A picture is worth a thousand words.... and a few dollars! |
Posted by
Ken at 11/21/2008 3:35:24 PM
Ken Kilar is a skilled programmer and respected executive manager. Ken works with high-end databases, architects, builds and interfaces high availability e-Commerce and Business Information systems. Ken has a proven track record (both vision and development skills) to conceptualize and deliver complex technology solutions.
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As I mentioned in my last post, in my spare time I have built (and operate) an online business known as beautycrunch. You can read details about the business at beautycrunch.com, or in the previous post, but it's basically an authorized direct to consumer reseller that offers overrun and discontinued (but still very good) artistry brand beauty products at a great discount.
It's a brisk, fun discount business, but there are some financial challenges since the margins aren't near as great when selling product at full retail. Understandably, all operational costs come out of my pocket, not the brands. I pay for all the packaging, shipping charges, credit card processing fees, charge backs, mistakes, etc,… The brand get a greater % take, so for me to make money I have to do everything in my power to make sure every order goes out perfectly - I can't afford to stay in business if I'm unnecessarily reshipping orders.
What do you mean unnecessarily reshipping orders?
My average item count on an order is better than most retailers, so what do I do when a customer complains that they received their order but an item is missing? Sure, I make mistakes, but you might be surprised at how many times I don't!
So why would someone say they didn't get an item when in fact they did?
1. Roommates steal stuff.
2. Small items can get lost in the packing material.
3. Some folks are just not as honest as you and I.
I like to think I have very few of the number “3” customers, but no business can completely avoid them.
This may sound like a trivial problem, but it's not. It's a big loss for any retailer when this happens, and can really slow down and even stop the growth of a small startup. There are the obvious cost for the additional product, not to mention the extra shipping charges and shipping supplies. And of course there is all the wasted time! And if you get a reputation for a company that just reships on customer complaints alone, you might be surprised to see how many more you get!
Currently I don't have a need for a sophisticated WMS package that prompts me to scan UPC labels before shipping, but I do have a digital camera and a $7 whiteboard. This is not a technically impressive solution, but I've saved a significant amount of time and money by simply taking a digital picture of every order before I pack it out.
Once a week I empty my camera's memory card in a new date labeled directory.
Tech tip: date label your directory like YYYYMMDD and you'll always be able to sort it!
If a customer complains that an item is missing, I simply email them the photo of what I packed out. And truthfully, the extra step of taking a photo prompts me to double check the items picked. Admittedly, there have been times where the customer is right, so it's a win for the good customers too!
Below is how this usually plays out these days. I skipped the first email, since it was just a message reporting that an item was missing in their order.
Subject: RE: Missing item
Date: Fri, 15 Aug 2008 13:09:38 -0700
From: info@beautycrunch.com
To: << email removed >>
Hi << name removed >>,
Thank you for your email. We researched your order and it did ship complete
(see attached photo). We photograph every order before it leaves our warehouse.
Please check under the bubble wrap to make sure it isn't just buried in there.
If not, please check with any neighbors, roommates, etc. who could have intercepted
the package before you received it.
Thank you,
The BeautyCrunchers
-----Original Message-----
From: << email removed >>
Sent: Sunday, August 17, 2008 9:45 PM
To: beautycrunch
Subject: RE: Missing item
Thank you for the picture, it saved my life. Turns out my roommate/sister had taken
look #1 while I was putting the scissors away, she denied having it but after showing
her the picture of the shipment and telling her that no one else could've taken it she
gave it back. Thankfully she hadn't used it yet. Anyway, sorry for blaming your
company on not having sent it. I love your site and can't wait for new items to
come in.
<< name removed >>
Now did I really save her life? Maybe.
Again, this isn't the most technically sophisticated tip I'm sharing, but it is one that could save the smaller retailer some serious $ and assist in improving their pick/pack process.
Agree? Disagree? Post a comment, or email me - maybe I can add some updates to this topic if I skipped something super important.
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