Junk Van and Advantage of Google Docs - Case Study Example

Junk Van It is quite obvious that one is able to identify different problems within the existing process in the company in question. First of all, it is important to note that the manner in which information is sent to drivers features certain faults. It has been noted that emails sometimes distribute incomplete or incorrect information which resulted in different problems. This can be partially explained by the fact that the emails were sent by a person who wrote them manually. In other words, the probability that there is a mistake in them is rather high since it often happens that people cannot handle information properly and this brings up some negative consequences. The founder of the company seems to be extremely upset about this state of affairs since the customer have to suffer from negative consequences of such mistakes and the company is responsible for all the troubles. It is obvious that if this is not changed, the reputation is likely to be ruined. Another point that should be mentioned is that Kingo is worried about the fact that he is not able to feel the pulse of business. Indeed, the original idea was to create a company that would not have a physical office. At first, this seemed to be as a great way to save money that otherwise would have been used for rent. In addition to that, this kind of organization allowed great flexibility of the staff. In other words, having a virtual office was regarded as a positive aspect of the firm. However, later Kingo notices that he cannot keep track of all the actions happening in the company. In addition to that, he could not see the processes in the real time. All this significantly decreased effectiveness of his managerial influence on the company. The next problem that can be identified within the existing process is inefficiency of time management. It was noted that if a customer paid in cash or using a cheque, the drivers would have to return to the customer in order to bring one the necessary documentation and receive the money. It is obvious that while doing so, they drivers wasted their time that they could have used to visit a different customer and increase the volume of waste that they processed during the way. In other words, the drivers did almost twice as much job that they had to. One would make no mistake suggesting that it would not be effective to make all the customers to pay using their debit cards since that would scare off some part of the potential clients. On the other hand, if this pattern is not changed, the drivers will continue wasting their valuable time. Finally, the last problem that should be taken into account is the complexity of data consolidation. It has been noted in the case that it might take the entire day for Kingo to go through the entire database in order to make sure that there are no false entries. What is even worse is that during this time the company would not be able to receive orders since they would not be put into the database that is being modified. As a result, the company is losing money. Of course, some might suggest that Kingo could have consolidated and verified the data at night when the operators are not working and no new orders are coming. However, the nature of the information that should be processed is so complex that Kingo would not be able to perform it properly at night when he is not as attentive as he is during the day. 2. 3. One might apply three components to the case of Junk Van and outline the results in the following way. First of all, speaking of visibility, it is important to state that the current system does not allow the manager to get an update on the state of affairs in real time. As it has been put in the case, Kingo did to have “a good sense of the “pulse” of his business” which means that he could not have coordinated it effectively. For example, he could not easy get the exact number of orders that are currently being handles and he could not see how many drivers were engaged at one. All this led to the situation when Kingo received outdated data which he could not rely for real time management. That is why his company needed a new system that would ensure visibility. Speaking of mirroring capabilities, one might suggest that if the company uses the right system, it will be able to take the business from place to space. Of course, it is obvious that the waste needs to be picked up by actual people and taken to other placed. But other than that everything in the company can be mirrored in the virtual environment. This means that the only two situations when the customer will interact with real people as when calling and placing an order and communicating with the drivers. In the meantime everything can be handled in the virtual environment, including communication between the employees. In case everyone does one’s best to be as efficient as possible and follow the rules, such system is likely to contribute greatly to the business. That is why virtualization of work processes is the next logical step in its development. The third element that should be taken into account is the possibility of development of new customer relationships. Thus, if Junk Van has a new system installed, this is likely to allow the customers to interact with the company in a variety of ways. For example, they could receive emails containing different updates about the objects that they disposed of, information about drivers travelling around the city and approximate time of arrival. In addition to that, if the new system is integrated with a web site, the customer will enjoy more freedom and this could contribute to customization of service because while placing an order online, the customer might specify some unusual requirements. Finally, a new system will provide a platform for sending and receiving feedback. In other words, the customer will no longer regard Junk Van as a company that they have only one time experience. It is quite possible that this new system would contribute to customer retention. 4. Criterion Weight MS Access Custom System Google Docs PaaS ERP Central DB 5 4 8 6 5 8 Remote Access 20 2 8 9 8 8 Process Automation? 10 4 4 9 4 5 Ease of use- operational staff 15 5 4 9 7 4 Ease of use- Managerial staff 5 5 4 9 8 4 Cost 10 4 1 8 2 3 Time 20 8 6 8 5 4 Vendor Support 15 2 1 1 2 4 Total 100% 34 36 59 41 40 5. If one takes a close look at all the options that are available, one will be able to see that the best choice for the company would be to use Google Docs. There are several reasons for that. First of all, this service provides the best remote access to the data base that can be found in the market. Indeed, within this platform, the information can be accessed not only with the help of desktop computers of laptops, but also with the help of other gadgets. In other words, a driver might make update using a smartphone which will greatly contribute to the reliability of the information within the database as it will be constantly updated. Another point that should be mentioned is that though the information is accessed remotely, Kingo will be able to see every single person who is using the database and the exact actions that are being performed. The next big advantage of Google Docs is that it is virtually free. On the one hand, there is no fee to be paid if the number of users is limited to 10 user accounts. However, if a company wants more accesses it will have to pay $50 per user per year which is significantly smaller than any other offer on the market. All this means that Junk Van will be able to reduce the costs that are associated with design and maintenance of the system which will provide it with an opportunity to direct the remaining cost to advertising. Therefore, this option seems to be rather attractive because it if compared to other solutions if hardly costs any money. Other than providing extra funds that can be directed to advertising, Junk Van might decrease the amount of money that the customers are charged with. This will have a tremendous positive experience since within the industry in question cost is one of the major competitive advantages. One might also put emphasis on the fact that Google Docs provide a great number of opportunities for process automation. It is one of the priorities of Kingo to make the computers to perform the process of distribution of information. In other words, if all the data is input properly, the company may forget about incorrect or incomplete information that is being sent to the drivers. This is quite significant since fewer people are involved in the process, the less is the probability of mistake. In addition to that, Google Docs allows Kingo to send different forms that can be used to collect feedback from the customers. In other words, this system has certain functions that Kingo did not think of originally, but might be willing to use. Finally, one of the biggest strengths of Google Docs lies in the fact that it is extremely user friendly. Indeed, it would not be an exaggeration to suggest that the majority of the people within the company were able to gain some firsthand experience with Google products. That is why they will be asked to use Google Docs for work, this is not going to be a challenge for them. Another point that should be mentioned is that the system is easy to use for the ordinary employees as well as for managers. As a result, Kingo will not have to teach the people how to use and will be able to enjoy of the benefits of it right away. In other words, the integration of the new system will be performed seamlessly and it will not generate strong opposition. Read More