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InformationWeek 500: 20 Great Ideas To Steal

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These InformationWeek 500 innovators are trying unique approaches to solve business problems. Could your company use a few extra bright ideas?

InformationWeek 500: 20 Great Ideas To Steal

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Verizon Wireless Makes Selling Simpler

In mid-2008, Verizon Wireless needed to make a drastic change to its retail sales system. The existing one lacked the speed and flexibility Verizon's more than 2,400 retail outlets needed. The company decided to create a streamlined sales-order processing system, called SHOPP, aimed at reducing the sales transaction time and improving efficiency.

SHOPP's interface provides a simple and intuitive view of everything sales reps need to complete an order, including a real-time credit module, pricing and discounting modules, and a payment and signature module that makes sure a device is ready to use when the customer leaves the store. SHOPP can be used on a mobile tablet PC, letting sales reps move through the store while completing the entire sales transaction.

SHOPP has cut order processing time by at least 40%, saving about 500,000 hours of order processing time across the company. And within IT, it has replaced four separate order processing applications, resulting in a single code base. This has driven operational efficiencies across the technology group, while reducing maintenance, development, and training costs.