|
A massive disconnect exists between consumers
and providers today. Consumers have a greater selection
of higher quality goods to choose from and can obtain these
items from a growing number of sources. Computers, cars,
and even big-box retail sites promise to solve our every
need. So why aren't consumers any happier? Because everything
surrounding the process of obtaining and using all these
products causes us frustration and disappointment. Why is
it that, when our computers or our cell phones fail to satisfy
our needs, virtually every interaction with help lines,
support centers, or any organization providing service is
marked with wasted time and extra hassle? And who among
us hasn't spent countless hours in the waiting room at the
doctor's office, or driven away from the mechanic only to
have the "fix engine" light go on?
In their bestselling business classic Lean
Thinking, James Womack and Daniel Jones introduced the
world to the principles of lean production -- principles
for eliminating waste during production. Now, in Lean
Solutions, the authors establish the groundbreaking
principles of lean consumption, showing companies
how to eliminate inefficiency during consumption.
The problem is neither that companies don't
care nor that people trying to fix our broken products are
inept. Rather, it's that few companies today see consumption
as a process -- a series of linked goods and services, all
of which must occur seamlessly for the consumer to be satisfied.
Buying a home computer, for example, involves researching,
purchasing, integrating, maintaining, upgrading, and, ultimately,
replacing it.
In this landmark new book, James Womack
and Daniel Jones deconstruct this broken producer-consumer
model and show businesses how to repair it. Across all industries,
companies that apply the principles of lean consumption
will learn how to provide the full value consumers desire
from products without wasting time or effort -- theirs or
the consumers' -- and as a result these companies will be
more profitable and competitive.
Lean Solutions is full of surprising
success stories: Fujitsu, a leading service company for
technology, has transformed the way call centers solve problems
-- learning how to eliminate the underlying cause of current
problems rather than fixing them again and again. An extremely
successful car dealership has adopted lean principles to
streamline its business, making for dramatically reduced
wait time, fewer return trips, and greater satisfaction
for customers -- and a far more lucrative enterprise.
Lean Solutions will inspire managers
to take the first steps toward perfecting their company's
process of giving consumers what they really want.
James P. Womack is the president and
founder of the Lean Enterprise Institute (www.lean.org),
a nonprofit education and research organization based in
Brookline, Massachusetts.
Daniel T. Jones is the chairman and founder
of the Lean Enterprise Academy (www.leanuk.org), a nonprofit
education and research organization based in the UK.
|
