Companies that fail to invest in CRM strategies because of the tough economic climate will delay perceived benefits by at least 12 months once the economy recovers, giving rivals an advantage in the market, according to Gartner Inc.
Gartner analysts said that lesson learned from previous downturns indicate that 40% of companies will use the current economic slump as an opportunity to generate post-recovery growth via effective use of CRM strategies.
“Just because times are tough and budgets are being cut, companies should not think that means no CRM investment,” said Scott Nelson, Managing Vice President at Gartner. “Companies need to think in terms of spending smarter, not spending less. There are zero, or low-cost strategies that can be implemented now that can make all the difference, generate competitive differentiation and not draw the attention of the CFO.”
Nelson said in reality there is no such thing as true “zero cost strategy”—as money has often already been spent on CRM systems and there are ongoing care and maintenance expenses—CRM success can be secured without spending more money on technology. Many organizations have large investments in call centers, websites, marketing systems and sales force automation. With these pieces in place, companies can wrap effective strategies around these tools and generate real success from a customer standpoint.
“CRM is a journey, not just a one-time and done strategy,” said Nelson. “If the right strategies are employed now, then companies will get a ‘sling shot’ effect going into the eventual recovery, putting them well ahead of the rivals who chose to wait and who equate CRM success with spending more money on technology.”
Gartner has identified five strategies that companies can undertake now that cost very little or nothing, but which will generate positive results from a CRM strategy point of view.
Customer communities: Gartner predicts that CRM of the future will be about creating online communities of customers via emerging social media, such as Facebook, Twitter and similar websites. The economic downturn provides a great opportunity to begin experimenting in this area, and Gartner advises companies to set up accounts on the various websites and learn what they do and don’t do, and how users interact.
Analytics: Once bought and installed, analytic tools can be put to good use during economic downturns. Many companies have more information than they know what to do with, and now they have the opportunity to put this to good use studying attrition models, looking at the next most likely to buy models, and figuring out channel usage patterns. While doing so, companies should bear in mind that customer behavior may change when the economy improves.
Segmentation: Many segmentation schemes are based on psycho-demographics, profitability or account attributes. However, a down economy provides companies with the opportunity to review their segmentation strategy and see if it really is the very best one that they could have.
Process redesign: Process is often an overlooked part of CRM and in many cases all that CRM technologies have done is taken out old, broken processes and made them run more efficiently. Now is an excellent time to study customer processes with a view to redesigning them and creating a win/win situation for both the company—which gets greater efficiency—and the customer—who gets a “partner” that interacts with them in a meaningful way.
Organizational redesign: Organizational change is one of the most difficult areas of CRM strategy, but many companies need to make the move from product-centric to customer-centric. In a down economy, with fewer distractions, many companies will find that this is the perfect time to start to address some of the organizational issues that get in the way of serving the customer.
“At the end of the day, CRM is all about change. Changing from product to customers, changing age-old processes, changing enterprise mindsets, and changing how companies relate to customers,” said Nelson. “All of this can be done without new systems, and the challenging economic environment may give companies just the chance they have been waiting for.”
Nelson will discuss the key issues facing the CRM industry during the Gartner Customer Relationship Management Summit in September this year in Scottsdale, Arizona.
This Summit delivers leading-edge insights on how technology enables the marketing, sales and customer service functions, adding value to the customer experience and delivering higher levels of customer satisfaction while increasing sales and saving money
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
WVa to require coal companies to monitor slurry
The West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection will require coal companies that use underground injection to dispose of coal wastes to start monitoring for potential pollution problems, the agency's director told lawmakers Wednesday.
The DEP currently permits 13 coal slurry injection wells but doesn't require permit holders to monitor if the contaminants are moving off site through the groundwater.
Orders will be issued next month requiring the companies to modify those permits, DEP Secretary Randy Huffman told a water resources committee. The companies will have 90 days to submit plans to install the monitoring wells.
Huffman said monitoring is necessary because a DEP study on the possible harmful environmental effects of coal slurry injections was inconclusive. The agency doesn't "know if the potential contaminates in the mine pool is migrating through the coal seam and ending up off site," he said.
The action follows DEP's decision in May to place a moratorium on underground injection at new mine sites. The moratorium was issued after the agency issued the first phase of a two-phase report on coal slurry injection. The report was issued two years after its December 2007 due date.
Coal slurry is a byproduct of cleaning coal after it is mined.
For decades, coal companies in Appalachia have injected slurry into mined out deep mines as a cheap alternative to building massive dams or to filtration and drying systems. In theory, solids settle to the bottom of pools inside sealed mine voids, and all the waste stays put, with little risk to groundwater below.
Critics of the practice say the earth continues to shift and crack long after mining has ended, whether through natural settling or human activity such as nearby blasting. They say that lets slurry migrate.
Huffman told lawmakers he couldn't say if injecting slurry was safe, but acknowledged the agency plans to modify its enforcement and permitting processes this year to "bring the regulatory program for slurry injection up to a standard it should have been all alongThe second phase of slurry study falls to the Bureau for Public Health. Walt Ivey, with the bureau's environmental health section, said the agency has contracted with West Virginia University to look for potential human health issues. WVU will be paid $221,519 to determine by Dec. 31 whether the practice is potentially harmful to people.
The contract sets a timeline for researchers, who have until June 30 to review the DEP's report and supporting data, gather any public health information they can find elsewhere and form an expert panel with three to six members who will review WVU's draft reports.
The contract requires WVU to seek information from a diverse array of sources.
A draft of the report must be submitted to the Department of Health and Human Resources in October, with comments from the DHHR and the expert panel to follow.
The final report should go to DHHR by Dec. 31, and the researchers may have to appear before lawmakers when they convene during the 2010 regular legislative session.
___
The DEP currently permits 13 coal slurry injection wells but doesn't require permit holders to monitor if the contaminants are moving off site through the groundwater.
Orders will be issued next month requiring the companies to modify those permits, DEP Secretary Randy Huffman told a water resources committee. The companies will have 90 days to submit plans to install the monitoring wells.
Huffman said monitoring is necessary because a DEP study on the possible harmful environmental effects of coal slurry injections was inconclusive. The agency doesn't "know if the potential contaminates in the mine pool is migrating through the coal seam and ending up off site," he said.
The action follows DEP's decision in May to place a moratorium on underground injection at new mine sites. The moratorium was issued after the agency issued the first phase of a two-phase report on coal slurry injection. The report was issued two years after its December 2007 due date.
Coal slurry is a byproduct of cleaning coal after it is mined.
For decades, coal companies in Appalachia have injected slurry into mined out deep mines as a cheap alternative to building massive dams or to filtration and drying systems. In theory, solids settle to the bottom of pools inside sealed mine voids, and all the waste stays put, with little risk to groundwater below.
Critics of the practice say the earth continues to shift and crack long after mining has ended, whether through natural settling or human activity such as nearby blasting. They say that lets slurry migrate.
Huffman told lawmakers he couldn't say if injecting slurry was safe, but acknowledged the agency plans to modify its enforcement and permitting processes this year to "bring the regulatory program for slurry injection up to a standard it should have been all alongThe second phase of slurry study falls to the Bureau for Public Health. Walt Ivey, with the bureau's environmental health section, said the agency has contracted with West Virginia University to look for potential human health issues. WVU will be paid $221,519 to determine by Dec. 31 whether the practice is potentially harmful to people.
The contract sets a timeline for researchers, who have until June 30 to review the DEP's report and supporting data, gather any public health information they can find elsewhere and form an expert panel with three to six members who will review WVU's draft reports.
The contract requires WVU to seek information from a diverse array of sources.
A draft of the report must be submitted to the Department of Health and Human Resources in October, with comments from the DHHR and the expert panel to follow.
The final report should go to DHHR by Dec. 31, and the researchers may have to appear before lawmakers when they convene during the 2010 regular legislative session.
___
Outsourcing is DJB's plan for plugging water leakage
to minimise loss of water.
Speaking at the Water Summit 2009, organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), Negi also emphasised the need for investment by the private sector, especially with lesser funds being made available by the government due to recession. Said Negi: "DJB spends Rs 1,500 crore annually on improving Delhi's water supply, this has to be augmented with private sector participation. The investment opportunities in the sector are going up manifolds and a public-private partnership models need to be worked out by which the government will provide land and the private counterpart will carry out water recycling.''
According to Negi, since more than 45% of the city is unplanned growth, the consumers often face water shortage. "As DJB does not have sufficient water inventory, the present norm of 450/350 litre per head per day for hospitals and hotels respectively will soon go down to 200 litres. Hotel and hospitals share the concerns and will recycle the remaining as per their needs," he said.
Talking of saline water supply in Delhi due to higher levels of ammonia and chloride, Negi said while the problem was more or less under control now, DJB had written to Haryana government and central pollution control board also, to control the problem of pollutants being released into Yamuna from industries of Panipat. "When the first rain happens the pollutants that are usually accumulated around the industries enter the Wazirabad pond causing problems,'' said Negi.
Meanwhile, an education kit for children was also released during the summit which was aimed at educating them about water conservation and capturing it as a positive influence on parents.
Francios E Binder, country director and counsellor, Swiss agency for development and cooperation, suggested that the water sector in India should adhere to appropriate regulatory framework which incorporates consumer protection, environmental standards, pricing mechanism and enhancing sustainability. He added that the sector has to introduce accountability amongst stakeholders.
Speaking at the Water Summit 2009, organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), Negi also emphasised the need for investment by the private sector, especially with lesser funds being made available by the government due to recession. Said Negi: "DJB spends Rs 1,500 crore annually on improving Delhi's water supply, this has to be augmented with private sector participation. The investment opportunities in the sector are going up manifolds and a public-private partnership models need to be worked out by which the government will provide land and the private counterpart will carry out water recycling.''
According to Negi, since more than 45% of the city is unplanned growth, the consumers often face water shortage. "As DJB does not have sufficient water inventory, the present norm of 450/350 litre per head per day for hospitals and hotels respectively will soon go down to 200 litres. Hotel and hospitals share the concerns and will recycle the remaining as per their needs," he said.
Talking of saline water supply in Delhi due to higher levels of ammonia and chloride, Negi said while the problem was more or less under control now, DJB had written to Haryana government and central pollution control board also, to control the problem of pollutants being released into Yamuna from industries of Panipat. "When the first rain happens the pollutants that are usually accumulated around the industries enter the Wazirabad pond causing problems,'' said Negi.
Meanwhile, an education kit for children was also released during the summit which was aimed at educating them about water conservation and capturing it as a positive influence on parents.
Francios E Binder, country director and counsellor, Swiss agency for development and cooperation, suggested that the water sector in India should adhere to appropriate regulatory framework which incorporates consumer protection, environmental standards, pricing mechanism and enhancing sustainability. He added that the sector has to introduce accountability amongst stakeholders.
Asbestos emergency issued — for entire town
The Environmental Protection Agency for the first time has declared a public health emergency in a contaminated community, targeting a Montana town Wednesday for immediate federal attention and up to $130 million more for cleanup and medical care costs.
The declaration by EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson involving Libby, Mont., will not result in an evacuation of its 2,600 residents, but will require an extensive cleanup and better health protections for residents with asbestos-related illnesses.
Jackson called Libby a "tragic public health situation" that has not received the recognition it deserves from the federal government for far too long.
Asbestos contamination from a now-closed vermiculite operations near Libby has been cited in the deaths of more than 200 people and illnesses of thousands more. Vermiculite is used to make insulation material but the ore found in Libby was eventually found to be contaminated with a toxic form of naturally-occurring asbestos.
Miners carried vermiculate dust home on their clothes, vermiculite once covered school running tracks in Libby and some residents used vermiculite as mulch in their home gardens.
Gayla Benefield of Libby, who suffers health effects from asbestos exposure and lost both parents to asbestos-related lung diseases, called the declaration a "a giant step forward" for improved medical care and clean up of the town.
"Right now the amount of money is relatively minimal, but overall the biggest thing is that it opens the door for future money to be available for medical care, research," she said.
Superfund and court cases
The operations produced 70 percent of all vermiculite sold in the U.S. before they were closed in 1990 by owner W.R. Grace. Federal cleanup began in 2000 and the area was declared a Superfund priority site in 2002.
W.R. Grace last year settled a lawsuit over the cleanup, agreeing to pay the U.S. government $250 million. The EPA has estimated the total cleanup and medical care cost could reach $350 million
Last month, a jury acquitted three former W.R. Grace executives of knowingly allowing residents to be exposed to asbestos-related disease.
Jackson said the public health emergency declaration was the first time the EPA has made such a determination under authority of the 1980 Superfund law that requires the clean up of contaminated sites.
Investigations performed by the federal Agency for Toxic Substance and Disease Registry have found that occurrences of asbestosis, a lung condition, near Libby are staggeringly higher than the national average for the period from 1979 to 1998, the EPA said in a press release.
"While EPA’s cleanup efforts have greatly reduced exposure, actual and potential releases of amphibole asbestos remain a significant threat to public health in that area," it added.
$6 million medical grant
The EPA is working with the Department of Health and Human Services, which is making available a $6 million grant to provide asbestos-related medical care to Libby and residents of Troy, another Montana town.
Click for related content
Read more news from across the U.S.
"Based on a rigorous re-evaluation of the situation on the ground, we will continue to move aggressively on the cleanup efforts and protect the health of the people," Jackson said. "We're here to help create a long and prosperous future for this town."
Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., called the emergency declaration a great day for Libby, which he said "had to wait year after year as the last administration failed to determine that a public health emergency exists."
"Today is the day that after years of work we were able to succeed in getting this done," Baucus said. "We will continue to push until Libby has a clean bill of health."
Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., called the declaration long-overdue. "We still have a long way to do right by the folks in Libby. Working together with the Department of Health and Human Services and the Environmental Protection Agency, we're making very good progress," Tester said.
The declaration by EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson involving Libby, Mont., will not result in an evacuation of its 2,600 residents, but will require an extensive cleanup and better health protections for residents with asbestos-related illnesses.
Jackson called Libby a "tragic public health situation" that has not received the recognition it deserves from the federal government for far too long.
Asbestos contamination from a now-closed vermiculite operations near Libby has been cited in the deaths of more than 200 people and illnesses of thousands more. Vermiculite is used to make insulation material but the ore found in Libby was eventually found to be contaminated with a toxic form of naturally-occurring asbestos.
Miners carried vermiculate dust home on their clothes, vermiculite once covered school running tracks in Libby and some residents used vermiculite as mulch in their home gardens.
Gayla Benefield of Libby, who suffers health effects from asbestos exposure and lost both parents to asbestos-related lung diseases, called the declaration a "a giant step forward" for improved medical care and clean up of the town.
"Right now the amount of money is relatively minimal, but overall the biggest thing is that it opens the door for future money to be available for medical care, research," she said.
Superfund and court cases
The operations produced 70 percent of all vermiculite sold in the U.S. before they were closed in 1990 by owner W.R. Grace. Federal cleanup began in 2000 and the area was declared a Superfund priority site in 2002.
W.R. Grace last year settled a lawsuit over the cleanup, agreeing to pay the U.S. government $250 million. The EPA has estimated the total cleanup and medical care cost could reach $350 million
Last month, a jury acquitted three former W.R. Grace executives of knowingly allowing residents to be exposed to asbestos-related disease.
Jackson said the public health emergency declaration was the first time the EPA has made such a determination under authority of the 1980 Superfund law that requires the clean up of contaminated sites.
Investigations performed by the federal Agency for Toxic Substance and Disease Registry have found that occurrences of asbestosis, a lung condition, near Libby are staggeringly higher than the national average for the period from 1979 to 1998, the EPA said in a press release.
"While EPA’s cleanup efforts have greatly reduced exposure, actual and potential releases of amphibole asbestos remain a significant threat to public health in that area," it added.
$6 million medical grant
The EPA is working with the Department of Health and Human Services, which is making available a $6 million grant to provide asbestos-related medical care to Libby and residents of Troy, another Montana town.
Click for related content
Read more news from across the U.S.
"Based on a rigorous re-evaluation of the situation on the ground, we will continue to move aggressively on the cleanup efforts and protect the health of the people," Jackson said. "We're here to help create a long and prosperous future for this town."
Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., called the emergency declaration a great day for Libby, which he said "had to wait year after year as the last administration failed to determine that a public health emergency exists."
"Today is the day that after years of work we were able to succeed in getting this done," Baucus said. "We will continue to push until Libby has a clean bill of health."
Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., called the declaration long-overdue. "We still have a long way to do right by the folks in Libby. Working together with the Department of Health and Human Services and the Environmental Protection Agency, we're making very good progress," Tester said.
Your Gateway to Health & Environment Resources
Bring Your Own Bag Day
In order to encourage shoppers to bring their own shopping bags so as to help reduce wastage of plastic bags and promote resource conservation, the “Why waste plastic bags? Choose reusable bags!” campaign was launched on 11 February 2006.
This campaign was taken a step further on 18 April 2007 with the launch of the monthly Bring Your Own Bag Day (BYOBD) every first Wednesday of the month.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ABC Waters Programme
ABC Waters Programme is a long term initiative to bring people closer to water so that they can better appreciate and cherish this precious resource.
By integrating the streams, rivers and lakes with the parks and gardens, new community spaces, bursting with life and activities, can be created. This helps transforms Singapore into a City of Gardens and Water, a vision outlined by Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. more...
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Nursing Home Charges for private patients
Looking for a place in a nursing home? Check out the latest update on nursing home charges, and try the AIC step-by-step guide to choosing a nursing home.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dental Fees: What private patients pay at public institutions
Seeking dental treatment? Check out the average dental fees paid by private patients at the National Dental Centre (and other dentistry departments in public institutions) for dental procedures such as braces, crowns, implants, full dentures, root canal treatments and impacted wisdom tooth surgery.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Polyclinics: Webcams Queue Watch
Visiting the polyclinic? Get the latest queue and waiting time information at various polyclinics and avoid the crowds.
See real-time webcam images of waiting areas at polyclinics, the number in queues, and indicative peak/non-peak hours here. Find out about the latest month's waiting times at various polyclinics here.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chronic Disease Management
Medical problems like diabetes, hypertension, high blood cholesterol or stroke are lifelong conditions. Take charge of your health and manage these conditions to lead a fulfilling life.
From 1 Oct 2006, the Ministry of Health will allow the use of Medisave to help pay part of the outpatient cost, and reduce out of pocket payment for patients with Diabetes. The programme will be extended to the other chronic diseases - hypertension, lipid disorders and stroke - from 1 January 2007. more...
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Community Hospitals, Chronic Sick Hospitals and Nursing Homes
Make a more informed decision on where to seek care. Find out more about the different types of intermediate and long-term care (ILTC) residential facilities in Singapore and details on the bed situation and charges in these facilities. more...
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Medisave/Medishield Calculator
Find out how much you can expect to claim from Medisave and/or MediShield if you are hospitalised. The online Medisave/MediShield Calculator helps you estimate what a typical patient can expect to claim. more...
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In order to encourage shoppers to bring their own shopping bags so as to help reduce wastage of plastic bags and promote resource conservation, the “Why waste plastic bags? Choose reusable bags!” campaign was launched on 11 February 2006.
This campaign was taken a step further on 18 April 2007 with the launch of the monthly Bring Your Own Bag Day (BYOBD) every first Wednesday of the month.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ABC Waters Programme
ABC Waters Programme is a long term initiative to bring people closer to water so that they can better appreciate and cherish this precious resource.
By integrating the streams, rivers and lakes with the parks and gardens, new community spaces, bursting with life and activities, can be created. This helps transforms Singapore into a City of Gardens and Water, a vision outlined by Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. more...
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Nursing Home Charges for private patients
Looking for a place in a nursing home? Check out the latest update on nursing home charges, and try the AIC step-by-step guide to choosing a nursing home.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dental Fees: What private patients pay at public institutions
Seeking dental treatment? Check out the average dental fees paid by private patients at the National Dental Centre (and other dentistry departments in public institutions) for dental procedures such as braces, crowns, implants, full dentures, root canal treatments and impacted wisdom tooth surgery.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Polyclinics: Webcams Queue Watch
Visiting the polyclinic? Get the latest queue and waiting time information at various polyclinics and avoid the crowds.
See real-time webcam images of waiting areas at polyclinics, the number in queues, and indicative peak/non-peak hours here. Find out about the latest month's waiting times at various polyclinics here.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chronic Disease Management
Medical problems like diabetes, hypertension, high blood cholesterol or stroke are lifelong conditions. Take charge of your health and manage these conditions to lead a fulfilling life.
From 1 Oct 2006, the Ministry of Health will allow the use of Medisave to help pay part of the outpatient cost, and reduce out of pocket payment for patients with Diabetes. The programme will be extended to the other chronic diseases - hypertension, lipid disorders and stroke - from 1 January 2007. more...
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Community Hospitals, Chronic Sick Hospitals and Nursing Homes
Make a more informed decision on where to seek care. Find out more about the different types of intermediate and long-term care (ILTC) residential facilities in Singapore and details on the bed situation and charges in these facilities. more...
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Medisave/Medishield Calculator
Find out how much you can expect to claim from Medisave and/or MediShield if you are hospitalised. The online Medisave/MediShield Calculator helps you estimate what a typical patient can expect to claim. more...
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
POVERTY & ENVIRONMENT
Saint Ramakrishna had once said that pangs of hunger could be so acute that even youthful love becomes futile. Poverty vitiates the body and soul. A mother, who is a symbol of love and affection, is at times driven to sell her child because of poverty, and a young girl to sell her body. A country that can not provide the basic needs - food, clothing and shelter to its people cannot expect to improve its environment. If the main string of the Sitar is not properly tuned, the other strings can hardly create any music. Similarly, the state of the environment will automatically improve in developing countries if we succeed in eliminating poverty. Economic growth is closely related to education and education leads to a better environmental condition. So to improve our economy, we need better education. But who will bring about this change? Just as for Goddess Durga's worship even the soil from prostitute's house is needed and she uses her all ten hands to kills 'Asura', the evil sprit, millions of people from every walk of life, should come together to destroy the evil hands of poverty. Even after 50 years of independence, India's over all socioeconomic condition and the level of education in villages, where the majority of people live, have not improved to the extent it should have. India's poor and poverty stricken villagers remain neglected. Poverty makes a country sick just as malnutrition becomes the principal causative factor to many diseases. As cancer cells destroy healthy cells, poverty acts as neoplasm to the country. Still, there is a solution to the poverty-induced environmental crisis in India and many developing countries. The solution lies in treating the whole country as a single undivided family where all members work together for development and share responsibilities for the family's prosperity. Labor - no matter in what form - must be respected and this will ensure the country's prosperity by encouraging people's participation at every level.
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