Introduction
Lens Crafter was founded by Dean Butler in 1983, and it is headquartered in Manson Ohio. Dean had an idea of creating frames in an hour which was convenient to the customers. The company has an onsite lab where clients can pick lenses and a frame then have the final product made in less than an hour. The company has grown to be the leading retailer in optics with more than 900 stores and almost 15000 associates in the U.S. and Canada (Tocquigny, 2012 ).
It is important for all companies to have an operational strategy. An operational strategy refers to a plan of action that a firm undertakes (Robert Palmatier, 2016 ). It states how the firm should be managed to attain the set goals and objectives. All the departments and the shareholders should work together to ensure the success of the company. A good operation strategy highlights how a company uses the available resources in the production of a service or a product.
Lens Crafters’ operational strategy is differentiation strategy. The company seeks to make its products and services unique when compared to the other firms creating the same product. (Robert Palmatier, 2016 ), state that they achieve this by offering a guarantee of ninety days to return a product or get a replacement for those clients who are not satisfied with their products. The company does this to ensure that clients are fully satisfied with their products. The company has good and qualified doctors who offer comprehensive examination to the patients. The doctors ensure that they identify the problem and recommend an appropriate product. Also, the presence of an onsite lab has improved their services. Clients can choose a frame and lenses and have them made in less than an hour. These strategies have enabled the company to be ahead of its competitors and remain sustainable in a market which is dynamic in nature.
The company also ensures customer satisfaction by offering high quality services in the different stores. They develop trust with the clients which has led to customer loyalty and retention. The customers are served well within a short period. The staff develops positive relationships with every customer to understand their specific needs. The firm is, therefore, able to able to meet both the current needs and anticipate for future demands.
Value Chain
Value chain encompasses how a business receives raw materials, adds value to the raw materials and then delivers the final products to the end user. The goal is providing maximum value at the least possible cost. The firm has achieved this by reducing the time the customers wait to get the final product. The company has put in place measure that ensures quick treatment of the patients. The examination centers, display units as well as the assembly points are located in one room. This enables the company to shorten the manufacturing process hence customers can get the lenses within an hour. Additionally, a patient is allowed to watch the entire assembly process, which makes them trust the products from the company.
The company has many branches which are located in strategic places where customers can easily access them (Segrave, 2011 ). All the stores provide similar products which are of high quality. The employees are well trained on how to handle the clients. They are motivated to work for the advancement of the company. The employees can relate well with the customers and address their needs. The company does massive adverts to capture a huge base of clients. Customers are informed about the availability of the latest products. Hence, Lens Crafters manages to attract many clients which had led to high level of sales.
Performance measurements in service delivery
Performance measures provide a business with quantitative information regarding its products, services, and processes. They show whether or not a company is achieving its goals and suggests areas that need improvement. To measure the service delivery, Lens Crafters can use both the balanced scorecard and financial metrics (Tocquigny, 2012 ). The balanced scorecard encompasses the views of the customers and the internal processes. The service delivery can be assessed by engaging the customers in establishing their perspective on the pricing, quality of both products and services and the product functionality. Customer perspective is critical for Lens Crafters since they are the reason the company exists. The company should continually evaluate customer satisfaction by evaluating their ratings, customer loyalty and retention. The internal perspective metrics measure the critical processes inside the company that keeps the company in business. Lens Crafters can look at its speed of productivity, the demand and the level of utilization of the available resources.
On the other hand, the financial metrics that can be applied to measure service delivery include the costs of the system, the revenue the company generates and the net shareholder value created as a result of the service process. The measurements are important in determining the current position of the company and act as a guideline in determining what needs to be improved.
Technology employed at Lens Crafters
The firm employs many automated processes to manage their day-to-day activities. It used a system called Vision Beanstore which connects all the workstations in the retail shops to a central network system. This has centralized the sales mechanism which has made it easy to track how different retailers are performing. The Point of Sale (POS) system has enabled the firm to operate more efficiently. The firm can interact with the customers which ensure that the customers are satisfied. The company further makes use of email system to communicate with their clients. The system can send customized emails to the customers to inform them of new products.
According to (Segrave, 2011 ), technology enables the company to come up with innovative products. They have developed their own AccuFit Digital System which takes the measurements of the patient and produces eyeglasses that fit the face of the client accurately. They also have LensSimulator which allows clients to analyze the variety of lens available before purchasing them. The technology enables the customer to choose the most appropriate glasses which leads to more customer satisfaction. The firm has an application called “myLook” that gives the customers an opportunity to view themselves in different frames to determine the one that looks best on them. Apart from the applications, the onsite lab is technologically equipped with the latest equipment to handle eyewear. The company can develop the products at the minimal time possible and save the time of the patients. The technology used allows the firm to be competitive and provide products that are unique.
References
Robert Palmatier, L. S.-A. (2016 ). Marketing Channel Strategy. Routledge.
Segrave, K. (2011 ). Vision Aids in America: A Social History of Eyewear and Sight Correction Since 1900. McFarland.
Tocquigny, R. (2012 ). When Core Values are Strategic: How the Basic Values of Procter & Gamble Transformed Leadership at Fortune 500 Companies. FT Press.
