November 04, 2008 10:00 ET

Research Reveals Average Company Wastes Significant Time on Non-Productive Tasks -- While Best-in-Class Spend 63% Less Time in Non-Productive Tasks

On Average 6 Hours Per Employee per Week Could Be Reclaimed for Productive Organizational Contribution

BOSTON, MA--(Marketwire - November 4, 2008) - In the "Do More with Less: Merging Enterprise Applications with Desktop Tools" (September 2008) benchmark report, Aberdeen, a Harte-Hanks Company (NYSE: HHS), found that companies struggle with a high proportion of non-productive time. Defined as time wasted through inefficient effort that could be remedied with better tools, non-productive time claims 6.7 hours of the average survey respondents' time per week. In addition, respondents indicated that 15% of their subordinates' time was also consumed in non-productive time. Based on a forty-hour week, this translates to 6 hours per employee per week that could be reclaimed for productive contribution. A complimentary copy of the report is available at: http://www.aberdeen.com/link/sponsor.asp?spid=30410182&cid=5153.

"Integration with desktop applications and technology solutions such as enterprise search allow Best-in-Class companies to enjoy higher performance -- such as a 21% increase in gross margin year over year, and 27% reduction in time-to-decision," says Cindy Jutras, VP and Group Director, Aberdeen. "In addition, technologies like enterprise search allow the Best-in-Class to spend 63% less time in non-productive tasks which include searching for and manipulating data.

The research report offers details on how to improve business performance through strategies that integrate enterprise and desktop applications. Some of the recommended actions for improving corporate performance include the following:

--  Use desktop integration to encourage user adoption of enterprise
    applications deeper and broader throughout the organization to make
    enterprise data immediately available to decision makers.
--  Web-enable applications.
--  Treat integration between enterprise applications and desktop tools as
    a two-way street. It is no longer sufficient to export data to spreadsheets
    where data takes on a life of its own.
    

A complimentary copy of this report is made available due in part by the following underwriters: Lawson and SAP. To obtain a complimentary copy of the report, visit: http://www.aberdeen.com/link/sponsor.asp?spid=30410182&cid=5153.

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.

© 2008 AberdeenGroup, Inc., a Harte-Hanks Company
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