Welcome to Datalliance's Vendor Managed Inventory (VMI) newsletter. There's been a lot going on since our last newsletter.
You may have noticed that we have officially changed the name of the company to Datalliance. The name change from Enterprise Data Management (EDM) to Datalliance becomes effective November 1, 2005. By changing the company name to Datalliance, we simplify (company and VMI solution now have the same name) our corporate image for our customers and the industry as a whole, as well as build upon the brand equity that we have established through the success of our Datalliance product. We received very positive feedback when we initially announced our decision to do business under the Datalliance name at our Annual Customer Forum in August. We look forward to continuing to provide innovative VMI solutions to our customers under the Datalliance name. (Please click on the following link to see the complete press release related to our name change. EDM Announces Name Change)
We also held our first Datalliance Customer Forum in August at the Cincinnati Marriott at Rivercenter. We were very pleased with the strong turnout of customers for this first formal customer event. About 75% of our customers were represented. When surveyed at the end of the program, 100% said they received considerable value and encouraged us to hold a similar event next year. I compliment and thank all of our customers who participated in this event. The highlights of the program were two panel discussions, one conducted by suppliers and one by distributors. The supplier panel included Rockwell Automation, Bendix Corporation and Federal Mogul. The distributor panel was conducted by Fleetpride, Midwest Wheel, and McNaughton McKay. (Please click on the following link to see the complete press release related the Datalliance Customer Forum Inaugural Customer Forum Attracts Leading Suppliers and Distributors to Discuss VMI).
Datalliance is sponsoring several webinars over the next several months. On October 25 the topic will be "Who is a Good VMI Candidate?" and on November 15 we will discuss "VMI Implementation Issues". See details below to participate in these sessions.
We continue to enhance our Datalliance service, data center operations, and customer service. More information on all of these topics is covered in the details of this newsletter.
As always, I encourage you to continue to provide us with input on topics for future editions of this newsletter. Please feel free
to contact me at carl@datalliance.com with your ideas
and suggestions. I hope you enjoy the newsletter!
Carl Hall, President, EDM
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Datalliance Conducts Customer Survey - Summary Results
Earlier this summer we conducted a "Customer Satisfaction Survey" across the Datalliance customer base. As our business continues to grow we want to make sure that we meet, and hopefully exceed, the expectations that you, our valued customers, have for our Datalliance VMI service. In addition to talking to you directly as often as possible, we felt it would also be of value for us to periodically "survey" key contacts within our customer base to get your feedback on our performance. We plan to continue to survey our customers periodically in the future to ensure that we stay in touch with your needs.
We were very pleased that over 65% of the surveys that we sent out were completed and returned. Thanks to all of you that participated and provided us with your feedback.
The following is a summary of the results and our follow-up actions:
- 78% felt that their customers perceived significant value in their VMI capabilities
- 65% agreed that VMI/Datalliance was strategically important in the support of their supply chain strategy and overall operation of their business
- To improve upon this point Datalliance will work on developing better tools to help articulate the value of VMI, work with individual suppliers and distributors, and enhance reporting functionality
- 80% felt that Datalliance allowed them to bring on new customer sites quickly and easily
- This is an ongoing area of focus for Datalliance and we will continue to enhance automation for customers and our own Customer Care department
- 96% agreed that Datalliance was responsive and effective in supporting their needs
- 100% felt that Datalliance system availability was sufficient to process their VMI transaction volumes (we constantly monitor transaction volumes and adjust our data center to ensure that we exceed current and anticipated transaction demands)
- 82% agreed that the regular enhancements to Datalliance position it as the leading VMI solution in the marketplace
- We will be looking for more specific feedback from our customers to drive future enhancements and we will also improve our documentation and communication of enhancements
Thanks again for those of you who participated in the survey. We look forward to acting on the above items in the coming months.
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