Documents customers ask for again
A copy of something already sent.
Customers ask for copies of things already sent, and somebody finds and resends each one by hand.
Not every business has this problem, and some should leave it alone.
Most of these can be handled better. Whether it's worth doing is a separate question. What follows is one common form of the problem, described in general terms, because your version will differ. These are possible challenges, not a description of your business, and some should be left exactly as they are. If it sounds like your week, that's worth a conversation.
Sound familiar?
- Customers ask for a copy of an invoice or a statement.
- Finding an old document means searching an inbox.
- Year-end brings a pile of requests for the same things.
- Some requests wait days because nobody has time to look.
What it looks like
An invoice from last spring. A certificate of work done. A statement for the year. A warranty document. The customer had it once, and now they need it again.
Somebody searches for it, finds the right version, and sends it. Each request is small. They arrive when people are busy, and in bunches at certain times of year.
What it costs
Each request is a small search. Across a year, the searches add up.
The wrong version gets sent. An older copy is found first.
Requests wait. A customer who needs a document for their own deadline is left waiting on yours.
Where it goes wrong
- Documents are stored where they were created. In inboxes, desktops, and systems that do not talk to each other.
- Nothing is filed by customer. Finding one customer's documents means searching everywhere.
- Customers cannot get it themselves. Every copy needs a person.
- Year-end is not planned for. The same requests arrive every year as if new.
What a better version looks like
Documents sent to customers are filed by customer as they are sent, so any of them can be found in one place. Where it makes sense, customers can get their own copies. At the times of year when requests pile up, the common documents are ready before anyone asks.
What still needs a person
A person handles anything unusual: a correction, a dispute, a document that needs changing. A person decides what customers can see for themselves.
Questions worth asking about your own operation
- Which documents do customers ask for again?
- How long does it take to find one?
- When in the year do those requests pile up?
- Has the wrong version ever gone out?
If this sounds familiar
Bring me the version you actually have. I'll learn how the process really works before I suggest anything. If it isn't worth changing, or isn't a fit for me, I'll say so. Talk through a problem