A leader in mobile computing technology didn't always know how its products were operating in the field until it hooked up with a provider of mobile device analytics solutions.

Seventy-eight percent of small- to mid-sized industrial machinery companies believe their customers' expectations for after-sales service are rising, but just 12 percent of those manufacturers say replacement parts and service are top differentiators for their business.

The rise of the social web provides an abundance of opportunities to reach and engage with potential customers, but these added touch points muddy the waters when it comes to effectively tracking and monitoring your company's interactions with individual prospects.

Spend any amount of time working with supply chains, and one thing becomes clear: The traditional environment of the supply chain is mostly one of competition. That's because, in an effort to earn a customer's business and meet their demands, suppliers are often pitted one against the other to offer the lowest cost possible. But when it comes to overall success of the supplier/client relationship, this short-term competitive approach leaves untapped opportunities in terms of improved quality, cost and lead time, as each along the chain pursues what's best for themselves as opposed to what's best for the whole.

Analyst Insight: Best-in-class companies are evolving to meet their customers' needs by reverse engineering their supply chains to align with overall sales strategies and customer desires. This process involves integrating and working various verticals within a company in order to achieve the desired outcome. Supply chain professionals are taking a different look at their companies' operations through the lens of customers' perspectives and expectations, and organizing the supply chains around those focal points. - Rodrigo Cambiaghi, Principal, Ernst & Young LLP and EY US Leader for E2E Supply Chain practice; and Dieter Bölzing, Principal, Ernst & Young LLP and EY Supply Chain Strategy & Planning, EMEIA