Improving B2B Customers Satisfaction Chou-Hong Chen, Ph.D. School of Business Administration Gonzaga University, Washington, U.S.A. Senior Consultant, Taskco.com chen@gonzaga.edu Nov. 22, 2000

B2B E-Commerce Facilitate to get information, place order and check the speed of process or seek for help. Make the products to meet customers’ requirements, know of why they use them and how to make the products being used conveniently.

E-Commerce Improve work flow Help customers complete jobs quickly, efficiently, and conveniently

Five steps to succeed in E-commerce 1. Make it easy for customers to do business with you 2. Focus on the end-customer for your products and service 3. Redesign your customer-facing processes from the end-customer's point of view 4. Wire your company for profit: Design a comprehensive, evolving electronic commerce architecture 5. Foster customer loyalty-the key to profitability in electronic commerce

When facing business consumers, we must know the following key factors: 1. Know of the customers’ process flow thoroughly Get new products’ information easily Search engine by functions 2. Improve work flow continuously and help customer to have jobs done easily Know of customers’ work flow and redesign our work flow Satisfy customers with their expected work style and save company’s time and money considerably

When facing business consumers, we must know of the following key factors (continued): 3. Facilitates customers to check inventory directly (this is the biggest impact/advantage that EC brings) Not only the pertinent customers know of the price and functions of the products. But they also want to know of the inventory available when, where, and how to get the products The above requirements for customers are the same to B2C,B2B and will be the major competition difference for companies.

When facing business consumers, we must know of the following key factors (continued): 4. Provide customers with sufficient information and tools to help them make purchase decision Multti-Media Corp. After choosing the designers, the group negotiates together and then asks for the customers’ opinions to make final decision. Cisco's products are too complex to understood • The customers do not know how to perform their purchasing tasks. They even do not know what combination of products they need before inquiring to Cisco. • Cisco developed a software package as a configuration engine and then set up combination constraints for relevant products

When facing business consumers, we must know of the following key factors (continued): 5. Print billing statements according to customers’ requirements B2C transactions are through credit card., thus the billing is mainly based on the information of credit cards B2B • Customers will decide whether to continue to do business according to the status for their billing been processed • Customers will turn their businesses to other companies because of any inconveniences caused by the wrong billing or forms which do not meet customers’ requirement • Customers may ask for billings to be processed based on different geographical locations, divisions, product lines and departments • Every company’s requirements for the billings will vary

When facing business consumers, we must know of the following key factors (continued): 6. Help customers (suppliers) satisfy with their requirements easily procurement sites should be linked with with the suppliers that produced catalogue and placed order • the samples can be reached by engineers (or the others who need them) quickly • shorten the market testing and delivery time

The Eight Critical Success Factors for Electronic Commerce 1. Target the right customers 2. Own the customer's total experience 3. Streamline business processes that impact the customer 4. Provide a 360 degree view of the customer relationship 5. Let customers help themselves 6. Help customers do their jobs 7. Deliver personalized service 8. Foster Community