Acme: Media Cutter Order Entry System

Acme's new Laser Knife Media Cutter system was an instant best-seller. Available in a range of sizes, it can cut everything from industrial-sized graphic displays to individual fonts for scrapbooking enthusiasts, all via PC-controlled processes using a laser "knife." The first week after its release, two major shopping channels, QVC and Shop at Home, picked up the smallest size for their scrapbooking segments, and a design firm that specializes in interiors for new hotel chains purchased over one hundred of the large units for making intricately cut wall treatments used in hotel lobbies and restaurants. Artisans, interior designers, and individuals and organizations from a variety of other backgrounds found uses for it and quickly spread the word about its capabilities. People used to the old plotter-style media cutters were amazed at the speed and precision of the Laser Knife, and its high-quality output at comparable cost made previous media cutters virtually obsolete.

Although Acme has a full staff of well-trained phone specialists to take orders for its products, it was so inundated with orders that it had to shut down its phones for several days while it ramped up its telephone ordering system and phone order staff. Shortly after reopening its phone lines, however, Acme was forced to admit that phone ordering was no longer going to be an efficient method of taking orders for its newest hot item. The decision h