Finally, every company has to deal with the outside world. So, it will be worthwhile checking what your customers, vendors, or other service providers experience when dealing with your company.
I am just went through an experience with a very reputable company. They are so reputable that I really felt very proud to receive their business. But, oh boy, dealing with their order processing?!?!
Here are some examples:
They have a separate order administration department. After having agreed on the order, they changed my payment terms which is ‘upon delivery of seminar’ to ‘60 days’. Okay, the big company bullying a small company like mine – fair enough.
After 60 days there was no payment. Upon checking, I was told that my invoice was not received. Sorry, I always raise my eyebrows when I hear such a comment. For 30 years in Singapore the Singapore Post has managed to deliver all my mail addressed to me without fault. But, of course, it can be true.
A big ‘sorry, sorry’ followed by the promise to attend to the payment quickly. They asked me to send another copy of the invoice, which I did by email. No visible action for 3 weeks.
I thought ‘quickly’ means something like 1-2 weeks. No such thing. After 3 weeks I followed up again and I was told that I have to send a certified invoice by mail. You may wonder why they didn’t tell me that in the first place, or at least after they have received my invoice as a soft copy by email. So do I.
Hurray, after sending a certified invoice I received an email confirming that the invoice arrived and I was promised an immediate payment. Immediate in my book means 2-3 days. After 8 days there was no payment received and I followed up again. Good news! I learned that the immediate payment got approved ‘just now’ and after a few emails more I learned now that it will take 5-7 days to complete the process. Altogether it took 4 months and approx. 20+ emails to receive payment
Could this happen in your organization? I would suggest testing it sometimes and review how your organization deals with customers, vendors, and other service providers.
And here is another example.
My (previous) main bank has amongst others the following company values
- Passionate & Committed
- Value Relationships
My investment with them was big enough to qualify for their privileged wealth management category. Due to bad service I needed to move my investments to another bank.
They don’t even seem to notice. My relationship manager didn’t contact me for one year. Then they appointed a new relationship manager. He called me. I ask him why he calls me and he told me ‘just to let me know that he is the new relationship manager’.
This is fine with me. I just can’t figure out how this type of service correlates with the two values stated above.
I am just went through an experience with a very reputable company. They are so reputable that I really felt very proud to receive their business. But, oh boy, dealing with their order processing?!?!
Here are some examples:
They have a separate order administration department. After having agreed on the order, they changed my payment terms which is ‘upon delivery of seminar’ to ‘60 days’. Okay, the big company bullying a small company like mine – fair enough.
After 60 days there was no payment. Upon checking, I was told that my invoice was not received. Sorry, I always raise my eyebrows when I hear such a comment. For 30 years in Singapore the Singapore Post has managed to deliver all my mail addressed to me without fault. But, of course, it can be true.
A big ‘sorry, sorry’ followed by the promise to attend to the payment quickly. They asked me to send another copy of the invoice, which I did by email. No visible action for 3 weeks.
I thought ‘quickly’ means something like 1-2 weeks. No such thing. After 3 weeks I followed up again and I was told that I have to send a certified invoice by mail. You may wonder why they didn’t tell me that in the first place, or at least after they have received my invoice as a soft copy by email. So do I.
Hurray, after sending a certified invoice I received an email confirming that the invoice arrived and I was promised an immediate payment. Immediate in my book means 2-3 days. After 8 days there was no payment received and I followed up again. Good news! I learned that the immediate payment got approved ‘just now’ and after a few emails more I learned now that it will take 5-7 days to complete the process. Altogether it took 4 months and approx. 20+ emails to receive payment
Could this happen in your organization? I would suggest testing it sometimes and review how your organization deals with customers, vendors, and other service providers.
And here is another example.
My (previous) main bank has amongst others the following company values
- Passionate & Committed
- Value Relationships
My investment with them was big enough to qualify for their privileged wealth management category. Due to bad service I needed to move my investments to another bank.
They don’t even seem to notice. My relationship manager didn’t contact me for one year. Then they appointed a new relationship manager. He called me. I ask him why he calls me and he told me ‘just to let me know that he is the new relationship manager’.
This is fine with me. I just can’t figure out how this type of service correlates with the two values stated above.
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