New Customer Implementation

I am doing a new customer implementation in December so I thought I would touch on some of the things that are involved with implementation of Cross-Wind. One of the very first questions I get asked is;
"How long is this going to take?" knowing that everyone's time is extremely valuable a standard implementation of Cross-Wind takes only 5 days (Technically 4 and a half but who's counting?)
"Is there work I need to do before the implementation?" Yes, typically we send a spreadsheet prior to implementation asking for user information to upload to the customers site prior to implementation. This information is typically Buyers, Suppliers, and Customers that will be accessing the system. If the customer already has this information contained in a database or spreadsheet we will clean the information for them and help to fill-in the blanks. One of the other things we ask customers to consider is what products do they associate to which suppliers. This helps us in the building of there custom product templates to know which templates are associated to which suppliers. We also ask our customers to supply us with copies of any forms that they are currently using to spec print so we can develop the product templates to meet their current processes.
"What is the agenda for implementation week?" I won't get into specific detail here but typical implementation consists of understanding the customers current buying process. If the customer has there process clearly defined then this goes very fast. I have spent time in advance of an implementation sitting with the customers buyers to watch how they quote print and to produce a map of the process. This helps in understanding which pieces of Cross-Wind will be needed in the development of the customers application. During implementation week we cover the basic set-up of the site and administration, how to add modules, users, templates, modify existing templates, supplier associations, buyer training, and supplier training.
"How long will it take to do the training?" Buyer training will usually take 4 to 8 hours depending on how quickly and how knowledgeable the buyers are of their processes. Supplier training typically lasts 45 minutes to an hour and a half. Supplier access to the system is very straightforward and easy to use so the suppliers can usually start processing quotes with only an hour of training. The buyer side of the system is more complex because of all of the capabilities the buyer has to specify and request print.
I typically try to schedule implementation to start on Monday morning and will try to get out of the customers office by Friday noon. The customer then has access to myself and our client services staff at no additional charge to ask any questions or walk through any issues they may have. The Call period usually only lasts about two weeks after implementation and the customer is usually very comfortable with using Cross-Wind after that. We also provide user guides and online help to our customers and their suppliers.
Thanks for taking the time to read this and if you have questions please contact me.

Cross-Wind® Supplier Training Session - November

The Monthly supplier training session is upon us. If you are a supplier to a Cross-Wind customer. you should have received your monthly notification of training this morning. The session lasts 1 hour and is a Live Meeting session combined with a conference call for the audio portion of the meeting. If you have difficulty getting into the meeting please contact me. We offer Free supplier training sessions to Cross-Wind users on a monthly basis. No cost to the suppliers or to our customers. This is part of our services and we have been doing these sessions for the last two years. If you have questions you can always contact myself or client services at James Tower and we would be happy to answer them. The session information is below along with upcoming training sessions. Have a Great Day!
John

December Training - Dec. 13, 2007 2:30 PM CST
January Training - Jan. 10, 2008 2:30 PM CST

Good Morning from DMIA 2007

Good Morning from DMIA 2007 in Las Vegas!
The exhibitor show starts tomorrow with a ribbon cutting ceremony at 12:15 PM The educational sessions begin today at noon. So far it is sunny and 75 in the valley. I will be setting up our booth this morning and preparing for an interview with one of the attendees this afternoon. Stay tuned and hope to see you on the exhibit floor.
John

CEO Confidence Declines Further

Oct. 5, 2007 -- The Conference Board Measure of CEO Confidence, which had declined to 45 in the second quarter of 2007, edged down to 44 in the third quarter. A reading of more than 50 points reflects more positive than negative responses. The survey includes about 100 business leaders in a wide range of industries.

"Despite the rather bleak assessment of current conditions, CEOs are not as pessimistic in their short-term outlook," says Lynn Franco, Director of The Conference Board Consumer Research Center. "But although the outlook is somewhat brighter than last quarter, the pace of growth is likely to remain moderate in the months ahead."

CEOs' assessment of current economic conditions was less favorable, with 14 percent claiming economic conditions had improved, down from 23 percent last quarter. In assessing their own industries, business leaders were also less optimistic. Approximately 17 percent claim conditions are better, down from approximately 23 percent in the first quarter.

CEOs, however, are moderately more optimistic about the short-term outlook than last quarter. Now, approximately 20 percent of business leaders expect economic conditions to improve in the next six months, up from 17 percent last quarter. Expectations for their own industries are also more upbeat, with 27 percent anticipating an improvement, up from 17 percent last quarter.

Capital Spending Plans Decline

Some 24 percent of business executives report increases in their companies' capital spending plans since January of this year, while 13 percent have scaled plans back, based on a supplementary question asked each year in the third quarter. This is a moderate change from the 2006 survey, when 28 percent of respondents had increased their capital spending plans and 9 percent had made cuts. Among the reasons given for increasing capital investment plans, the most common was an increase in sales volume. A decline in sales volume was the most cited reason for a decrease in spending plans.

Related Tables are attached. (You will need Adobe Acrobat to view)

Source: CEO Confidence 3rd Quarter 2007
The Conference Board