So how does your company become an e-business?

How can becoming an e-business help you maximize the value of your information technology investment? How can it help you reduce your costs and grow your revenue? There are four important areas or stages in this process. We think of these four stages collectively as the e-business cycle.

They are:

• Transforming core business processes
• Building flexible, expandable e-business applications
• Running a scalable, available, safe environment
• Leveraging knowledge and information you've gained through e-business systems Processes

There isn't a set order or hierarchy to this cycle. Successful e-businesses start at different points and you can too. But first you must identify which of your core business processes are most suitable for, or most in need of, conversion to e-business

Customers -- the key ingredient of success

We believe that best place to start is with your most critical business process -- customer relationship management. Since customers are the basis of any business, you can't grow a steady stream of top-line revenue unless you develop a loyal customer base. Start by improving your customer interactions and internal business processes. To achieve this, look at the individual processes that contribute to the overall customer experience; processes such as customer relationship management, supply chain management and e-commerce. e-business is about leveraging the Internet to integrate and transform these processes into a single, efficient system

This section looks at each of the core business processes that contribute to optimal customer relationship management

Building customer loyalty through better customer service

When you become an e-business you transform your relationship with your customers. Customer relationship management is the organizing principle that keeps all of your business processes focused on the customer, whether you're investing in a transactional Web site or working with partners to make product delivery more efficient.

A new channel for your products and services

When you become an e-business you also transform the way you manage your supply chain by using the Web to integrate the complex system of suppliers, partners, employees and customers.

Electronic commerce - merging commerce systems with the Internet

And get ready to transform the way cash flows through your company. Technology will change every aspect of your revenue and cost structures from online transactions to streamlined electronic billing and payment systems.