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Quality Coach is an ezine of hints, ideas and perspectives on
quality, to help you create simple quality
systems that are useful, real and practical.
"Mutually rewarding relationships with suppliers" is one of the
underlying principles of ISO 9001. See if you think this unusual approach to
customer relations qualifies.
This particular supplier is a printer & copier; I'd tested them already on a
few individual components for the DIY ISO 9001 Pack and been reasonably
satisfied with the results. A few minor hiccups, but the owner - I'll call
him Lesley - said he had re-organised things. He was confident their
system was working well. I was about ready to use them regularly for the
bulk copying and printing.
I emailed requirements, timing, quantities.
No problem, but "could I let him have the files again? 'They're on the
system somewhere, but just in case'.
Hmm. I made the time to do some minor updates; emailed the files, of
course including the detailed instructions for printing, collating and
binding.
In the agreed 5 days they were done. Before taking them away, I did a quick QA
check.
‘I can't see anything here that looks like the bound sample manuals, Lindsey.’
'They'll be there, just keep looking'. Lindsay was sure they'd be
in the boxes. "The guys know what they’re doing." But I wanted to be
sure, and wasn't willing to just accept assurances.
Lindsay sighed heavily. "Did you want me to empty the boxes out for you to
check?" He dumped them out on the counter with resignation.
And yes, the printed pages were there. Unbound.
Lindsay muttered under his breath, and went out the back. Binding them, he reported back shortly, wouldn't take long. Could I "come
back in 20"?
I had an all-afternoon client meeting, and barely enough time left that
morning to pick up materials and ship one overseas, which I'd promised to
my customer.
What about tomorrow? When I explained about the
overseas customer, he sighed heavily again.
Perhaps, I suggested, they could bind one set now for me to take, then
deliver the rest later? I waited, grabbed the set and raced back to
the office. Lunch was now out of the question, but at least the shipping
commitment would be met.
That was before I found one of the sample manuals was missing a colour page.
I picked up the phone again.
‘Can’t be missing," was Lindsay's reaction. "The guys are sure they
did them OK. Anyway, there’s no spare colour page anywhere here, so
how could that be?’
I counted to ten. ‘I have no idea. But I have it in front of me, I know what the colour
page looks like, and where it should be. If it was there, I think I would
see it.'
Lindsay: 'Damn.'
Me: 'Indeed'.
A pause. Lindsay: 'Well, couldn't you just send it as it is?'
More counting. (I've learned it's better to do that before I speak.) 'No, I can't.
That isn't what I've promised or
what I expect to deliver, and I won't do that to a customer.'
Another pause, followed by another sigh. The silence lengthened.
At last: ‘When do you have to get it out?'
'In the next 30 minutes.'
'Well,' he said unenthusiastically, 'I suppose I could manage to
bring another one over. If you’re really sure the one you have is no good.’
Eight, nine, ten. "Thank you, Lindsay, yes. That would solve the immediate problem.'
Then I very quietly added that I was disappointed at the way things had
happened, particularly given that I had provided very clear written
instructions of the requirements.
‘You're disappointed!' Lindsay burst out. 'How do you think I
feel?’
And it was at that precise moment, dear reader, I decided to find a new
supplier.
Yes, to his credit, he did bring the other sample manuals around. As well as
the missing loose colour page, which had mysteriously re-appeared. 'That
was the only one wrong. All the rest were fine."
He'd found the problem, he said. It was that 'they' had handed over the job in the middle.
'They know they’re not supposed to do that, and I’ve told them that
again’.
But what that told me was that this business doesn’t have an effective method or
a systematic approach for responding to quality problems. Perhaps because of
the owner: he seems too busy blaming other people to analyse what went
wrong. Perhaps because of a lack of customer focus: in each case, I seemed
to have to find my own solutions rather than being offered them by the
supplier.
But most of all, I think, because there is no systematic approach.
Yes, things go wrong in any business or organisation at times. No system, process or person is perfect. But that's
another very good reason why nonconformance, corrective and preventive
action are part of the ISO 9001 Standard, and any good quality management
system.
And OK, I did manage to get the product shipped to Malaysia on time. And
yes, I currently have adequate stocks of the DIY Pack. Including one sample
that I won't and can’t ship to a customer as is, because it’s still missing
an essential page.
I’m guessing he expects me to take it back to him if I want it done. I’m
also guessing he expects me to pay the invoice he thrust into my hand at
delivery.
I haven’t done either of those things yet. I’m looking for a new
supplier.
They'll need to understand how important it is to keep your existing
customers happy. And have a better system for responding to problems (ISO
9001's clause 8.3 and 8.5.2). And some way of 'monitoring customer
perception of satisfaction' (see 8.2.1 and 8.4). Listening to your customers
is a great place to begin!
It still astonishes me when people think that 'quality' is something really
hard. At its simplest, it just means making sure that your customer gets
what was agreed, to the standard and the specifications and the timing
agreed between you.
That so many businesses seem to struggle with this never ceases to surprise
me.
PS (Update 2 years later): That franchise business no longer
exists.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Need to get ISO 9001 but don't know how? Tired of battling with it? The
DIY Pack shows you how to to get ISO 9001 fast
without struggle and without spending a fortune.
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