In 2010, Gene Browne
and his Innovation Team made an unusual business move. They announced to their
staff that they were entering a completely different industry. They started
planning for launching a home heating oil service to their existing waste and recycling customers in Galway City. The plan worked brilliantly. The idea came
after their existing customers answered a survey question survey which asked
‘What other services would you like The City Bin Co to provide?’ Customers gave
a lot of great suggestions. The suggestion that stood out above the rest was a
Home Heating Oil Delivery Service”. With a little more research and
investigation The City Bin Co. team realised that they already had the backend
infrastructure to provide a home heating oil service to their existing customer
base. Home heating oil could be delivered with the same philosophy of excellent
customer service that underpinned the waste collection service. The marketing
strategy that The City Bin Co. used was nontraditional. They sent a
personalised postcard to each and every one of their existing customers and
they in turn responded with enthusiasm about the new venture.
When The City Bin Co.
launched the new service in October 2010 their customers were so impressed with
the offering that the sales anticipated for the first six months was exceeded
in the first month. The City Bin Co. could make this pioneering move because
they see themselves as being in the service industry and not in the waste
industry.
The differentiating
factor about The City Bin Co’s home heating oil division is that the customer
can order on line, choose the day and doesn't have to be home when
the delivery happens. As part of the service, the customer automatically
receives an SMS when their oil has been delivered. The Company also bundle the
oil with existing waste services and have special discounts for their existing
waste and recycling customers.
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