"Business Intelligence, Not Intuition, Provides Competitive Edge" 4/14-15 Spokane

2004-04-14 17:00:00
The Spokane Club, 1002 W. Riverside Spokane, WA

Business Intelligence, Not Intuition, Provides Competitive Edge

Claudia Imhoff, Phd, Emphasizes Customer Relationship Management

Claudia Imhoff doesn’t just suspect that many companies are run on intuition and instinct, she knows. "I think what’s happening is that many companies just run on the gut feel of their leaders about where their company is going. It’s not uncommon for me to hear, ‘I think we’re doing okay in the Northeast markets,’" says Imhoff, who will be in Spokane April 14 and 15 to explain how business intelligence (BI) can help business leaders dramatically improve how they run their companies.

The essence of BI is the study of consistent, reliable data to identify and track trends, patterns and exceptions to gain a clear picture of where the organization has been and where it’s going. Sounds simple, but it’s not.

Companies have spent years gathering vast amounts of data which they then store in very disparate systems providing a major obstacle to attaining a consistent and accurate view of a company’s past, present or future. "They’re drowning in data but no one has a clear picture of what’s really going on," says Imhoff, who specializes in showing companies how BI supports rational, strategic decision-making based on facts not intuition.

Today, competition is fierce and the economics simply don’t support the old ways of doing business. "In order to survive and be successful, organizations must understand where their organization has been and where it’s going, just as they must know where their customers are going and why they’re going there," states Imhoff, who travels the world counseling clients such as L’Oreal, Pfizer and Mattel.

Imhoff helps her clients see exactly where they stand in the ever-changing business environment and how they can communicate and dialogue with their customers instead of blasting them with information that works only some of the time. "It’s very satisfying when the CEO of an organization realizes that he or she can take sure actions based on consistent, reliable data to make the organization more effective and profitable," says Imhoff.

Author of four books on the subject of Customer Relationship Management (CRM), Imhoff also writes a monthly column for DM Review Magazine http://www.dmreview.com/article .

She will be the featured speaker at a dinner, Wednesday, April 14, 2004, from 6-9 p.m., preceded by a no-host bar social hour beginning at 5 p.m. at The Spokane Club, 1002 W. Riverside. Admission to the event is $20 for pre-registered Technet members and students, $30 for non-members and $35 at the door.

April 15, Imhoff will deliver the keynote address, "Who ARE You Dealing With?" at a morning workshop to be held at the WSU Spokane Phase I Building Auditorium, 668 North Riverpoint Blvd.
Sandra Y. Jeffcoat, of Boeing, Inc. will speak on "Business Intelligence Tools — Usage in Business" and Michelle Kelsey , SAS — West Coast will present, "Business Intelligence Software — Past, Present and Future." There is no charge for the workshop.

To register for either event, contact the Technet office at 242-TECH (8324) or via email at .
Technet, a Spokane-based non-profit organization, promotes education and growth within the Inland Northwest’s technology community by serving as the region’s conduit to technology resources through education and networking. The coalition includes 600 technology individuals from businesses, community development organizations and educational institutions. Additional information about Technet and its events is available at http://www.technetnw.org.