Role of IT - Harrison Kirby - Case Study Example

Final Milestone Your Name Course Number: Course Title Instructor: Name here Date here Final Milestone Case Synthesis Purpose The information technology (IT) provides an effective channel for business owners to communicate with their customers. The IT plays a crucial role of attracting as well as retaining the customers and also management of the relationships between business and customers. According to Kursan and Mihić (2010), the internet is a new tool for marketing that enables business organizations to access technological advancements and also directly communicate with the users. In view of this, the internet would enable Harrison Kirby to swiftly and constantly update his customers’ database. The objective of this millstone is to demonstrate how Kirby could improve customer alignment as well as efficiency by means of IT. Without a doubt, IT has turned out to be a crucial tool in modern-day business activities. This piece exhibits how Kirby’s golf business would be positioned by technology for growth in the future and also seeks to develop comprehensive solutions that would improve the online presence of the business. Description of Business and Industry Technology has transformed the golf industry to a larger extent; for instance, golf has been taken to new mobility dimension. Nowadays, golf course operators are utilizing information technology to create an editorial page where they are replicating all contents being displayed in their websites. Technology has reshaped golf industry because of mobility considering that most customers for golf courses are utilizing their mobile handsets not only for communication reasons, but also to search for information which ultimately is converted into sales. Many people are using mobile applications since they enable them to communicate with their preferred brands. Therefore, ensuring a closer and trustful relationship between customers and brands has become very crucial in the golf industry. Most customers are using internet to make online bookings, whereby golf courses with online presence allow their customers to access services and products ubiquitously. Besides that, online training has been introduced in the golf industry, whereby customers access multiple videos in the online platforms such as YouTube and Vimeo demonstrating how they can improve their golf game. Even though Kirby has distinguished himself in the local area for offering affordable products and services, lack of online presence prevents him from accessing many people partaking and enjoying the golfing sport. Clearly, advancements in technology have forced many business owners to shift from the traditional modality of business marketing towards one that needs them to have a strong online presence. Businesses can no longer deploy just simple webpage; they have to expand their business strategy in order to accommodate the increasing aspect of e-commerce and social media. Kirby should propel his company into the digital world by establishing an online presence and strengthening his current product line. Some of the challenges that Kirby is facing now includes; lack of online presence while most of the competitors have an active online presence. Therefore, Kirby should introduce a revamped webpage that is modernized that would be accessed easily by mobile users. Kirby demonstrates positive actions by desiring to establish an online store that would enable customers to purchase products and services ubiquitously. Still, Kirby needs to be present in the social media sites such as YouTube, Twitter and Facebook in order to facilitate engagement between the company and current as well as potential customer. Kirby’s main competitor is Port Royal Golf Course, which is currently ranked as one of the best golf courses in the world. Aside from offering its products and services in physical location (Southampton, Bermuda), Port Royal Golf Course has an online presence whereby customers and members are offered an opportunity to shop anywhere and anytime. It offers different types of products, online training, and online booking at competitive prices (Port Royal Golf Course, 2017). Central Role of IT As mentioned by Berisha-Shaqiri (2015), the Internet and IT are crucial features that facilitate communication between brands and customers and also allow for creation of new business models, by positively transforming the business development. Clearly, many businesses are considering the internet as a strategic tool for promoting business services and work and also facilitating expansion to new markets. Business organizations utilizing the internet have become efficient in their business activities and have achieved sustainable competitive advantage. According to Berisha-Shaqiri (2015), e-commerce has transformed not just the economy but also the politics and society. Without a doubt, the IT has become the integral part of the modern-day society that instantly connects many people by means of social networks. The IT plays a crucial role of promoting customer knowledge through reviews of the products and continuously changes the mediums through which business organizations are attracting consumers. It is imperative for Kirby’s business to discard the old habits, and espouse new technology-based strategies in order to remain competitive. Modernizing the golf course could result in improved sales; that is to say, deploying the online store would enable Kirby to deliver different types of products to customers across the globe. Adopting IT would help reduced costs related to management of employees, inventory as well as customers. Information systems could notify the staff automatically when the stock for a particular product is low; thus, allowing for efficient management of inventory and online booking. IT would enable Kirby to attract new customers by exposing itself to many potential customers using social media sites. The IT can allow Kirby to gain competitive advantage over the other competitors: through assessment of the competitors’ present e-commerce strategies; it would be easier to determine the critical errors that should be avoided. Use of IT would increase customer satisfaction considering that customers prefer using websites that are optimized in a way that mobile users can easily access them. Having an online presence makes it easier for customers to submit recommendations as well feedback through the company’s online portal. Complementary/Competing Company The Port Royal Golf Course has a revolutionary webpage and its online presence has been maintained for many years. Customers can quickly access the company’s web address (http://www.portroyalgolf.bm/). The company has periodically changed its functionality and appearance to make sure that it offers a modern feel and look to the customers. Furthermore, Port Royal Golf Course’s has been optimized in a way that it promotes mobile browsers. The majority of its online traffic is sourced from the mobile devices, especially Smartphones and Tables; thus, generating a modernized customer experience. Webpage optimization to facilitate access by mobile users is considered widely as a suitable strategy for retaining customers and attracting new customers. More recently, Port Royal Golf Course established an online store that offers customers various types of products and services ubiquitously. The online store offers limited offerings such as products, training, as well as personalized merchandize. Port Royal Golf Course has strong presence in the social media, especially Facebook (https://web.facebook.com/portroyalgolfclub/?_rdr), Twitter (https://twitter.com/portroyalbda?lang=en), Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/portroyalgolf/), and YouTube. Port Royal Golf Course uses these social media sites to communicate with the users, attract potential new clients, and retain current customers. These sites offer Port Royal Golf Course a marketing advantage and enable it to offer real-time feedbacks to the customers. Security and Ethics Security/Control Issues Kirby should understand that a comprehensive modernization strategy cannot be complete devoid of examining the validity of some of the concerns such as lack of online presence. It is imperative to ensure that the customers are protected from various security issues attributed to e-commerce. For instance a hack, digital leak, or security breach could result in distrust amongst the customers leading to decline in sales and possibly business failure. Given that large amounts of data are currently stored in computers, the likelihood of security breach is very high. Although all systems are vulnerable to threat of malicious programs, viruses, or hackers, it is imperative to follow the preventative measures in order to reduce the probability of security breach happening. An established online store should allow for online payments and registration of customers. The information that customers share is often sensitive and could become disastrously if poorly secured. For this reason, Kirby should utilize the Jigoshop e-commerce plugin because it offers different payment and security extensions. More importantly, every Jigoshop’s are Payment Card Industry compliant; thus, guarantees encryption and protection of customers’ data. Ethics/Information Security Issues All online businesses are expected to adhere to the ethical standards. Therefore, companies engaging in questionable and extreme behavior are monitored keenly. It is imperative for Kirby to understand that negative opinions from the customers could swiftly lead to unrecoverable business loss. In order to develop a positive online persona, Kirby should avoid posting, discussing or relating his business to contentious opinions and/or topics. When handling controversial matters, Kirby should make certain that his company remains neutral. More importantly, Kirby should avoid web-spoofing, which normally happens when a business owner deliberately establishes an online presence by copying all details from a legitimate company with the objective of deceiving the customers into. Kirby should ensure that his domain is registered and avoid engaging in activities that could lead to trademark suits. Findings and Recommendations Critical Information for Decision Making and Improvement To improve decision making, Leary (2015) posits that business should adopt the Web as platform for an e-commerce business in order to effectively interact with the customers. Instead of paying attention to the ‘touch points’ at the time of sales and marketing processes, Kirby should utilize the social technologies as well as intelligent algorithms to create continuous and meaningful relationships with these customers. This can be achieved by increasing online interactions, normally using social channels. According to Leary (2015), implementing the appropriate service processes that could allow for effective management of customer issues could facilitate customer alignment and efficiently. Kirby should provide online support, mobile applications and live chat so as to satisfy the customers. It is imperative for Kirby to weaver the processes of customer support into engagement channels that are highly used such as Facebook. Technical Options Technology Concept Product/Service Name URL Solution Type Licensing/Cost Use Case / Value Statement WordPress Webpage Use WordPress www.wordpress.com A system for managing content and open-source blog WordPress is mainly a free Service, however, the cost of creating a mobile accessible site is $6,500. The webpage looks somehow Outdated while its functionality is somehow limited. Social Media Integration Twitter Facebook Instagram YouTube www.twitter.com www.facebook.com www.instagram.com www.youtube.com Marketing through social media sites and using HootSuite to manage presence. Creating a profile in all these social media sites is free but the annual cost of HootSuite management is $119.88. Using social media strengthen the reputation of the brand, promote consumer engagement, and allow the company to attract new customers. Online Store Jigoshop https://wordpress.org/plugins/jigoshop/ WordPress e-commerce plugin. Basic users can access it for free, but the users must pay one-time fee for extensions. Enables the business owner to sell its products to all customers across the globe and utilizes intelligent systems. Management Decisions With the view to the table above, Kirby should create a Webpage so as to become more functional than the competitors. By using WordPress, Kirby would be able to customize his products and services. It also offers dependability as well as scaleability and facilitates installation of plugins that enable the organization to expand the site’s capabilities quickly devoid of spending more money. Through social media optimization, Kirby would be able to establish an effective social media strategy, which would become the backbone of the golf course’s marketing. Furthermore, the HootSuite will enable Kirby to effectively manage the social media accounts as well as create security controls that would prevent unauthorized access or breach of data. Given that Kirby sells most of his products in the physical store, he needs to deploy an online store that would lead to increase in market size and revenue. References Berisha-Shaqiri, A. (2015). Impact of Information Technology and Internet in Businesses. Academic Journal of Business, Administration, Law and Social Sciences, 1(1), 73-79. Kursan, I., & Mihić, M. (2010). Business Intelligence: The Role of the Internet in Marketing Research and Business Decision-Making. Management, 15(1), 69-86. Leary, B. (2015 ). Improving customer engagement strategies with CRM tools. Retrieved from TechTarget : http://searchcrm.techtarget.com/feature/Improving-customer-engagement-strategies-with-CRM-tools Port Royal Golf Course. (2017). Port Royal Golf Course Online Store. Retrieved from Port Royal Golf Course: http://www.portroyalgolf.bm/proshop/ Read More