Survey: E-Business By the Numbers
MIDRANGE SYSTEMS
E-Business
Reader Information
On September 22, 1999, surveys were mailed to 2,000 subscribers of MIDRANGE Systems with management titles. The tabulated survey results are contained in this report. 107 surveys were returned; a 5 percent response rate.
1.
What is the status of e-business in your organization? (107 Responses)- 24% We are considering doing e-business
- 33% We are in the process of implementing an e-business solution
- 10% We have completed implementation of an e-business solution
- 33% We aren't considering e-business
2.
How much money do you plan to invest in the next 12 months towards your organization's e-business efforts? (50 Responses)Average: $128,430.00
3.
Which levels of your organization are involved in setting e-business strategies? Please rank in order of importance, 1,2 or 3, with 1 being most important.(50 Responses)| Category | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| General Management | 63% | 20% | 16% |
| IT Management | 34% | 56% | 10% |
| IT Staff | 16% | 15% | 69% |
4.
What is the extent of your e-business solution? Please check all that apply. (72 Responses)- 82% Corporate Web site
- 64% E-commerce - online transactions
- 56% Catalog of product offerings
- 42% Online customer support
- 18% To identify customer preferences and buying patterns
5.
In developing your e-business solution, did you: (66 Responses)- 24% Use in-house resources only
- 8% Hire an outside consultant
- 68% Use a combination of in-house resources and consultants
6.
In terms of the tools used to develop your e-business solution, did you use: (60 Responses)- 63% A combination of custom programming and commercially-available software
- 18% Custom programming only
- 13% Commercially available e-business software only
- 5% A complete turnkey solution
7.
With regard to your e-business solution, how would you describe the success of the implementation? (47 Responses)- 72% The solution was satisfactory
- 17% The solution exceeded our expectations
- 11% The solution failed to meet our requirements
8.
How long did your e-business solution take to implement? (33 Responses)Average: One Year & Eight Months
9.
How much did you spend to develop your e-business solution? (37 Responses)Average: $130,135.14
10.
Was the project: (42 Responses)- 67% At or close to budget
- 21% Over budget
- 12% Under budget
11.
In terms of the your e-business solution, what kind of return on investment would you estimate that you've been able to achieve? (42 Responses)- 17% At least 10 percent
- 21% At least 30 percent
- 10% At least 50 percent
- 19% Greater than 50 percent
- 33% None
12.
Overall, how would you rate your level of satisfaction with your e-business solution? (47 Responses)- 10% Low
- 60% Average
- 19% Above average
- 11% High
13.
Looking ahead, do you plan to extend your e-business solution? If so, how? (51 Responses)- 55% Customer Relationship Management
- 16% Transform core business processes
- 14% We don't plan to extend our e-business solution
- 12% Supply Chain Management
- 8% Others including: Expand interaction with insurance provider; Host other company's sites; and Web-based project management
14.
Did you encounter any problems in implementing your e-business solution? If so, what were they? (43 Responses)- 44% It took longer than we expected it to
- 35% We did not encounter any problems
- 9% It didn't generate the kind of response we expected
- 2% It didn't function properly
- 9% Others including: Finding qualified programmers; Hardware restraints; New technology required for restructuring the Web design
15.
If you were going to offer any recommendations to others seeking to implement an e-business solution, what advice would you offer?- Assess your goals & needs before looking for a solution. Scale the applications for integration into future technology changes.
- Define needs in writing and a game place ahead of time. Spending months designing. It is cheaper than spending months developing.
- Forget the hype and get a good idea of your objectives.
- Get everyone in organization & especially executive management involved.
- Have excellent, knowledgeable personnel and solid backing from corporate management.
- Hire qualified staff or consultants
- Like all/most canned solutions, it failed in meeting special organizational problems
- Make sure adequate time is allowed for planning. Don't be adverse to outside help. Keep it simple.
- Our e-business is specifically tailored to a medical billing practice, interacting principally with hospitals & insurance companies. It was necessary to stay competitive.
- Plan well; analyze capacity requirements