Can’t You Just…

“Can’t you just…?”

That question gets a bad reputation in operations - and for good reason. It’s usually followed by something expensive, complex, and wildly underestimated. But every once in a while, it opens a door.

Years ago, a simple “can’t you just…” conversation turned an ecommerce fulfillment warehouse into something much more - a true partner to its clients.

"Can't you just put a phone on a desk and answer it?" And we did. That phone would ring and we'd run across the warehouse, hurdle boxes, and answer it. Then a second phone, a third, and finally the realization that we had a call center and needed a real technology solution. And so our call center was born.

"Can't you just take one of each item, bundle it together, and ship it to Amazon?" You know we can. And off to the races on an Amazon kitting and compliance value-add service.

"Can't you just take two nuts and put it onto one bolt?" Sure. We can do that. And that gave birth to a light manufacturing value-add service.

"Can't you just collect our mail, mobile deposit our checks, scan, and email the correspondence?" Not a problem. And suddenly we had scanning and back office services.

Not because it was easy. Not because it was obvious. But because we stopped answering the question with an automatic no - and started asking how. What would it take? What capabilities already exist? What problems could we solve if we connected the dots differently?

That mindset changed our business into a strategic partnership that was so sticky that clients thought of us as them.

“Can’t you just…?” can be dangerous. But in the right hands - it’s also where innovation starts. The difference is whether you dismiss it or design for it.