Seattle.internet.com has learned that the Northwest operations of Waste Management firm Philip Services Corporation has turned to Seattle-based Aventail in order to internet-enable its services.
Although a quick search on the internet led Philip Services Northwest Byproducts Business Manager Jack Wolfin to Aventail, he already was thinking about this transformation for a few years. According to Wolfin, the
the challenge faced by his company was how to differentiate itself in was has become a very tight market due to consolidation in the industry.
For Philip Services it was not an issue of price, but of ceasing the opportunity to out service the competition. Wolfin believed that it would be a good idea to “webify” the company’s operations and to allow the company’s customers to access the company’s foxpro database. That’s where Aventail.Net came in. Aventail.Net allows for secure access by external customers and partners to the company’s internal applications that are necessary for conducting business.
According to Aventail’s Service Marketing Manager Troy Zaboukos, the entire process to get the site up and running for Philip Services took about 10 weeks. When done in-house it can take anywhere from 10-12 months. “Then there is ongoing support for the length of the contract, including a 24×7 help desk center,” says Zaboukos. Aventail also trains an onsite Customer Security Administrator (CSA).
Aventail.net now allows Philips’ customers to place orders, establish waste designation profiles, schedule transportation, access critical records and receive technical support online. In addition, Aventail also helped Philip Services with branding.
The name chosen for the site is PhilipNow.com. According to Zaboukos, when a company outsources the interaction between its employees customers and partners, it takes more things of their plate. That way Philip Services can focus on the applications and its core strategies.
According to Wolfin, the company initially has informed only its key accounts about the launch. The top 20% of its client base that could really benefit from having access to more details and the ability to streamline the process of placing large orders.
There is already interest from other areas in the U.S. where the company operates. Philip Services has operations throughout the U.S., Canada and Europe.
