That's an extreme statement, but there's a case for it. More than 500,000 times each month, an existing customer with a service contract contacts our company to report technical problems, check orders, download software. More than two-thirds of those contacts now take place electronically. These are registered customers using the Web to do business. They each have a private, password-protected relationship with Cisco.
Cost savings are here now.
During one recent month, we had 50,000 log-ins to the Web that eliminated the need for phone calls to our technical assistance centers. That same month, we had 50,000 software downloads. We've been blazing trails here, but you don't have to be a trailblazer to be successful. You've also got to involve everyone you can. We don't have a few all-powerful Web masters.