Challenges In Terms Of Customer Service At Nordstrom Inc.

(P1.1) In formulating a business strategy, it is a crucial factor to determine what the organization’s mission, vision, objectives and core competencies are because it sets an idea on what the organization should do and what purpose do they have in the industry to contribute to their customers. It also helps what markets should they target and what action should they plan to have a competitive advantage.

WalMart's (NYSE:WMT) expertise in discount retailing is globally recognized, as is their supply chain and extensive logistics capabilities. What differentiates WalMart from the many other discount retailers is their extensive reliance on buyer personas or representations of their customers. All aspects of the WalMart value chain are predicated on serving their customers as cost-effectively and efficiently as possible. WalMart has also created an extensive information systems network that includes satellite uploads of data on a daily basis from their thousands of retail locations to their Bentonville, Arkansas headquarters (WalMart Investor Relations, 2013). The intent of this analysis is to evaluate the mission, vision and strategy of WalMart from the perspective of improving its customer service while also taking into account its financial position. To accomplish this, objectives are provided, combined with performance measures and expected levels of performance as well. All of these factors taken together provide senior management at WalMart with insights into how they can profitably improve customer service.

Identify the type of retailer that Nordstrom’s is classified as. Describe the characteristics it shares with other retailers of this type.

The most important component of Nordstrom's retail mix is its customer service. The retail environment is completely customer driven and giving the customer satisfaction in every possible manner is very important. The point of view that ‘Service Pays’ is accepted by the retailer today

As for “personnel”, customer service at Nordstrom is priority one. They firmly believe that word of mouth advertising is the best kind of advertising. Their committed personnel go above and beyond what is expected of employees to make the shopping experience a great one at Nordstrom. The example in the case study of the lady that only needed one shoe is a great example of how Nordstrom goes above and beyond to meet its customers’ needs.

Consumers are always satisfied with good customer service. When it comes to retail store customer service and satisfaction it is important because department stores are large in size and finding help can be difficult. Colloquy, a company concerned with building customer value, released a survey and asked 3,000 consumers across five geographical areas to rate their personal experiences with retailers. Macy’s was ranked number one in the department store category, with the most loyal customers. To keep up with technology advances Macy’s has invested time and money into developing a more efficient online shopping site, Macys.com and Macysweddingchannel. This investment cost nearly $300 million in 2006-2008 is being used to scale-up these fast-growing businesses through improvements in delivery efficiency, online site functionality and customer service. To enhance the shopping experience at Macy’s 100 stores in 2007 experienced remodeling and began introducing the most advanced POS registers and systems to the sales floors nationwide. Macy’s passion is product and people. There continuing pursuit is to have unique fashionable merchandise ready for customer satisfaction. Macy’s promise is to always carry the best brands and the most-wanted items. They also believe in hiring the right employees. With the right employees, there will be a sense of motivation and helpfulness. The American Customer Satisfaction Index covers 200 companies’ products and

This store is an off-price retailer that buys the overstock or imperfect items from other department stores. The prices are usually lower in contrast to Nordstrom that sells exclusive clothes from various designers. The level of service is much lower than in Nordstrom. Salespeople are not as enthusiastic and motivated to provide that one-on-one attention to their customers.  As a result, they do not tend to build long-term relationships with customers. Usually a customer cannot find an item due to the store 's disorganization and it is difficult to ask for help finding specific products.  Furthermore, Ross ' strict return policies and guidelines make it difficult for customers to return items.

Nordstrom’s main focus is all about customer satisfaction. When customer satisfaction is high so are the

They also understand that “when you stop evolving with your customer, you die,” as Jamie Nordstrom, president of stores, has said. They are building fulfillment centers to accommodate online shopping more quickly, use RFID chips to keep their perpetual inventory system for stores and online to share, and invested more into online growth than brick and mortar stores, knowing that this is where their growth is coming from. “Over the next several years Nordstrom expects to derive half of its sales from the Rack and from its online units, versus 38 percent today,” and that’s because “the U.S. Commerce Department estimates that electronic commerce amounted to 6.2 percent of total retail sales in the first quarter of 2014.” Analysts have also been saying Nordstrom has thrived compared to competitors because it is a pioneer in perks like free shipping and also having the unique diversity of products online. (https://nrf.com/news/nordstrom-exec-evolve-or-die) (http://www.luxurydaily.com/nordstrom-integrates-instagram-to-create-shopping-experience/) (http://seattletimes.com/html/businesstechnology/2024313399_nordstromearningsxml.html) (http://wwwiebe.com/nordstrom-customer-service-first/)

Nordstrom’s is classified as one of the biggest U.S. department stores. Along with Sears, Macy’s, and JC Penny’s, Nordstrom manages each department in their stores as an individual buying center. Every group functions separately from one another, and is administered by a buyer who is in charge of all varieties and styles of merchandise sold. Promotions that can be used in the stores are included, as well. “The company has also benefited from a new computerized inventory system that gives buyers and salespeople the necessary data to make smarter decisions about what is needed in the stores—and what isn’t.” (Lamb, Hair, McDaniel 569). This new and improved system allows the department store to market a greater amount of full priced items, which ultimately increase sales. The buyer is also able to easily determine what items to obtain and exhibit in the store by using this system.

Another top stakeholder within Costco’s organization is its customer clientele. After careful research, the author noted several variables that contributed towards Costco’s highly-rated customer service and satisfaction ratings that speak from sales in addition to positive feedback. The author will briefly dissect this stakeholder group and display, in writing, why this group aids Costco in providing low prices on select items, its continuous service method which has proven, both financially and through praise, to be one of the more successful methods in retail, and to demonstrate why Costco

Nordstrom is an organization that practices constructive conflict. This form of conflict “refers to conflict in which the benefits exceeds the cost.”

Nordstrom’s employees and management are the company’s most valuable resource. An article written in the Seattle PI describes exactly why this is true. It states that, “Nordstrom salespeople make decisions as if managing their own business; they are trusted to do what is right. Everyone else in the company is there to help the sales staff make the sale and please the customer” (Mulady, 2009). The way the employees are treated and valued is a perfect portrayal of the company’s mission of providing the best possible customer service and value to the customer.

Time value of money. With the initial $700 million expansion investment, and growth projected at 3% year-over-year for the next five years, the best-case scenario would be most beneficial for Nordstrom to pursue. Whereas, the best-case scenario’s cash flows are 20% higher than the average-case scenario, and the worst-case scenario’s cash flows are 20% less. The conclusion that the best-case scenario is the most lucrative investment opportunity for Nordstrom is based on the factors of Net Present Value (NPV), Internal Rate of Return (IRR), and pack back values, with a discount rate of 10%, and a payback goal of five years. Together, NPV, IRR, and payback values, shed light on factors based on predictability, and are outlined in Table 2. However,

During research on this final project, the author found an example of Wal-Mart's communication in backing customer service. A Wal-Mart customer returned a completely thawed turkey including all the fixings for a dinner because her relatives could not make it due to car trouble (Now That's Customer Support, 2006). Wal-Mart returned the customer's money which was $19 plus some change and the customer returned the complete turkey dinner which included two boxes of stuffing, some cranberries, stuff to make pumpkin pies, green beans and a package of rolls (Now That's Customer Support, 2006).