More than two-thirds of manufacturers and distributors have reported having to respond to elevated service standards established by companies like Amazon, according to a service gaps research study.

 

The research project by Lisa Anderson, president of LMA Consulting Group, aims to study the effect Amazon and mega distributors like them have had on customer expectations and service standards.

 

The Amazon Effect study has been designed to understand the gap between customer service expectations and the standards set by Amazon, the realities of global competition, supply chain missteps, and inadequate systems including customer management (CMS) and e-commerce systems.

 

It also aims to provide data to manufacturers and distributors to pinpoint problem areas and identify opportunities where immediate results can be achieved through improvement.

 

“Part of our commitment to our clients and the industry is to provide value-added research and associated recommendations for improvements to stay competitive," said Anderson.

 

"Following our emerging trend Skills Gap research we performed late last year, we wanted to turn our eagle eye attention on service opportunities which will not only provide a dramatic return on investment for our clients' businesses but will also position them for increased customer collaboration and growth. It has become apparent that those businesses that leverage the Amazon Effect strategies will grow and expand their businesses while creating customer loyalty with their existing customers," she said.

 

Capitalising on her 25 years of experience advising manufacturers and distributors on supply chain, operations, ERP and SIOP, Anderson provides data that helps manufacturers and distributors focus in on which people, process and system improvements are essential to preparing their supply chains to create a sustainable advantage.

 

"Data alone is useless; instead, my focus is to draw meaningful conclusions for my clients and manufacturers," said Anderson.

 

"This time, I plan on releasing the report along with an informative webinar in August. I found that many manufacturers and distributors still had questions on how they needed to respond to the data and how to prioritise subsequent action. I think the webinar will provide an excellent opportunity to not only discuss the survey results, but also the top action items manufacturers and distributors should take.” - TradeArabia News Service