Are You Buying a Product, a Project, or Something More?
In so many areas of our lives, purchase decisions are not all about the product. Once we’ve decided which new TV or computer we want to buy we have plenty of choice over where to buy it.
We’re not concerned about the product – we’ve already chosen that. And prices normally are pretty similar. What we then care about is how soon can it be delivered, what sort of warranty does it have, how well am I going to be kept informed about the status of my order, can I return it easily if it goes wrong. If we’re buying directly from a shop we will probably go to the one that has the best product displays and the most helpful and visible staff.
Similarly, if you go on a long-haul flight you might not care too much what type of plane you are on. You expect it to work properly and deliver you to your chosen destination more or less on time. Value depends on how quickly you were able to board, the quality of the food and drink, legroom, the attitude of the cabin crew and whether your TV screen works.
Where the basic product is the same, it’s the experience that decides where we spend our money and whether we think that represents good value.
Value and Experience in Infrastructure Projects
You may be wondering what all of this has to do with infrastructure projects. Quite simply, the same principles apply. Any number of contractors can deliver the ‘product.’ In other words, deliver to the specification. But will the experience be the same?
The experience is all about what it’s like to work with a particular contractor and their supply chain. Efficient communications, openness, thinking creatively to reduce disruption or improve quality or simply being professional and pleasant to work with. These are all aspects of value that are closely linked to your experience as a customer.
The end product may be similar, but the experience of getting to it can be very different. We recognise this fact, which is why all Osborne people and our supply partners never forget that our customers are buying more than just a product.
Find out more about our infrastructure projects here.
