Systems Analysis Project

Systems Analysis Project

Fundamentals of Business Systems Development

The company I work for recently met with our primary client in hopes of identifying any potential shortfalls and to gain insight on our customer service ability. During this meeting one concern seemed to dominate the study; the client felt they were not getting adequate personal attention when they called. They also indicated "it felt like voice mail hell" when routed through our phone system. It was apparent the issue of phone etiquette needed to be addressed within our organization.

One theory states during the systems analysis stage "the design of any new system must be predicated upon an understanding of the old system." (Modell, 2004). In our case we needed to decide if our current system was capable of addressing the issue. We convened a panel of key personnel to develop a model to accomplish two goals. First, to correct the deficiency identified by the client from a procedural standpoint. Second, correct the deficiency from a system standpoint.

In response to our client's concern, we adopted a policy that all phone calls would be answered by a live person prior to receiving a voice mail box. We discovered three possible methods to support this change. One method was to put a "buddy system" in place. This would pair the staff into two-person teams that would cover each other's phone and supervisor's phones in the event someone was away from their desk. Another option was the implementation of a call center. The call center would field any calls that were missed by the supervisor or the secretary, and the caller would be given the opportunity to leave a personal message or transfer into a voice mail box. Finally, the third option w...

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...lities and did a disservice in the long run. After revisiting the issues with the Managing Partner, we are now going to revert back to the original recommendation and implement a call center. I am currently trying to address any potential problems beforehand in order to make this a smooth transition. Too many changes will give me and the firm a poor appearance.

References

Modell, M (2004), The Systems Life Cycle Analysis, retrieved May 15, 2004 from World Wide Web: at (http://www.dsi-sho.com/pgsa2/pgsa04.html)

McGraw-Hill (2000), The Six Phases of Systems Analysis & Design, retrieved May 16, 2004 from World Wide Web: at (http://www.mhhe.com/cit/interactive/uit/text/ch10/100401_why.htm)

GCSE (2004), Systems Analysis Module, retrieved May 16, 2004 from Word Wide Web: (http://www.thevickerage.worldonline.co.uk/theteacher/newgcse/module6/task12.htm)