Fulfilling Customer Needs The Technology Impact

1
Fulfilling Customer NeedsThe Technology Impact
Cliff Meyers, C.P.M K12 Services, Inc. 11 North
Washington Street Suite 510 Rockville, Maryland
20850 Phone [phone] Fax [phone] cmeyer
s_at_k12services.com
2
School Foodservice Need To Define Customers
Needs Technology is useless unless it serves a
need!

• In order to fulfill the customers needs,
  providers need to determine and learn the
  customers
• Known Needs Today. Immediate, constant. Ex an
  existing menu item.
• Future Needs Tomorrow. Influences both internal
  and external that will change the customers
  needs. Ex that same menu item suddenly needs to
  be reduced in sodium due to new regulations.
• How do you determine
• Known Needs- open and candid dialog combined with
  superior listening skills.
• The challenge is to look beyond your product
• Seek to understand your customers job.
• What pressures is he or she under?

3
Foodservice Need To Define Customers Needs

• Known Needs-
• Ex Your economically priced product is of no
  value to the foodservice manager if the
  Principals idea of value is nutrition.
• Are the customers needs similar to others? Can
  you determine whether they represent a trend or
  fad?
• Look for trends and validate those with other
  sources. Ex customers are asking for new
  technology in nutrition. Validate the trend with
  third party groups like SNA.
• How do you determine
• Future Needs-
• Participate in groups that are related to your
  customer
• Read their publications, attend their
  conventions. Ex ASBO Association of School
  Business Officials. This group gathers those
  that manage school finances. Directly relates to
  school foodservice spending.

4
Foodservice Need To Define Customers Needs

• Future Needs-
• What external forces may have effect on my
  customer tomorrow? Ex USDA has oversight to
  school lunch. What changes is USDA planning?
• Pay attention to what the customer is not
  communicating.
• It may be that he or she is not aware of
  impending changes that may affect them. Your
  product might be perfect for what those changes
  may represent.
• Technology should aide in fulfilling a need.
  Technology developed without a defined need will
  go unused.

5
Fulfilling Customer Needs Technological Advances
in School Foodservice

• What areas have been touched by technology?
• Cash Registers now P.O.S systems
• Production Records now part of supply chain
  management
• Inventory hand held PDAs now used.
• Recipe development data warehousing
• Supply ordering now web based
• Time keeping now computerized time clock
• Meal re-imbursements now filed through web
  tools
• Commodity Ordering now ECOS is available
• Product advances ovenable mylar packaging
• Nutritional advances trans fat free variety
  growing
• Safety digital thermometers
• Email connection to other colleagues and
  organizations

6
Fulfilling Customer Needs Technological Advances
in School Foodservice

• Reminder The word technological contains the
  phrase NO LOGIC!
• Technology developed without an understanding of
  the behavior of the intended user will not
  fulfill the customers needs.
• Technology should be developed and viewed as a
  useful tool to aide in the completion of a given
  task.

7
Fulfilling Customer Needs Technological Advances
in School Foodservice

• In order for a piece of technology to fulfill
  customers needs it must
• Satisfy a need known and future.
• Simplify a task especially on non value added
  tasks.
• Save time to be spent on other value added
  tasks.
• Save money over current practices.
• Improve safety should be viewed as an
  investment.
• Present a compelling reason to be used!

8

Technology Is Wonderful But Remember, A
Computer Cannot Look A Customer In The Eye
And Say ..
Thank You!
Milton Scotty Wood Founder of The Wood
Company, A Food Service Management Company
Allentown, PA