Insight of My Company and its IT Strategies Our
company is engaged in the business of providing after sales service to
customers of electronic products and home appliances such as
LCD,CTV,Washing Machines, Microwave, AC Etc. Our customer profile
includes corporate companies, dealers, distributors and home buyers. We
have large network of service centres across the length and bredth of
the country. We are equipped with large team of technicians, engineers
specialized in servicing and repairs of electronic goods. We are
maintaining inventory of spare parts, accessories etc across 39 Branches
and 51 depos located in different parts of the country.
We have
in place Web based CRM which is used to register customer complaints
online through call centre. The calls are routed to nearest service
centre depending upon where the customer is located.
The complaints are allocated to service engineers depending upon the skillsets of the technician.
The
Technician then prints the job sheet on computer and visits the
customer with prior appointments. The technician carries along with him
necessary spare parts required to fix the problem. The complaint is then
closed. The cash collected is then deposited with local Branch.
Since
CRM is online, tracking of call registration, call allocation,
Appointments, visits, and status of complaint is monitored online.
Our
I.T. strategy is to integrate I.T. with business so that our service
level is maintained as per the standards set. Through I.T. , company is
in a position to maintain service level, minimize stock level of spare
parts and at the same time ensure that spare parts are available as and
when required.
Views on new technologies Cloud computing is integral to Business in view of diverse locations of business units.
It
is very economical in terms of cost of connectivity and at the same
time offers online business information at different locations.
Resources to Keep Updated with Latest Technologies Read Technical journals, attend to seminars, surf net etc.
Team Size My Team consists of 7 people with 1 DBA, 2 Assistant Managers, 4 developrs and testers. Fast depleting profit margin in view of stiff competition.
Biggest Pain Point Fast depleting profit margin in view of stiff competition.
Technology to Address Pain Points Yes, of course. I am of firm opinion that I.T. will bail the company out of this difficult situation. I
have taken number of steps to identify leakages in revenue generation
in consultation with business managers and have chalked out action plan
to build in checks and balances in the system.
Slowdown Impact on IT Innovation Investment in Technology is a big challenge in economic slowdown. CEO’s are reluctant to invest in I.T.
Cost
cutting takes precedence over investment. Emphasis is more on how to
increase profitability through cost cutting rather than increase in
revenue through investment.
Challenges Faced Information security is of prime concern in cloud computing environment because of security threats. Unfortunately, there is a lack of awareness among Business community on the threat perception.
Disaster
Recovery and Business continuity plan must be in place to protect
Business in the event of Dataloss due to virus attack or any other
reason.
Adoption of Cloud Policy We have formulated detailed cloud policy so as to prevent misuse of data.
Role of Cloud Firewall
is generally placed between web server and application server to
identify authorized user before allowing him to access application
server.
IT Leader – Manager First or Technologist First: He should be a manager first.
ROI on the Technology: 30-40%
Relationship Between CIOs and CEOs CIO
and CEO has to work hand in hand. CEO develops Business strategy
keeping in mind long term and short term goals of the company and CIO
develops I.T. strategy to align it with business objectives.
Advice/ Suggestion CIO
must develop skills to understand business, identify pain areas and use
I.T. to address pain areas. He should be more business centric and
less I.T. Centric.
