|
|
 Evaluate Your Own Service
Most merchants will say that they shop their own catalog and Websites to monitor customer service, and most customer contact centers have a call monitoring process. But many aren’t doing a good job of evaluating the total customer service experience for their company. Curt Barry, president of Richmond, VA-based operations consultancy F. Curtis Barry & Co., has a question for multichannel merchants: “Are you shopping your company in a consistent and methodical manner across the fulfillment and returns process?” ...
|
Service is Key to CCM Strategy
Customer contact management (CCM) is the method and approach that a company uses to manage all of its customers interactions, both incoming and outgoing, across all business functions such as sales, marketing, service, billing and others. CCM is a component of a company's broader customer relationship management and customer loyalty strategy....
|
Report: RFID Tide Turning?
Another encouraging dispatch from the RFID front: Nearly three-quarters of second-generation RFID users report better read rates and are more confident that their technology won't soon become obsolete....
|
Mandatory Employment Verification on the Horizon
By: By Les Gore
Direct marketing organizations, like all businesses, have been collecting I-9 information since the original Immigration and Reform Control Act (IRCA) of 1986, which made it illegal for employers to knowingly hire unauthorized workers. Although your attention may be focused on your hourly workers—typically high turnover individuals working in contact centers—all employees must meet the same scrutiny. Part of the IRCA created the I-9 document and the verification process employers must follow today in order to avoid sanctions. ...
|
Legislative Update: Strengthening Port Security
The U.S. House of Representatives in May overwhelmingly voted to pass H.R. 4954, the Security and Accountability for Every Port Act (SAFE). The act focuses on enhancing the security at U.S. ports, preventing threats from reaching the U.S., and tracking and protecting containers en route to the country....
|
Supply Chain Evolution: Survival of the Fittest
By: By Lawrence Dean Shemesh
There has been much debate in the logistics community about the lifespan of supply chain networks under the pressure of rapidly changing global markets. Some experts have gone as far as saying that very few networks are good for more than about twelve months....
|
Measure for Measure—Shipment Beats Delivery
What's the better benchmark when it comes to shipping the customer's goods? Is it when the order ships or when the order is delivered? It seems not even distribution center managers can agree. According to a recent survey by the Warehousing and Education Research Council (WERC) more distribution center managers measure “on-time shipment,” rather than “on-time delivery.”...
|
Six Steps for Dealing With Difficult People
By: By Les Gore
There’s no getting around the fact that some people are just plain difficult. And you know who they are. They come in every form, at different levels, and no workplace is immune.
Differences and disagreements are a natural part of working together. In a healthy organization, where there are appropriate channels and ways of expressing differences, a certain amount of disagreement—or "conflict"—is energizing and often creative. But when differences lead to personal confrontation, inappropriate aggression, or intolerably high levels of tension, you have to do something to mitigate the tension and redirect the behaviors of those involved. This is not only a part of your job, it is also a responsibility of your managers, in partnership with an HR professional.
...
|
Having His Say: Steamed About Incentive Pay
By: By Ron Hounsell
I just read the first part of the two-part article on incentive pay in the June 7 O+F Advisor and wanted to commend you on its content. With few exceptions, our experience has been quite parallel to the conclusions ARC has gleaned from the survey. I do believe, however, that there’s more to the story, especially when it comes to implementation....
|
Incentive Pay in the Warehouse, Part II
Incentive programs for the warehouse, implemented in a variety of ways, have resulted in striking gains in productivity. These programs have also resulted in other benefits such as increased employee satisfaction. ...
|
Fuel Conservation No Idle Matter at UPS
You wouldn't think of something as benign as avoiding a left-hand turn could conserve fuel, but Atlanta-based United Parcel Service (UPS) swears by it. In fact, the parcel carrier has technology in its systems that help map this out routes that minimize the number of left turns the driver has to make. According to spokesperson Steve Holmes, avoiding left turns at intersections reduces idling which in turn lowers fuel consumption. "It seems small, but when you multiply it across 88,0000 vehicles making nearly 15 million deliveries every day during the course of a year, it adds up."...
|
Weatherproofing the Supply Chain
The first of June ushered in the 2006 hurricane season and Florida has already weathered a tropical storm alerts. Hurricanes and other natural disasters can cause chaos, product shortages and suffering when they occur. Supplies are often short in disaster areas, with customers frantically searching for essential items. But the adept use of sophisticated information tools helps marketers and suppliers to moderate the effect of natural disasters by “weatherproofing” the supply chain. That means diverting product shipments, placing inventory in forward locations, and anticipating potential spikes in demand....
|
UPS Upgrades International Shipping Tool
UPS has enhanced its TradeAbility trade management tool---which provides international shippers with the ability to better manage the customs clearance processes for packages-to automatically alert shippers if they’re trying to send a package to a person, organization or country under official government restriction....
|
A New OMS Model: Software as a Service
By: By Curt Barry
Technology has radically changed the options that are open to multichannel companies as they look at acquiring new OMS functionality. Literally hundreds of companies now use SAAS and ASPs; they have become comfortable with giving up control of the IT management and environment. ...
|
Why Automate my Operation?
By: By Jon Paul
For any manufacturing company, automation means a series of repetitive tasks used for the assembly of products. Warehousing facilities look at automation as some or all of the steps used to move and store items. Even if we agree on these definitions, what are the barriers, those “business” reasons that prohibit companies from implementing automation? One barrier to automation can be a company’s culture. ...
|
Incentive Pay in the Warehouse
Want to achieve better efficiencies in your distribution center? You might try offering performance incentives. A recent survey by Dedham, MA-based consultancy ARC Advisory Group noted that incentive programs in the warehouse have yielded striking gains in productivity....
|
Sigma Micro to Acquire Quark Commerce
Indianapolis-based software provider Sigma Micro agreed to acquire the intellectual property of Quark Commerce software from Denver-based Quark....
|
Is It Time for a Consultant
By: By Wonil Gregg
Your company's gross sales during the past three years have been increasing at a rate of 12%-18% annually. Sales forecasts project continued growth during the next five years. A retail rollout makes the operational task more complicated. Wholesale distribution is expected to increase as your primary distributor is expanding rapidly, and more sales are expected with smaller single unit customers. At the same time, catalog and Internet orders continue to jump. ...
|
Quick Tip: Penny Management
By: By Debra Ellis
Penny Lane. J.C. Penney. Penny Management?
Though it might not fit with the first two, penny management is a simple concept that can yield exceptional results and save you money. Every penny saved when mailing 10,000 pieces or processing 10,000 orders is an extra $100 on the bottom line.
...
|
A New OMS Model: Software as a Service
By: By Curt Barry
Application service providers (ASP), software as a service (SAAS), and managed services are all options for purchasing new hardware, software, user licenses, and managing your own IT shop. While these types of services have become more commonplace in the e-commerce world, they have gained a significant foothold in back-end order management. Applications typically include customer contact center, customer service, credit card authorization, order processing, inventory control, warehousing, marketing, and accounting for multichannel and direct companies....
|
Today's Pick Module
By: By Vincent DePaola
In today’s busy distribution centers, high-speed order fulfillment and tight inventory controls are supported by advanced technologies and creatively designed product storage structures. One of these storage solutions is the pick module. Here's how to select one. ...
|
Study: RFID Adoption Moving At Modest Pace
Radio frequency identification (RFID) was supposed to revolutionize operations, only it never materialized. In fact, according to a survey compiled by NCR Corp. and Retail Systems Alert Group, the adoption rate of RFID is still modest primarily because technical and cultural roadblocks continue to impede RFID's growth. ...
|
Improving Inventory Management
Inventory management is a pendulum that is constantly swinging from calm to chaos. When product demand increases, availability decreases. The immediate reaction is to over compensate and substantially increase purchase orders. Demand then declines leaving extensive overstocks. It is a cycle that repeats itself with each new product. ...
|
Identifying the Gaps in Call Agent Training
By: By Penny Reynolds
So what exactly do new employees need to learn about the call center? We asked agents and supervisors alike what the missing pieces were and below is their “top five ” list. How many of these areas are you covering in your own training program? ...
|
|
 |
