No Tie Generation Consultancy

Big Mac – Standardise and gain market share

Being human means that we are reluctant to change. We also prefer to be seen as an individual while belonging to a group. Taking these behaviours into account, it is not strange that we tend to resist the implementation of a standard ERP system.
“We have implemented this process many years ago and still seem efficient to us.
It is not that the world has changed that much that WE have to change.
We are convinced that we will lose customers when we change our processes.”

The resistance of implementing a standard ERP system might disappear when you realise that your company could gain a competitive advantage. Standardisation can trigger a sense of familiarity and expectation that is pulling in more sales. It is worthwhile to have that debate within your company. I suggest you try the Big Mac analogy:

When you are finding yourself in a small Eastern European town where you do not speak the local language, which restaurant would you choose when you want something to eat? Well, that decision is might be easy to make when there is a McDonald’s. There bound to be other places offering decent food, but you might go for familiarity. And when you are ordering a Big Mac, you would expect it to be identical to the one you can order on Oxford Street in London or at Times Square in New York.

This Big Mac analogy shows that a transformation from country specific solutions into generic solutions can increase sales by triggering a sense of familiarity and expectation.

I am sure that many processes within your company will not require country specific solutions. Instead it would make more sense to discover the ‘best practice’ and implement that company wide.
Also when implementing an ERP system, look at the standard functionality it offers. In most cases you find that a standard ERP system will be sufficient to meet the expectations regarding customer satisfaction.

Please use this Big Mac analogy within your business and let me know the results.