Start yoga. Read more books. Stop turning cheat days into cheat weeks. The list can go on and on!
It’s that time of year again when we all think about what to do differently this year, how to improve our lifestyles, and prioritize our goals. Everyone, as ever, is looking for a better year -especially better than the last one!
Can you imagine if the supply chain of 2021 was a person? After being traumatized by disruptions, going through disasters, and dealing with scandals, maybe our supply chains also need to make some new year’s resolutions.
What would be the top do’s and don’ts for your supply chain? Here are 3 examples:
Embrace the transformation, not change
Have you ever thought about why a resolution for a healthy diet in the new year starts backsliding before the snow is off the ground? The answer lies in understanding the difference between change and transformation, yet mostly they are lumped together.
Change is a concrete response to external factors, while transformation focuses on changing the rooted long-term behaviors. Before Covid-19, companies that transformed their supply chains responded much better than the ones which decided to change as a reaction to the impact of COVID. Not only were they unprepared for the disruptions but also had to face the struggles that change brought.
Are you in a position to respond more resolutely and recover faster from the modern world’s unpleasant surprises – such as the next bridge crack, container ship crisis, or Suez canal blockage?
Don’t fake it till you make it – especially when it’s about sustainability
If you look at any company webpage sustainability is often at the top of most “to-do” lists, whether it is because of striving to be a player in the circular economy, improving brand reputation, or embracing corporate social responsibility. But how many of them are in a position to actually push themselves to become more socially and environmentally responsible?
While many companies jumping on the net-zero and sustainability wagon, some have been accused of ‘greenwashing’ to build an environmentally friendly look in the eye of the customer. Yet some of those big companies are still trying to wash their mess; beautifully ironic, isn’t it? A simple google search shows that many companies that claim they are carbon neutral still are not on the list of most sustainable companies.
Integrating environmental, health, and safety management into the supply chain does not only help companies to realize their social responsibility commitments but also assists them to attract new financial investments, entice and keep employees, and improve customer satisfaction.
Hearing doesn’t mean listening: Collaborate with your customers
The customer experience is not just about closing the sale or motivating people to buy your product. It is about making them happy with their choices. You already know what I mean if you have left a long complaint under your Amazon purchase. At the end of the day, we all read the reviews before buying the products. This is the exact reason why including the customer in the product development process is crucial.
The customer experience is not a linear process, it is more like a cycle. Incorporating customer feedback into the product design of the next revision or new product is an important component to achieve this closed-loop, and improving customer service levels.
Making use of cloud collaboration tools and teamwork feeds this loop and enables companies to continuously re-innovate product development – which helps them to produce faster, high quality, and compliant products.
As a new year’s supply chain resolution, embracing the transformation within supply chain processes and listening to the voice of the customer while executing your corporate social responsibility commitments is not a choice but a must in today’s highly competitive post-COVID-19 world.
