Spotlight
Business: Data Miners
| USF College of Business
Professor and Eminent Scholar Alan Hevner and Anderson Professor of Global Management Balaji Padmanabhan teach in the Information Systems Decision Sciences Department.
Photo by Aimee Blodgett | USF News
Research shows that a repeat sale is one of the most important sales a company can make. But what keeps clients loyal to a product or service? According to two USF business professors, smart business leaders use analytics to answer such questions.
"In business, information is plentiful," says professor Alan Hevner. "Yet, intelligent use of that information to inform and drive operations is rare."
FedEx is collaborating with Hevner and fellow professor Balaji Padmanabhan on an innovative study that demonstrates how data analytics can address fundamental business issues. Working with Crystal Shi and Michael Cuenco from FedEx Services Quality Leadership team, these USF researchers are using predictive data mining models to identify issues that customers care about most.
"We are studying the role service quality plays in retention," says Hevner. "FedEx is highly focused on customer service and was already gathering data on service-related priorities."
"Leading firms today recognize data as an asset," says Padmanabhan. "We are helping them address the question of how best to leverage this asset to measure, and hopefully manage, loyalty," he adds. The answer: find patterns to identify and rank factors that impact customer loyalty.
"With knowledge of these factors, customer retention programs can be developed. Actions can be taken to identify and retain loyal, committed clients," Hevner adds.
The project illustrates the importance of business research and how the findings enhance education. "As we prepare students for careers, such research can showcase real-world analytics," says Padmanabhan. "Students understand real-world usage directly from firms that use predictive mining to answer operational questions."
It can bring global companies to campus, too. Recently, Shi used Skype's online video application to chat with graduate students in Padmanabhan's data mining course, discussing the firm and answering student questions.
This research is designed to provide answers that help drive sales, keep customers and improve the bottom line.
High Marks
USF's entrepreneurship program has been ranked among the top graduate programs in the nation. The USF program was ranked 19th in the nation by the Princeton Review and Entrepreneur magazine, up six spots from last year. USF was the only Florida university included in the ranking, and third among public universities in the Southeast.