Best-in-Class Improve Performance Through Use of Key Performance Indicators

61% of Best-in-Class Organizations Use a Dashboard to Access and Monitor Key Performance Indicators


BOSTON, MA--(Marketwire - October 9, 2007) - Aberdeen, a Harte-Hanks company (NYSE: HHS), revealed today that Best-in-Class (BIC) companies -- those performing in the top 20% of all survey respondents -- have instituted Key Performance Indicator (KPI) strategies to "improve company performance" and "align business activity with company strategy." 53% of Best-in-Class companies are institutionalizing KPIs through a combination of company culture and business processes.

According to research presented in a new report, "Smart Decisions: The role of Key Performance Indicators," Best-in-Class companies are almost twice as likely as Laggard companies to have dashboard and auto-alert reporting capabilities in-place. As a whole, Best-in-Class companies have selected technologies and services that center around providing rapid access to KPI information (dashboards, scorecards and auto-alert reporting) and assistance in understanding the KPI process via management consulting and training. Best-in-Class organizations showed significant performance improvements in comparison to Industry Average and Laggard companies in several areas over the previous twelve months. Best-in-Class companies achieved:

--  10% improvement in "time-to-decision" versus Industry Average (5%) and
    Laggards (3%)
--  11% improvement in number of decision-makers with visibility to KPIs
    versus Industry Average (5%) and Laggards (6%)
--  9% improvement in profitability versus Industry Average (7%) and
    Laggards (4%)
--  9% improvement in revenue growth versus Industry Average (8%) and
    Laggards (5%)
--  9% improvement in net-new customers versus Industry Average (6%) and
    Laggards (1% decrease)
--  9% improvement in customer satisfaction versus Industry Average (7%)
    and Laggards (2% decrease)
    

"Businesses thrive or fail based on their ability to identify, define, track and act upon key performance metrics/indicators (KPIs). Executives and line-of-business management are increasingly feeling the pressure to establish the right KPIs to enable timelier and more accurate decisions. The faster and more accurately KPIs can be accessed, reviewed, analyzed and acted upon, the better chance an organization has for success. This report is a roadmap for business management and decision makers who desire to achieve those goals through Best-in-Class use of KPIs," said David Hatch, Research Director of Aberdeen's Business Intelligence Practice.

A complimentary copy of this report is made available due in part by the following underwriters: Dundas, iDashboards, Insightformation, Corda, and Actuate. To obtain a complimentary copy of the report, visit: http://www.aberdeen.com/link/sponsor.asp?cid=4279.

About Aberdeen Group, a Harte-Hanks Company

Aberdeen is a leading provider of fact-based research and market intelligence that delivers demonstrable results. Having benchmarked more than 30,000 companies in the past two years, Aberdeen is uniquely positioned to educate users to action: driving market awareness, creating demand, enabling sales, and delivering meaningful return-on-investment analysis. As the trusted advisor to the global technology markets, corporations turn to Aberdeen™ for insights that drive decisions.

As a Harte-Hanks Company, Aberdeen plays a key role of putting content in context for the global direct and targeted marketing company. Aberdeen's analytical and independent view of the "customer optimization" process of Harte-Hanks (Information - Opportunity - Insight - Engagement - Interaction) extends the client value and accentuates the strategic role Harte-Hanks brings to the market. For additional information, visit Aberdeen http://www.aberdeen.com or call (617) 723-7890, or to learn more about Harte-Hanks, call (800) 456-9748 or go to http://www.harte-hanks.com.

© 2007 Aberdeen Group, Inc., a Harte-Hanks Company
260 Franklin Street
Boston, Massachusetts 02110-3112
Telephone: (617) 723-7890
Fax: (617) 723-7897
www.aberdeen.com

Contact Information: Media Contact: David Hatch Research Director 617-854-5329 david.hatch@aberdeen.com