Anticlue

Strategically utilize the web

Businesses need to be able to create a strategic vision for how to expand or improve their basic operation, marketing, and customer service functions. In all three cases, Web-based technologies can help to fundamentally change the way an organization does business. This strategic method is generally referred to as Feeny's E-Opportunities.

There are three main categories of opportunities; e-operations, e-marketing, and e-services.

E-Operations focuses on the business daily operations and supply chain management functions. For health care organizations, daily operations can be enhanced tremendously by the use of web technology. Imagine an automated supply request process, with no pieces of paper to fill out along the way. Or perhaps vacation requests and scheduling being completed via an intranet web page. Another ideal is computerized physician order entry.

E-marketing covers initiatives that expand the delivery mechanism of the main product of the business. Viewed through a health care perspective, disease management and wellness programs provide consumers with a starting place for asking questions.

E-service challenges companies to find new ways to address an identified set of customer needs. Perhaps it is a web-based training application to expand CME or CNE credits. Maybe it is a tool to expand and support conversations between clinicians, referring, consulting, attending, and residents, on a patients care. E-Services expand the traditional service model to a non brick and mortar model.