Do You Want Fries With That? The Power of the System

Corporations survive because of their ability to deliver a quality service, at a low price all around the world.  While most of us are probably not in charge of a multi-national corporation, any business of any size can benefit from developing its own system.

I am fairly sure this article will generate a lot of controversy, but hey, that’s great, sharing idea’s is what Technibble is all about!

So, what exactly do I mean by a system?


In essence, a system is about standardizing as much of your business as possible to reduce the amount of work you have to do, leaving you with more time, money and resources to grow the business.  Let me give you an example of a hypothetical computer business owner who takes this concept to the extremes.

The owner, let’s call her Jess, only sells one kind of computer and one kind of laptop in her business. For her desktop computers, she knows that in most cases a mid-spec tower will be more than sufficient for any of her clients normal computer use.  All of the desktops that her company builds have the same manufacturer of hard drive, CPU, Ram and graphics capabilities. The motherboards allow for the addition of higher power components if a consumer has any special requirements.  Jess applies the same “middle of the road” strategy to her laptop sales because she knows (after many years of business) that most consumers want something that will be portable, light and get them on the internet.

Right off the bat Jess can begin to make her business more efficient with this strategy. Firstly she is able to make savings in costs by purchasing parts and supplies in bulk – but it doesn’t stop there – as she is now able to make her own mini “production line” when it comes to putting the machines together. This helps her to check the quality of each build and means she can pump out each computer much faster. She also develops a step by step guide for assembling this machine, which can be easily followed by anyone with even basic computer knowledge.

Jess wants to be 100% confident in her computer line up, so she runs a series of computer stress tests and real world tests with one of the machines. (Maybe she lends one to her mother!)  Jess discovers a small fault in one of the drivers associated with the motherboard, and is easily able to correct this on all of her machines; she also makes a note in the assembly manual for next time.

As Jess is now happy with the stability and reliability of the machines she is selling, she can now market that stability as part of her company’s product. She is so confident that she gives her computers a 5 year guarantee which helps to drive her sales and catch the attention of business customers.

But Jess’s system doesn’t stop there, because she only sells the same machine, she is able to produce a step by step troubleshooting guide for her customers, allowing them to solve many basic problems without her intervention. (Allowing them to get back up and running ASAP) Not only that but she is able to hire people who are not as highly skilled (and therefore cheaper), who can learn and follow the troubleshooting process.

For software issues she keeps a master image of the blank machines, as well as an additional image of each client’s computer, which is made once a week and stored locally on a backup system, which is also standard for each client. She is able to keep repair time down to a minimum as there are always spare parts in stock and she is able to write a specific repair script for most of the common software problems.

Obviously Jess knows that this system is now without its flaws, firstly there is always going to be updated technology, so she decides to “roll over” to a new level of technology every six months, so in 2 years she will have four different computer systems, however they will be kept as similar as possible to maintain the staff, training and service benefits.

Jess begins to grow her business reputation, so much so that she decides to brand her computer with her own name and logo, and package them with her companies guarantee and service backing. Customers love the quick turnaround times, and brand reputation, over time her company expands rapidly and she eventually begins selling franchise licenses.

This is a business model which I feel is going to be ever more popular and profitable given the way the market appears to be moving. Many people are turning to Cloud Computing, making the computer just a portal requiring little to no processing power. (Roughly the same concept behind N-Computing)  In addition I believe that due to the increases in processing power, most basic applications, and even some not so basic, can be tackled with a machine priced well under $1000 USD. The main “sell” here for Jess’s clients is the reliability and professionalism with which her business operates, and at the end of the day people are willing to pay a premium.

Obviously there are drawbacks to this idea, one problem which would need further examination is what to do with new customers who don’t want to upgrade into the system. I am aware of these drawbacks; however I believe that at least some measure of standardization can be a huge boost to your business.

A quick recap in the case for standardization

1. Savings through bulk purchases.
2. Improvement in assembly of machines.
3. Increased reliability and troubleshooting abilities.
4. Decrease in the cost of staff training and related activities.
5. Customization is still OK within the limits of your basic system.
6. All of the savings, reliability benefits, brand recognition, and efficiency will eventually translate into a more professional, reliable service for your clients.

Love to hear your thoughts!

 
Written by James Gilbert