Self-service Tools
They allow customers to obtain answers and results without the delays and inconsistencies that more often than not characterize human efforts to provide assistance. Such tools include software for tracking orders, preparing statements, and changing
addresses on-line. Although incumbents often have difficulty integrating these Web-based tools with legacy systems, the tools are indispensable for banks, retailers, and other e-businesses that handle large volumes of transactions.
Do-it-yourself product design tools
They allow consumers to customize products and services, either with the help of configuration options or from scratch. Dell Computer, for example, lets customers design their own systems on-line by choosing from a range of options; customers of Music.com and Listen.com can download the music of various artists onto a single compact disc. But the need to create manufacture-to-order systems to capture the potential of these tools may make them uneconomical in industries that, unlike software and music, are not based on information.
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