Introduction
Midas and Ford Genoa do not act as competitors in the automotive repair business field, for they are targeted at different customers with contrasting income levels. Car repair service providers are in great demand, and rational business management will allow the two companies to co-exist and prosper. This paper aims at discussing the anticipated impacts of the Midas shop and service center upon its operating efficiency with solutions to minimize them. The perspective of changing operating practices, shop owners, and managers’ involvement will also be reviewed in the paper.
Anticipated Impacts and Solutions
Operational efficiency rests upon different strategies and techniques to deliver quality services to customers in the most cost-effective and timely manner. Car repair business efficiency is believed to be depending on technology, quality of work, and services provided (Candelo, 2019). The narrow range of services provided by Midas and limited inventory allows the automotive service technicians to master tools and sharpen necessary skills. Midas’ ability to provide services quickly at low cost secures its competitive stronghold over Genoa Ford (Turner & Endres, 2017). Ford operates with more complex tasks, while Midas is concentrated on routine checks and repair. However, Ford’s wide variety of services may not necessarily guarantee the quality, for staff is required to possess advanced skills.
Nevertheless, Ford is focused on customer service, while the seller of the service in smaller businesses is also the expert who diagnoses how much repair is needed. Thus, a level of service in smaller service centers may be less optimal for customers. Midas and Ford are no contestants in this case, but Midas can get inspiration from the business models of the more prominent company. Ford Genoa provides warranty services, and this way, they ensure that customers will return for their upcoming needs even after warranty expires. To contest with such a giant, smaller services as Midas need to adhere to the customer-oriented approach.
Maintaining its specialization in all stores can help Midas to gain expert status. Once a reputation is sound, the next step will be to deserve the customer’s loyalty. Cars are in dire need of regular maintenance, and a good auto repair encourages clients to return for professional service. Once the client comes for a particular service, the repair shop can schedule the next time when the customer is to visit them. Car owners can get a reminder via e-mail, social media, or phone. The company’s emphasis should be on how they care about the customer’s safety on the road, not about making profit.
Midas can pay attention to the fact that lower prices are commonly associated with worse work quality. To improve this, the company may adhere to customer surveys. One example is the leading companies in the service sector that regularly conduct surveys, questionnaires, checking how their company’s service meets the established criteria, and consumers’ wishes (Garcia-Collart & Rixom, 2019). Along with a good reputation and improved customer service, the client base of Midas will be growing.
Operating Practices
In the context of Midas, the operating methods should not be changed to reflect new developments. Changing practices for the sake of improving efficiency will lead to overspending, as the company operates in a highly-competitive environment. Midas already works efficiently as most of its resources are devoted to providing narrowly defined maintenance. Increasing efficiency will further reduce the processes in which a particular employee is involved (Candelo, 2019). This step may ultimately speed up the operating time but limit service experience and skills of workers. Therefore, a possible extension of operations will require staff re-skilling.
Changes to operations can also make it difficult for Midas employees to meet specific customer requests. If that is the case, the company is likely to lose its competitive strength over Genoa Ford. Possible changes in operating practices can also lead to additional competition because the area of expertise will change (Candelo, 2019). Thus, improving efficiency by expanding business operations can negatively impact the business.
Owners and Managers’ Input
Operational change decisions are critical to business success, as they concern a wide range of workers and require cooperation. The firm owner’s decisions will affect the whole company and all the stores, consequently. Therefore, Midas administrators should seek the views of various stores’ owners and managers before making any changes. In particular, baseline data should be collected to identify areas that need changes to improve overall performance (Candelo, 2019).
Shop managers can share information on staff performance, inventory control, and the percentage of satisfied clients. Suppose the company decides to improve efficiency by dismissing some employees and replacing them with new technologies. In that case, it is crucial to create automated processes so that the quality of service delivered to customers will not be reduced. Consultations with owners and managers may help to clarify this information.
Launching a New Program
Companies must follow carefully designed procedures when launching a new program. Getting the maximum benefit from the new plan is the goal of innovations. In Midas’s case, the company must start by assessing how they can rework existing operations and adjust to accommodate the new program (Turner & Endres, 2017). The following steps are included in launching a new program: defining strategy, product development, outlining development system, and launching the product.
Elaborating a new strategy with a clear-cut goal based on competitive intelligence is the first step. All the actions should benefit the owners, the reputation of the brand, and customers. Determining the essence of new services, the right time and moment for implementation them is the next stage. Resource allocation is also essential: direction can think about how to manage existing resources with additional capital expenditures to finance the new program. Finally, after order fulfillments and launching the program, stakeholders can follow up information on the program’s potential to strengthen the company and increase its advantage in the marketplace.
Conclusion
To be successful, a company must analyze the market in which it operates. When making operational decisions, consideration should be given to competitive strategy. To be highly profitable, Midas can get inspired by larger companies as Ford automotive service center and exploit similar strategies to customer service and the role of building and keeping a reputation for a successful business.
Operating efficiency may impact the performance of the company positively and negatively. Hence, it is crucial to ensure that the benefits worth the cost. Therefore, cooperation with all the shops and staff of all the shops is necessary to collect information on performance and clients’ satisfaction. Discussing perspective changes in operating practices with shop owners is also essential. Thus, Midas can motivate employees to provide better service in their field of specialization and develop an excellent reputation, which will not be affected by adverse operational changes.
References
Candelo, E. (2019). Marketing innovations in the automotive industry. In International Series in Advanced Management Studies. Springer International Publishing.
Garcia-Collart, T., & Rixom, J. (2019). The power of self-effacing brand messages: Building trust and increasing brand attitudes. Association for Consumer Research, 47(1), 575–577. Web.
Turner, S., & Endres, A. (2017). Strategies for enhancing small business owners’ success rates. International Journal of Applied Management and Technology, 16(1), 34–49. Web.