There was a computer emergency. The power cord was sparking - not what Jeanie likes to see. Her lap top was starting to give the low battery signal, and it didn't take much for her to put 2 and 2 together - she needed a new cord.
With it being late on a Thursday afternoon, she realized that ordering online might not work in time, so she called around locally, but no store had the manufacturer's version of her cord. There were a couple companies that made cords with adapters, but none of those specifically referenced her make and model of her lap top, primarily because it was too old.
So this was the plan - buy a temporary replacement cord with an adapter and hope it worked temporarily, and then overnight a manufacturer's version of her cord.
The temporary replacement seemed to work okay. It made some awkward noises, and the battery didn't seem to charge fully, but it appeared to be a sufficient interim step for one day.
Friday came and went, and even though the manufacturer's version was (according to the shipper's website) shipped from the distribution center in the Midwest to her hometown by early Friday morning, it wasn't delivered to her office that day. When she called to ask why, they didn't know.
Did I mention she paid $20 for next day delivery?
On Monday, she received e-mail notification that the cord had been delivered. There was only one problem - it hadn't been delivered. So she called the shipping company, and they said that that e-mail just meant it had been delivered to the local distribution center on the previous Friday. Jeanie asked if she could just pick it up at the distribution center, but the shipper said that that's not allowed by the manufacturer until at least one delivery attempt has been made.
The next day - Tuesday - another e-mail delivery notification was received, again in error. When Jeanie called the shipper, they apologized for the error, and said that the cord was scheduled for delivery between 2p-3p that day. It wasn't delivered.
On Wednesday, the cord was delivered. No e-mail confirmation was sent.
Next day delivery - which cost $20 - turned into 4-business day delivery.
It's amazing how some companies can ship items hundreds of miles in a few hours and then have them sit in a warehouse for days just a few miles from their destination.
It's amazing how companies can spend millions on auto-notifications of customers about product/service status, and the notifications are wrong.
Make sure your company doesn't just implement processes and systems and think that, because they're implemented, they work. Test them, monitor them, and continuously check with customers on their satisfaction with them.
With it being late on a Thursday afternoon, she realized that ordering online might not work in time, so she called around locally, but no store had the manufacturer's version of her cord. There were a couple companies that made cords with adapters, but none of those specifically referenced her make and model of her lap top, primarily because it was too old.
So this was the plan - buy a temporary replacement cord with an adapter and hope it worked temporarily, and then overnight a manufacturer's version of her cord.
The temporary replacement seemed to work okay. It made some awkward noises, and the battery didn't seem to charge fully, but it appeared to be a sufficient interim step for one day.
Friday came and went, and even though the manufacturer's version was (according to the shipper's website) shipped from the distribution center in the Midwest to her hometown by early Friday morning, it wasn't delivered to her office that day. When she called to ask why, they didn't know.
Did I mention she paid $20 for next day delivery?
On Monday, she received e-mail notification that the cord had been delivered. There was only one problem - it hadn't been delivered. So she called the shipping company, and they said that that e-mail just meant it had been delivered to the local distribution center on the previous Friday. Jeanie asked if she could just pick it up at the distribution center, but the shipper said that that's not allowed by the manufacturer until at least one delivery attempt has been made.
The next day - Tuesday - another e-mail delivery notification was received, again in error. When Jeanie called the shipper, they apologized for the error, and said that the cord was scheduled for delivery between 2p-3p that day. It wasn't delivered.
On Wednesday, the cord was delivered. No e-mail confirmation was sent.
Next day delivery - which cost $20 - turned into 4-business day delivery.
It's amazing how some companies can ship items hundreds of miles in a few hours and then have them sit in a warehouse for days just a few miles from their destination.
It's amazing how companies can spend millions on auto-notifications of customers about product/service status, and the notifications are wrong.
Make sure your company doesn't just implement processes and systems and think that, because they're implemented, they work. Test them, monitor them, and continuously check with customers on their satisfaction with them.
