Tom's of Maine - Research Paper Example

What support services do buyers want from Tom’s of Maime, Inc. . s are the lifeblood of any organization. Thus keeping them satisfied is thebasic rule for success of business. What makes them satisfied or what support services they are looking for from a company, and how they are responded will be dealt with in this study. The subject of research is Tom’s of Maine, Inc. Company ProfileTom’s of Maine, Inc. is a leading manufacturer of natural toothpaste and health products. It was established in 1970.

It got its brand name from the name of the owner, Tom & Kate Chapell and the place where they reside. Tom has a deep concern for environment, community, and the protection of the well-being of its employees. Tom’s distribution strategy is selling its products thru health food stores and mass market outlets. Company’s products include toothpastes, mouthwash, deodorant, dental floss, shampoo, soap, shaving cream, and a line of herbal health aids and extracts. (Reference for Business). From a humble beginning of borrowed capital of $5,000, company has grown to be a top notched company earning millions of dollars annually.

In 2006, the 84% controlling stake of the company was sold to Colgate-Palmolive on conditions that it will retain the culture of Tom’s Brand. Purpose of the sale is to concentrate in the manufacture of a new business from bees.What support services do customers of Tom’s look for? In a general scope, customers look for support services ranging from correct use of product and making the product cost effective. Specifically, based on research and literatures reviewed, people want products that do well for themselves and products that do not harm the planet (Dougherty and Murthy 2009).

Same authors said people need information; Buyers are interested on contents and labeling; Buyers are interested on quality of the product rather than speed of delivery and want loyalty programs. Interestingly, these results of survey could be related to what support services buyers from Toms, Inc want. In particular, buyers of Toms, Inc products want: safe and effective products. For instance, people were alarmed on the product safety scandal of Tom’s toothpaste disclosed by Guciardi, 2011, in a post in the Natural Health Society.

Subsequent comments from users of this product proved loyalty to the brand, did not believe the allegations, and even researched to find out the truth.Buyers of Tom’s Inc. want the company to be responsive to health care and improvement of environment. They want to know how Tom’s Inc takes care of environment. Discarding wastes is a growing problem in any community. To help in environment protection, company launched Tom’s of Maine Recycle Program wherein empty plastic bottles of shampoo of any brand, and other plastic products including broken toys are collected for recycling.

These are tuned into picnic tables and benches for parks. Company promoted dental care in children thru educational books and donated cash and tubes of toothpastes to dental health programs.Buyers of Tom’s Inc. wants to know how it distribute its wealth, and how they promote the well-being of its employees.The successful operations of the company brought wealth to the owners. Tom, the owner, guided by the strong personal ethics and a drive to live meaningful life, brought a new byproduct mission of “to tithe 5% of the company’s profit and donate it to environment, arts, and human need causes.”(Ref. For business).

This soon was raised to 10%. For its employees, Tom gave retirement savings and profit-sharing programs, childcare benefits, and parental leave, and even free fruit to eat on the job. Factory workers rotated stations every hour to avoid fatigue and boredom, and all were encouraged to perform volunteer work in the Kennebunk community on company time.Buyer wants to know how responsive Tom’s is on answering complaints of customers.This mission was put to test when company received buyers’ complaints on its reformulated deodorant product.

The product which was less effective was recalled costing the company a loss of $375,000. The old formula was restored, and buyers who had written complaint were given replacements and coupons for money back on their next purchase. The moves and decisions of Toms, Inc. express business culture of the company upholding customer-oriented approach of marketing that is one way of business sustainability.Dougherty and Murthy 2009) What Service Customers Really Want. Harvard Business Review. Retrieved from https://hbr.

org/2009/09/what-service-customers-really-wantGuciardi, A. 2011. Not so Natural.: The Truth Behind Tom’s of Maine Products. Natural Society. Retrieved from http://naturalsociety.com/the-natural-truth-behind-toms-of-maine-products/Reference for Business. Toms of Maine, Inc. - Company Profile, Information, Business Description, History, Background Information on Toms of Maine, Inc.Retrieved from http://www.referenceforbusiness.com/history2/93/Tom-s-of-Maine-Inc.html#ixzz3Y6bLJtGd