Single-most important challenge in retail distribution business is the ability of the think tank (brain) to reach out seamlessly to the execution (arms and legs) with minimal transmission loss in the process.
Almost akin to how seamlessly the human body functions with the network system.
Brilliant strategies fail due to lack of this straight through transmission from drawing board designs to on ground implementation. Retail bankers (my fraternity for almost 2 decades) reading this would instantly agree with me.
So this got me thinking, why not look at some alternate businesses which have successfully bridged this gap. Thus began a discovery journey, one that would help identify unique methodologies adapted by businesses in reaching out to ‘where the rubber meets the road!’.
Some pertinent questions that can instantly trigger the thinking process to fuel this discovery…
Did Amazon teach customers how to buy online, how to use the app, how to make payments through the app? Did they deploy 1000s of sales agents who went ‘door to door’ explaining the benefits of the app and buying on Amazon?
Closer home did Swiggy, BookMyShow or PayTM do any of this?
In addition to this, we all know the speed at which Amazon deploys updates to the App. Who gives them this customer feedback?
That’s when some common thread begin to emerge.
First and foremost, these organisations were ‘built to serve’ in ‘this’ manner unlike most of the traditional businesses which find it fashionable to benchmark themselves against these new age / millennial businesses but forget that they were not built to operate ‘this’ way.
Let me elaborate, when you set up your business processes with constraints such as “we won’t have any on-ground sales service team”, “we will never meet our customers in person”,
“We won’t have any call centres and branches/ sales offices”, “we will render high quality service without physically engaging with the customer” – what do you think you would come up with? – exactly! Amazons and Bookmyshows of the world!
Ok. Let me not belittle the enormous amount of effort that would have gone into finding workable strategies in these constraints but then that’s when true, path-breaking innovation is born, isn’t it?
They say ‘constraints always bring out the best in you ‘.
It’s just that these companies imposed these imaginary constraints on themselves and forced themselves into a ‘design thinking process’ that brought up answers to resolving these constraints.
Building with these constraints also works because they all know they don’t and will not have ‘any’ fall back choice.
Second, the alignment of all teams in these organisations to that superordinate goal/purpose is envious to say the least.
How else could one have purchase, sales, logistics and Finance all ‘truly’ working towards that one goal – commitment to be cost effective, superior and consistent on service delivery to customer. There must be more than what meets the eye. Yes! You got it right.. some of these silos or ‘departments’ as we know them as don’t exist at all.
Alternately, there are teams named – end to end fulfilment, proactive service recovery, Customer experience management! It slowly began to dawn on me that its a ‘raze down and build afresh’ approach that would need to be adopted if we, traditional firms, were to transition to this new world.
But alignment to purpose is not matter of cognition/brain and definitely not the hands and legs (unless you are doing a drill or march-past!). Yes, it’s all about the heart – the feeling! Only when the organisation aligns itself to the larger purpose! More on this in weeks to come.
For now, let me confess, it’s easier said than done!
But can we take the first baby steps?
Can our next project team be built bottoms up using this thought process?
Can our next product / service design be woven around these constraints?
Time to reflect, time to act!
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