The Fulfillment Folly

We live in a rural area and a majority of our non-consumables are purchased on-line. We are spoiled living near an Amazon fulfillment center because we can order an item on Saturday and it arrives on Sunday. To me, this is an incredible logistical feat of filling an order, getting it into the USPS system and into our community mailbox the next day, especially on a Sunday. I could seldom even make the 36-mile round-trip to Best Buy or Office Depot and come home with exactly what I needed.

I spent a year as a quality consultant to a large local fulfillment center. That was an incredible study in how these centers work. First, the call center was staffed by dozens of salespeople who were trained in the exact messaging that each manufacturer required. There was absolutely no deviation allowed from the script. Even questions had precise answers to be given. No adlib and no interpretation.

The picking, boxing, and shipping were done to a schedule provided by the manufacturer of when to ship to exactly meet their delivery promises. Again, no deviation allowed. The most disturbing aspect of the fulfillment process is the mandated return policy. Many low-end manufacturers anticipate that most people will not return an inexpensive defective or product or one that does not meet its promises. They will simply dispose of it. That percentage is factored into the sales price.

Finally, others who get a substantial number of returns have a policy for the fulfillment center to destroy the product. Another built in cost. One manufacturer stated that returned items were to be put into a crusher so that they would not turn up at flea markets.

Amazon is great for rapid response. Their return policy is amazing. If I drop an item off at a UPS store, I often get my refund when the item is scanned for shipment. Frequently it is credited to my account by the time I get home.

My big problem with Amazon is their packing and shipping methods are often illogical and annoying. I don’t know who decides what packaging to use or what carrier to hand it off to. I just got a small 23” stool that was in a 48” box. It was shipped USPS. I had to make a 30-mile round trip to the post office to retrieve it. Anything that does not fit in a 2’ x2’ rural mailbox is not deliverable. On the same day, I received a book from Amazon that was shipped FedEx Ground.

Several months ago, I received a 5’ stand for a large screen TV that went to the post office. It took two postal workers to load it into my SUV. I understand the limitations of rural living, but I don’t see that 40-pound TV stand being delivered by a postal worker to a house or apartment. Do they leave it leaning against the door?

There is apparently no way to specify shipping preferences with Amazon or other fulfillment centers. On the other hand, I have an electronics company that delivers everything UPS and there is never a hassle.

The lesson is that customer service is defined as the entire ownership process, not just easy online ordering, rapid fulfillment and being able to track your order every minute. It’s about the entire experience. I buy all my electronics needs from one company. The product is typically exactly what I ordered and it arrives at my office within two days. If there is ever a problem, a replacement item is sent before I return the defective one.

Your customers should be your future referrals, not victims. If you are to be a brand leader, every aspect of the customer experience must be precisely and consistently executed to meet their expectations. Commodities from fulfillment centers must meet customer needs both in the product quality and the delivery performance, or else the manufacturer or fulfillment center will be given bad reviews. These days, customer reviews are very important in retail buying decisions. I often sort products by customer reviews.

Don’t disappoint your customers in any way, whether they are retail or industrial. In particular, don’t measure customer satisfaction by gloating that you never hear from them. That is the definition of folly.