Xerox Corp.: The Customer Satisfaction Program, Spanish Version SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
Sales & Marketing
Strategy / MBA Resources
Case Study SWOT Analysis Solution
Case Study Description of Xerox Corp.: The Customer Satisfaction Program, Spanish Version
In August 1990 the president and executive vice president of Xerox are reviewing the progress made on its customer satisfaction program. The emphasis placed on the program, the success of the program to date, and the drive to achieve the corporate goals of customer satisfaction motivate this review. At Xerox customer satisfaction is the number one priority, ahead of return on assets (ROA) and market share. The case focuses on analyzing the strategic role of the customer satisfaction program, its goals, and the action steps for implementation. Also described are the customer satisfaction measurement system, the data analyses, and follow-up. To increase customer satisfaction and to drive the organization to higher levels of performance top management believes that Xerox should offer a satisfaction guarantee. Market research has been conducted on customer responses to four different types of guarantees. A decision has to be made regarding the type of guarantee to introduce.
Swot Analysis of "Xerox Corp.: The Customer Satisfaction Program, Spanish Version" written by Melvyn A.J. Menezes, Jon D. Serbin includes – strengths weakness that are internal strategic factors of the organization, and opportunities and threats that Satisfaction Xerox facing as an external strategic factors. Some of the topics covered in Xerox Corp.: The Customer Satisfaction Program, Spanish Version case study are - Strategic Management Strategies, Customer service, Customers and Sales & Marketing.
Some of the macro environment factors that can be used to understand the Xerox Corp.: The Customer Satisfaction Program, Spanish Version casestudy better are - – digital marketing is dominated by two big players Facebook and Google, talent flight as more people leaving formal jobs, geopolitical disruptions, banking and financial system is disrupted by Bitcoin and other crypto currencies, increasing government debt because of Covid-19 spendings, central banks are concerned over increasing inflation, increasing transportation and logistics costs,
wage bills are increasing, supply chains are disrupted by pandemic , etc
Introduction to SWOT Analysis of Xerox Corp.: The Customer Satisfaction Program, Spanish Version
SWOT stands for an organization’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats . At Oak Spring University , we believe that protagonist in Xerox Corp.: The Customer Satisfaction Program, Spanish Version case study can use SWOT analysis as a strategic management tool to assess the current internal strengths and weaknesses of the Satisfaction Xerox, and to figure out the opportunities and threats in the macro environment – technological, environmental, political, economic, social, demographic, etc in which Satisfaction Xerox operates in.
According to Harvard Business Review, 75% of the managers use SWOT analysis for various purposes such as – evaluating current scenario, strategic planning, new venture feasibility, personal growth goals, new market entry, Go To market strategies, portfolio management and strategic trade-off assessment, organizational restructuring, etc.
SWOT Objectives / Importance of SWOT Analysis and SWOT Matrix
SWOT analysis of Xerox Corp.: The Customer Satisfaction Program, Spanish Version can be done for the following purposes –
1. Strategic planning using facts provided in Xerox Corp.: The Customer Satisfaction Program, Spanish Version case study
2. Improving business portfolio management of Satisfaction Xerox
3. Assessing feasibility of the new initiative in Sales & Marketing field.
4. Making a Sales & Marketing topic specific business decision
5. Set goals for the organization
6. Organizational restructuring of Satisfaction Xerox
Strengths Xerox Corp.: The Customer Satisfaction Program, Spanish Version | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Strengths in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The strengths of Satisfaction Xerox in Xerox Corp.: The Customer Satisfaction Program, Spanish Version Harvard Business Review case study are -
Sustainable margins compare to other players in Sales & Marketing industry
– Xerox Corp.: The Customer Satisfaction Program, Spanish Version firm has clearly differentiated products in the market place. This has enabled Satisfaction Xerox to fetch slight price premium compare to the competitors in the Sales & Marketing industry. The sustainable margins have also helped Satisfaction Xerox to invest into research and development (R&D) and innovation.
Cross disciplinary teams
– Horizontal connected teams at the Satisfaction Xerox are driving operational speed, building greater agility, and keeping the organization nimble to compete with new competitors. It helps are organization to ideate new ideas, and execute them swiftly in the marketplace.
High brand equity
– Satisfaction Xerox has strong brand awareness and brand recognition among both - the exiting customers and potential new customers. Strong brand equity has enabled Satisfaction Xerox to keep acquiring new customers and building profitable relationship with both the new and loyal customers.
Superior customer experience
– The customer experience strategy of Satisfaction Xerox in the segment is based on four key concepts – personalization, simplification of complex needs, prompt response, and continuous engagement.
Diverse revenue streams
– Satisfaction Xerox is present in almost all the verticals within the industry. This has provided firm in Xerox Corp.: The Customer Satisfaction Program, Spanish Version case study a diverse revenue stream that has helped it to survive disruptions such as global pandemic in Covid-19, financial disruption of 2008, and supply chain disruption of 2021.
Learning organization
- Satisfaction Xerox is a learning organization. It has inculcated three key characters of learning organization in its processes and operations – exploration, creativity, and expansiveness. The work place at Satisfaction Xerox is open place that encourages instructiveness, ideation, open minded discussions, and creativity. Employees and leaders in Xerox Corp.: The Customer Satisfaction Program, Spanish Version Harvard Business Review case study emphasize – knowledge, initiative, and innovation.
Successful track record of launching new products
– Satisfaction Xerox has launched numerous new products in last few years, keeping in mind evolving customer preferences and competitive pressures. Satisfaction Xerox has effective processes in place that helps in exploring new product needs, doing quick pilot testing, and then launching the products quickly using its extensive distribution network.
Training and development
– Satisfaction Xerox has one of the best training and development program in the industry. The effectiveness of the training programs can be measured in Xerox Corp.: The Customer Satisfaction Program, Spanish Version Harvard Business Review case study by analyzing – employees retention, in-house promotion, loyalty, new venture initiation, lack of conflict, and high level of both employees and customer engagement.
Analytics focus
– Satisfaction Xerox is putting a lot of focus on utilizing the power of analytics in business decision making. This has put it among the leading players in the industry. The technology infrastructure suggested by Melvyn A.J. Menezes, Jon D. Serbin can also help it to harness the power of analytics for – marketing optimization, demand forecasting, customer relationship management, inventory management, information sharing across the value chain etc.
Highly skilled collaborators
– Satisfaction Xerox has highly efficient outsourcing and offshoring strategy. It has resulted in greater operational flexibility and bringing down the costs in highly price sensitive segment. Secondly the value chain collaborators of the firm in Xerox Corp.: The Customer Satisfaction Program, Spanish Version HBR case study have helped the firm to develop new products and bring them quickly to the marketplace.
High switching costs
– The high switching costs that Satisfaction Xerox has built up over years in its products and services combo offer has resulted in high retention of customers, lower marketing costs, and greater ability of the firm to focus on its customers.
Ability to lead change in Sales & Marketing field
– Satisfaction Xerox is one of the leading players in its industry. Over the years it has not only transformed the business landscape in its segment but also across the whole industry. The ability to lead change has enabled Satisfaction Xerox in – penetrating new markets, reaching out to new customers, and providing different value propositions to different customers in the international markets.
Weaknesses Xerox Corp.: The Customer Satisfaction Program, Spanish Version | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Weaknesses in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The weaknesses of Xerox Corp.: The Customer Satisfaction Program, Spanish Version are -
Slow to harness new channels of communication
– Even though competitors are using new communication channels such as Instagram, Tiktok, and Snap, Satisfaction Xerox is slow explore the new channels of communication. These new channels of communication mentioned in marketing section of case study Xerox Corp.: The Customer Satisfaction Program, Spanish Version can help to provide better information regarding products and services. It can also build an online community to further reach out to potential customers.
Compensation and incentives
– The revenue per employee as mentioned in the HBR case study Xerox Corp.: The Customer Satisfaction Program, Spanish Version, is just above the industry average. Satisfaction Xerox needs to redesign the compensation structure and incentives to increase the revenue per employees. Some of the steps that it can take are – hiring more specialists on project basis, etc.
Workers concerns about automation
– As automation is fast increasing in the segment, Satisfaction Xerox needs to come up with a strategy to reduce the workers concern regarding automation. Without a clear strategy, it could lead to disruption and uncertainty within the organization.
High dependence on existing supply chain
– The disruption in the global supply chains because of the Covid-19 pandemic and blockage of the Suez Canal illustrated the fragile nature of Satisfaction Xerox supply chain. Even after few cautionary changes mentioned in the HBR case study - Xerox Corp.: The Customer Satisfaction Program, Spanish Version, it is still heavily dependent upon the existing supply chain. The existing supply chain though brings in cost efficiencies but it has left Satisfaction Xerox vulnerable to further global disruptions in South East Asia.
No frontier risks strategy
– After analyzing the HBR case study Xerox Corp.: The Customer Satisfaction Program, Spanish Version, it seems that company is thinking about the frontier risks that can impact Sales & Marketing strategy. But it has very little resources allocation to manage the risks emerging from events such as natural disasters, climate change, melting of permafrost, tacking the rise of artificial intelligence, opportunities and threats emerging from commercialization of space etc.
Slow to strategic competitive environment developments
– As Xerox Corp.: The Customer Satisfaction Program, Spanish Version HBR case study mentions - Satisfaction Xerox takes time to assess the upcoming competitions. This has led to missing out on atleast 2-3 big opportunities in the industry in last five years.
High bargaining power of channel partners
– Because of the regulatory requirements, Melvyn A.J. Menezes, Jon D. Serbin suggests that, Satisfaction Xerox is facing high bargaining power of the channel partners. So far it has not able to streamline the operations to reduce the bargaining power of the value chain partners in the industry.
Increasing silos among functional specialists
– The organizational structure of Satisfaction Xerox is dominated by functional specialists. It is not different from other players in the Sales & Marketing segment. Satisfaction Xerox needs to de-silo the office environment to harness the true potential of its workforce. Secondly the de-silo will also help Satisfaction Xerox to focus more on services rather than just following the product oriented approach.
Interest costs
– Compare to the competition, Satisfaction Xerox has borrowed money from the capital market at higher rates. It needs to restructure the interest payment and costs so that it can compete better and improve profitability.
High dependence on star products
– The top 2 products and services of the firm as mentioned in the Xerox Corp.: The Customer Satisfaction Program, Spanish Version HBR case study still accounts for major business revenue. This dependence on star products in has resulted into insufficient focus on developing new products, even though Satisfaction Xerox has relatively successful track record of launching new products.
Capital Spending Reduction
– Even during the low interest decade, Satisfaction Xerox has not been able to do capital spending to the tune of the competition. This has resulted into fewer innovations and company facing stiff competition from both existing competitors and new entrants who are disrupting the industry using digital technology.
Opportunities Xerox Corp.: The Customer Satisfaction Program, Spanish Version | External Strategic Factors
What are Opportunities in the SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The opportunities highlighted in the Harvard Business Review case study Xerox Corp.: The Customer Satisfaction Program, Spanish Version are -
Low interest rates
– Even though inflation is raising its head in most developed economies, Satisfaction Xerox can still utilize the low interest rates to borrow money for capital investment. Secondly it can also use the increase of government spending in infrastructure projects to get new business.
Remote work and new talent hiring opportunities
– The widespread usage of remote working technologies during Covid-19 has opened opportunities for Satisfaction Xerox to expand its talent hiring zone. According to McKinsey Global Institute, 20% of the high end workforce in fields such as finance, information technology, can continously work from remote local post Covid-19. This presents a really great opportunity for Satisfaction Xerox to hire the very best people irrespective of their geographical location.
Using analytics as competitive advantage
– Satisfaction Xerox has spent a significant amount of money and effort to integrate analytics and machine learning into its operations in the sector. This continuous investment in analytics has enabled, as illustrated in the Harvard case study Xerox Corp.: The Customer Satisfaction Program, Spanish Version - to build a competitive advantage using analytics. The analytics driven competitive advantage can help Satisfaction Xerox to build faster Go To Market strategies, better consumer insights, developing relevant product features, and building a highly efficient supply chain.
Building a culture of innovation
– managers at Satisfaction Xerox can make experimentation a productive activity and build a culture of innovation using approaches such as – mining transaction data, A/B testing of websites and selling platforms, engaging potential customers over various needs, and building on small ideas in the Sales & Marketing segment.
Buying journey improvements
– Satisfaction Xerox can improve the customer journey of consumers in the industry by using analytics and artificial intelligence. Xerox Corp.: The Customer Satisfaction Program, Spanish Version suggest that firm can provide automated chats to help consumers solve their own problems, provide online suggestions to get maximum out of the products and services, and help consumers to build a community where they can interact with each other to develop new features and uses.
Developing new processes and practices
– Satisfaction Xerox can develop new processes and procedures in Sales & Marketing industry using technology such as automation using artificial intelligence, real time transportation and products tracking, 3D modeling for concept development and new products pilot testing etc.
Harnessing reconfiguration of the global supply chains
– As the trade war between US and China heats up in the coming years, Satisfaction Xerox can build a diversified supply chain model across various countries in - South East Asia, India, and other parts of the world. This reconfiguration of global supply chain can help, as suggested in case study, Xerox Corp.: The Customer Satisfaction Program, Spanish Version, to buy more products closer to the markets, and it can leverage its size and influence to get better deal from the local markets.
Redefining models of collaboration and team work
– As explained in the weaknesses section, Satisfaction Xerox is facing challenges because of the dominance of functional experts in the organization. Xerox Corp.: The Customer Satisfaction Program, Spanish Version case study suggests that firm can utilize new technology to build more coordinated teams and streamline operations and communications using tools such as CAD, Zoom, etc.
Lowering marketing communication costs
– 5G expansion will open new opportunities for Satisfaction Xerox in the field of marketing communication. It will bring down the cost of doing business, provide technology platform to build new products in the Sales & Marketing segment, and it will provide faster access to the consumers.
Leveraging digital technologies
– Satisfaction Xerox can leverage digital technologies such as artificial intelligence and machine learning to automate the production process, customer analytics to get better insights into consumer behavior, realtime digital dashboards to get better sales tracking, logistics and transportation, product tracking, etc.
Increase in government spending
– As the United States and other governments are increasing social spending and infrastructure spending to build economies post Covid-19, Satisfaction Xerox can use these opportunities to build new business models that can help the communities that Satisfaction Xerox operates in. Secondly it can use opportunities from government spending in Sales & Marketing sector.
Manufacturing automation
– Satisfaction Xerox can use the latest technology developments to improve its manufacturing and designing process in Sales & Marketing segment. It can use CAD and 3D printing to build a quick prototype and pilot testing products. It can leverage automation using machine learning and artificial intelligence to do faster production at lowers costs, and it can leverage the growth in satellite and tracking technologies to improve inventory management, transportation, and shipping.
Finding new ways to collaborate
– Covid-19 has not only transformed business models of companies in Sales & Marketing industry, but it has also influenced the consumer preferences. Satisfaction Xerox can tie-up with other value chain partners to explore new opportunities regarding meeting customer demands and building a rewarding and engaging relationship.
Threats Xerox Corp.: The Customer Satisfaction Program, Spanish Version External Strategic Factors
What are Threats in the SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The threats mentioned in the HBR case study Xerox Corp.: The Customer Satisfaction Program, Spanish Version are -
Technology acceleration in Forth Industrial Revolution
– Satisfaction Xerox has witnessed rapid integration of technology during Covid-19 in the Sales & Marketing industry. As one of the leading players in the industry, Satisfaction Xerox needs to keep up with the evolution of technology in the Sales & Marketing sector. According to Mckinsey study top managers believe that the adoption of technology in operations, communications is 20-25 times faster than what they planned in the beginning of 2019.
Environmental challenges
– Satisfaction Xerox needs to have a robust strategy against the disruptions arising from climate change and energy requirements. EU has identified it as key priority area and spending 30% of its 880 billion Euros European post Covid-19 recovery funds on green technology. Satisfaction Xerox can take advantage of this fund but it will also bring new competitors in the Sales & Marketing industry.
Stagnating economy with rate increase
– Satisfaction Xerox can face lack of demand in the market place because of Fed actions to reduce inflation. This can lead to sluggish growth in the economy, lower demands, lower investments, higher borrowing costs, and consolidation in the field.
Easy access to finance
– Easy access to finance in Sales & Marketing field will also reduce the barriers to entry in the industry, thus putting downward pressure on the prices because of increasing competition. Satisfaction Xerox can utilize it by borrowing at lower rates and invest it into research and development, capital expenditure to fortify its core competitive advantage.
Instability in the European markets
– European Union markets are facing three big challenges post Covid – expanded balance sheets, Brexit related business disruption, and aggressive Russia looking to distract the existing security mechanism. Satisfaction Xerox will face different problems in different parts of Europe. For example it will face inflationary pressures in UK, France, and Germany, balance sheet expansion and demand challenges in Southern European countries, and geopolitical instability in the Eastern Europe.
Increasing international competition and downward pressure on margins
– Apart from technology driven competitive advantage dilution, Satisfaction Xerox can face downward pressure on margins from increasing competition from international players. The international players have stable revenue in their home market and can use those resources to penetrate prominent markets illustrated in HBR case study Xerox Corp.: The Customer Satisfaction Program, Spanish Version .
Aging population
– As the populations of most advanced economies are aging, it will lead to high social security costs, higher savings among population, and lower demand for goods and services in the economy. The household savings in US, France, UK, Germany, and Japan are growing faster than predicted because of uncertainty caused by pandemic.
High dependence on third party suppliers
– Satisfaction Xerox high dependence on third party suppliers can disrupt its processes and delivery mechanism. For example -the current troubles of car makers because of chip shortage is because the chip companies started producing chips for electronic companies rather than car manufacturers.
Regulatory challenges
– Satisfaction Xerox needs to prepare for regulatory challenges as consumer protection groups and other pressure groups are vigorously advocating for more regulations on big business - to reduce inequality, to create a level playing field, to product data privacy and consumer privacy, to reduce the influence of big money on democratic institutions, etc. This can lead to significant changes in the Sales & Marketing industry regulations.
Barriers of entry lowering
– As technology is more democratized, the barriers to entry in the industry are lowering. It can presents Satisfaction Xerox with greater competitive threats in the near to medium future. Secondly it will also put downward pressure on pricing throughout the sector.
New competition
– After the dotcom bust of 2001, financial crisis of 2008-09, the business formation in US economy had declined. But in 2020 alone, there are more than 1.5 million new business applications in United States. This can lead to greater competition for Satisfaction Xerox in the Sales & Marketing sector and impact the bottomline of the organization.
Backlash against dominant players
– US Congress and other legislative arms of the government are getting tough on big business especially technology companies. The digital arm of Satisfaction Xerox business can come under increasing regulations regarding data privacy, data security, etc.
Technology disruption because of hacks, piracy etc
– The colonial pipeline illustrated, how vulnerable modern organization are to international hackers, miscreants, and disruptors. The cyber security interruption, data leaks, etc can seriously jeopardize the future growth of the organization.
Weighted SWOT Analysis of Xerox Corp.: The Customer Satisfaction Program, Spanish Version Template, Example
Not all factors mentioned under the Strengths, Weakness, Opportunities, and Threats quadrants in the SWOT Analysis are equal. Managers in the HBR case study Xerox Corp.: The Customer Satisfaction Program, Spanish Version needs to zero down on the relative importance of each factor mentioned in the Strengths, Weakness, Opportunities, and Threats quadrants.
We can provide the relative importance to each factor by assigning relative weights. Weighted SWOT analysis process is a three stage process –
First stage for doing weighted SWOT analysis of the case study Xerox Corp.: The Customer Satisfaction Program, Spanish Version is to rank the strengths and weaknesses of the organization. This will help you to assess the most important strengths and weaknesses of the firm and which one of the strengths and weaknesses mentioned in the initial lists are marginal and can be left out.
Second stage for conducting weighted SWOT analysis of the Harvard case study Xerox Corp.: The Customer Satisfaction Program, Spanish Version is to give probabilities to the external strategic factors thus better understanding the opportunities and threats arising out of macro environment changes and developments.
Third stage of constructing weighted SWOT analysis of Xerox Corp.: The Customer Satisfaction Program, Spanish Version is to provide strategic recommendations includes – joining likelihood of external strategic factors such as opportunities and threats to the internal strategic factors – strengths and weaknesses. You should start with external factors as they will provide the direction of the overall industry. Secondly by joining probabilities with internal strategic factors can help the company not only strategic fit but also the most probably strategic trade-off that Satisfaction Xerox needs to make to build a sustainable competitive advantage.
