Letter From the Editor Annemarie Earley 28 June 2002 Financial services providers (FSPs) face intense competitive pressure, partly as a result of difficult economic conditions, but also because of deregulation and convergence — which have introduced a vast array of nontraditional competitors to an already crowded marketplace. As they search for every possible competitive advantage, FSP decision makers are beginning to understand that they simply cannot afford to ignore one of their customers' most urgent and consistent demands — exceptional service. Enhanced customer service is widely recognized as a critical competitive differentiator — a key means of attracting and retaining customers and driving profitability in an industry whose products are becoming increasingly undifferentiated. Customer expectations of service quality are constantly rising as new technology-driven service channels — from the Internet to wireless devices, from call centers to Web-enabled automated teller machines (ATMs) — become available; they expect the same high level of service, regardless of the channel.    Read more

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	Exceptional, Economical Service: Tough Times Technology 28 June 2002 Mary Knox Financial services providers are examining their service delivery processes as a means of retaining and attracting customers. These initiatives can, however, also assist with another critical FSP goal -- containing costs.

FSP Multichannel Integration and Service Delivery 21 June 2002 Don Free   Annemarie Earley The reduction of human dependencies and the scaling of business processes have influenced the use of automation technologies at financial services providers to achieve economies of scale and exceptional customer service.		Web-Enabled ATMs: One-Stop, Self-Service Touchpoints 21 June 2002 Kim Norman   Annemarie Earley Web-based technologies can help enhance the use and profitability of automated teller machines. The key is to make the ATM a cost-effective, one-stop, self-service touchpoint for a broad range of products and services.
Biller Perspective: Reducing Interaction Costs With E-Billing 23 May 2002 Avivah Litan U.S.-based enterprises sending business invoices over the Internet can achieve significant cost reductions, improve customer service and pay back their investments when just 2.3 percent of their bills are viewed and paid over the Web.		Progressive's Rapid Claims Response and Cost Savings 5 June 2002 Bradford Adrian Few financial services providers have been as successful as the Progressive insurance group in implementing wireless business-to-employee services. That success was a result of more than just wireless technologies.
Delivering FSP Wireless Service Economically 19 June 2002 Bradford Adrian Wireless technologies can improve the access of financial services provider stakeholders to service. Whether -- and how -- to implement such technologies economically hinges on five main considerations.		Emerging Technologies Can Help Insurers Improve Service 26 June 2002 Kimberly Harris Insurers are seeking improvements in the quality and efficiency of the services they offer their customers. Emerging technologies can help them achieve these mission-critical goals.
Finance Sector Chooses BPO to Gain Service-Level Improvements 27 June 2002 Susan Cournoyer   Rebecca Scholl A survey of financial service providers' reveals that finance companies choose back-office business process outsourcing to gain improvements in service levels and access to new technology.