During the last 12 months, how many times has someone forgotten to order a carpet? Or ordered the wrong color? Or been unable to find an order? Or ordered a product that should have been in the warehouse, but wasn’t (yet it turned up later)? Have you forgotten to cancel your order with a supplier after the customer canceled on you? Have you forgotten to bill a customer? Or caught an employee stealing? Have you missed the manufacturer’s discount on an accounts payable? If you’ve experienced such errors more than once, you have a process problem. Your loss exposure is far larger than your actual losses to date.
To err may be human, but to repeat an error is a mistake. And a mistake is simply a waste. As inventor Thomas Edison said, “Waste is worse than loss.” With so many retail choices now available to consumers, the customer is no longer king -- she’s dictator! Very few customers will stick by you if they have to tolerate mistakes.