McGraw-Hill/Irwin Copyright © 2008 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Chapter 12
Customer Value
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12.2 Introduction Evolution of quality definition from internal measures to
customer value Promotes a broader look at a company’s offerings and
its customers. Questions/Issues:
Why customers purchase? Why customers continue to purchase? Why customers defect from a company? What are their preferences and needs and how can they be
satisfied? Which customers are profitable? Does the customer value low prices more than superior
customer support services? Does the customer prefer next day delivery or lower prices? Does the customer prefer to purchase the item in a store that
specializes in this type of item or from a large mega-store that provides one-stop shopping opportunities?
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Role of SCM
Ability to respond to customer requirements one of the basic premises for SCMRelates to customer specific aspects such as
delivery status or production statusSCM also impact prices by reducing costs
Dell, Wal-MartEDLP strategies
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Customer Value Defines the SCM
SCM strategy determined by: type of products or services it offers value of various elements of this offering to the
customer. Examples:
If customers value one-stop shopping => carry a large number of products and options
Personal customization of products => flexible supply chain
Supply chain needs to be considered in any product and sales strategy SCM strategy could provide competitive advantages
leading to increased customer value
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12.2 The Dimensions of Customer Value
Conformance to requirements.Product selection.Price and brand.Value-added services.Relationships and experiences.
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Conformance to Requirements Market Mediation:
Ability to offer what the customer wants and needs Costs associated with the market mediation occur
when there are differences between supply and demand.
Supply>demand => inventory costs throughout the supply chain
Demand>Supply=> lost sales and possibly market share.
Functional Items Product demand is predictable Market mediation not a major issue.
Fashion items or other high-variability items Nature of demand can create large costs due to lost
sales or excess inventory. Requires responsive supply chains
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Zara’s SCM Strategy It keeps half of its production in house instead of
outsourcing as is common It intentionally leaves extra capacity in its warehouses It manufactures and produces in small batches rather
than try to achieve economies of scale It manages all design, warehousing, distribution and
logistics itself instead of using third parties It holds its retail stores to a rigid timetable for placing
orders and receiving stock. It puts price tags on items before they are shipped rather
than at each store. It leaves large empty areas in the stores and tolerates,
even encourages stock-outs.
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Conformance to Requirements Built on Three Principles
Closing the communication loop Supply chain is organized so it can track material and
product in real time but also close the information loop both for hard data and anecdotal.
Sticking to a rhythm across the supply chain Company is willing to spend money on anything that
will make its supply chain fast and responsive. Leveraging capital assets to increase supply
chain flexibility Company uses the investment in production and
distribution facilities to make the supply chain responsive to new and changing demand patterns.
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Product Selection
Proliferation of product options Larger variety means greater problems with:
Managing supplies Predicting demand
Three successful trends: Specializing in offering one type of product
(Starbucks/Subway) Mega-stores that allow one-stop shopping for a large
variety of products (Wal-Mart/Target) Mega-stores that specialize in one product area
(Home Depot/Office Max/Staples)
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Similar Trends on the Internet
Some sites offer a variety of products Others specialize only in a specific line of
products Combine virtual with physical stores
Dell with its physical stores to compete with Apple Long-Tail Phenomenon
Lack of physical or local restrictions allows retailers to focus and make revenue on the less popular items in their catalogues
Online sites offer titles/items not carried by traditional retailers
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Long-Tail Phenomena for Rhapsody
FIGURE 12-1: The Rhapsody data—2004 versus 2005
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Strategies to Cope with Large Variety
Build-to-order model
Configuration is determined only when the order comes in.
Effective way to implement the push–pull strategy by employing the concept of postponement
Amazon.comMoving from a push to a push-pull strategy
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Amazon.com Strategy
Initial Years: Used Ingram Books. 1999:Established its own seven fulfillment
centers Today, there are 16 fulfillment centers in the
US. 2001: Focus on improving distribution
operations in a push towards profit. Improved its fulfillment costs to 9.8% in 2001
(Q4) down from 13.5% in 2000 (Q4)
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Several Initiatives Adopted in 2001
Improved sorting order and utilization of sophisticated packing machines Allowed shipping of 35% more units with same number of
workers Used software to forecast purchasing patterns
Allowed reduction of inventory levels by 18% Consolidated shipping of 40% goods into full trucks
Driven directly into major cities Bypassing regional postal sorting facilities
Partnered to sell goods for other companies such as Toys ‘R’ Us and Target Additional $225 million in revenue
Allowed other sellers to offer used books Increased sales during the holiday season by 38%. Gross margins about 85%
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Other Issues 2006: 24 fulfillment centers (FCs) worldwide Two types of FCs
Sortable => capable of combining items Non-sortable => for larger items shipped separately.
Increased offerings to 34 product categories Some fulfilled by Amazon and some by other merchants.
Challenges on the pricing front Discounts nearly all books over $20 by 30%. Had much higher discounts before even on bestsellers 2001: started to raise book prices
5 - 10% Reverse the increases as sales fell.
Keeps just one or two copies in its warehouse Make the title available to the whole country Restock as quickly as customers buy books
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Suitable for products with long manufacturing lead times, such as vehicles
DCs allow manufacturer to reduce inventory levels by taking advantage of risk pooling
Factors to consider: Inventory costs of cars at the DC
Is the manufacturer going to pay for the inventory Equalizing small and large dealers
No difference between different dealers Difficult to see why large dealers would be interested in
participating in such an arrangement
Strategies to Cope with Large Variety
Larger Inventories at Major DCs
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Strategies to Cope with Large VarietyFixed Options Cover Most
Requirements
Honda offers a limited number of options on its cars.
Dell offers few options for modems or software that can be installed on its machines
Large product variety is not required in all casesMany grocery products
28 varieties of toothpaste???
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Price and Brand
Price cannot be a differential in many industries Companies like Dell and Wal-Mart use cost reduction
strategies to improve profit Brand names become a guarantee for quality
Premium brands can ask for premium prices Supply chain has to be more responsive
May increase costs which may be offset by higher prices
Pricing in services more difficult Opportunities for companies that can offer new
services Not easily transformed to commodities
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Value-Added Services
Additional services to improve profits Differentiate from competition More important now than before because:
Increased commoditization of products Need to get closer to the customer. Increase in information technology capabilities that
make this offering possible. Examples:
B2B services offer additional services to increase revenue
Most of IBM’s income today is from services
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Relationships and Experiences
Build a relationship with the customersmakes it more difficult for customers to switch
to another providerDell configures PCs and supports them for
large customersManages the entire PC purchase Includes special custom featuresBecomes more difficult for the customer to switch
to another vendor.
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One-to-One Enterprise with Peapod
Online groceryPersonalized interface while shoppingCan create own virtual supermarketSave shopping lists and retrieve listsOpportunity to learn about its service:
Asks: “How did we do on the last order?” Uses the relatively high response rate of 35%Institutes requested changes to its services
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Customer Experiences
Beyond relationships Designing, promoting, and selling unique
experiences to customers Offering distinct from customer service:
An experience occurs when a company intentionally uses services as the stage, and goods as props, to engage individual customers in a way that creates memorable events
Examples: Airline frequent flyer programs, theme parks, Saturn
owner gatherings, Lexus weekend brunch and car wash events.
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8 Steps to Customer Experience
Create a compelling brand/distinct offering that customers can identify with.
Deliver a seamless experience across channels and touch points.
Care about customers and their outcomes. Measure what matters most to customers Hone operational excellence. Value customers’ time. Place customer’s information requirements and
needs at the core. Design to morph i.e. the ability to change
practices based on customer requirements.
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Dimensions and Achieving Excellence
Companies need to select their customer value goals Supply chain, market segmentation, and skill sets
required to succeed depend on this choice. Companies cannot excel along all these dimensions A company needs to be dominating in one attribute,
differentiate itself on another, and be adequate in all the rest.
Examples: Wal-Mart stands out on price and secondarily in large brand
selection. Target competes by emphasizing brand selection before price. Nike Stores emphasize experience first and product second. McDonald’s provides access first and service second. American Express emphasizes service first and access as a
second attribute.
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12.3 Customer Value Measures
Measures that start with the customer. Typical measures include service level
and customer satisfaction. What are the basic measures of customer
value?What are the supply chain performance
measures?
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Service Level
Typical measure used to quantify a company’s market conformance.
Usually related to the ability to satisfy a customer’s delivery date
Direct relationship between the ability to achieve a certain level of service and supply chain cost and performance. Demand variability and manufacturing and information
lead times determine the amount of inventory that needs to be kept in the supply chain.
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Customer Satisfaction Customer satisfaction surveys used to measure
sales department and personnel performance Also provides feedback for necessary
improvements in products and services. However, reliance on customer satisfaction
surveys can often be misleading Surveys are easy to manipulate Typically measured at the selling point Nothing is said about retaining the customer.
Measure customer loyalty Easier to measure than customer satisfaction. Analyze customer repurchase patterns based on
internal databases.
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Customer Defections
Identifying such customers not an easy task Dissatisfied customers seldom cancel an
account completelyGradually shift their spending, making a
partial defection.
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SC Performance Measures
SC performance affects the ability to provide customer value
Need to develop independent criteria to measure supply chain performance.
Presence of many partners in the process/requirement of a common language.
Standardization initiatives such as the Supply Chain Council’s reference models.
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SCC and SCOR Model SCC organized in 1996 by Pittiglio Rabin Todd &
McGrath (PRTM) and AMR Research Initially included 69 voluntary member companies. About 1,000 corporate members world-wide and has
established numerous international chapters. Supply Chain Operations Reference-Model (SCOR)
Process reference model Analyzes the current state of a company’s processes and
its goals, Quantifies operational performance Compares it to benchmark data.
Developed a set of metrics for supply chain performance Members are in the process of forming industry groups
to collect best-practice information
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SCOR Level 1 MetricsPerspectives Metrics Measure
Supply chain reliability On-time deliveryOrder fulfillment lead timeFill ratePerfect order fulfillment
PercentageDaysPercentage Percentage
Flexibility and responsiveness Supply chain response timeUpside production flexibility
DaysDays
Expenses Supply chain management costWarranty cost as percentage of revenueValue added per employee
PercentagePercentageDollars
Assets/utilization Total inventory days of supplyCash-to-cash cycle timeNet asset turns
DaysDaysTurns
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Overall Business Performance MetricsPRTM Survey
Total supply chain management costsTotal cost to manage order processing,
acquire materials, manage inventory, and manage supply chain finance and information systems.
Leading companies have total costs between 4 and 5% of sales.
Median performers spend 5 to 6% more.
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Cash-to-cash cycle timeNumber of days between paying for raw
materials and getting paid for productCalculated by inventory days of supply plus
days of sales outstanding minus average payment period for material.
Best in class have less than 30-days’ cycle time,
Median performers can be up to 100 days.
Overall Business Performance MetricsPRTM Survey
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Upside production flexibilityNumber of days required to achieve an
unplanned, sustainable, 20 percent increase in production.
Under two weeks for best in class Less than a week for some industries.
Overall Business Performance MetricsPRTM Survey
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Delivery performance to requestPercentage of orders fulfilled on or before the
customer’s requested date. Best-of-class performance is at least 94% Some industries approach 100%. Median performance ranges from 69% to
81%.
Overall Business Performance MetricsPRTM Survey
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Design Chain Operations Reference (DCOR) Model
Framework that links business process, metrics, best practices and technology features into a unified structure to support communication among design chain partners and to improve the effectiveness of the extended supply chain.
DCOR developed by the Business Process Management organization of Hewlett-Packard and conveyed to the Supply-Chain Council in 2004.
Organized around the processes of Plan, Research, Design, Integrate and Amend. Spans product development, research and development Does not attempt to describe every business process or
activity. Focused on Product Refresh, New Product and New
Technology
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12.4 IT and Customer Value
Many valuable benefits for customers and businesses.
Three aspects:exchange of information between customers
and businessesuse of information by companies to learn
more about their customers so that they can better tailor their services
enhanced business-to-business capabilities.
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Customer Benefits Opening of corporate, government, and educational
databases to the customer. Availability of uniform data access tools of the Internet. Innovations have had the effect of increasing customer
value while reducing costs for the supplier of the information. Automated teller machines (ATMs) Voice mail Internet
Opening of the information boundaries between customer and company Part of the new customer value equation Information is part of the product.
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Effects of the Internet Increased importance of intangibles
Importance of brand names and other intangiblesService capabilities or community experience in
purchasing decisions. Increased ability to connect and disconnect Increased customer expectations
Greater ability to compare and the ease of performing various transactions
Tailored experience Ability to provide each customer an individual
experience is an important part of the Internet.
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Business Benefits Use information captured in the supply chain to
create new offerings for customers. “Sense and respond” to customers’ desires
rather than simply make and sell products and services.
Many forms of analyses: Sophisticated data mining methods Correlate purchasing patterns Learn about each individual customer by keeping
detailed data of preferences and purchases. Method applied depends on the industry and
business model.
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Business-to-Business Benefits e-marketplaces
Using the Internet to improve supply chain collaboration by providing demand information and production data to its suppliers.
Outsource but maintain control too Various arrangements between manufacturers
and distributors for sharing information on inventory that results in cost reduction Motivated by the risk-pooling concept Allow manufacturers and distributors to reduce overall
inventory by: sharing information about inventory in all locationsallowing any member of the channel to share the
inventory.
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SUMMARY Creating customer value is the driving force behind a
company’s goals Supply chain management is one of the important
means. Customer access to information about the availability of
products and the status of orders and deliveries is becoming an essential capability.
Adding services, relationships, and experiences differentiates company offerings in the market
Identifying the appropriate customer value measure not an easy task.
Ability to provide sophisticated customer interactions very different from the ability to manufacture and distribute products.
No real customer value without a close relationship with customers.