ISS in ActionISS in Action
January 1, 2002
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?
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