Case 8: Customer Service at Woodson Chemical Company

Case 8: Customer Service at Woodson Chemical Company

Case 8: Customer Service at Woodson Chemical Company Questions:

1. What is the critical issue(s) confronting WCC North America?

The critical issues confronting WCC North America are as follows: first is the issue of all the sales across all divisions remaining steady or slowly falling off creating no new or additional sales. Due to the lack of new business the WCC has attempted to counter act the decrease in sales by trying to improve the level of customer service being received.

2. What changes, if any, should be initiated to address the critical issue(s)?

The case study text cites says that competitive advantages in the industry are gained “from a focused market position, good raw materials supply …, and a lead efficient organizational structure” (Bowersox, Closs, Cooper, & Bowersox 2013). The divisions of WCC could merge and share the supply chain saving money, increasing efficiency and utilizing all resources. Merging with suppliers and all the transportation providers will guarantee that the steady demand of goods is met and delivery is timely. Doing so will create a long term and a trusting relationship with every customer which will allow for better planning and smoother operations. All customer relationships depend and rely upon communication and information technology.

3. Identify the risks and benefits of your proposed changes from the perspectives of

(a) WCC North America corporate management,

Risks dealing with the likelihood of failure, losing established investment and competitive position in the market.

Benefits could potentially be gaining a competitive advantage with improved morale for workers. Also you could gain better relationships between divisions and the supply chain.

(b) WCC North America line distribution management,

Risks dealing with having to fix or correct already established operations, winning over the workers trusts while potentially changing their current work...