The devil is in the details. Think beyond your product or service and instead pay attention to your total customer's life cycle experience. After your focus groups, usability studies and whatever else you typically do, create a flow chart which shows the different ways your product is purchased, installed, used, supported and returned. But don't stop there. 
I believe marketing is the voice of the customer. So be the customer. Do everything yourself which is on the flow chart and I promise at least one detail will have escaped you.
Before Christmas I bought two pieces of jewelry from Overstock.com. They came in one small shipping envelope. Well the sizes weren't quite right so I attempted to return them. Problem is, whoever designed the return system never had enough imagination to think someone might want to return more than one item. That's right. You cannot return two items. Instead you have to print out 2 shipping labels, pay 2 shipping costs (and that doesn't include the fine print restocking fee of $4.95 per item). Customer service had no idea what to do either, because their system also could only handle one item. So I put both items in one package and mailed it back. This is going to be interesting. Maybe the system will crash.
My recommendation? Cut to the chase and send such things right to the CEO. That's the only way I've found around the operations snafus of many online sellers. They've got taking your money down cold (well, in most cases) but when it comes to giving it back...um, well - we'll need you to cut out the UPC code from the box, use the original form (not a photocopy), send the original receipt and shipping label, and - oh - it can't be dated more or less X days from date of purchase, or and, we'll also need the original bill (no copies) showing your credit card purchase...And so on. Of course, this is ridiculous - as all the information is in their databases to begin with.
Sigh. (I also sent one CEO a $2500 invoice for my time in consulting on services. No, the company didn't pay it, but they did hop to and take care of the problem and give me my credit asap.)
Rant on! Happy Friday.
Posted by: Mary Schmidt | 06 January 2006 at 11:05 AM