My brother sent this email recently and, apart from being amusing, it really struck a chord with me as an excellent example of how instead of information systems serving the business, many companies now serve their information systems...

A lady died this past September, and the bank billed her for October and November annual service charges on her credit card, and then added late fees and interest on the monthly charge. The balance that had been 0 Euros, now is somewhere around 60 Euros.

A family member placed a call to the bank.

Family Member:
'I am calling to tell you that she died in January.'

Bank:
'The account was never closed and the late fees and charges still apply.'

Family Member:
'Maybe, you should turn it over to collections.'

Bank:
'Since it is two months past due, it already has been.'

Family Member:
‘So, what will they do when they find out she is dead?'

Bank:
'Either report her account to the frauds division or report her to the credit bureau, maybe both!'

Family Member:
'Do you think God will be mad at her?'

Bank:
'Excuse me?'

Family Member:
'Did you just get what I was telling you …. the part about her being dead?'

Bank:
'Sir, you'll have to speak to my supervisor.'

Supervisor gets on the phone

Family Member:
'I'm calling to tell you she died in January.'

Bank:
'The account was never closed and the late fees and charges still apply.'

Family Member:
'You mean you want to collect from her estate?'

Bank:
(Stammer) 'Are you her lawyer?'

Family Member:
'No, I'm her great nephew.'
(Lawyer info given)

Bank:
'Could you fax us a certificate of death?'

Family Member:
'Sure.'
( fax number is given )

After they get the fax...

Bank:
'Our system just isn't set up for death. I don't know what more I can do to help.'

Family Member:
'Well, if you figure it out, great! If not, you could just keep billing her. I don't think she will care.'

Bank:
'Well, the late fees and charges do still apply.'

Family Member:
'Would you like her new billing address?'

Bank:
'That might help.'

Family Member:
' Glasnevin Cemetry, Finglas Road , Dublin 11, Ireland , Plot Number 1049.'

Bank:
'Sir, that's a cemetery!'

Family Member:
'Well, what do you do with dead people on your planet?'

The reason most of us will laugh, or at least amusingly smile, at this story is because we can relate to it. We have had similar experiences ourselves when calling about late or unpaid bills. The customer service personnel dealing with these calls are more than likely using software applications with a fairly rigid set of programmed business rules that only allows them to perform a limited number of actions. While, in our frustration, we may think they lack intelligence, that is usually not the case. They have been trained to do only what the application allows them to do. Hence, they serve the application rather than allowing it to serve them.

This situation could be solved in several different ways and most involve some form of business intelligence.

The whole premise of business intelligence is to empower the information system user to make better business decisions. Today, business intelligence systems are not just query, analysis and reporting systems – they are a whole lot more. They are systems that extract, cleanse and transform data. They allow users to collaborate with each other around reports and dashboards. They provide feedback on issues they encounter, or on where improvements can be made. They allow statements and invoices to be securely published on web sites. Customers can view them, even if their original hardcopy got lost in the mail, in addition to providing valuable metrics on trends and patterns to assist both the customer and the supplier. And they are systems that can show you “What if?” scenarios to help you better plan and prepare for most eventualities.

Rome wasn’t built in a day and business intelligence also takes time to employ effectively, but a good way to ensure you are on the right track is that it is being used to make your employees smarter and more empowered.