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ENTER A NEW MARKET

Client: Leading manufacturer of office and electronic publishing hardware and software

Client Objectives: Introduce a line of three consumer-market printers to the marketplace, and ensure that third-party dealers and VARs can adequately support the product line.

Issues: The client was a recognized leader in high-end laser printer technology, but lacked a structure to support the consumer marketplace.

Existing print documentation for the three printers amounted to over 3200 print pages, two-color and highly graphic.

Because of the cost of storing and shipping this amount of documentation, the client was seeking alternatives. Additionally, the client came to realize that third-party dealers and VARs had neither the space to store so much print documentation nor the time and expertize to access it.

They typically supported three or more other other printer manufacturers in addition to the client. Support typically took the form of "hotline" calls from potential customers asking for product information and printer users demanding immediate troubleshooting assistance.

The client needed to provide both a more efficient means of distributing the documentation and a better means for dealers and VARs to access needed information quickly and efficiently.

Solution: FLI worked with the client and a third-party infobase software manufacturer to develop an infobase for the three printers that is distributed on CD-ROM. The infobase supports three different audiences: sales, technical service, and customer service. Depending on needs, users can access information on the infobase from numerous perspectives, including:

  • Access to training documents
  • Downloadable text files with fax support
  • "Expert system" troubleshooting tools
  • "Hot-key" access to topics
  • Interactive query
  • Product sales brochures

Business Results:  The client reports significant benefits from having multiple audiences with access to a common information source.  This resulted in:

  • Improved communication between sales, sales support and technical support personnel
  • Improved customer satisfication ratings
Curriculum Assessment Tools
New Technology Adoption
Interactive Media
Competency Development
Develop Customer / Client Partnerships
Project Management Methodology
Introduce a New Product
Re-engineering Processes
Enter a New Market
Introduce a New Information System
Change the Sales Approach
Documentation Development