BOSTON, MA--(Marketwire - Jul 18, 2012) - Aberdeen Group, a Harte-Hanks Company (
"Financial Planning, Budgeting, and Forecasting for the SME," prepared by Nick Castellina, Research Analyst, William Jan, Senior Research Analyst, and Peter Krensky, Research Associate, in Aberdeen's Enterprise Applications research practice, states that the challenges of Small- and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs), defined as organizations with under $500 million in annual revenue, are no different from their larger counterparts when seeking to optimize working capital and planning for future business needs. Whether it is for sales, marketing, Research and Development (R&D), manufacturing, or IT, budget demands must be effectively prioritized by financial executives and allocated carefully to ensure maximum business benefits are yielded. As with large enterprises, smaller companies are looking to improve their Financial Planning, Budgeting, and Forecasting (FPBF) by leveraging tools and processes that enable visibility into current cash positions. To obtain a complimentary copy of this report, visit: http://www.aberdeen.com/link/sponsor.asp?spid=30410182&cid=6845&camp=2.
The "Contact Center Analytics: How the Best-in-Class Reduce Operational Costs through Contact Center Data," research study, authored by Omer Minkara, Research Analyst, Contact Center, details how Best-in-Class contact centers reduce their operational costs by 16.5% year-over-year while improving the results of their customer interactions. "Ensuring consistent customer satisfaction requires contact centers to build an effective infrastructure that allows them to engage each customer in a personalized and efficient manner. Use of analytical tools and processes is a key enabler helping companies identify and address inefficiencies related to their front-office and back-office operations," says Minkara. This report highlights activities where contact centers observe a direct positive impact by deploying analytical tools and processes. To obtain a complimentary copy of the report visit: http://www.aberdeen.com/link/sponsor.asp?spid=30410182&cid=7610&camp=2.
"The 'New Normal' and Its Impact on Retail Banking," prepared by Ankita Tyagi, Research Associate of Aberdeen's Financial Management and GRC research practice, explores the impact of the 'new (economic) normal,' characterized by a tight liquidity environment and increased regulatory oversight on the retail banking arm of financial services. The research findings note that in order for banks to operate in this fragile economic environment, they must reduce operational expenses to meet new reserve requirements as outlined by the Basel accord, should look into investing in technologies which help them better understand their customer base as superior customer service can emerge as a key differentiator and finally explore mobile-banking initiatives to provide a customized experience to a greater market share. To obtain a complimentary copy of this report, visit: http://www.aberdeen.com/link/sponsor.asp?spid=30410182&cid=7807&camp=2.
"ERP in Manufacturing 2012: The Evolving ERP Strategy," prepared by Nick Castellina, Research Analyst, and Kevin Prouty, Vice President and Group Director, in Aberdeen's Enterprise Applications practice, indicates that Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) has been defined as an operational and transactional system of record. With its roots in Material Requirements Planning (MRP) it has long been used by leading manufacturers to uncover untapped efficiencies, reduce costs, and provide visibility to managers to aid in informed decision making. Today, 92% of Manufacturers have implemented ERP. Still, recent data finds that a successful ERP implementation goes well beyond just putting it into place. ERP, and the organization itself, should be constantly moving forward. Successful manufacturers tailor ERP in response to business change and needs, including the addition of new functionality or mobile access. This 7th annual Aberdeen benchmark report explores Best-in-Class approaches to ERP strategy and performance for manufacturers. To obtain a complimentary copy of this report, visit: http://www.aberdeen.com/link/sponsor.asp?spid=30410182&cid=7812&camp=2.
"eSourcing in the SMB: A Missed Opportunity?," prepared by Constantine Limberakis, Senior Research Analyst in the Global Supply Management research practice at Aberdeen Group, reveals that small and medium sized businesses (SMBs) lag behind larger organizations in the advancement of eSourcing. Based on data collected in the "Advanced Sourcing: Maximizing Savings Identification" benchmark report in June of this year, it was found that large organizations were recognizing higher savings from sourcing efforts than their SMB peers, and are averaging a higher percentage of spend through eSourcing. This research shares details on where the gaps exist between SMBs and large organizations while considering the approaches SMBs need to take for improving their usage of eSourcing. To obtain a complimentary copy of this report visit: http://www.aberdeen.com/link/sponsor.asp?spid=30410182&cid=8004&camp=2.
Also authored by Limberakis, "Creating a Culture of Spend Optimization," examines the concept of spend management, revealing the next generation of thinking required of procurement professionals is "spend optimization." Based on Aberdeen research it is apparent that to get noticed as an agent of change Chief Procurement Officers (CPOs) must find a way to transform an organization's DNA and cultural mindset on a number of different levels. This paper shares how spend optimization differs from spend management and provides details on five key areas all CPOs must pursue for establishing a culture of spend optimization in their respective organizations. To obtain a complimentary copy of this report, visit: http://aberdeen.com/Aberdeen-Library/7995/RA-spend-optimization-management.aspx.
About Aberdeen Group, a Harte-Hanks Company
Aberdeen Group, a Harte-Hanks Company (
Aberdeen has offices in Boston and London. Harte-Hanks operates 25 offices in the United States, and has locations throughout Asia-Pacific, Europe, and Latin America.
(C) 2012 Aberdeen Group, Inc., a Harte-Hanks Company
451 D Street, Suite 710
Boston, Massachusetts 02210-1928
Telephone: (617) 854-5200
Fax: (617) 723-7897
www.aberdeen.com