FUTURENEXT KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT EXPERT KEYNOTES DCI'S DATA WAREHOUSE WORLD

"To know today's customers, you must analyze how they travel the Internet in the sales process," said Ed Tsang, Senior Vice President, FutureNext Consulting Inc. as he opened DCI's Data Warehouse World, "Unlike the days of face-to-face sales, today's e-Commerce customer is invisible to the seller."

A data warehousing and knowledge management thought leader, Tsang addressed the attendees on "Knowledge-Driven Customer Service," providing a wake-up call for both the IT community and executives moving toward Internet-focused customer service.

"Understanding and anticipating today's invisible e-Commerce customer requires analysis of all customer-related interactions, from your Web site to your supply chain partners," said Tsang. "Few businesses today are using the customer behavior intelligence that is already at their Web site's fingertips -- such as customer navigation and/or transaction patters -- to quickly respond with customer service personalization. Even fewer companies are integrating their e-business Web storefront and customer service with their supply and distribution chains to offer a seamless customer response system."

Tsang reviewed the role of knowledge management, data warehouse, OLAP, and data mining tools to transform raw customer interaction data into insight about customer behavior, preferences and experiences -- allowing a company to maximize its share of a customer's business.

"Many companies do not capture or analyze how customers navigate a Web site. Links made, time visited, banner ad clicks, and ignored categories are just a few of the customer preference indicators revealed in data mining," said Tsang. "The key is to integrate these knowledge-gathering tools into a comprehensive customer service program-one that can anticipate changing customer interests and needs-and personalizes the experience."

Tsang closed his remarks by predicting that customers, sellers, suppliers, and distributors will be connected in the upcoming "virtual enterprise." The companies that connect on customer service will be the ones that effectively analyze and use Internet-gathered customer knowledge.

A member of DCI's Data Warehouse and Knowledge Management (KM) Advisory Boards, Mr. Tsang is a leader in developing Knowledge Management methodologies. His accomplishments in the KM area include:

• FutureNext's KM Program. The Model-based Business Knowledge Transfer technique -- the basis for high-speed, asynchronous transfer of business knowledge among employees; and
• Multi-Dimensional Knowledge Management Maturity Model. A means by which businesses may measure how well they are managing knowledge as a working asset.

Visit FutureNext on the Web at http://www.futurenext.com.