Bringing Decision Support to the Customer Level

Abstract

Customer-targeted systems represent a logical next step in the evolution of decision support systems (DSSs), but they have not proliferated because of organizational concerns regarding usage and satisfaction. A six-month study of an interactive telephone system in the financial services sector suggests that these concerns are unwarranted and that the initial cost of designing such systems is offset by increased customer satisfaction and more efficient use of organizational resources.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Charles E. Downing

CHARLES E. DOWNING is assistant professor in the operations and strategic management department of the Wallace E. Carroll School of Management at Boston College. A former IS specialist in the financial services industry, he designed, installed, and maintains the system described in this article.

M. Hossein Safizadeh

M. HOSSEIN SAFIZADEH is chair of the operations and strategic management department at the school.