1-888-JunkVan Case Prep

Problem/Issue Statement

Marcus Kingo, who is the founder of-1-888-JunkVan, owned a fast growing waste collection business that was facing a problem of information handling errors that were pervasive. Marcus needed to find a way to find a cost effective and affordable IT system that would minimize errors and allow the business to grow.

There are is a problem and symptoms that are found in the case. The distinction of these two are that for the main problem is that the IT system in place did not allow the customer and business to interact positively which cause the production of errors for the business. These made customers realize the type of business that they are dealing with and put the partnership at risk. While for the symptoms that contribute t the problem are the tasks that there was mistakes on customer information, the sending of wrong emails and billing and calculation mistakes. The major issue came when erroneous information going to the morning operator by the data clerk. This caused the drivers to not be able to see the database on their spreadsheets and allow the customers to become angry and unsatisfied.

The scope of the situation was that Marcus depends on a IT system solely to run the business and one to not lose customers to mistakes that can be fixed. Marcus Kingo has to do something about find a way to have their information come through a system that allows the minimization of errors and fast. The business was in a fast moving industry so customers has the ability to pick and choose who was a better fit to their needs. So competition seems to be high.

Situation Assessment

The context of the problem is finding the challenges that the business is facing and is affecting the businesses main model and priority of running on a virtual business model. The main reason for this was to reduce any high fixed startup costs. The goal was to expand as a business by growing but with the technology that was causing all the errors, it did not allow it.

The decision criteria is  that Marcus Kingo would eventually move toward a complete central data base which would cause the e-mail to stop transporting internal information and become irrelevant to the orders  for drivers. He also wanted emails to be sent to customers automatically to avoid any mistakes or delays. The solution also had to be easy and flexible to Kingo’s  way of thinking and easy adaptable if the market would to change. He didn’t have IT background so a fast and easy system was ideal in this case. Vendor support would become the must-haves for Kingo’s business. But one of the priority became an affordable system that allowed the business to run smooth.

List of Plausible Alternative Courses of Action

The plausible alternatives course of actions:

Microsoft Access – This system allowed easy installation on multiple computers or a server that can be accessed through a Virtual Private Network, also known as VPN. It can be accessed remotely but Kingo would have to have professional help in order to install it this way. But this would mean extra costs. If remote access isn’t needed then it would be cost effective. It is affordable meaning $179 for each computer. Access would be used as a database where it can be easy attainable by operators and drivers and allow the elimination of having the wrong spreadsheet or database sent to the wrong employee.

Custom Application- A customized application that will cost $2000 upfront plus $60 maintenance fee for each developer. This time is unknown because of the delicate work it might take, so Kingo will be paying hourly. The idea for becoming customizable to your needs is to allow all the problems to be fixed by this one system catered by the specific requests. But the costs will be great and the end result will not be able to be tested by Kingo to see if this is what he asked for.

Google Docs- Google docs allows a cloud to hold spreadsheets, data, presentations, word files etc… This will allow the chance for employees to share the document and make edits to them in a team environment.  This benefited Kingo in little or no time to start using this system. Google allowed up to ten users for free and or a business account for $5 a month which became a low cost option for Kingo. Drivers will be able to pull up data they needed at anytime.  What did become a negative were the lack of business support from Google and the risk of having sensitive company data wondering in a cloud system. This could migrate into company information being stolen and costs.

Platform as a Service (PaaS) - Identical to Google Docs, PaaS was available on a cloud based structure. PaaS benefited Kingo because he would be able to use common application as well as being able to build his own applications that would be suiting his style and business. This system was very customizable and according to the free trial, Kingo was able to handle it. The great part of all this is that everyone will be able to see and share these apps. What Kingo will have difficulty coping with is the costs that this software requires $300-$600 a month and an additional $180 an hour for any other customization required. What Kingo was allowed to do is not commit to any contract a scale up the service as needed.

Enterprise Planning (ERP) System- ERP was a system that was built around a central database. The system allowed to be accessed remotely and having a sophisticated amount of processes available. This would benefit the business in every way but we have to remember that there is a budget that Kingo needed to hold. Paying $2500 per year per user was not an option. Kingo also was allowed limited on his business so this system had unnecessary options for him that would affect the pocket.

Evaluation of Alternatives

After viewing and stating the five options, Kingo has to keep in mind that he is limited on time, money, having features such as having email preferences and settings, being able to be remote access for the drivers, and the ability to be customizable to the change of business growth. All these were needed in order to stop losing customers for unnecessary risks. Kingo should be imaginative in the sense that he needs to think into the future for his business being able to leave the mistakes behind and expand.

Recommendation

The recommendation for Junk Van is to go ahead and approach the PaaS system because of its ability to give Kingo and the business the options he needed. It was ready to use in the sense that if you had a application already, it was available to use on PaaS and if you had a unique application, that was also available to use. PaaS would be ideal if the market or the business decided to grow because of its easy way to use the system at ones taste. Even though it needs some IT skill, Kingo seemed capable of using and building a database after seeing the developer use it during the trial. With the costs being somewhat costly, it offered a no contract deal with the ability to scale up or down on options for the system and a one month in advance notice for cancellation. It was very user and business friendly. If needed, maintenance teams were available for a fee which is always needed just in case.

Presentation

For the presentation, summing up the case stating the problem and what it needs to help find a solution is critical to mention.  Reminding the C-Levels that growth is a priority is also something to mention.

Some visual ads could be a matrix showing costs between alternatives, a chart showing the benefits of each alternative along with the flaws of each, or a video which would allow the example of the products being displayed how they work.

  The consulting group should not in fact take the cost as the decision driver but in fact take the alternative that would benefit the business for growth and Kingo’s ability oversee with ease. Growth is important because you are dealing with technology that is always changing and the market as well.  It’s important to also use applications that were helpful to the employees and the owner for easy access and use.  Consultants should realize that price buys quality so to spend a few more dollars will give a better quality product that will last for the long run.

The way I would pitch the alternative of PaaS is to simply show the benefits of the all five and comparing on how only PaaS was the one Kingo approached with the ability to use and handle on his own without any issues.

The delivery consideration is to stay on track with only stating five alternatives and no others. Also having the C-Level understand where Kingo stands with his options and what he has to work with.  Visual aids should be clear and well explained if showed so no confusion is set into the C-Level.