Case Studies

Have you ever done up-close and in-depth case studies regarding the replacement of phone batteries by non-authorized dealers and authorized dealers? Case studies are processes or records of research into the development of entities or situations. And the detailed examination of the subjects in contextual situations ie cases can illustrate a theory or practice.

I have my family's phone batteries replaced by non-authorized repairers, because the costs and risks were low but performance was high eg a single job could be done within 20 minutes in my presence. As my phones' manufacturer recently offered a great discount to replace the phone batteries until the end of 2018, I walked in one of its retail stores in Hong Kong and learned that I had to make a reservation. When doing my online reservation, I noted that I had to wait for a couple of days for a 20-minute slot.

When I later turned up at an authorized repairer's quiet venue to replace my phone battery, I was then told that I had to leave my phone behind and wait for three-to-five days to pick it up when the job was done. That the 20 - minute slot was meant to take the order only was my blind spot and I had to walk away as the service did not meet my expectation. The service model is supply-driven and not market-driven, and I believe the inefficiency is systemic.

When I was leading a government agency, I role-modeled and encouraged my staff to deliver performance not just to meet customers' expectations 100%, but to exceed their expectations, preferably by 200%. My stakeholders generally found my agency refreshingly non-bureaucratic, contrary to their expectations. I think what I practised as a public service provider and what I have experienced from a private service phone repairer should offer case studies on customer focus and good governance!