Safety, Quality, Delivery & Productivity.: Customers are not blind.

Safety, Quality, Delivery & Productivity.: Customers are not blind.: Over the years I have seen many, many bad practices that fly in the face of customers. Are you working in a process where your customer can...

Customers are not blind.

Over the years I have seen many, many bad practices that fly in the face of customers.
Are you working in a process where your customer can see immediately and directly what you are doing. I am not suggesting the following would be acceptable out of sight of a or the customer.

I have recently had to speak to a person who had her back to me at a local deli, she took a 'pinch' of coleslaw with her hand and ate it. She was making small tubs for display at the time. I am sure appeasing her appetite is a practice the 'deli' manager does not condone.

My concern was when she noticed me and I gave her my order she dint immediately change gloves.
Not a big deal as the first thing she touched was a bag. I stopped here and asked if she is going to change gloves. She said yes 'and did' and filled my order.

The quality failure here was her sampling the coleslaw where the fingers of the gloves came in direct contact with her lips. If she had not seen me waiting when she turned I dont know if she would have continued to make up small tubs with contaminated gloves or swapped them out. Her actual actions suggest the later.

ps. As I approached the deli counter I was she I heard the same clerk cussing out another staff member. But that is speculative.

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Known Defects no corrective action.

I start here with a [title] for this post that pushes home my very observation of customer service.

An animal registration notice is received by a rate payer for their local council. The recipient of this notice is expiated to pay this registration renewal and goes about their payment process. 'BPAY'.

There are 2 BPAY options for payment BILLPAY or BPAY. The difference is payment to/through Australia Post over the counter or payment directly to the local government office via online means.

To carry out either transaction you need a Billpay code: (for over the counter) or Biller Code: (for online transaction). You all so need a ref:, a series of 13 digits that have some meaning to the payment receiver.

In our case here 'NO' Billpay code: or Biller code: is preprinted on the renewal notice. A ref: number is.
A call to the to the local government Customer Service department. The caller advised there is no Billpay code: or Biller code: on the renewal notice. While the CS rep taking the call was bright and cheerful. Her reply was the point of this post. Her reply was yes there was a printing error (In a Quality forum, a process that has a direct output to a customer 'ERROR' means (DEFECT).

No Corrective action seems to have taken place. Did the local government office re-issue the renewal notices. It appears not. Did the local government office issue a letter providing the relevant Billpay code: or Biller code:, again it would appear not.

I expect there was 100's of not 1000's of these renewal notices issued. The local governments office seems to have left it to their customer to phone in and get that Billpay code: or Biller code: or make payment in person at council office or mail it in.

Sure this is not a big deal. Sure it's a pet registration renewal notice. But when council issue a renewal notice that is emblazened with red  font Failure to renew registration by the due date may result in  penalties being issued.

Customer service has failed here, knowingly issuing a bill to rate payers that has a defect on it (i.e. the missing code). The ? is would they follow through with a penalty should payment not have been made by the due date. I expect they would.
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From the bench - Market

I know what your saying. Our farmers have been doing it tough for a long time. I couldn't agree more. So we need to ask ourselves why?. Lets take produce as an example. Why have the large supermarket chains set specs and standards that make it so tough for our farmers to achieve. Traditionally farms are families. By that I mean generations run the land. The farmers managed to grow and supply the marketplace with fresh fruit and veg for in excess of 200 years.

The big supermarket chains. Dictate to the farmers what they will pay and to what standard the produce must be. Now the farmers can so no, noway. But that doesn't work. They will be forced to destroy the produce they can't see. In the past on every 'high st' strip shops was 1 maybe 2 green grocers. They still exist today but they are few and far between. While the big supermarkets set this standard, to which the farmers can and do meet its the low price they get for the produce.

There was nothing wrong with the quality and choice of the produce that does not meet the big chains spec/standard. This is the product the few and far between green growers get. Don't be swayed by the multi million $ marketing about freshest fruit and veg and best quality. The key word there was marketing.

I know its very convenient when you going your weekly shop to grab fruit and veg while your there.

Can I suggest shop local, buy local and where it is not inconvenient give you local green grocer a go. They too have the freshest produce. They too have high quality product.

From the bench - Service Industry.

Seems to me that Australia has moved to a service industry. With the bulk of manufacturing going offshore. More and more family business' are falling to the way-side.

Can we maintain, survive on service providers only?
We can try to minimise the loss of a lot of service providers. There are many many opportunities to be competitive right here in our own back yard.

In a lot of cases the owner operator doesn't have money or resources to spend on the business. But sometimes throwing money at it is not the answer.

Ask yourself how many times you have gone to a mechanic or panel beater. There are a few workers walking around doing what they do. But its up to you to find someone, interrupt them or get their attention to ask for help. I have been known to find myself 1/2 way through a workshop, before I found someone to help me. 1/2 way into an unfamiliar workshop un-aware of any safety rules etc:. I can't be the only person that has come across this. I know others have too.

What about the small reception or admin office. You step into it, its dirty (why wouldn't it be is tacked onto the workshop with a rollerdoor open in all weather), its cluttered, messy and unorganised with a chair or two covered in dust.

How can a customer feel valued and respected if you can't show pride in your workplace.
Additionally there may be a security risk to your employees. All employers have a duty of care with regard to safety and security of their employees.

There are so many things we can do in our workplaces that do not need to cost a fortune.