In the aftermath of the end-of-2007 “holidaze,” I’ve had multiple opportunities to attempt to return gifts and other items purchased online, and to launch inquiries with vendors online, via e-mail and on-screen, at-site Web forms.
I’m disappointed.
Apparently, in 2008, there are still companies that have not yet figured out how to ensure that real-time online chats with “service agents,” e-mails, and phone calls get integrated into a single workflow and prioritized according to the same business rules. So, for example, when I filled out the paper form I had to download to prepare a return, and said I wanted a working replacement for the product in question – yes, it was a “DOA” digital camera, why do you ask? – what I got instead was a credit to the account I used to make the original purchase. And no, I never got any communication, by any medium, informing me of this unilateral decision by the vendor, before or after the decision was made.
In the case of another gift I purchased online for my wife, I have yet to see a confirmation of the return from the vendor, although I know they got it thanks to the online tracking provided by their shipper. So I’ve got to follow up with the multiple e-mails and physical documents and items I’ve sent with a phone call, a fax, or both. I’ll likely also have to explain my sad, sordid tale from the beginning at least once.
Now, this has historical resonance for me. Back in the day, I used to write about a company called Mustang Software, one of the earliest purveyors of tools for building and operating bulletin-board systems or BBSs. These were the progenitors of everything from every portal you’ve ever seen to LinkedIn, MySpace, and Facebook. One of Mustang’s coolest products was the Internet Message Center (IMC), software that routed inbound e-mails to available agents, like call center software routes inbound calls. In fact, companies could use IMC to route both e-mails and phone calls to the same agents, most of whom sat in front of connected computers or terminals anyway.
This was in 1997. Eleven years ago. And yet, here I – and we – sit.
The Take-Aways:
1. Make sure any business process implementations or refinements on your radar address the entire scope of the challenge or opportunity being addressed.
2. Put yourself in the place of the user or other stakeholder to be affected BEFORE casting any processes or planned refinements in stone.
3. Model and test each and every candidate process and process change, to try to get a handle on all likely consequences, intended and unintended, before any of those consequences become real enough to create problems.
Oh, and by the way: if you’re interested in RFID – and if your business is using or considering RFID and you’re a process-focused kinda person, you SHOULD be interested – I’m slowly building up a library of interesting research at www.aberdeen.com. Search the site, or drop me a line and I’ll point you at some examples, in exchange for you agreeing to provide feedback. Thanks in advance!
Michael Dortch has been an analyst, 'information entrepreneur,' speaker, and writer about IT and 'the real world" for the past 30 years. After almost 10 years at the Robert Frances Group (RFG), Michael begins a new position with Aberdeen Group in September.
Dennis Byron is an analyst with ebizQ, focusing on Open Source Software as well as Business Process Management technologies.
