Management of Information System at Cellular Inc - Case Study Example

Management Information Question The problem within Cellular Inc. can be best represented through BPMN models which can illustrate the problems the customer encounters while placing and receiving an order for the iGizmo cellular phone. The seriousness of the problem within the customer care department is revealed through the letter to the CEO. The customer was not able to see the display of the promotional price on the company’s website. This is one of the events within the BPMN model which demonstrates that there is lack of coordination and collaboration between the marketing department of the company and the website management professionals. The customer care department of the company is not helpful to the customer when assisting with online orders for the cellular phone. As a result, the customer is not able to receive the order according to their request. It is because of these problems that the customer decides to send a letter to the CEO so that the company’s management would understand how serious the customer care problem is within the company. The complaint of the customer causes events within the company with the goal of finding the most appropriate solution for the problem. The events, activities and gateway within the service delivery department of Cellular Inc. are presented in the BPMN model in Figure 1 below. Figure 1: BPMN model for the problem at Cellular Inc. Question 2 There is poor communication between the company and its clients. This situation is demonstrated by the events the customer goes through in trying to place the order in an effective way. For example, the use of the company’s website by the customer reveals that the information which is expected to be at the site is missing. Additionally, the customer later realizes that the promotion had expired even though there was no information on the website to inform the clients when the promotion was supposed to end. The company also has a problem with the transaction system. This is evident by the problems the customer encounters while trying to make payments. The problem with the online transaction system is the duplication of the shipping address field which does not cater to those who would like the delivery to be made to a different location. After a long process of trying to credit the customer’s card, Robbie says that it was not possible because of the cancellation of the transaction by the client earlier on. These illustrations reveal that the company has a serious problem with its online transaction system which it needs to be addressed urgently. This is important because poor transaction processes and the inefficiency related to this are likely to make the customers lose their confidence in the company. How the customer care department functions is also a problem which needs to be addressed. This is apparent when the customer is directed to numerous customer support personnel who do not understand the actual problem with the transactions. The representatives of the company to whom the customer is directed do not seem to settle the customer’s problem. Moreover, there are delays in finding a solution because the customer is put on hold most of the time. Due to these issues it can be said that the customer care functionality of Cellular Inc. does not attend to the needs of the clients in the most efficient and effective manner. As a result, there was a lot of disappointment on the part of the customer which could lead to a loss of loyalty to the company. Question 3 The company must ensure that its website provides adequate details. For example, the prices of various products must be displayed on the website, including promotions for each product. The credit that the company’s customers are to be given should also be provided on the site. This is to ensure that the customers get adequate information on a product before they make an order. Company websites must provide their clients with timely and sufficient information before the online transaction process is commenced. It is important for companies to ensure that the decisions of customers are informed (Rauniar, 2009). The company must therefore ensure that its website is updated frequently so that details such as promotions of a product are altered once the promotion is over. This would prevent situations where clients are misled about the details of a product which they desire to purchase online. The website must also be designed for efficiency so that clients are not forced to reenter their details again when there is a problem with the order. Customers should also be able to change information as necessary such as the billing or shipping address. The solutions which would lead to efficiency and effectiveness of the website include website design and development which is aimed at ensuring that all the needs of the customers are met. The updating of the website will involve the website manager who must coordinate with the sales and marketing departments on a daily basis so that updates on the product details can be acquired and changed within the site as necessary. The communication issues within the customer support division should be improved. This could be achieved through the implementation of an efficient communication process where the customers are not expected to hold on the telephone for a long time. Moreover, the customers must be directed appropriately and efficiently to the customer support professional who understands the problem the customer is experiencing. More importantly, the crediting process of the online transactions must ensure that the customer is charged according to the order. Promotion prices and credit for the company’s loyal customers should also be considered during the crediting and billing processes. It has been revealed that companies which are efficient in the customer support and online transaction processes experience increased consumer confidence and hence loyalty of the customer (Ouyang, 2008). The events and activities for the solution of Cellular Inc.’s issues are presented on the BPMN model on Figure 2 below. Figure 2: BPMN Model for solving problems at Cellular Inc. The risks associated with implementing solutions at Cellular Inc. involve the user friendliness of the improved website and the appropriateness of the changed customer support processes. The changes within the website for enhanced customer experience may not be user friendly to the customer. When making changes to company website it is important to ensure that the new functionalities of the site are usable and appropriate for the customers (Rauniar, 2009). Therefore, the company must design the website to solve the problems with the display of relevant information, updating and transactions rather than causing more problems within the site. Furthermore, the customer support changes could experience delayed implementation. The customer support professionals may take time to adapt to the required changes. Companies must train their customer care and support staff to ensure that they efficiently adapt to the changing needs of the customers with efficiency and effectiveness (Ouyang, 2008). The training and improvement of the company’s website will take two months so that every change within the system is implemented satisfactorily to prevent possible recurrence of the problem of online transactions and communications with customers. Question 4 Proper management of the company’s staff would have been the most effective solution to the problem which the customer is facing. Through proper management, the staff would be monitored to ensure that they attended to the needs of the customers in an effective manner. Additionally, the management of the company website would have ensured that there were updates on the site. This would have prevented the display of outdated promotions on the site which led to the misleading information being presented to the customers. Proper design of the crediting and billing system of the company would have been another solution to the problems which the customer is facing in making payments. The crediting system if well designed, would not have led to the overcharge that the customer is complaining about. Additionally, the completion of personal information online, including the delivery address, would have been simpler through a properly designed billing system. These illustrations reveal that the problems the company is demonstrating in the management of the online transactions would have been avoided if proper measures would have been taken. The processes of making an order, paying through online transactions, delivery and customer feedback could be enhanced through proper management of the support team. This would include meeting training needs and ensuring that proper procedures are followed to ensure that the customer needs are met satisfactorily. More significantly, the value of effective online transactions should be a priority for the company through the proper design of its website. Works Cited Ouyang, Chun. "Pattern-Based Translation of BPMN Process Models to BPEL Web Services." International Journal of Web Services Research 5.1 (2008): 42-62. ABI/INFORM Complete. Retrieved 26 May 2012. Rauniar, Rupak. "C2c Online Auction Website Performance: Buyers Perspective." Journal of Electronic Commerce Research 10.2 (2009): 56-75. ABI/INFORM Complete. Retrieved 26 May 2012. Read More