Research & Insight

Process cycle time

Extra! Extra! Read All About It

Outsourcing Center, Bruce McCracken, Business Writer

As the 20th century closed, the winds of change blew at gale force in marketing and media, harkening the arrival of the Internet. A revolutionary communicative medium was permeating America and the world. The avenues of business were not unlike the midway of a carnival concerning the new marketing channel with barkers shouting strange terms: e Commerce, IT, New Media, Dot Com.

The Current Challenges of eProcurement

Outsourcing Center, Beth Ellyn Rosenthal, Senior Writer

In the current real world of eProcurement, linking the computer systems of buyer and suppliers is just one of the challenges facing eProcurement. Getting employees to use the procurement tools already in place is another. And reengineering the process is a third. Overcoming these difficulties -which are widely agreed upon as inhibiting the ongoing development of eProcurement – is the focus of a dedicated procurement outsourcing team at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC)’s Business Process Outsourcing group.

Achieving High Performance

Chris Pryer, Business Writer

Today roads, and the maintenance they require, are as important as the vehicles that traverse them. And if you’ve paid any attention to today’s news — or your daily commute to work — you are probably aware that roads, like much of America’s infrastructure, are literally going to pot. Local streets, county and state roads and highways, even the nation’s mighty interstates — they are all crumbling under the sheer weight and volume of our ultra-mobile society. State and local governments are hamstrung with the challenge of meeting other fiscal responsibilities (mainly social services) that have greater priority, as well as funding much-needed street and road maintenance and expansion. These projects take a lot of time — and money. To save both, governments are looking to the private sector to do the job of maintaining streets and roads.

High-Quality Impermanent Solutions

Outsourcing Center, Kathleen Goolsby, Senior Writer

Even a Fortune 500 company can fail. All it takes is a decision to invest dollars, time and people in the latest and greatest technological wonder. Sure, an Internet-driven world demands that executives quickly take advantage of innovations that technology promises will give them a competitive edge. But they can reap the benefits without incurring the risks or investment.

Flooded with Possibilities

Outsourcing Center, Kathleen Goolsby, Senior Writer

No doubt, you’ve seen the ads with the cupped hands ready to cradle your life. With the accompanying slogan, You’re in good hands with Allstate, one would naturally assume that customer satisfaction is a high priority with this insurance company. When it comes to outsourcing, though, you can bet that Allstate is in the good hands of its supplier, EDS. Larry Moser, Senior Marketing Manager at Allstate and Product Manager for its flood and mobile home lines, recalls that a decision was made in 1986 that Allstate would join the Write Your Own Flood Insurance Program. He says the company subsequently looked at its processing operation and realized that writing flood was a lot different from its other lines (auto, life, property) and decided to explore what opportunities there might be for the processing of the flood business.

Curing Health Plan Ills

Outsourcing Center, Beth Ellyn Rosenthal, Senior Writer

Health plans can get very, very sick if they continually hear the check’s in the mail. Too many experience financial difficulties because they don’t receive timely payments from employers and members. Outsourcing their back office processes is one way they can get paid on time, says Brenda Smoker, vice president of customer support service for Synertech, a health care outsourcing provider in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

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