E-commerce got a foothold in the American economy in the form of business-to-consumer transactions. But e-commerce is not really about buying stuff. It's about interacting with people in a different way. It's about thinking of the Internet as the customer visit, the coffee break, the service center.
Does that mean it replaces people? Absolutely not. It is a tool to be used by people to enhance your relationship with your customers. It's a tool to do automatically what you used to do manually - thus giving you more time to spend addressing special needs and providing preventive maintenance that precludes problems.
When you can find transport electronically instead of calling dozens of carriers, you have more time to spend catering to clients. When you can notify a client of a change within a matter of minutes without suffering each other's voice mails, that benefits the client. When you can hear from a driver on the road instead of making him stop, find a phone, find a phone that works and make his call, that's efficiency that gets the goods delivered faster, better.
The new year may be the time for you to start thinking about how you can serve business-to-business e-commerce. The field of transaction may be different. But the goods still have to be delivered on a truck. Transportation and logistics are still involved.
Think about a New Year's Resolution that brings you up to speed and beyond in the world of Internet-based transactions and e-commerce. It's time!
Annette E. Petrick, Editor and Publisher
