Discuss how E-commerce can reduce cycle time, improve employees' empowerment and facilitate customer support.

REDUCE CYCLE TIME

Cycle time in order form means the amount of time taken to complete a process between the customer placing an order and receiving the goods. Nowadays world changing rapidly, everyone strive to minimize the total time spend for every transaction. E-commerce can reduce cycle time by eliminating the time taken in business process and taken shorter time to complete a business transaction between the supplier, intermediaries and customers. The eliminated of middleman or intermediaries, supplier can send the products directly to customers, by this, the company can reduce unnecessary cost and gain competitive advantage towards other company.


Internet can operations in 24 hours, so through e-commerce customers can directly order the product they needed to access to internet where ever they are and no matter at what time they like. Beside that, customers can received digitize products in second by supplier through internet. This will reduce the time taken to shipping, inventory level, verify registration, account entry and transaction authorization. E-commerce also can reduce the traditional phone calling and snail mailing.


IMPROVE EMPLOYEES' EMPOWERMENT

When conducting e-commerce, the company will need the employees to check on the system and process on any transactions and requested by customers. Employee empowerment can be explained by which the company give their employees more decentralization of decision making, power, responsibilities and authority to their work without supervisory approval. A good manager will expected to help their employees to refine their job achievement by encouraging, instructing, guiding and giving them advice. Employee empowerment can increase employees' motivation, job satisfaction and loyalty to their companies.


Furthermore, nowadays many companies giving their employees more flexibility working hours. By having this systems, the employees can even work at their own house at any time, and can provide a quick response or feedback to the customers through internet. As a result, it will benefit organization in term of getting closer and enhance understanding between customers, improving service quality, increasing productivity, and gaining an competitive advantages.


FACILITATE CUSTOMER SUPPORT

Quality of services is much more emphasize nowadays compare with the physical product. Moreover, e-commerce allows the company of the system to facilitate the customer support by provide a place on the website to the customers or users to place their comments, complaints, and asking any questions through online. More of the company website had support 'Frequently Ask Queations' (FAQ), there are where the customers can ask question they have occur and the company also provide their customers to directly have a contact and speak to the customers service department. From internet customers can give immediately feedback compare to traditional through complaint letters, may give feedback after a few months.

Retaining customers by satisfying their needs is the core of the business. By e-commerce, it creates an interactive and more convenients ways to customers to find detailed information about the company or the products online, and more easier to customers to compare the product between other competitors and also traditional store, then customers service can be also greatly improve. Hence, a well define feedback of the services and products are essential for the company long term improvement.