Question 1: What kind of company is Otis?
OTIS Elevators started out in 1853 by the invention of the “safety brake elevator.” Their core business is designing, installing and provide service within the industry of elevators, escalators and walkways. Today OTIS operates worldwide, with headquarter in the U.S. and different facilities located in European and Asian countries. Through this they have managed to become market leaders in their field.
Throughout time the business focus of OTIS have changed. Today the focus has moved from the manufacturing area towards a more total solution, where the most important is to provide a high class customer service. This is to be seen through their vision: “To become the recognized leader in service excellence among all companies – not just elevator companies – worldwide.”
Question 2: What are the sources of income of Otis?
OTIS’s source of income is to be divided in two parts, as follows the development of the market. New markets, as China, mainly profits with new sales, e.g. 62,000 units of elevators and/or escalators were installed in China in 2002. Concerning the more mature and satiate markets, as Western Europe and the U.S., 75 % of the profit is provided service.
This allocation of income also reflects the customer demand, as the ability to satisfy elevator performance and specification, together with the service cost often becomes the customer major consideration. This often concludes in discount long-time service contracts offered by the elevator suppliers. The reason for this reaction is understandable as that the elevator service market is high competitive due to its steady demand, low entry barriers and high profitability.
A further indication is that the revenue, now coming from China, eventually will move from new sales toward provided service. This is estimated since the Chinese market, by time, will become a more mature market.
Question 3: How did Otis report elevator failure before 1986?
Before OTISLINE were installed the service personnel were dispatched from local offices. With no interaction between the different offices, OTIS had a minimal level of communication throughout the entire cooperation regarding the service area. Due to this the knowledge sharing was very poor and each local office handled each service request single handed, minimizing the efficiency. Further, the communication throughout the organization was also very poor, where service problems never reached the senior management until they had become critical situations. All together this had a negative impact on the service time causing the customers unnecessary waiting time.
This report was made to show how Action Modular can increase their profits and make them more marketable. The trucking industry is an industry that has and will be around for a long time. As long as there are manufacturers and consumers requiring their freight to be moved, there will be a need for trucks. If the marketing trend is monitored regularly by putting the right people in place and being proactive regarding the equipment and freight rates. Action Modular will be highly marketable and can yield more in revenue versus decreasing the revenue by utilizing outside carrier.
Jesse W. Reno was the inventor of the first working escalator. He lived from 1861 to 1947. He was born in Fort Leavenworth, KS. The first escalator was built as an amusement ride for Coney Island next to Old Iron Pier in 1895, it only ran for two weeks but more than 75,000 passengers rode it. The first escalator only rose 7 feet up in the air, but it was more than exciting back then. It also elevated the passengers belt 25 degree angle. Without Jesse W. Reno building this inclined elevator/escalator we would not have the elevators we have today. Reno came up with the idea at age 16. Charles Seeberger designed the modern escalator, around 1900, named it what it is called today. Three people have invented a type of escalator.
Trinity Industries is a highly diversified and decentralized company. Their 22 business units operate on three versions of Business Planning and Control System which monitors 70 plants. There are seven different IT company that maintain the systems and some of these systems have been customized to the different department needs. Trinity Industries organizational chart on how the company functions:
Since the customers in this industry are not price sensitive, having a competitive advantage is vital for firms. Hill-Rom considers customer service is its reputation, thus gives significant value to its customer relationships. In addition, its variety of products gives high competitive advantage to the
Sales - Sales growth is projected at a constant rate of 90% annually, which based on growth from existing channels of distribution and positioning
Growing sales through service: TP came up with new methods to satisfy customers. Furthermore, employees got trained on acting in customers favour.
The customer support and customer service functions are more than departments; they are part of an essential strategy for growing your business. In the modern business climate, customers expect answers to their questions immediately. When the right information is available anytime, from anywhere in the world, customers are more likely to have a positive experience, thus customer loyalty will be increased. It is a known fact that the cost to obtain a customer is ten times higher than to maintain and keep existing customers. (Gouran, Dennis, W.E. Wiethoff, & J.A. Doelger. (1994). Mastering communication. 2nd ed. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.) Not in Reference Pg.
Our commitment to steady, long-term improvement in our products and processes is the cornerstone of our business strategy. To achieve this objective, we must work to continuously improve the overall quality of our design, manufacturing, administrative, and support organizations.
A more responsive service can be achieved with everyone on the same page and having the same understanding, better planning, and can give an improved job satisfaction.
Customer service is valued as a competitive tool by many organisations. It gives you the ability to gain customer loyalty while meeting the customer’s expectations. Staff will have many skills and knowledge that will provide a competitive edge. Most organisations are known for the quality of their customer service. This means that they are known for good customer service or poor customer service. However, being known for good customer service will attract customers. It will also attract customers who are usually hard to reach.
This rating as well as many others factors have lead to the success of the United Parcel Service. The current status of the company reflects the strength of the their competitive position. The leaders of the current which include James Kelly, Michael L. Eskew, and John A. Duffy have set an example for anyone who is interested in management as a career. Their tactical maneuvers are first rate. This company succeeded because of the drastic communication advances. The customer is ultimately satisfied with the reliability of UPS to deliver on time. This is the marketing factor that sets UPS a step above the competition All decisions were made in the respect that the company would continue to bring the customer more than they expected. In turn United Parcel Service is an extremely profitable corporation. The environment provided by UPS keeps customers, employees, and managers working hard to keep up the high standards set by todays’ customers.
Dean, A. M., & Rainnie, A. (2009). Frontline employees' views on organizational factors that affect the delivery of service quality in call centers. Journal of Services marketing, 23(5), 326-337.
Globalization & network; UPS has set their name, is known all over the world and expanding at a rapid pace.
This means that, in the coming years, the yuan will be stronger in the coming years which will make the return on sales to increase.
In advertising its products, the IKEA catalogs played a primary role as they were attractive and easy to use. The efficiency of IKEA products and quality of design were emphasized in the catalogs. Every household in the area surrounding a new store received a copy of the catalog during the busy years of expansion. Although direct mail-order sales usually represented a very small portion of the total sales. The whole IKEA range was not offered by the catalogs. To attract new customers to the stores, they were always a key factor. Throughout the world, IKEA continued to open stores in different locations and attracted various customers. It was interesting to look at a company offering the same basic products at all stores and do well in many different cultures with different tastes. Lastly, the IKEA’s current number of employees in retail and expansion functions is 116,500 as of 2015. Thus, the total sum of employee worldwide in 2015 was 155, 000. Literally, the rate of employee would be increased in terms of business development in the future. (Brammer, Jackson, and Matten,