Wow, Bloomz I thought you were making fun of me with the picture of the guy falling down the stairs. Never have been any good at interpreting cartoons! Can someone explain that cartoon to me, I am blonde after all, simple things confuse me. I like complex issues.
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I wasn't Joan - it was a reference to Chicken Little Sky is Falling, not pointed at you at all - I said in the greenie I needed more time to munch on what you said.
I would suggest that fines be imposed for orders that had been confirmed as delivered but in fact were never delivered. And so that no one accuses me of trying to provide the WS with another revenue stream, the money collected on the fine would go straight back to the sending shop. This fine would be in addition to a full refund or free replacement by the fulfilling shop. This would hopefully allow the sending shop to save a customer they might otherwise lose through no direct fault of their own.
Sound to harsh, I don't think so. If a shop felt they could not live up to the conditions, don't accept incoming orders.
Rhonda,
Nice dodge, but I for one do not buy it.
I don't for a moment view this as a "wire service" issue. The fact is that they are simply reacting and attempting to solve an existing problem that is affecting the reputation of our industry with the consumer.
We are no longer the "only game in town" for out of town delivery on a couple of days notice. So if we don't want to see this portion of our business simply disappear we better get our act together.
totally so, get with it or get left behind - I don't care how small of town you are in or from - customers right in your small town are and will be ordering online, and you likely have no idea how many are already doing so. This
will increase. It's the way it is.
Yes, we have removed shops from our preferred list of fillers because of this.
For any future orders, this shop is immediately removed from our list of preferred fillers.
They're failure to provide this elementary level of customer service makes them look stupid....us look stupid...and the sender look stupid.
...and yes...STUPID ain't gonna' happen twice...
This is why - I believe it was Ryan several years back who asked Abner for a way to mark shops who do provide decons.
This is why I have pushed and asked for a special message type like ASK, ANS, PRC - as DCON - then automation would handle this easily.
Then - orders would go to shops that want them enough to provide the great customer service our customers are needing
to keep us competitive.
It's a serious as our future.
Those of you WHO DO regular D-CONS......For those who do not yet do this or face difficulty incorporating this..... tell us the method you employ to ensure this gets done......step by step if need be.
We know this is taking place - Now, Here is where those of you who can, help those who can't.
Simple again - technology and once more - if your technology provider doesn't do this they aren't worth their salt - it is becoming a requirement and yeah to that!
I do understand there is one system out there that doesn't handle wire orders at all, even with directories.
For shops that chose that, if they don't demand from their provider that it gets built - maybe they shouldn't receive wire orders?
Or - the workaround is yours - use cell phones, use an employee, or do whatever you have to do, or don't take incoming - simple as that.
I am a firm supporter of mandatory order confirmation simply because I believe it is one step in improving the image of our industry with the consumer. That in turn will benefit all of us in the long run.
I realize that in instances such as yours confirmation will be more of a challenge than for some. However I am sure that someone will come up with a solution for delivery pools.
Ditto that
I understand the importance of improving the floral industry as a whole. This is actually a time where I believe what TF is asking members to do is good for the industry as a whole.
Yes, I believe there is a possibility that it is being implemented mostly for the benefit of the corporation and the OGs, but, in this case, I say "so what", because it will benefit every member as well. I agree that in an ideal world every flower order should not only receive email confirmation, but a picture. I think the floral industry needs to do this to stay competitive with other online retailers.
In these economic times, and in the fallout after we are out of this time, customer service is going to be one of the contributing factors that separates businesses that succeed from those that don't. Maybe you could present this to the members of your carpool as an idea you are personally implementing in your own business that will improve all of your business' CS rather than asking them to do it because TF is asking you to do it??
Everyone, including non wire service florists - will benefit by raising confidence in our products - Doug gave a good example with his Crystal Vase purchase - I remember a great one Heather wrote back at Christmas about the ease of online shopping.
Really it's not as bad as it seems. At first I thought it was going to be a pain in the a$$, but now it's part of daily biz, like washing buckets and watering plants, except way easier.
The driver logs in the dcons at the end of the day, which takes about 2-3 minutes. When the end of the month comes near, I have a minimum wager or myself go back and make sure all dcons were done and if not we fill them in. No biggie.
For those that use an online interface, the dcons can be done from home too.
My friend who owns a shop is part of a delivery pool and never has had a problem with this either. May not get done the same day, thus forfeiting the .75 per order rebate, but doesn't take much effort either.
You figure it out, and you roll with the changes.
We have our driver sit down after the run and call all the senders - IN ADDITION TO the automated emails they get - the florists get them over mercury automatically.
Trying to up the service - stay in business actually seems to be the name of the game. Calling senders is one thing I thought of that would give wow service - so we are doing it - and it doesn't take the driver 5 minutes...
So how about somebody stop calling it "sitting at the computer all day" - "crisisizng" much? (Chicken Little)
Doug:
I understand and completely appreciate your dedication to the customer and customer service.
The main crux of the problem, for many of us, is that we do not all complete our own deliveries. We make it, wrap it, tag it and take it to a pool area. Another florist member completes the delivery for us. (Just as we complete many, many deliveries for them).
Currently, We get notified late that day if there was a problem with the delivery. Or early the next morning if we are closed when the driver has returned.
So, we are at least 2 days in clock running before we can assume that a delivery has been completed.
We would not have a time nor a signature in front of us -- that information remains with the delivering shop for up to 90 days. That is their proof that they completed the delivery and will be paid for it.
We are not usually able to get signatures at hospitals or funeral homes. We often get into apartment buildings, but are forced to leave the flowers with the building manager, or at the receipient's front door. We have notes -- but alas, no signature!
So, how do you propose to have 40+ delivery drivers who can handle up to about 10,000 packages during a holiday month implement a Dcon program?
Keep in mind that: our warehouse does NOT have internet capability; at least 9 of our shops do NOT have a POS system. Our drivers are in the warehouse/drop off point for a maximum of 1.5 hours per day on an average day.
Please enlighten me.
Since I head this group of dedicated florists, I am the one that will have to propose the changes, fully vet them, and then oversee the implementation.
Cheryl
I'm not trying to make light of your concerns - I have no idea the complexities of pool deliveries, am not qualified to comment - but possibly drivers will need to call in to the sending shop each time a delivery is completed? Or, before they go home they call all the shops they delivered for with times - an added step yes, but a necessary one now.
Just brainstorming here - that isn't that complicated. I'm sure it's not an insurmountable problem, just one that is going to require a change in procedures.
The real super high tech shops like McShans for instance are marked by the driver in real time from their cell phone - we don't have that interface as it takes a special phone system that costs a gazillion.
So they have to wait til the driver checks back in.
I am not holding my breathe that TF or any OG will ever give me that information.
You know, this is just a recent problem. Why is that?
The problem is a Middle Man Created Problem.
In addition, WS sales continue to fall for F2F florists only reinforces the notion that this whole Dcon scheme is nothing more than a WS/OG CYA tactic.
joe
Glad you're not holding your breath Joe.
Naw don't buy that - the industry has changed - again doesn't matter who or why created the "problem" - that won't change what's happened.
It's a recent problem because 5 years ago or so we didn't have all the competition for gifting that is done so easily now,
with virtually every other source providing delivery confirmations.
I emailed
the big boys at top of FTD today with a message that TF beat them to the punch - I've been in all their ears now for at least 3 years that they need to make them mandatory.
Like mentioned above - if a message type was created (I believe bloomnet already has this) - it would be simple to mark shops who provide them from those that don't - and with a rating sytem - quite simply - we would send orders to those that provide them.
Mandating it will remove the tracking necessity.
If you're like Dorothy or Rhonda who won't do it - that's fine - it's your world, you just wouldn't get incoming orders.
But - customers are eventually going to choose florists who can and do provide this service over those that don't, so the choice is yours.
I hope tho heck FTD catches on and catches up on this one - it's rare for TF to beat them to a good idea.
So it seems sort of down to - if you want incoming orders, and most of us do - you find a way to do it or you watch them dwindle and go to shops that have.
Mandatory decons - yeah I love it.
OK I'm glad Doug and Preston and LJV held down the "let's think about this" team while I played with my little boy - now he's calling me to play a game with him and I think I'll go do that.
But before I do - did I mention that I love this!
