Data On Call: Strategic Plan Deanna Lynch

Introduction  Background  Long Term Objectives  Vision, Mission, and Values  Internal and External Analyses  Grand Strategy  Implementation and Critical Success Factors  Conclusion

Background  Established in 1996  Acquired by j2 Global Communications in  Small business; Currently employs about 16 staff members.  Provides Internet fax services enabling users to send and receive faxes via .

Long Term Objectives  Profitability  Competitive Position  Technological Leadership

Five Year Vision Statement By the start of 2014, Data On Call will become the leading company in the Internet fax industry by expanding globally and creating new and innovative technology that will attract a large customer base.

Mission Statement To provide premium services to customers that enable faxes to be sent and received via to simplify communications from the home or office at a low cost with maximum security compliances.

Values  Customer Satisfaction  Exceptional Customer Service  Technological Advancement  Profitability

Internal Analysis  Strengths  Competitive pricing.  Friendly and helpful customer service and support specialists.  Technical support from knowledgeable representatives.  Highly educated, well-trained Information Technology professionals.

Internal Analysis  Weaknesses  Stagnant growth and development.  Very little product differentiation.  Availability of the staff. The website is available to customers 24 hours per day, seven days per week. However, the staff is only available Monday through Friday between 8 am and 5 pm.

External Analysis: Customer Profiles  Present Customers vs. Prospective Customers.  Identifying Target Segments.

External Analysis: Technological Factors  Avoiding obsolescence.  Awareness of new technology  Technology and innovation.

External Analysis: Competitive Position  Data On Call can best compete by addressing its competitors’ positions. The following criteria present opportunities for Data On Call’s competitive positioning:  Price Competitiveness  Promotion effectiveness  Relative product and service quality  Customer profile  Patents and copyrights  Technological position

Matched Pair Analysis  Opportunity: Technology and innovation that will create a competitive edge.  Strength: Data On Call has highly educated, well-trained IT personnel.

Matched Pair Analysis  Opportunity: Attract new customers while attaining new ones.  Strengths: Staff members are helpful and knowledgeable.  Weaknesses: The service Data On Call provides on the Internet is available 24 hours, but support is only available Monday through Friday.

Matched Pair Analysis  Threat: Several competitors have recently entered the Internet fax industry and are gaining leverage in the market.  Weakness: Data On Call provides very little product differentiation.

Grand Strategy: Concentrated Growth  Data On Call is a very small company that is relatively new. A concentrated growth strategy will allow the company to focus on improving its existing qualities before attempting to look to more challenging issues.  As Data On Call continues to grow, it will be able to implement strategies such as market and product development as well as Innovation.

Implementation Plan  The IT Department will develop new technology to attract more clients by providing a more user-friendly web site within six months.  The marketing department will place more ad banners on websites frequently utilized by the customers in the target segment. The first ads should be seen within six months.

Implementation Plan (cont.)  More Customer service personnel will be hired within three to six months to work evenings and weekends to provide more customer support during non-traditional business hours.

Critical Success  Although the implementation should be carried out within six months, the success of the plan may take up to one year. The success of the strategic plan will be measured by:  A larger customer base  More visibility of the company.  Ratings against the competitors.  Customer satisfaction surveys.

Post-Implementation Assessment  The primary assessment should be the amount of profitability.  The critical success factors included a higher customer base. There should be a regular, ongoing assessment of the number of customers both retained and acquired.  There should be a readiness for the company to implement new, more challenging strategies.

Conclusion While a Concentrated Growth Strategy involves very little risk, as Data On Call has become stagnant in its growth, it must solidify its position in the Internet fax industry. This strategy will take a relatively short amount of time to implement. The five year vision will involve more challenging strategies in the future. While a Concentrated Growth Strategy involves very little risk, as Data On Call has become stagnant in its growth, it must solidify its position in the Internet fax industry. This strategy will take a relatively short amount of time to implement. The five year vision will involve more challenging strategies in the future.