Originally Published MX January/February
2002

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES

A manufacturer
of wheelchairs traditionally sells its products through a direct-sales force,
with a call center standing by to take orders from therapists who recommend
wheelchairs to patients. In this case, the manufacturer is one step removed
from the customer and has no direct influence over the process by which one
manufacturer’s wheelchair is recommended over another’s. The patient,
by the same token, is also one step removed from the manufacturer and has no
avenue by which to compare different products and options. In such an instance,
the patient is likely to go with what the therapist recommends, which may not
be a product from this particular manufacturer.



The process of ordering a wheelchair typically goes something like the following.
A therapist meets with a patient and takes down some vital statistics about
the patient’s height, weight, lifestyle, and so on. The patient leaves
and the therapist calls manufacturer A. The call center answers and the process
begins.

What kind of chair
do you want to order?