In 1996, Ernst & Young (now EY) created Ernie. In short, Ernie was a tool that connected clients with questions to consultants with answers. It was branded as “Your online business consultant.”
It all started when Ernst & Young’s tax and audit clients found themselves asking tax and audit partners business-related questions. Tax and audit partners would have to reach out to the consulting side of the business for answers. As this trend continued, Ernst & Young realized there was an opportunity to bring together clients and management consulting partners in a mutually beneficial way (aka Ernie). Ernie capitalized on the growth of the internet and intranet to route specific questions to the right people right away.
Capgemini bought Ernst & Young’s consulting practice in 2000 and did away with Ernie. But we’d argue it was an innovative and helpful solution that was ahead of its time. Clients had the need and Ernst & Young had the resources. In the end, Ernie users were able to save time and money while maximizing underutilized resources.
Why Does Ernie Matter Now?
Ernie was a great concept at the time. In fact, it’s still a great concept. The only difference is now we have more than just the basic internet and intranet capabilities at our disposal. We have online chat, video calls, instant messaging, AI, advanced knowledge bases… basically dozens of ways to connect with people. Dozens of ways to ask questions and get answers.
What Ernie did right was connecting people to existing resources to save money and utilize employees’ knowledge and experience. A call center wouldn’t work. Face-to-face meetings would be inefficient. Routing people to the right expert depending on their question would be ideal. They used the latest technology of the time—not to replace people—but to connect people in a new, unique, and better way.
Honestly, we’re surprised EVAN360 is currently the only tool that’s connecting people in a similar way. In this day and age, even with the influx of technology over the past 20 years, it’s rare to find a tool that balances technology and human connection in a way that’s beneficial for everyone. We’ve become such an automated culture that many of today’s workplace tools are void of a very necessary human connection.
Bringing the Model into the 21st Century
At EVAN360, we’re helping organizations take advantage of today’s technology by connecting people with the resources they already have to be successful. Our goal is to provide a tool that offers the right balance of technology and human connection so organizations don’t have to wonder if their support tool is actually working.
Most support tools on the market are convenient for the support provider but not for the user. One example is help desk software. On one end, support providers have the flexibility to answer employee questions whenever they can get around to it. Employees don’t have it so easy as they’re forced to wait for support providers to respond. This model negatively affects morale, employee retention, and revenue in the long run.
After spending years dealing with ineffective support software ourselves, our team wanted EVAN360 to be mutually beneficial for everyone. You won’t find the kind of support EVAN360 provides inside the average company. Where you’ll find EVAN360 is within organizations that value their existing employees’ knowledge and want to utilize it in a better way. You’ll find EVAN360 where human connection is valued more than the latest technology trends. If that sounds like your organization, get started with EVAN360 for free here.
