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Chapter 1: Groupware - The Changing Environment

By David Coleman

ISBN# 0-13-727728-8, Copyright 1997, 720 pp.
Now available through Prentice Hall

1.7 Why People Buy Groupware

Table of Contents

Collaborative Strategies performed two studies in 1995 which identified the major reasons people buy groupware. Supporting cross platform communication and collaborating at a greater level than merely using e-mail, was the top reason for buying groupware.

Criteria Used in Purchase Decision (choose 3) %
Ability to support communications across multiple hardware systems and operating systems 65%
Technical superiority of product 51%
Ability to send e-mail messages to a colleague 38%
Compatible with in-place software 38%
Price of the software 37%
Ability to support conferences with threaded topic 22%
Software already in place in the organization 17%
Relationship with the groupware vendor 16%
Product availability 27%
Groupware brought in as part of TQM or re-engineering 15%
Leverage internal expertise 12%
Ease of use 18%
Functionality: Fit with business need 12%
Vendor name recognition 10%
Scalability 5%

The three most popular business applications for groupware were office automation and productivity, group project management, and publications coordination and routing.

Application (choose 3) Responses
Office Productivity 101
Group Project Management 86
BPR 80
Customer Service 74
Publications Coordination and Routing 73
Electronic Meeting Facilitation 70
Change Management 62
Integrate Compound Documents & Multimedia 61
Distribute/Restructure Organization 50
Sales Force Automation 40
Downsizing Support 32
Move from mainframe to LAN 31

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