Better Processes = Better E-Commerce

Successful e-commerce (EC) requires customer and supplier interaction to be seamlessly integrated with existing business processes. Quality professionals must keep this in mind when redesigning business processes, particularly in the service industry. Using best practices, total quality management, and business process redesign (BPR) enables total process improvement and can make the difference between a process that merely allows EC and one that excels in supporting EC. A case study describes how a local government applied best practices to redesign the way its online services handle citizens' applications. A sidebar article lists 13 best practices for e-service.