OK, through your Value Chain analysis you've discovered that a crucial element in your assembly directions was terminated. The yellow notepad that discussed Step 13 in tricycle assembly was deleted; the attendant outcome was a big up-spike in Helpline calls from frustrated consumers inquiring about Step 13.
Your solution-- bring back the yellow. You mention this to management, and it's approved. It takes a while-- after all; you've still got the whole existing stock in the stores. However there's likewise a quicker method to disperse that flyer. You can email it straight to the clients that hire to the 1-800 Helpline. Plus, you can post a link to it on your site. Although the frequency of Helpline calls will not diminish instantly, you can help in decreasing the period of the calls.
Initially glance, you might believe the above answer to Step 13 shows an example of a classic "packaging" solution. Remember, Package is "your face to the customer". The appropriate package strengthens your Brand in the client's mind. But, there is more to it than that.
See you would not have known the problem existed at all if you hadn't looked for input from Helpline and Shipping staff in your look for a better understanding of how your company value chain intersects your consumer worth chain.
In his classic Competitive Advantage Michael product packaging supplies Porter discusses 2 kinds of purchaser requirements:
usage requirements = what your item provides for your client
signaling criteria = how your consumer thinks or feels about what the product provides for them
Unaided, Step 13 in your assembly process isn't simple. But, as soon as the customer reads the quick instructions on the yellow sheet and understands how to effectively place the range bolt, then it's a breeze.
Many marketers think of signaling criteria and use requirements as living in various silos. At least they must, because that's the way their marketing appears. It's as if they never speak with their clients about how they really utilize their items.
In truth, signifying requirements can strengthen use requirements and help to position you in a very powerful position, especially versus a rival that has a remarkable item.
Picture that your # 1 competitor in the Trike organization has no Step 13 in their assembly. To an individual not trained in marketing, it might appear that this is a benefit the competitor will utilize to squash you.
Effectively, you "out-signal" your competitor's engineering advantage and negate it.
Can you constantly do this? Obviously not. However, inside the mind of the consumer, we often operate at a better parity with our rivals than we think.
It's our task as marketers to make sure we do everything we can to signal to the client that our product is, in reality, performing for them approximately their expectations, not ours.
And a Value Chain analysis is an excellent tool to insure that occurs