Seniors’ Housing News
Fall 2004
Guest Editor

Technology Can Drive A Process-Based Approach to Satisfying Customers’ Needs

Increasingly, companies are being defined by their customer experience. The best have figured out ways to add real value for their customers, and their growth is being driven by loyal customers who eagerly repurchase the experience and, more importantly, recommend it to their friends and family – think Starbucks, Nordstrom, Target, Avis, Dell, and Amazon.

J.D. Power and Associates’ entry into the home building market awakened many builders to the importance of customer satisfaction. Many now have initiated ‘customer care’ programs to improve their service and scores. But far too many have yet to realize that the key to creating evangelical customers lies not in the scores themselves, but in the organization’s ability to consistently fulfill their customers’ needs and expectations. This may only be achieved with predictable and repeatable processes spanning the entire relationship with the customer. While there are lots of ways to score points during the customer lifecycle, there are also plenty of chances to screw up good impressions.

Many builders have been led to believe that technology is a panacea for builders’ woes. In reality, processes and systems must be in shape first to take full advantage of the turbo-charged, fully-integrated management software the salesperson says will increase profits once it’s installed. It’s hard work but the payoff is there.

Companies in other industries have realized that enabling well-defined processes with the right technology can create a powerful competitive advantage: the ability to make and keep the right promises. JetBlue’s strategy is to differentiate from other low-cost airlines with reliability, a key factor in airline satisfaction (chief metrics are un-cancelled flights, on-time arrivals and baggage wait times). They have developed, implemented and continuously improve systems that drive consistent performance throughout their operation.

Technology plays a critical role in the delivery of the ‘JetBlue Experience.’ Every seat has satellite TV, cockpits are paperless and a system enables reservation agents to work from their homes, eliminating the significant expense of a central reservation center. Have you ever had a trade crew ‘grounded’ by inclement weather? JetBlue even has systems in place to deal with breakdowns in their systems. Their operational recovery system uses software to help handle inevitable service disruptions such as weather delays by calculating possible rerouting and associated costs.

This issue of Seniors Housing News addresses the use of technology in your homes and communities and automation of business processes. By all means, continue to differentiate with product in the traditional sense (house+lot+location). But, while reading this issue, consider some creative ways to differentiate with processes and technology. In the words of the great jazz pianist Fats Waller, “Find out what they want and how they want it, and give it to them just that way.”

David Thikoll
Cardamel Consulting, Inc.
Phoenix, AZ