1. What do you think are the intangible benefits Eastern Star provides to customers? What is the role of operations management in providing these benefits?
2. What changes in organization and/or planning would help Tiler respond to the challenges raised by Eastern Star?
Tiler Industries has lost a major sale to a long-time loyal customer. A competitor, Eastern Star, won the contract due to “.benefits, some tangible and some intangible, and supply chain approaches” provided by Eastern Star. The case recaps events leading up to the loss of the contract. The case provides an opportunity to recap the chapter discussion of the differences in customer service, customer satisfaction and customer success. It is apparent that Tiler has focused on tangible activities more oriented toward customer service. The company apparently has focused on its own concept of customer needs rather than attempting to truly understand customer expectations or, more importantly, customers’ real needs. Eastern Star seems to have more intimate understanding of customers’ real requirements-a customer success philosophy. This is the issue that should be most thoroughly discussed with respect to the case.