By Donna Baker

President Donna Baker Photo by Michael Justice

Here are just a few highlights to keep you up to date:

Client Service Upgrades Launched
Delivering superior client service is, and always will be, our top priority at GIA. So I am especially proud as we launch a comprehensive system upgrade of our entire grading report process, starting this summer, to ensure uncompromised professionalism, integrity and compliance.

Our Information Technology (IT) group has been working diligently on improvements that will yield immediate benefits across our ever-expanding client base. We're confident clients will immediately notice greater convenience and flexibility, and appreciate the enhanced security and compliance levels.

Upgrade highlights include expanded online services, more convenient pickup procedures and payment options, and the ability to easily transfer reports into the client's own inventory system. Full details are outlined below.

These upgrades are inextricably linked to another goal - reducing turnaround times for grading reports throughout our entire organization. We've already made tremendous progress, while experiencing a sizeable, double-digit increase in overall intake volume. This reduced turnaround time, and focus on international expansion, has made it possible to improve customer service for all our clients – internationally and in the U.S.

The magnitude of these enhance-ments, however, requires that we implement them in stages. Because we are aiming for a seamless transition, certain new online features will only become available once system validation is complete. We anticipate all upgrades to be in operation by mid-summer.

We will also introduce these changes by location, to ensure an orderly phase-in at the IT level. Upgrades will occur in the following sequence: Mumbai, Johannesburg, Bangkok, Hong Kong, Carlsbad and New York.

Mumbai Lab to Open this Fall
Keen observers will note a new location in the above list. Responding to the needs of our growing client base in India, we are opening a new lab in Mumbai, one of the most significant and vibrant markets in the entire gem and jewelry world. GIA India will provide Diamond Dossier and GIA Diamond Grading Report services for loose, polished diamonds 0.15-1.99 ct in the D-Z color range, and take in diamonds of all sizes, plus colored stones and pearls for routing to the appropriate GIA laboratory. Our new Mumbai facility will be fully operational by late September.

Refocusing Our Educational Efforts
After much consideration, we have decided to close the Los Angeles campus and School of Business in Carlsbad by the end of this year – after currently registered students complete their coursework.

Despite the considerable efforts of the talented staff at these locations, the economic crisis affecting schools and universities throughout California and the U.S. has reduced enrollments, making it difficult to cover the on-site operational costs of providing GIA's superior level of education.

The decision also reflects the growing trend among students to use the Internet and other electronic means to acquire knowledge. Without abandoning actual schools or potential for new ones, we will focus on further strengthening our Distance Education services, with particular emphasis on providing GIA's core gemology curriculum online and making it accessible worldwide.

We remain committed to finding more efficient ways to support the jewelry community in the Los Angeles area, and will keep you updated on our progress.

Rest assured that the Institute operates from a position of strength, thanks to the hard work of the entire staff. I can also assure you that GIA remains fully committed to providing the world's best gemological education for future professionals.

System Upgrade Highlights

• Intake and return: Hand-signed receipts and invoices will be replaced by an electronic signature device when items are dropped off/picked up in person. A summary of item intake and invoice details will be provided prior to signing, and the electronic signature will appear on each page of the receipt and invoice. Clients can also download an electronic version of their GIA Report in PDF format.

• Additional security: In addition to photo identification, GIA will request the birth date of authorized client representatives to further confirm their identity.

• New payment options: Clients can securely pay for services by credit card at the take-in window, using American Express, Discover, MasterCard or Visa. Billing details and outstanding balances, invoices and credits are viewable online, and invoice details may be e-mailed or printed.

• Easier tracking of shipments: E-mail notifications of returned items include the parcel's air bill number and a link to the courier's Web site, including Brinks, Malca-Amit, Federal Express, UPS and the United States Postal Service.

• Easier data management using CSV (comma separated values) files: GIA e-mails that notify clients of items received or being returned, as well as diamond grading results, will include CSV files as attachments. CSV files are commonly used to transport large amounts of tabular data between companies and/or applications that are not directly connected.

• Revised service codes: More intuitive service codes with more logical abbreviations will replace existing numerical codes.

• Universal time stamps: To accommodate all time zones, date and time stamps throughout the GIA system will be in Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), also known as Greenwich Mean Time (GMT).

• Invoices in 'local' currency: Invoices generated by GIA will be in the currency of the GIA location to which the item is submitted.

• Online job order creation and status report: Clients can create a job order online, complete with a job number, or conveniently check on the status of their grading results by searching and filtering results more easily. Clients can also notify GIA in advance of when they will pick up items to reduce waiting times.

• Manage multiple users of your online account with a super user: A super user, designated by the principal of a client company's account, will have access to all online services and manage other users' access and privileges. The super user will have authority to add/remove other online users on the account, and specify which online services each of their users may access.