To end our discussion about Mass Customization, I want to go over a few points that are essential to understanding what it really means.
Most people understand mass customization when it comes to products, it is a little more fuzzy when it comes to services and processes.
We must go beyond the "choosing colors" stage that we think of when thinking "mass customization" and comprehend that its major benefit is the streamlining of the process, plus the availability at any time and any place of the service, that delivers the real value related to this issue.
But, and this is a big but, a company must also keep in place the human contact factor while moving ahead with the tech side of mass customization.
Using PMA as an example again, they do things that fly in the face of the high-flying tech world and seemingly inevitable high turnover of employees. They actually keep their employees over long periods of time, which according to their customers, is a big reason for their doing business with them.
So along with the immediacy and avaiability of online service, is the human aspect which is treated just as importantly as the other. PMA has also garnered very high marks in this area as well, with customers giving them high praise for listening closely to them and retaining them which results in quick responses because of knowledge of the claims and the company's culture which allows them to get to the core of the issues quickly and efficiently.
Again this is a merging of the new and tech with people skills and communication which begins at that old skill that few do right which is intelligent hiring practices, which is where all customer service success begins.
That along with cultivating a culture of true caring, customer service, is what has given PMA the overall ability to customize their service for their customers. A truly huge competitive advantage.
The key is understanding that we are in a place of transition in the business world and you can't just toss out everything else and offer only a tech solution to those that have been doing business a different way for years. The key is to do both very well as you help your customers to understand the benefits of using technology to get their needs met quicker. The combinations of highly trained workers along with great applications that allow a customer access anytime, is what has made PMA great and offer true customization to their customers.
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