary copy of the Official Study Findings Report, immediately following the event.
Hope to see you there!
Best,
Howard
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Mobile Business Intelligence Study Availability
I am please to announce that our latest market study is now complete and ready to be released!
The Mobile Business Intelligence Market Study will be released to enterprise licensees tomorrow, September 8th!
All others can receive a copy of this landmark study by attending our webinar on October 25th at 12:00 PM ET. The study findings and analysis report will be released to attendees immediately following the event.
Please visit our Official Mobile BI Study website at www.mobile-bi-study.com for details and to sign up.
Here's what's included in the report:
- 70 pages of in-depth analysis and commentary
- Over 40 charts and tables – with deep insights into: Mobile BI adoption plans, platforms, features/functions and tools - to inform your planning processes and road-map
- Detailed mobile capabilities for 18 BI vendors - including supported features/functions and platforms and key challenges
- Customer case study profiles, with details surrounding actual implementations
- Conclusions and recommendations
Best,
Howard
Video Preview of our Mobile BI Study
Hello Everyone!
The Findings and Analysis Report for our Mobile Business Intelligence Market Study is NOW COMPLETE!! The report will be first released to enterprise licensees on September 8th.
For all others, the study webinar will take place on Octber 25th at 12:00 PM ET. Webinar attendees will receive a complimentary copy of the study findings report immediately following the event!
Here's a short video preview of what you'll see on the 25th:
Please visit our Official Mobile BI Study Website at http://www.mobile-bi-study.com for more details and to register!
Best,
Howard
The Findings and Analysis Report for our Mobile Business Intelligence Market Study is NOW COMPLETE!! The report will be first released to enterprise licensees on September 8th.
For all others, the study webinar will take place on Octber 25th at 12:00 PM ET. Webinar attendees will receive a complimentary copy of the study findings report immediately following the event!
Here's a short video preview of what you'll see on the 25th:
Please visit our Official Mobile BI Study Website at http://www.mobile-bi-study.com for more details and to register!
Best,
Howard
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