“This is quite an alarm bell for the banks,” says Erich Almasy (of the survey showing Loblaw’s PC Financial Services has greater customer loyalty than banks). “What you’re seeing in this new approach is another threat to traditional behaviour – the banks are going to have to have a creative response.”

Executive Report on Customer Retention, February 1, 2000

“If a company is going to use the Internet to supplement or replace existing channels, consultants have to be prepared to help the company deal with any resulting channel conflicts. This is a complex transaction that can cause distress to the channel, so consultants helping with the transaction can’t approach this glibly,” says Almasy. “Be prepared to manage the stress on the system and the unhappy people that result...Another key success factor in these projects is finding the right pace of change. It should be faster than the client is comfortable with, but not too fast to get results.”

Presstime, September 2000

“Thomson and Hollinger have obviously thought for a long time about what makes sense for their organizations, and both are trying to unlock value. What will be key is whether the buyers [of the Globe & Mail and The National Post] have real plans going forward. Are they going to come in with a story that says, ‘Here’s how we’re going to make these businesses worth a lot more than the past owners did’?”

The Boston Globe, December 18, 2000

“The Internet’s ability to reach both a narrow audience through the use of keywords and to hit a mass audience means its growth will be felt by all existing media. Internet usage needs to hit the 20% rate that advertising mediums such as television and radio needed to achieve before they become established.”

Telephony, May 10, 1999

Financial Times, July 22, 1999
Ghosts in the Public Service Machine
“Governments tend to cut corners in terms of what they will pay,” says Erich Almasy. “State organisations are encouraged to cut costs by ambitious contractors. The latter often undertake big projects at low rates hoping they will be able to develop blueprints for systems. These can be sold later on to other governments.”

Financial Times, October 30, 1999
Levi Straus to Shut Down ‘Unaffordable’ Web Site
Erich Almasy said yesterday, “A lot of people [in Levi’s position] are going to get scared off by just how complex e-commerce is. Selling direct to online customers required a different supply chain from the one manufacturers have in place for selling through established retailers.”

Business Week, April 20, 1998
From Digits to Dust
"By 2000, one of every three Americans will be online.” Says Erich Almasy, “We’re not just doubling amounts of electronic data every six months, we’re quadrupling it.”

Investor’s Business Daily, May 27, 1998
Deutsche Telekom Attacks Internet Telephony Market
“Deutsche Telekom has jumped in with both feet, while most of the other carriers are tiptoeing in,” said Erich Almasy.

Investor’s Business Daily, June 15, 1998
Don’t Let the Tech Staff Bamboozle You
“People trained in technology and even engineers have a hard time keeping up with computers,” said Erich Almasy. “Don’t act like you know more. Use your tech naiveté as an asset. As a non-technical business person you may be the only voice of reason in the ‘technology ghetto.’”

Across the Board, June 1998
1-800-Ouch!
“The average telecommunications manager can save 35 percent to 45 percent on fax traffic by routing it as data over the Internet,” says Erich Almasy. “The quality of the transmission is often better online.”

The Sunday Times, August 2, 1998
Telecom Giants Rush for Global Alliances
Erich Almasy believes, “it will be more difficult in the future for companies to leave alliances. They are going to merge assets for common ownership and structure, locking partners into the arrangement. In the same way they will try to lock in customers so they cannot easily jump to another carrier. One way to do that is to persuade corporate clients to outsource internal communications. Once a phone company takes these over, it becomes more difficult to sever the relationship.”

Sales and Marketing Management, December 1998
Plug and Play
“A key strategy for creating customer loyalty is learning everything relevant about customers’ needs and buying patterns and using that information to target specific customers when selling and marketing. It’s possible that small and medium-size companies may be able to ‘rent’ a data warehouse,” Almasy says. “Instead of purchasing a large server and relational database, small companies may be able to hire a vendor to operate the database, and access the information via an Internet-like network.”

La Tribune Defossés, September 10, 1996
Netscape Propose des Logiciels Gratuits aux Entreprises [Netscape Offers Free Software to the Companies]
“C’est dans l’entreprise que réside le futtur de Netscape,” ajoute Erich Almasy. “C’est là precise-t-il, que le combat contre Microsoft se déroulera, sur Intranet.” [“It’s in large firms that a future for Netscape exists,” says Erich Almasy. “It’s there that the struggle against Microsoft will happen on the Internet.”]