by Greg Hilton
Throughout recent history the Foodservice and Trade Spend Management industry, as well as much of corporate America, has used really cool big words to describe trends and philosophies.
From the early eighties, we had Total Quality Management (TQM), a management theory for defect reduction and heightened quality standards. Sun Tzu (that is him on the right), an ancient Chinese military general penned, “The Art of war” and a whole industry of management theorist began translating the logic of modern war fare to management practice. Big words, big theories, big statue!
Synergy and other words I did not know.
For years, I have heard the word “Synergy used to describe when two parties come together, and find common principles and practices that, if partnered in the right way will aid both parties. So, you are sitting around the manufacturer or operator company boardroom table talking about a partnership with someone and you say, ”Let’s see if we can find the synergies between our two companies.” This means, can we work together and get a better result from our partnership than the results we could get alone?
Math, the final frontier!
While sometimes mathematically challenged, this one seems pretty straight forward. Can the combination of two parties working together yield a better return than the two companies could working apart? When it comes to providing a solution to our customers foodservice challenges (Deduction management, data acquisition, great contract approval processes, business intelligence, etc.) taking all of the parts that our customers need and building solutions that address each piece is what sets us apart from our competition. Basically, we take every piece of the manufacturer and operator’s need and deliver it in one solution. Or, 1+1+1+1+1 = Way more than 5!
Synergy and the Foodservice industry
We understood early on in the creation of the ContractPro® and ValuTrak® solutions, manufacturer and operator foodservice solutions, that the trade spend foodservice needs could only be fully met by a solution that sought to deliver all of the pieces together. For instance, a manufacturer could not look for a data acquisition partner, then seek out a software vendor, then figure out how to staff to verify claims, then implement a Business Intelligence solution, then look for a distributor/operator portal vendor, etc.
The combination of products and services that we offer to foodservice operators and manufacturers sum to offer a much greater value than the individual products and services that competitors in the market offer. At Answers, we believe it is our mission in life to deliver a single, cohesive and ready-to-use solution to the foodservice industry.
We deliver our value through great software and the most expert and educated people in the world driving great services. Thank you for helping to make Answers Systems The Premier Software and Services provider in the Foodservice Industry.
Want to embrace the issue, consider the solution and really improve your organization’s trade promotion management? Contact us. Answers Systems' ContractPro and ValuTrak solutions are software and outsourced services designed for the unique and specific needs of the foodservice industry.