This was the original focus of Dell's Premier Pages. Over time, Premier Pages evolved into an increasingly complete electronic customer interface. The central function is still online procurement. A security administrator, who comes from the customer's staff, controls access to specific functions and information. The security administrator can specify different levels of access to information and assign access authority by user name.
Users can request a quote, save it online, and send a copy up the line for approval.
Order status is available online and the OrderWatch function will even send designated users e-mail notification when the order ships. Qualifying customers can use Dell's ImageWatch, which alerts customers to how technology changes will affect Dell products, to help make their own technology adoption plans. And Dell's HelpTech feature gives customers' help-desk staffs online access to the same technical support information used by Dell's technicians. Portals for the Few Portals are not always about serving a large number of users, though. Sometimes portals' single-point consolidation is used to support a relatively small number of specialists.