Draft:Pick and Pack

     Introduction  
  	The paper examines the case study of Locate, Pick & Pack Ltd (LPP) which is a technological based company that specializes in automated robotics that provides warehousing services such as sorting, retrieval, or storage. The company extended its services, outsourcing to other companies, and providing additional repair, upgrade, and maintenance. The paper explores its strategic miscalculation that resulted in the loss of loyal customers using marketing theories such as the services marketing triangle, the gaps model of service quality, the 7ps of service marketing, and the service profit chain, drawing individualistic strengths from each to support and provide recommendations.
    Service Marketing Triangle

The theory of the service marketing triangle focuses on service delivery more than goods provision and it fits the narrative of the case study of LLP. LLP excelled in goods provision, as it was the operation that garnered it many customers who were in need of labor alternatives. The service emphasizes the need for professional collaboration between the service provider, company, and customer for the sake of customer satisfaction or rather making it a customer-centric model (Beninger and Francis, 2020).In the display of brand loyalty, the customer put into trust the company’s proposal for an extension of the contract to manage its proprietary robotics. Service Triangle is made up of three distinctive marketing strategies, internal, external, and interactive marketing. In the case of LLP, the company did external marketing, wooing its clients on its ability to repair and maintain the robots, with the same ingenuity it used to create the product. That marketing strategy intends to retain the existing customer base while also appealing to the ones who are patronizing their rivals. The ad campaigns were an unofficial pledge of the company to maintain their current streak of goods delivery to service provision which can be claimed to be false advertising owing to the customer’s replies in the surveys and interviews. It is because the customers also expect professionalism in the company providing reliable technicians who are bound by progressive rules that do not cause a negative customer shift (Amdam and Benito, 2022). Internal marketing deals with the LLP company enabling their promise by focusing on their employees and other internal stakeholders vital in the day-to-day running of the business. Within the context of the case study, the company provided a good marketing strategy through its marketing department however it also exposed the failing connection between the managers/supervisors or procurement to the technicians who were accommodating the customers. The company failed in internal marketing by poorly equipping the technicians who needed frequent trips back and forth to locate necessary resources to accomplish their tasks. It exposed the human resource department in their lack of proper training of their service agents in methodologies they need to tackle individualized and general inquiries from the customers. It can be extended to the procurement in lack of proper sourcing and equipping their technicians to reduce the downtimes when they have to report back to base for resupply. The sales team can be faulted by haranguing the service teams to make fast repairs or maintenance much to the dismay of their clients who perceive to be belittled. It can be traced back to the culture of the organization to prioritize profits which the higher ups in the hierarchy failed to rectify in time. With this, it can be deduced that the communication structure of the organization is not efficient, whether bottom up or bottom down, as the effect of the bad service was noticed due to the decline in customer retention rather than direct communication feedback avenues. The Gaps Model of Service Quality The theory helps in the assessment of existing gaps in customer expectations and the perceived service quality by the provider to the customer with the goal of improving the whole experience. It is focused on customer service more than any other component of the businesses such as sales because more than often intertwined with each other for a common goal. The first gap is the management perception at LLP and their customer’s expectations. It exposes the company’s lack of research and preparedness before rolling out a service that they assumed their customers would appreciate at the same level they did with the product. The lack of enough information resulted in the company failing to understand how to properly expand its business operation to meet the existing or growing demand (Friedman, 1970) (Demiroglu, 2021). The company was ignorant of other business relationship etiquette such as promptness which highly valued clients appreciate in their line of business where every time equals an earned cent, hence long periods of downtimes translate into huge irrecoverable losses. The second gap is the management perception and service quality specification. Within this context, the company exposed itself to lack enough knowledge on the proper requirements to provide after sales services after excelling in product manufacture and delivery. The first assumption is that the company did not expand its labor force, hence stretching out the existing ones, who were overwhelmed by the initial customer signups. It could be a move by the company to maximize profits by reducing overhead costs that come with expansion, such as advertising, hiring, and training new employees to fill the gaps (Sekeran and Bougie, 2021). It also leads to another assumption that the company could have maximized costs by reducing internal promotions that arise when new employees are integrated into the task force, hence saving on the additional allowances and perks that come with the promotions The third assumption could be the lack of internal initiatives to improve the service structure beyond existing frameworks. The company's failure to understand issues that arise from the increase in productivity creates an environment that is toxic to the employees while also disregarding the needs of its growing customer base. It shows the lack of a dynamic leadership structure, where new talent or ideas are not injected within the company to give it a fresh or different perspective to the work/organization culture that everyone is accustomed to. The third gap is between service quality specification and service delivery. It is an extension of managerial shortfalls in the company in its due diligence on existing service operations within the company and how it affects the overall brand in the external market. From the case study, it can be assumed that the company has internal measures to affirm its goals and visions to the lower hierarchy in the company but the existing teams or groups dispensing vital services are not meeting the expectations. It is an example of a shortfall in a Laissez-Faire leadership style, which provides an environment where employees are independent to boost their productivity, problem solving, and individualistic leadership skills through the delegation of vital duties. It can explain why the higher management at LLP only came to realize a problem through periodical reports that show a decline in their repair and management section.

The third gap exposes the company’s hiring policies and the aptitude of the teams or departments responsible for the growth and expansion of the company. Specifically organizational and logical aptitude, which is the ability of an organization to have internal or external strategies that assist in its efficient operation (Waltower, 2023). If the assumption that internal communication strategies in the company were fully functional, then the discord between service delivery and customer discontent would have been rectified earlier before profits tanked due to customer flight. It is reinforced by self correcting mechanisms such as audits and metric placements which are reported frequently by team leaders rather than waiting for financial outcomes to display the company’s trajectory. 

The other is logical aptitude, which shows the ability of the workforce to have problem solving initiatives, especially without complete reliance on upper bureaucracy. It exposes the possible presence of administrative bottlenecks that reduce operational efficiency, especially in the lower tiers of the company responsible for labor intensive tasks. An example of a bottleneck is the baseless need for the service technicians to report back to headquarters for supplies, which could indicate a lack of resource redundancies, especially in the vital service sections, hence the service technicians could be sharing the same tools or resources with the robot technicians in the manufacturing sector. Logical aptitude in this case is where the managers have the operational shrewdness to provide separate tools and resources for different teams in order to cut costs and overheads associated with transport expenditures and time loss. Overall it also exposes the planning and executing team's lack of ability to examine problems and find rational solutions on time without relying on existing issues to prompt corrections. The 7 Ps of Services Marketing Service marketing is the sphere of business operations that deals with providing intangible services to customers in a bid to attract, build, and retain customer loyalty long term wise (Law-DelRosso, 2020). It is different from product marketing as the latter focuses on what the customers can see. It allows the customers to have an insight into service provision and allows personalization to meet individual needs. From the case study, the company provided personalized robotics to match the business operation of each of their clients, who worked in retail business but on different sides. Within this, the company was producing heterogeneous products, as the robotics infused with artificial intelligence to solve various business needs hence they are not identical in purpose. As a B2B business operation, LPP was providing to other non competing businesses hence it failed to demonstrate its efficiency in providing long term tailored solutions. The company's failure was wrongful pricing in various segments, such as overtime caused by the technicians overstaying due to going back and forth in the company to get the necessary tools or resources. Also, the customers were paid for pre paid services which were perceived to be hidden charges, therefore creating a capitalistic environment that oppresses the customer. The other P was a place, where the service technicians were uncoordinated, arriving late, hurrying through the job, and sometimes leaving without fulfilling the pending issues. The unreliability of the services inconvenienced customers who were sensitive to their work experiencing operational downtimes. In promotion, the company over promised services it could professionally or adequately provide, as customers felt they were exploited by the company as an additional revenue cash cow instead of a mutual business relationship. The appointment system was unreliable, which was also part of the administrative bottleneck that created inefficiency in booking and scheduling. The case study showed that customers called repeatedly to the customer care office before receiving solutions or even promises of appointments. It could be assumed that the company failed to expand its systems to customer care management despite excelling in robotics, which used similar and comprehensive autonomous agents that controlled their actions which could be extended to other departments (Moriarty, 2021). Lastly, the company’s mistake in outsourcing cheaper replacement tools and parts showed unprofessionalism to their customers as it was further evidence of cost cutting measures that cheapen the experience to the customers who are paying the premium. It is problems that dent the company’s image and public perception, promoting customer flight to market rivals. The Service Profit Chain The theory of service profit chain is important in scrutinizing the case study from the employee’s perspective. The theory alleges that customer satisfaction is mutually dependent on employee satisfaction therefore, the overall output of the business organization depends on management’s treatment of their subordinates. A disruption in the service chain impacts the organizations. Job satisfaction was reduced by the improper support the technicians received from the main office, as the overbooking of appointments created unnecessary daily overtime. Overworking employees especially those contracted to do labor intensive tasks puts them at risk for job related issues such as stress and burnout which reduce the productivity and problem solving abilities of individual employees (LeBaron, 2021). It's further worsened by the constant micromanaging where the head office pressures them to accomplish tasks so that they can maximize profits through actions such as constant calls and recalls to the office, possibly demotivating them into finishing their work. It resulted in decreased contract renewals that affected revenue streams as customers outsourced reliable third parties for repairs where they felt valued and convenient. Recommendations and potential challenges. The company needs to re-evaluate its service process in its entirety, starting from hiring, training, and deployment of employees, to where they are qualified to operate rather than random assignment. It will assist in service technicians knowing what and how to solve when attending to diverse clients hence reducing the chances of going back for resupply or inconveniencing customers with long repair and maintenance hours. The potential challenge is resistance and hesitancy, which limits problem solving and critical thinking, as it is a form of resistance to drastic changes that could be due to uncertainty (Galaitsi et al., 2023). The company needs to extend its scheduling process to mitigate conflicts and increase flexibility on both ends. The company needs to leverage its artificial intelligence to assist in human resource management which streamlines the process of accommodating high and low priority employees (Watters, 2021). extends to its communication strategies where AI can be leveraged to provide communication that does not require human interventions such as reminders for maintenance or scheduled appointments. The potential risk here is an increase in operational costs as hiring competent technicians and training them to be system literate is an intensive capital investment. Also, the time required to test, integrate, and implement the system might take a lot of time and resources, slowing part of set resolutions. The company needs to improve its communications strategies, both internal and external. Internal is proper hierarchical communication where low tiers can have an avenue to address the organization’s strengths and weaknesses without any professional consequences. It also extends to customer feedback where the company receives and acts on customer complaints in real time, which includes reverse compensation especially when the company is at fault, using discounts or extension of services to reduce chances of customer flight. It is a method of repairing broken customer trust and also rewarding existing loyal clients through other incentives but it starts with a streamlined internal process. An example of a streamlined process is the consistency of branding and uniforms of employees that reinforces public recognition, which indirectly acts as a marketing strategy.

    Critical Reflection

Application for driving licenses is a nightmare for first time and recurrent drivers due to the public services and its reputation for bureaucracy and bottlenecks. Despite having an online booking system, the process requires manual presentation for biometrics and other tests such as physical and mental assessment to ensure the person is qualified to be bestowed the license. It is similar to the case study as the internal process does not heed the scheduling by the system hence long waiting hours are experienced which spills over to the next day. It is further aggravated by the lack of proper outline or procedure hence some individuals were queuing in the wrong lines increasing confusion and frustration for the customers, employees, and security. Application of the Gaps Model of Service Quality The public service knows its limitations and despite promises of changes and efficiency overhaul, the cycle of long waits and downtimes in payment services makes the experience a nightmare. It is due to an existing policy gap where the online system is more efficient than human controlled system creating a backlog that can be improved by formulating policies that may increase efficiency such as training, segmentation of tasks, or diversification to a critical service which will be accorded proper attention. The delivery gap was evident in an equally frustrated staff who seemed overworked despite their show of professional etiquette, human flaws caused by draining repeated routines. It caused communication breakdowns and delays which increased customer waiting times. Strengths and weaknesses The model is customer-centric due to its ability to enhance service delivery while maintaining positive relationships with the customers. However, it is not meant for organizations that have a tendency on other departments due to increased bottlenecks such as involving more than one decision making individual or entity (Fani and Subriadi, 2019). The theory fails to account for the need for the organization to receive external assistance in the form of funds and staff supplies. The simplistic nature assists the organization in training its employees to improve communication for the purpose of service delivery, however, it results in conflicts with automated processes as dealing with humans takes more time than what the system might anticipate creating unavoidable constraints.   Works Cited Amdam, R.P. and Benito, G.R.G. (2022) Opening the Black Box of International Strategy Formation: How Harvard Business School Became a Multinational Enterprise. Academy of Management Learning & Education Available at: https://journals.aom.org/doi/abs/10.5465/amle.2020.0028. Beninger, S. and Francis, J. (2020) Collective market shaping by competitors and its contribution to market resilience. Business Research 122(1), p.293–303. Demiroglu, N. (2021) E-commerce as a tool for the development of small business. SHS Web of Conferences 106(17), p.01022. Fani, S.V. and Subriadi, A.P. (2019) Business Continuity Plan: Examining of Multi-Usable Framework. Procedia Computer Science 161, pp. 275-82. Friedman, M. (1970) A Friedman doctrine‐- The Social Responsibility of Business Is to Increase Its Profits [Online]. Available from: https://www.nytimes.com/1970/09/13/archives/a-friedman-doctrine-the-social-responsibility-of-business-is-to.html#. Galaitsi, S.E., Pinigina, , Keisler, M. and Pescaroli,. (2023) Business Continuity Management, Operational Resilience, and Organizational Resilience: Commonalities, Distinctions, and Synthesis. International Journal of Disaster Risk Science. Law-DelRosso, O.B. (2020) Always molding: A case study of low-income, blue-collar students in business school. Dissertations. Manhattan: Kansas State University Kansas State University. LeBaron, G. ( 2021) The Role of Supply Chains in the Global Business of Forced Labour. Journal of Supply Chain Management 57(2), pp. 29-42. Moriarty, J. (2021) Corporate Responsibility. In Moriarty, J. Business ethics: A contemporary introduction. Taylor & Francis Group. Ch. 9. Sekeran, U. and Bougie, R. (2021) Research Methods for Business. 7th ed. Wiley. Waltower, S. (2023) E-Commerce Problems Your Business Needs to Address [Online]. Available from: https://www.businessnewsdaily.com/8947-research-roundup-ecommerce-issues.html. Watters, A. (2021) Using AI in business: Examples of Artificial Intelligence Application in Business [Online Document]. (2) Available from: https://connect.comptia.org/blog/using-ai-in-business.