WD-40 and eBill
November 24, 2003
WD-40 is celebrating their 50th year. I am not sure how many people know about WD-40.
Probably millions have seen the brand but not actually used it. If you like
to tinker around in your garage or basement, you likely know
WD-40 well, as I do. In 1953, three technicians
had the vision that a product could be created to prevent rust and degrease
mechanical parts -- WD stands for "Water
Displacement". I don't know what the 40 stands for. They have a great
Web site at www.wd40.com and it shows how
*any* product can have a useful website if they put their mind to it. Site
visitors can "vote" with their favorite use of WD-40 and for each vote cast,
the company donates 50 cents to Rebuilding
Together. Then there is the SBC
website. (read
more)
SBC
Communications is a different story. I am sure they want to be an on
demand e-business but they have a very long way to go. Part of the problem
is genetic. Their website says "if
you need to make a payment immediately, please call us".
You can't take "call" out of a phone company. The website goes on
to say "To
pay online, you must enroll in the SBC eBill service". The process to
enroll is actually straightforward and efficient. Then it tells you "Once
you've activated, either online or offline, you're done. You will receive an
enrollment confirmation email in two to five days .
After that, you will be able to view, print, and pay your bill in approximately 1-2
months, depending on your billing cycle. This is the tip-off
that there are a lot of systems that are not yet integrated. They aren't alone.
