-- 68% of companies reported an increased emphasis on customer collaboration over the last two years whereas 2% reported a decrease -- 74% of companies reported an increased emphasis on supplier collaboration over the last two years whereas 0% reported a decreaseBest-in-Class companies are determined based on business performance and are:
-- Two times as likely to have stronger capabilities in collaborating with suppliers and customers -- Two times as likely to have ability to support unique business processes for selective product categories, customers or channels -- 1.5 times as likely to look at process integration and collaboration in a holistic approach rather than in a siloed manner -- Four times as likely to have enhanced visibility into the performance of business processesBest-in-Class companies are ahead in terms of both process integration (data connectivity) as well as process collaboration (enabling business processes across multiple enterprises) as compared to all other companies. "The lengthening of supply chains at both the suppliers and the customers' side of the equation has resulted in an increased need for both structured and unstructured collaboration. Structured collaboration refers to traditional approaches of creating a standardized and parameterized business process for which electronic connectivity approaches such as EDI, XML, AS2, etc., are used. Unstructured collaboration refers to creating semi-standardized business processes using internet and telecommunication tools," according to Nari Viswanathan, Research Director, Supply Chain Management and author of the report. A complimentary copy of this report is made available due in part by the following underwriters: Extol and Crossgate. To obtain a complimentary copy of the report, visit: http://www.aberdeen.com/link/sponsor.asp?cid=5291. To access all of Aberdeen's complimentary research please visit http://research.aberdeen.com. 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 451 D Street, Suite 710 Boston, Massachusetts 02210-1928 Telephone: (617)854-5200 Fax: (617) 723-7897 www.aberdeen.com
Contact Information: Media Contact: Nari Viswanathan Aberdeen Harte-Hanks (617) 854-5293 nari.viswanathan@aberdeen.com