Kinko's and How the Mighty Will Fall
When you need to make a copy, fax something, or print up a bunch of pages for yourself, you have two options. You can try and go over to the copy machine at work when everyone else is at lunch and, with the stealth of a ninja, and try to take care of your business without anyone catching you.
Or, more likely, you'll just go to Kinko's, because that's where everyone goes to do office stuff. Right?
I became interested in Kinko's about a year ago when I moved to Santa Barbara. The first Kinko's was opened by Paul Orfalea in Isla Vista, the small beach community where most of the UCSB students live. (And have a massive party every Halloween that attracts every police officer in Southern California.) Mr. Orfalea opened it because there was simply no easy way for students to make copies for themselves other than the library.
Here's the interesting part: what made Kinko's get really big and popular, as a company, is no longer true today. When Mr. Orfalea first started the company, the culture he created was one of individuals doing their own jobs the best way they saw fit. Since it was acquired by FedEx, the strategy has changed drastically to a more command and control system, with orders trickling from on high down the rank and file employees.
Have you been there recently? It's a nightmare. The people who work there are just like those actors in the Dave Chapelle Kinko's skit, where the comedian was parodying the franchise by making the employees seem like they didn't care at all about customer service. This skit resonated with me, because I can't remember a single favorable experience I've had there. Whenever I can, I do what Mr. Orfalea was originally working to help people avoid: I'll go to the library instead of Kinko's.
The fact that they are still charging by the minute for Internet usage if you want to print something is living, livid proof that the company has ceased to care about its customers' needs and are now just focusing on the bottom line. Internet is not expensive anymore. Why are you charging me for it?
Whenever I consistently have a terrible experience at a company, time and again, all I smell is opportunity. I'm not going to open a copy store to compete with the local Kinko's, because I don't have much passion for that particular line of work. My guess is that most people are terrified of the prospect of doing this because, hey, everyone just goes to Kinko's, right?
I don't. And if a store opened up that offered a better experience, I would gladly frequent it.
Here is one big thing that makes the Kinko's experience miserable: usability of the machines. Even the employees seem to be struggling with how to get those over-sized industrial copy machines to print what they want. They also seem to be breaking down a lot. Here's how you take on Kinko's: get really great machines that are intuitive and easy to use, with great support from the manufacturer, and stock your first store with those. They might cost a little more to start with, but if you do things right, you'll have a much easier time scaling the business without sacrificing as much quality.
Please, somebody do this. I have copies to make.
Or, more likely, you'll just go to Kinko's, because that's where everyone goes to do office stuff. Right?
I became interested in Kinko's about a year ago when I moved to Santa Barbara. The first Kinko's was opened by Paul Orfalea in Isla Vista, the small beach community where most of the UCSB students live. (And have a massive party every Halloween that attracts every police officer in Southern California.) Mr. Orfalea opened it because there was simply no easy way for students to make copies for themselves other than the library.
Here's the interesting part: what made Kinko's get really big and popular, as a company, is no longer true today. When Mr. Orfalea first started the company, the culture he created was one of individuals doing their own jobs the best way they saw fit. Since it was acquired by FedEx, the strategy has changed drastically to a more command and control system, with orders trickling from on high down the rank and file employees.
Have you been there recently? It's a nightmare. The people who work there are just like those actors in the Dave Chapelle Kinko's skit, where the comedian was parodying the franchise by making the employees seem like they didn't care at all about customer service. This skit resonated with me, because I can't remember a single favorable experience I've had there. Whenever I can, I do what Mr. Orfalea was originally working to help people avoid: I'll go to the library instead of Kinko's.
The fact that they are still charging by the minute for Internet usage if you want to print something is living, livid proof that the company has ceased to care about its customers' needs and are now just focusing on the bottom line. Internet is not expensive anymore. Why are you charging me for it?
Whenever I consistently have a terrible experience at a company, time and again, all I smell is opportunity. I'm not going to open a copy store to compete with the local Kinko's, because I don't have much passion for that particular line of work. My guess is that most people are terrified of the prospect of doing this because, hey, everyone just goes to Kinko's, right?
I don't. And if a store opened up that offered a better experience, I would gladly frequent it.
Here is one big thing that makes the Kinko's experience miserable: usability of the machines. Even the employees seem to be struggling with how to get those over-sized industrial copy machines to print what they want. They also seem to be breaking down a lot. Here's how you take on Kinko's: get really great machines that are intuitive and easy to use, with great support from the manufacturer, and stock your first store with those. They might cost a little more to start with, but if you do things right, you'll have a much easier time scaling the business without sacrificing as much quality.
Please, somebody do this. I have copies to make.