Strategic Choice and Evaluation Paper - Essay Example

The Fast food industry is a very competitive industry in which customer service becomes a focal point. The organization has many strong points that gives them an advantage over their competitors. For example, Chick-Fil-A is known for serving nutritional meals compared to other fast food chains. In addition, it was one of the prime restaurants that came up with the idea to have a “chicken sandwich.” The founder of the company, Truett Cathy, is very religious and ethics oriented coming from a strong Baptist background [2].

Hence, the company believes in strong Christian and family roots as the restaurant is closed on Sundays. Moreover, the company’s marketing department is fantastic in their advertisements as they often use humor to attract customers [2]. The strategy of the company is to serve nutritious food than its competitors, which becomes the focal point in its quest to compete against other rivals. Another strategy that enables them to be a great fast food chain is the fact that that the employees are efficient and attentive to the needs of the customers [1].

Chick-Fil-A employees take pride and pleasure in serving their customers instead of a typical “Your Welcome” statement. In addition, the employees pride in providing the best services that includes folding napkins in a particular way that pleases the customers [4]. Moreover, the company excels in attracting customers with regular promotions and offering coupons after a big meal. Not only does that keep the customers loyal, it also allows the customer to share these coupons with other acquaintances.

Furthermore, Chick-Fil-A excel in reducing its operations time while serving its customers. It prime ability to strive to serve its customers within 90 seconds in a drive-through service is an amazing feat no doubt[1]. With the assistance of smart technology, a timer is often set by the computer screen that tells the employees the progress of the order [1]. This enables the employees to be efficient in their time management and at the same time be motivated in their services. Reducing the operation time is the key to being a successful customer oriented business in this booming commerce.

Annually, the company evaluates and grades it service by investing more than $1 million in the department. The feedback from customers is received through phone surveys conducted by the company [2]. Each survey consists of twenty questions that evaluate the quality, attentiveness, and the service of its employees. Any other feedback is also welcome from the customers. Again, this is a major step taken by the company to allow itself to gain some leverage against its competitors [3]. Knowing and understanding the customers concerns and feedback is a huge step towards becoming a critical player in the fast food industry through improvement.

The company does have many opportunities to expand into the market. Since Chick-Fil-A had healthy sales of around 3127 million last year, the organization does have solid market position. In addition, it continues to use customer service as a reliable tool to attract customers. While the company does have many strong points, one has to acknowledge the fact that having only chicken related items in the menu is detrimental for the business. The customers of today more than ever want choices in everything.

Young adults and children are picky eaters and sometimes crave just more than chicken nuggets and fries on a regular basis.