Demanding customers,no problemo! Dell best suited then and best suited now and that is no joke.
T.R
Check this out,these guys are all trying to imitate Dell saying 'oh yeah sure we can do it,we got a web site' yeah right.
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A long list of demands
Another company in a similar situation to that of Capital Blue Cross crafted a long list of demands after deciding earlier this year to overhaul its desktop and notebook PC procurement process. The insurance company, which has 7,500 users, declined to be identified.
Among its most important requirements were large-scale Web-enabled purchasing, a near-guarantee of timely product availability, product stability and frequent updates on product life cycles. The company requested proposals from HP, IBM, Dell, Compaq and Gateway Inc. (Gateway later declined to draft a proposal.)
"We told them to find a partner [for channel-based companies] and give us a proposed solution based on all our needs," said a manager involved in the process.
After months of review, the deal --worth $10 million to $15 million -- was awarded to Dell, even though Compaq offered the best price.
"A lot of [the decision] was based on [Dell's] success at Internet-based ordering, although everyone offered to do it and said they could do it. Another thing is maintaining standard configurations," the manager said, referring to systems that use the same components over a long period of time.
Mohan: Well so much for everyone 'emulating' DELL.
Dell leads the pack
Dell, which claims to bring in about $4 million a day in online sales, is beefing up the process by offering workflow capabilities within its Premier Pages to large customers.
Workflow will save buyers time by enabling them to get requisitions approved electronically through a Premier Page -- Dell's Web-based buying service for corporate customers.
Dell is probably best-suited to adapt to these new requirements because of its flexible direct-business model. Conversely, Compaq, HP and IBM are forced to balance the customer's need for direct-vendor accountability with the channel partner's need to add value through integration and services.
dailynews.yahoo.com
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