Since its inception in 1983, Lens Crafters has rapidly grown into one of the biggest companies in the United States that provides optical solutions to its customers. The company’s performance has been on an upward trajectory, evidence of the effectiveness of the operations and other business strategies. With a firm control in the optical solutions industry, the company has been able to achieve net sales of above 1.4 billion dollars, an achievement that would have been almost unimaginable at the time when the company started its operations (LensCrafters, 1). LensCrafters has always relied on its vision of helping the world see one customer at a time to be able to provide the best services to its customers. Furthermore, the company has been able to effectively cater to the needs of its customers by using different technological systems that enable it to streamline its operations and provide quality services to the customers. The incorporation of different systems into its operations has made it possible for the company to provide customers with the type and quality of the products that they requested for within the set delivery period ( Robert, 2) . The ability to effectively cater to its customer’s needs has enabled LensCrafters to maintain its position as a market leader in the optics solutions industry. Research has proven that customers tend to be attracted to companies that tend to take care of their welfare by fulfilling their needs through the provision of quality and affordable products. An analysis of the different operational strategies employed by the company reveals how it has been able to make its functions more effective while at the same time maintaining a positive customer satisfaction rate.
Operational Management at LensCrafters
The growth of LensCrafter into one of the largest companies providing optical solutions to customers has been made possible by various factors. The company was able to streamline its operations with the use of state-of-the-art systems that made sure specific functions were efficiently carried out without any challenges. The streamlining of its operations meant that the company was able to provide the best customer experience to clients who visited its stores or its website. To emphasize the importance of excellent customer service, LensCrafter made sure that their employee hiring process was scientifically managed, where candidates were hired based on a predetermined criterion ( Robert, 2) . The selection of the candidates was dependent on their academic qualification and the level of experience that they had. The shortlisted candidates were later on subjected to another selection process where a predetermined criterion was used to select the most appropriate candidates for the vacancies. The hiring process used by the company is essential as it enables it to hire competent individuals who can provide the best customer services to the clients. The provision of excellent customer service guarantees LensCrafter of the growth of its customer base and also an increase in sales volume.
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Challenges
Despite LensCrafter’s attempt to achieve maximum operational efficiency, there are some challenges that the company faces ( An Integrative Case Study of Lenscrafters, 3 ). Some of the main challenges include the difficulty in structuring different processes that were aimed at incorporating the company’s supply chain. This challenge arose due to the rapid increase in the size and operation of the company as a result of mergers and acquisitions. LensCrafters often acquires new entities to increase its market penetration and also its presence in new locations. Through this expansion strategy, the company can reach new market segments that it was unable to access before. The main disadvantage of the rapid expansion strategy is that it becomes almost impossible to structure the processes that are meant to be included in its supply chain.
Another challenge is the assimilation of data to the current systems of LensCrafter from the new company where there was a massive amount of data, software, and hardware programs that were supposed to be consolidated into the company’s systems. The above challenges continue to plague the company despite several solutions that have been suggested in the past. Occurrences such as business mergers always come up with new challenges that require the company’s management team to come up with new ways of dealing with them ( Starbase Inc., 5) .
Solutions
To deal with the challenges, different solutions were applied. To tackle the problem of the incorporation of data and other programs to the company's systems, LensCrafter used the services of a company known as Starbase which modified the company’s system so that it could be able to accommodate data and other programs from newly acquired companies ( Starbase Inc., 5) . Developed by LensCrafters, the system was instrumental to the company as it enabled it to effectively handle its operations in different areas such as accounting, business models, claims submission, and fee schedules. The system contained single software that included different modules and features which were based on the number of important features ( PCMS, 4 ) . The software solution to the data management challenges faced by LensCrafters had many benefits such as a reduction in the company’s operational costs and also an increase in productivity due to simplified processes.
The challenge of streamlining operations was tackled by the implementation of new systems that were capable of effectively managing the company’s stock, pricing methods, and customer relation. One of the systems used by LensCrafters was Vision Beanstone which eliminated the need for manual entry of data and excessive paperwork. Through the Vision Beanstone system, different interfaces were able to exchange information regarding a particular sale thereby reducing the time spent by the company on processing sales ( An Integrative Case Study of Lenscrafters, 3 ). Additionally, the system was instrumental to the company as it reduced the time spent by customers in getting the solutions to their optical problems. This automatically led to increased customer satisfaction and an increase in the efficiency of several operational processes. From the measures adopted by LensCrafters, it is evident that the company places a lot of importance on the welfare of its customers. Most of its processes are meant to ensure that they acquire the best services and the best quality products.
Value Chain at LensCrafters
One of the main reasons that prompted LensCrafters to redesign its systems of service delivery was to improve the quality of services offered to its customers to increase their satisfaction levels. The company makes sure that each employee is provided with the knowledge of the workflow process so that each process can be given the required attention. The initial step of the workflow process is prescription followed by the provision of the right frame. After the frame has been provided to the customer, the lens is configured with the optical measurements provided ( PCMS, 4 ) . The company makes sure that each of the steps is done to completion and that the clients are provided with the solutions that are best suited their optical challenges. From the emphasis placed on the workflow process, it is evident that the company knows the importance of quality service deliverance.
Performance Measurement at LensCrafters
From the analysis of LensCrafters, it is clear that the company has been able to maintain a competitive advantage over other companies due to the automation of its services and the incorporation of technology in all the aspects of its operation. The company has managed to use scientific methods in its recruitment process, making sure that the most suitable candidates are absorbed by the company ( Starbase Inc., 5 ) . Several performance measurements can be used by the company such as the ability to provide its customers with quality goods in a transparent manner and the incorporation of several systems that are meant to increase the efficiency and performance of LensCrafters. Furthermore, the integration of technology has made it easy for the company to sell its products. While evaluating the performance of LensCrafters, it is important to note that the company has always been able to put the needs of its customers before anything else. The customers are given priority through quality products and the delivery of the products at the requested time (Robert, 2).
Technologies Used
To achieve organizational efficiency, LensCrafter has been able to use several types of technologies. The one that stands out from the rest is Vision Beanstore which helps the company to improve its sales mechanism through centralization ( Starbase Inc., 5 ) . The technology helps the company to modify each of its workstations into a personal computer that is linked to the main server. This technology is important as it helps in reducing the cost of operation.
LensCrafters has been able to maintain its competitive advantage over other companies by streamlining its operations and maintaining a positive customer satisfaction rate. Through the analysis of the company, several challenges that affect the company can be identified. They include the integration of data and other programs from newly acquired companies to the main company and the structuring of different processes aimed at streamlining the company’s supply chain. Several solutions were developed so as to tackle the challenges facing the organization effectively. Foremost, the company’s systems were modified to be able to accommodate a large amount of data. To create the most appropriate system, the company sorted the services of StarBase. By creating a system that was able to cater to the company’s data needs, StarBase was able to increase the operational efficiency of LensCrafters. The company’s challenge of streamlining its operations was taken care of by developing a system that could effectively manage several processes in the company such as stock, pricing methods, and customer relations ( Starbase Inc., 5 ) . Through the incorporation of technological processes in its operations, LensCrafter has been able to increase its competitive advantage by attracting new customers and maintaining the already existing ones. The company has also seen an increase in its sales volume as a result of the application of appropriate operational strategies. The continued incorporation of technology and the use of more effective operational strategies will guarantee the company future growth and success.
Source List
Lenscrafters. 2012. About Lenscrafters. https://www.lenscrafters.com/lc-us/about-lenscrafters
Robert. 2010. Lenscrafters: Strategy. http://lenscrafters-team4.blogspot.com/2010/10/business-strategy_08.html
An Integrative Case Study of Lenscrafters. n.d. https://www.studypool.com/uploads/questions/106494/20150429130513lens_crafters_case_study.pdf
PCMS. 2012. Lenscrafters Eyes a Central VISION with PCMS’ Retail Solution. http://www.pcmsdatafit.com/files/casestudy/PCMS_and_Lenscrafters_Case_Study_(US).pdf
Starbase Inc. 2012. Starbase, Inc. helps Lenscrafters Manage Business Information During Major Consolidation.
http://www.starbaseinc.com/flexistar/SBC3.NSF/lures/optical+retailer+business+consolidation+success+story/$file/optical+retailer+business+consolidation+success+story.pdf
