CINCINNATI, OH-Cincom Systems Inc., based here, has employed a combination of radio, the Internet, and audio tapes to get their message out to manufacturers. A new concept never before tried, this combination of airwaves, cyberspace, and audio tape enables anyone interested, no matter where they are in the world or how sophisticated their computer system, to access the information being disseminated through Cincom's new radio programs and audio teleconferences.
There are several different facets to this operation. First there is a weekly radio show called "The Cincom Manufacturing Radio Hour" that debuted last July on station WAZU in Southwest Ohio. Each week, a different expert and topic are featured for a full hour.
Recent shows have included expert Joseph Murphy of General Electric Corp., who discussed the common principles small and medium-size businesses should follow to strengthen their positions in becoming suppliers to the U.S. government, as well as to the private corporate sector. Earlier shows included "Saving Money Through Solid-Waste Management" with Amy Shaw, an expert from the Hamilton County (OH) Department of Environmental Services; "Justifying a Manufacturing Software System" with Dick Kuiper, vice-president of Expert Buying Systems Inc. (EBS), a system integrator/consultant; and "Balancing Demand and Supply" with Tom Wallace, an independent author, educator, and consultant.
Realizing that only a small percentage of the people interested in these topics could receive WAZU, Cincom set up a rebroadcast of these shows on its Web site (www.cincom.com/manage/). There, anyone with multimedia capabilities using either Progressive Networks' Real Audio or Microsoft's NetShow (both available for download at the Cincom site) can hear an edited-for-the-Internet rebroadcast of any or all of the shows. For those who are not equipped for multimedia, Cincom offers a third alternative: free audio cassettes of the programs on request.
And, that's not all. Cincom also conducts an interactive audio teleconference, which is currently about to switch from a bimonthly to monthly basis. Developed this past July, the teleconference forums so far have featured topics such as "Developing a Successful Aftermarket Strategy," "Customer Acquisition and Retention," and "Sales and Operations Planning." Called the Outlook Audio Conference, anybody can call in and talk to the expert of the month in a question-and-answer format.
The most recent interactive teleconference was held December 4, with the next one scheduled to run January 29, 1998. The January forum will feature Dick Kuiper of EBS, who has over 25 years experience selecting and implementing manufacturing systems, in a forum entitled "Selecting Manufacturing Software-A Business Project, Not Just a Computer Project."
Anyone wishing to call into an Outlook Interactive Audio Conference can dial 800-561-0253. For more information about the Outlook Interactive Audio Conference, to download the Internet version of a previous conference, or to order an audio cassette of one or more conferences, go to the Outlook page on Cincom's Web site: www.cincom.com/outlook. MA