Final Customer Purchasing from an Intermediary of the Product
Maintain Steps: Maintain steps include all activities required to keep the product in working order. These steps include the costs the customer incurs to diagnose and correct product problems.
B.
Resources – Reduce resources required for the use of the product
2.
Time – Reduce the time the customer must spend with the product
A. Reduce steps the customer must use with the product
Modify product to reduce maintenance
Intervene earlier in the process to reduce problems
| No. | SIC | Year | Note |
| 1 | 0 | 2000 | America Online meticulously measures customer loyalty and purchase patterns to guide its decisions about strategy, marketing and site designs. It also monitors the root causes of calls to its customer support center in hopes of remedying the problem and cutting support costs. |
| 2 | 5122 | 2001 | AmeriSource's success as a drug distributor has been attributed to good cost control and a focus on customer service. "We empower our managers to make decisions at the distribution center level." |
| 3 | 5251 | 2004 | Home Depot has 6,000 contractors on tap for installation. It also spent $248 million to buy several companies, including Installed Products USA and RMA Home Services. Contractors have to go through a screening process that can take weeks. They also must submit to license and insurance scrutiny as well as to a criminal and immigration background check for every employee. |
| 4 | 8099 | 1995 | Oxford's computer system alerts its employees whenever one of its members is pregnant. An Oxford nurse calls & assesses what the pregnant woman needs. The service delights customers and saves costs–better informed mothers are healthier. |
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