Technology News: Industries

AA.com Sucks the Fun Out of Trip-Planning
November 20, 2009

It's fitting that the last stop on my tour of travel-planning Web sites for the E-Commerce Times was American Airlines. The site illustrates all of the problems that spurred this special look at travel sites in the first place. Travel sites have developed a reputation for being hard to navigate and poorly designed with cluttered user interfaces.

Health Insurance CRM, Part 2: The BPO Catalyst
November 20, 2009

CRM has lagged in the health insurance industry, but a major transformation is imminent. "There's been a reluctance to make comprehensive investments in technology compared with other sectors," said Gartner analyst Joanne Galimi. "Generally, the firms in the sector have been very tactical, only investing in specific areas -- basically reacting to pain points."

Health Insurance CRM, Part 1: Shifting Into Catch-Up Mode
November 19, 2009

The health insurance industry, especially in the U.S., has a long way to go before it achieves a high level of performance in the use of customer relationship management tools. However, pressure is coming from market forces -- including new government healthcare reform policies -- that will compel improvements in health insurance CRM, whether insurance companies want it or not.

United Offers a Touch of Class
November 16, 2009

United Airlines was my Internet destination as I continued sampling travel-planning Web sites for the E-Commerce Times. The first item to catch my eye was an unusual graphic -- neither a 1) plane 2) automobile 3) hotel nor 4) iconic celebrity hawker. Instead it was a stylized drawing of a woman's outstretched leg with a big bow on her ankle.

CRM for Financial Services, Part 2: Keeping the 'R' in CRM
November 13, 2009

The market for CRM programs will expand in financial services, although the pace of spending will likely slow down in the near term. Still, the rate of CRM spending by financial firms is not the only element that could change in the future. Whether a financial firm already has implemented a program or is about to make an initial investment in CRM, the landscape will be changing.

Teaching Mature Markets New M-Commerce Tricks
November 12, 2009

Ten years after national commercial platforms for mobile commerce were launched in the Philippines and Japan, the United States is slowly beginning to creep into the field. Residents in rural parts of the Philippines and other developing nations routinely pay bills through their smartphones, while people in Japan and Europe can buy products as well as train and airline tickets using their mobile phones.

How Etailers Can Take On the Whole World
November 10, 2009

The majority of global markets are growing significantly faster than the United States. Bill Gates has even stated that in the 21st century, a business must use e-commerce to survive. In this economy, thinking outside the proverbial box and expanding a company without taking on significant overhead or structural changes means selling beyond geographic borders.

CRM for Financial Services, Part 1: Unmet Potential
November 06, 2009

The chastening effect of the recession has many financial services firms taking a cautious view of future CRM investments. One reason is that these firms are husbanding their resources. Another is a growing awareness that investments in CRM by the financial sector have not been all that successful.

Southwest Doesn't Fool Around
November 06, 2009

This week, I headed southwest as I continued making the rounds of travel-planning Web sites for the E-Commerce Times. My first impression of Southwest Airlines' Web site was that its online presence faithfully reflected its corporate persona: It looked to be a roll-up-your sleeves, no nonsense outfit.

JetBlue: Light on Frills, Heavy on Friendly
October 30, 2009

My tour of travel-planning Web sites for the E-Commerce Times has included stops at some of the aggregator sites, some discount companies and some alternative services. I'm now entering new territory with explorations of the Web sites of the operators themselves. First stop: JetBlue, a discount airline that has carefully cultivated a customer-friendly reputation.

New Medical Web Site to Open Window on Out-of-Network Fees
October 28, 2009

Consumers across the country soon will be able to find impartial information about out-of-network healthcare costs on a new Web site, New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo said Tuesday. The information will be collected by a new not-for-profit company, FAIR Health, in partnership with a research consortium based at Syracuse University, Cuomo said.

Judge: Customers in Ameritrade Class Action Deserve Better Deal
October 27, 2009

A federal judge has refused to approve a class-action settlement over contact information stolen from online brokerage TD Ameritrade. U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker in San Francisco says the deal offers little significant benefit to the more than 6 million current and former customers affected.

Citi Dumps Credit Card Customers at the Pump
October 23, 2009

Shannon Burdette tried to pay with her Shell Mastercard after filling up her gas tank this weekend but found the card rejected. Confused, she called the Citibank customer service line and was told the account was closed because of something that appeared on her credit report. The only negative thing on her report, it turned out, was "closed at credit grantor's request" on the Shell MasterCard account.

Priceline Is Weak Sauce for Shatner's Hype
October 23, 2009

As I got ready to jump off at the next stop on my whirlwind tour of travel-planning Web sites, I found myself in the grip of something close to excitement. Trying out Priceline.com was going to be a new experience for me as well -- but it already felt familiar, thanks to my beloved William Shatner (hello, fellow Trekkies) and his branding of the site.

Debt Settlement Firm Penalized for Customer Fraud
October 16, 2009

An Arizona-based debt settlement company accused in a lawsuit of preying on people who can't pay their bills has been ordered to pay nearly US$200,000 in penalties for defrauding customers in New York state. New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo launched a nationwide probe last spring into a "renegade industry" of debt settlement businesses.

Hotwire Helps You Score a Cool Deal
October 16, 2009

Hotwire is a discount site that sells off unsold inventory by masking the identity of the hotel or rental car service or airline until the purchase is complete. I have to confess the concept never appealed to me that much -- it conjured up visions of middle-row airline seats and secluded hotels that could serve as sets for the movie "Psycho" -- and thus, I dismissed it. I was wrong.