How to kill your business

The Standard calls for mutually beneficial relationships with suppliers, as well as monitoring 'customer perception of satisfaction'. See if you think this somewhat unusual approach to customer relations I experienced from a supplier recently would meet those requirements.

The supplier is a printer & copier. I'd tested them already on some individual components for the DIY ISO 9001 Pack and been reasonably satisfied with the results. There were a few minor hiccups, but the owner - let's call him Lesley - had made changes and was confident their system was now sound and working well. I was about ready to use them regularly for the bulk production.

As stock was low, I emailed him my requirements, timing, quantities. No problem. Oh, but could I let him have the files again? 'They're on our system somewhere, but just in case'. As there are more than 40 files involved in various folders, it wasn't a small task. But I made the time to do it, and sent them along with my usual detailed instructions for what files went where, and for the printing, collating and binding.

In the agreed 5 days I got a call that they were done. In the meantime, I'd run right out of stock, and had a new order that I promised to ship the next day. I congratulated myself on pre-organising the next print run.

The printer had already packed all the materials into cardboard boxes. Although he didn't seem to think I needed to, I did a quick QA check, riffling through the contents of the boxes.

'I can't see anything that looks like the bound sample manuals, Lesley.'
Lesley assured me they'd be there. 'The guys know what they're doing.'

But the sample manuals are essential parts of the Pack: I didn't want to wait until I got back to the office to find I was missing something.

Lesley sighed. 'You want me to empty the boxes for you to check?'

I did. And yes, the printed pages were there. But loose, not bound.

Lesley muttered under his breath, and went away. Binding them, he reported back, would take 'around 20 minutes'. Could I come back later? I had barely enough time left to pick up the materials and get one packed and shipped to the client in Kuala Lumpur.

He sighed. I really couldn't wait? Well, tomorrow then?

But I'd promised my customer. Could they not at least bind one set now for me to take, then deliver the rest later? He agreed with visible reluctance. I waited, then grabbed the set and raced back to the office. Lunch was out of the question before my all-afternoon meeting, but I'd meet the shipping commitment.

Which was when I discovered one of the two sample manuals was missing its colour page.

I counted to five and picked up the phone. 'No, that can't be,' Lesley said. 'The guys are sure they did them OK, and there's no spare colour page anywhere. So how could that be?'
Me: 'I have no idea. But I have the manual right here, I know what the colour page looks like, as well as where it should be. It isn't there.'
Lesley: 'Damn.'
Me: 'Indeed'.
Lesley: 'Well, can't you just send it as it is?'

I counted to five again. 'No. It doesn't meet our standards, or the specifications. And I won't do that to my customer.' A pause. Another sigh. This time I let the silence lengthen.
At last: 'When do you have to go?'
'In 30 minutes.'
Lesley: I suppose I could bring another one over. If you're really sure yours is no good.'

I was getting tired of counting. 'Thank you, Lesley, yes.' And at this point I added, 'But I have to say I'm really disappointed at this, particularly given that I provided very detailed, written instructions of the requirements.'

'You're disappointed!' he burst out in an aggrieved tone. 'How do you think I feel?'

And it was at that precise moment, dear reader, I decided I needed 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 somehow mysteriously re-appeared. 'It was the only one wrong. All the rest were fine.' Lesley had found what the problem was. 'They handed over the job in the middle. They know they're not supposed to do that, and I've told them again'.

But what it said to me was: this business doesn't have an effective method, nor a systematic approach to quality problems. Most likely because of the owner: perhaps too busy blaming other people to really analyse what went wrong. Perhaps because of a lack of customer focus: for each problem, I'd had to suggest my own solutions, instead of being offered them by the supplier.

But definitely because there is no systematic approach.

Yes, things do go wrong at times, even in the best of businesses and organisations. No system, no process and no person is perfect. But that's another very good reason why nonconformance, corrective and preventive action are included in a quality management system.

And OK, I did manage to get the product shipped to Kuala Lumpur. And yes, I currently have stocks of the DIY Pack. Including one sample manual that I can't ship, because it's 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 the same time as he delivered the rest.

I haven't done either of those things yet. Mutually rewarding relationships with suppliers is one of the underlying principles of ISO 9001, and 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 sound methods of 'monitoring customer perception of satisfaction' (see 8.2.1 and 8.4).

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Jane Bennett is a quality management consultant, a business coach
and author of the 'DIY ISO 9001 Pack'.

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Need to get ISO 9001 but don't know how? Sick and tired of struggling with it? The 'DIY ISO 9001 Pack' shows you how to to get ISO 9001 fast without struggle and without spending a fortune.
Click Here> http://www.mapwright.com.au/DIYPack.html

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Regards
Jane Bennett
Get a simple, practical quality system working for you
www.mapwright.com.au