"Anytime" refers to the need to work on a round-the-clock basis for many customers.
"Anyplace" means that customers should
be able to access your services from remote locations. "Mass customization"
means having a core template or two that could be adapted to customer specifications
without having to reinvent or remake the entire product from scratch. The example
Davis gives is a shirt company that can customize its products. Once the company has
your measurements, it can easily customize
collars, monogramming, cuff style, etc. In a delicatessen/restaurant business it
might be something like some basic concepts which can then be spun into varieties.
Those first three concepts are pretty clear and straightforward. "No Matter" is
the most complex, and potentially the most powerful one and is the subject of
our discussion here. What Davis is getting at with that complex phrase is that the distinguishing
feature which attracts and retains customers might not be the actual product
itself, although that must be excellent. It might be the larger context which surrounds
the product. Paraphrasing the old Jewish proverb, it is the shop PLUS smile.
We will use the experience and perspectives of Zingerman's in Ann
Arbor as the focal point of our discussion. Zingerman's Delicatessen, started in
1982 by Paul Saginaw and Ari Weinzweig in a 1300 square foot space in Ann Arbor,
Michigan, has grown to become the Zingerman's Community of Businesses, which
includes eight different businesses, with a staff strength of over 500 employees and of
annual sales over $37,000,000. Unlike other well- known Ann Arbor-based businesses such
as Border's Books and Dominos Pizza, Zingerman's has opted to stay
local—Zingerman's Mail Order, Zingerman's Bakehouse, Zingerman's
Creamery, Zingerman's Candy Manufactory, Zingerman's Roadhouse, Zingerman's
Coffee Company and ZingTrain (its training and consulting business), are all located in
the Ann Arbor area. They operate as one organization - the Zingerman's
Community of Businesses. |
