[Solved] Case Study Cascade Maverik is a manufacturer of lacrosse…
Asked by fredbass2021
Case Study
Cascade Maverik is a manufacturer of lacrosse equipment. The company name is the result of the merger of Cascade Lacrosse and Maverick Lacrosse and the company is part of Peak Achievement Athletics, Inc. Cascade was founded in 1986 as a manufacturer of head protection equipment for male and female lacrosse athletes at all levels of the sport. The company’s “passion to protect” is supported by leading edge research, design, testing, and manufacturing. Maverick was founded in 2005 as a manufacturer of heads, shafts, complete sticks, and protective gear. The founders and staff consist of many professional, college, and recreational lacrosse players who have created a company that is “powered by the player.” Together, the two brands have helped Cascade Maverik become a market leader in the lacrosse hard goods market. Cascade Maverik is well-known for its knowledgeable sales representatives and the exceptional customer service they provide. The case discusses the sales management function at Cascade Maverick with Tim Ellsworth, global business director, and Debbie Errante, sales manager. In addition, the case follows Laura Edward, a territory sales representative on several sales calls to illustrate the activities related to the stages of the personal selling process.
The popularity of lacrosse continues to grow, and the annual US Lacrosse Participation Report indicates that there are now more than 829,000 lacrosse players in the United States. At the college level there are 380 schools sponsoring men’s lacrosse, and 505 schools sponsoring women’s lacrosse. At the professional level there are three men’s leagues – Major League Lacrosse, the National Lacrosse League, and the Premier Lacrosse League. There are also two women’s leagues – the Women’s Professional Lacrosse League, and the United Women’s Lacrosse League. The National Lacrosse League recently reported that the total ticket sales for one season now exceeds 1 million, and that 60 percent of ticket sales are to people who never played lacrosse. At the international level, the International Olympic Committee recently granted provisional recognition to the World Lacrosse organization. Employers are interested in Lacrosse players too. “We want to recruit great teammates,” explains Asher Raphael, co-CEO of a 2500-employee firm in Philadelphia. “Of the 29 staffers in human resources, for example, 16 are former college athletes in either soccer, lacrosse or football” he says. Cascade Maverick has become the leader in NCAA Division 1 college lacrosse. The company recently renewed partnerships with Penn State, the University of Michigan, Villanova, and Fairfield University. Cascade helmets are used by 70% of Division 1 schools. “There is a reason why Cascade is trusted by more teams in NCAA D1 men’s lacrosse and why Maverik has elevated itself to the #1brand in lacrosse equipment,” says Kevin Simmons, Sports Marketing Manager at Cascade Maverik. The partnerships created by the salesforce and the customer service the sales representative provide are a big part of the reason!
Question
1. What factors are contributing to the growth of lacrosse and lacrosse equipment?
2. What are some of Cascade Maverik’s success factors?
Arts & Humanities
Communications
Marketing
MKTG 2127
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This is What 3D Printing Looks Like for the Leading Lacrosse Company
A retail-ready men’s helmet made by Cascade Lacrosse, the world-leading producer of lacrosse helmets. [Full Image]
As the world-leading producer of lacrosse helmets, Cascade Lacrosse uses industrial-grade LulzBot 3D Printers to stay on top and bring new ideas to market quickly. Reliable prototype production techniques have not only improved internal processes, but also enabled Cascade Lacrosse to drive innovation in the industry while producing high-quality products that keep players safe and comfortable.
“The LulzBot 3D Printers brand name kept coming up as an industry leader in quality and customer service when doing research,” Chris Laurita, product developer at Cascade Lacrosse, said. “The ability to print flexible material using its Flexystruder Tool Head made choosing the LulzBot TAZ 3D Printer an easy decision for us.”
Cascade Lacrosse uses two LulzBot TAZ 3D Printers with Cura LulzBot Edition primarily for prototyping flexible parts. Their materials of choice are filaments from the NinjaTek line, such as NinjaFlex, for functionality and durability.
“Any part on our helmet that is flexed or needs some squish to it gets printed on one of our LulzBot TAZ 3D Printers with a Flexystruder Tool Head,” Laurita said.
Adding LulzBot 3D Printers to the prototyping process supports Cascade Lacrosse as they develop new products and stay in the lead. They redefined the category of women’s lacrosse equipment with the introduction of the Cascade LX, and they are using 3D printing to push the category even further.
Their success has also opened the door to collaboration for sister companies Easton Baseball, BAUER Hockey, and Maverik Lacrosse, with Cascade engineers sharing their knowledge across the organization.
In terms of the user experience with LulzBot 3D Printers, Cascade Lacrosse appreciates the readily available technical support and the longevity of the machines.
“The couple times that we have had issues with our LulzBot 3D Printers it has always been easy to get customer support on the line and walk through the issues at hand,” Laurita said. “Our LulzBot 3D Printers have been running almost continuously for the last year.”
The benefit of LulzBot 3D Printers to Cascade Lacrosse’s product development has been tremendous. Ideas are generated faster and within a cost-effective framework. That speed is key with lacrosse being one of the fastest growing sports in the United States.
“Payback-wise, printing functional flexible parts on our LulzBot TAZ 3D Printers has given us the confidence to skip prototype tooling on multiple occasions; this saves us thousands in tooling costs and months on our timelines,” Laurita said. “Design-wise, we cannot put a price on being able to test out concepts that we would need tooling for in the past. ”
Faster turnaround times and improved flexibility help the company retain the customer focus that has helped them succeed as a U.S. manufacturer for over 30 years. As Cascade Lacrosse continues to provide superior products, LulzBot 3D Printers remain the choice additive manufacturing solution in their prototyping efforts.
“The flexibility you have with the modular tool heads, the size of the build plate, and the quality of the prints you get make the LulzBot 3D Printer a great value,” Laurita said. “Once we had our first LulzBot 3D Printer in-house, it was easy to justify to our management team getting a second.”
Explore Other Prototyping Applications with LulzBot 3D Printers ➡
What is customer service? | Oracle CIS
Customer Service is the assistance a company offers to its customers before or after purchasing or using the company’s products or services. Customer service includes tasks such as suggesting products, troubleshooting problems, handling complaints, and answering general questions.
Every interaction with a client is an opportunity to grow your business. Great customer service is a competitive advantage that builds brand loyalty and awareness.
Customer Service History
To better understand the importance and changing nature of customer service, it is necessary to recognize the transition from single-channel to multi-channel service as a key aspect of business success.
Prior to the widespread use of the telephone, customer service was mainly done in person or by mail. The invention of the telephone gave companies a new opportunity to stand out from the competition by providing better and faster customer service over the phone.
In the 1960s, the first call centers appeared and became customer service departments. With a dedicated customer service department, companies were able to leverage the latest technology and service strategies, such as providing consistent training for all employees interacting with customers.
In the 1990s and early 2000s, the Internet created a much larger opportunity for customer service—shopping channels. In addition to asking questions, customers could also visit the company’s website, send emails, or interact with the latest technology such as chatbots.
Over the past decade, social media such as Facebook and Twitter have become another channel through which customers can interact with companies. Recently, new technologies such as artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things (IoT) are rapidly expanding customer experience.
Customer service and customer experience – what’s the difference?
Customer service is part of the customer experience (CX), which is a broader term that includes all points of contact between a customer and a company, including sales, marketing, training, customer service, and more.
Companies often measure their customer experience to evaluate emotional, physical, and other interactions with a brand. Customer service, or customer care, plays an important role in the overall customer experience, helping or hurting a company in its efforts to establish a positive relationship with customers.
Learn more about customer experience and why it matters to your business
Business value of customer service
How Razer Delivers Impeccable Service and Enhances the Customer Experience.
The importance of customer service in both B2B and B2C segments cannot be overestimated. Benefits of a positive customer experience
- Build a base of brand advocates. Satisfied customers are loyal customers who come back again and again. Another advantage is that retaining existing customers through quality service is much less expensive than attracting new ones.
- Profit increase. Better customer service can increase sales of products and services, leading to higher profits.
- Increasing brand competitiveness. Some companies stand out from their competitors, even if they offer the same products, due to the highest level of service with a personal touch and taking into account all the wishes of customers.
However, it is not only the business benefits that matter, but also the high costs that poor service entails. Even one bad customer experience, such as slow online service where a customer cannot get a quick and clear answer to their question, or gets the wrong advice, can lead to a loss of loyalty and trust. Such a client may not contact you again, but become a loyal client of your competitor.
And if a customer shares their frustrations on social media, it can cause even more damage to the brand and lead to further losses.
- Video Demonstration: Proactive Personalized Customer Service
- Video: Introducing Oracle Service (1:48)
Keys to Success in Customer Service
To delight your customers, you must exceed their expectations and deliver a superior customer experience. To meet minimum customer expectations, you need the following.
Leverage all customer interactions
Ensure seamless transitions between all points of service: digital channels, contact centers and face-to-face interactions throughout the entire customer cycle.
Offer engagement options
Offer customers a wide range of ways to engage with you—anywhere, anytime.
Deliver a superior experience
Let customer-focused contact center employees exceed customer expectations.
Give personalized answers
Give the only correct answer using a best-in-class knowledge management system or automated personalized advice.
Automate processes and interactions.
Predict, improve and enhance customer experience with automation and data intelligence.
Companies need to offer the latest in service automation and personalization technologies and provide a consistent, holistic experience across all customer touchpoints to deliver consistently high levels of service.
Key Benefits of Cloud-Based Customer Service
Companies that rely on legacy customer service solutions find it increasingly difficult and costly to keep up with growing customer demands for speed of access across a growing number of platforms and channels. That is why many companies have already switched to cloud-based CRM platforms and other cloud-based solutions to serve their customers.
- Integration across all departments and customer devices for easy management.
- Scalable cloud platforms that can grow as fast as the business.
- The latest features and technologies without the need for constant investment.
- Low cost – you only pay for what you use.
- A deeper understanding of the needs, preferences and behaviors of customers allows continuous improvement of the services provided.
- Mobility: Cloud provides mobile access to customer service systems via smartphones and other devices. This is a great way to ensure ease of access.
A particularly important benefit of integrated cloud platforms is the ability to provide feedback throughout the entire customer service process. For example, a company might add an automatic feedback request (“thumbs up or down”) before, during, or after a purchase. This feedback can then be analyzed to determine the level of customer satisfaction. This opens up new possibilities for quickly identifying problems and improving all aspects of service.
Watch a video to find out why a company moved from a legacy CRM system to a cloud solution (2:00)
The Future of Customer Service
The future of customer service is fast approaching. Companies have new opportunities to stand out from the competition and increase both revenue and customer loyalty.
According to a recent global survey of 465 customer experience leaders by Oracle and ESG, 66% of companies surveyed are using at least one of the following four new technologies to meet changing customer tastes, create a unique, cutting-edge brand, and drive digital transformation.
Artificial Intelligence (AI)
AI is a system that mimics human intelligence, improving itself based on the information it collects. For example, an e-commerce company can use an AI-enabled chatbot to improve the accuracy and efficiency of answering questions from future customers based on past customer interactions. Of the four emerging technologies, AI is expected to have the greatest impact on the future of customer experience, enabling businesses to provide more personalized offerings and more predictable responses to quickly resolve customer issues.
Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR)
VR is a computer-generated interface, usually transmitted through a headset, that creates an interactive environment. AR is an interactive interface in which computer-generated information is superimposed on the real environment. Both systems allow customers to view and customize products, participate in product demos and trainings, and discover new products and entertainment. VR and AR are expected to help companies solve customer problems and stand out from the competition by offering a better customer experience.
Intelligent voice assistants
Intelligent voice assistants, including automated digital assistants offered on websites, perform tasks or provide services based on verbal commands. They make it easy and convenient for customers to ask questions, and use advanced intelligence to guide customers to the products and offers they need, as well as alert them to changes in order status or account information. Intelligent voice assistants can help businesses resolve customer issues faster while keeping operating costs low and delivering a differentiated customer experience.
Internet of Things (IoT) for customer service
IoT technologies connect online devices to each other. IoT sensors can be built into just about anything — smartphones, wearables, appliances, cars, manufacturing equipment, and more. These connections provide companies with real-time data and insights into customer behavior and preferences. For example, IoT sensors included in products can provide telemetry data that allows companies to continuously monitor the status and performance of a product. If a product becomes ineffective, the company can initiate interaction with the customer before they become aware of the problem.