Staff Sending Wrong Items

[Toon]

Has anyone ever had to tackle the problem of your staff sending wrong items out? As you can no doubt understand it can start to become expensive when staff send out incorrect items as the customer will want a refund of his postage fee and then the cost to send the item back and I'm struggling to see what we can do as ultimately we only occurred these charges because of the incompetence of the staff. The employee needs to be penalised for this so they can take responsibility for their own mistakes.

Any ideas?

 

[KidsBeeHappy]

You need to look at this the other way round, and work out what factors are leading the employee to send out the wrong things.

Maybe look at how you are storing and categorising your stock, labelling, checking orders, stock numbers etc. QA etc.

Yes, it may just be a bit of staff incompetency, but if it's a regular event then it sounds as if procedures/systems are insufficient.

 

[dataferret]

If it is a one-off incident then staff training is required to show the correct procedure, accompanied by a detailed written set of step by step instructions on how to ensure the correct item is shipped to the correct customer.

If you already have the above procedures and have checked they work properly, are simple to follow and your pet dog / cat / monkey could get it right, then you have a different set of problems which may be resolved with staff training, or may be resolved with a new member of staff.

In other words, if your systems and procedures are working and anyone can get it right, fire the member of staff and get someone more competent.

 

[KidsBeeHappy]

Plan for muppets - then nothing can go wrong

 

[Big Pete]

Sack em ..

 

[deadgoodundies]

Send them for a eye test.... seriously.
We had the same problem a few times so I put steps in place so I could monitor myself where the problem lay.
I even started putting the orders together myself for the packers and slipped wrong items together for an order on purpose to see if the packer would spot the error (they didn't) send them for a eye test and the person needed glasses.

 

[owas]

I spent four years working as a picker / packer and at first I used to make a huge amount of mistakes like this :redface:
The ways we overcame this one rather than using product codes, stock codes, locations codes etc, just use the name and colour etc of the product. Not only is this really helpful for when pickin an order but in the longer run when advsing cusotmers etc, looking at stock levels and overstock it makes things much easier.
The other thing we did was, I would pick the orders, as I was the quikest, I would then take them to the packing room, and the others would empty the parcel bag I put them in check them of the invoice and pack / post them, correcting my mistakes, and this almost works perfect now.

 

[deadgoodundies]

The other thing we did was, I would pick the orders, as I was the quikest, I would then take them to the packing room, and the others would empty the parcel bag I put them in check them of the invoice and pack / post them, correcting my mistakes, and this almost works perfect now.

That's one of the things we don't allow.
Rule is that if you pick then you don't collate the orders or pack, if you collate the orders then you don't pick or pack the order, if you pack the order you don't pick or collate the orders.
Means that there are three eyes looking over every order and if there is a mistake then at least one person should spot it.

 

[owas]

That's one of the things we don't allow.
Rule is that if you pick then you don't collate the orders or pack, if you collate the orders then you don't pick or pack the order, if you pack the order you don't pick or collate the orders.
Means that there are three eyes looking over every order and if there is a mistake then at least one person should spot it.

oh yeah we get two pairs of eyes on these, and for us the system works really well, almost no mistakes get through, but I guess its different for each company and what your set up staff levels are like. I often thought as a business owner would anyone consider a staff exchange day and maybe learn from each other?

 

[marieluy143]

SOP - Standard Operating Procedure... Less mistakes..

 

[Alicatt]

Agree that you need to look at your processes first.

Separate picking and packing and give them equal responsibility for accuracy. If any mistakes still get through that's 2 people get a (mild) telling off.

We have lots of similar products in our ecommerce operation so mistakes do happen. We make a note of them and monitor the levels. The worst time is when a new member of staff has been there 3-4 weeks - that's when they start to relax and not pay attention.

 

[gibby]

Its something that is always going to happen no matter how careful you are but yes the tips given will help to cut it down.

We used to have this issue but just tightened everything up & it rarely happens now but one fo the hardest things to do is to get your staff to actually think & do things in the right order, unless you spell it out as McDonalds do, step by step so even a Mcstaff can do it.

The main issue we have is when suppliers send us the wrong stuff.
Very often we do get the wrong goods at busy times such as xmas & they would never know unless we tell them.

Silly things like a case of 12 items comes as 12 cases or toothpaste instead of mouth wash. On many occassions we have ended up with another firms order mixed in with ours.

happy days
G

 

[and180y]

unless you spell it out as McDonalds do, step by step so even a Mcstaff can do it.

Our local one must be the exception then as they never seem to get it right!!
As Leo says "They F*** you at the drive through"

 

[pbsdirect]

I have been looking to overcome this problem for about 6 months now. When stocking a lot of very similar products i.e. different products and sizes it is even more apparent.
I have looked at barcoding systems ect but none really seem to fix this as if the employee barcodes something wrong when its incoming then its 1- more work and 2- more mistakes than the manual method.
I started putting a product picture beside each line on the invoice so hopefully they would see the product better and catch more mistakes, this helped a little.
The main problem is staff not "actually reading" the invoices when packing checking just skim reading (after a while the packing gets tedious) so you cannot really do much about that.

I am at the stage now where one member of staff (strongest) picks and puts orders in a long line of baskets (I have a stand that holds all the baskets) I randomly check, or at the moment I am checking everything and the packers pack (the packers are new so I are still learning what all the products are at the moment). Still mistakes are made i.e. packer takes 2 baskets at once trying to be quick and mixes the invoices ect.
It is not a case of they have too many orders to pack, the quieter days are when the mistakes seem to happen. And usually due to sodds law the mistakes are made to overseas customers which is even more expensive and often not even worth while to get them back.

 

[sysops]

Expecting staff to accurately check orders is not the best option, especially not if you sell products which are similar to each other, or a wide range of products.

You should look at putting in place a checking system which does not rely on staff knowledge, but just following simple procedure.

Barcode based checking is by far the best option, but it does require a certain level of investment. If you can't justify the cost of a barcode based system, you can look at devising a simpler paper based checking system. But either way, your goal should be to have a system which can be used by anyone with minimal training, not one requiring a lot of knowledge.

 

[pbsdirect]

Yes, have tries to get them to tick a box, also initial orders sent, doesnt make any difference justs gets them to read less as they have one one step to follow.
There is a problem with disciplining staff also as its a pretty no brainer job as it is, essentially soo easy, they DO NOT take it well and seem to loose motivation when you tell them a mistake has been made.
I am thinking that possibly a system whereby they recieve instore credit at the start of the month and this is reduced by mistakes by x amount during the month then they have something to look for? Do you think this is a good enough incentive?

 

[sysops]

Yes, have tries to get them to tick a box, also initial orders sent, doesnt make any difference justs gets them to read less as they have one one step to follow.
There is a problem with disciplining staff also as its a pretty no brainer job as it is, essentially soo easy, they DO NOT take it well and seem to loose motivation when you tell them a mistake has been made.
I am thinking that possibly a system whereby they recieve instore credit at the start of the month and this is reduced by mistakes by x amount during the month then they have something to look for? Do you think this is a good enough incentive?

How does the checker know that the item he is holding is the one on the order?

 

[pbsdirect]

Well there is a picture of said item and a description. So if order says banana with a picture of a banana, and they are holding an apple, the box should not be ticked.
And no this method does not work lol

 

[sysops]

Well there is a picture of said item and a description. So if order says banana with a picture of a banana, and they are holding an apple, the box should not be ticked.
And no this method does not work lol

So talk me through the process. I'm your checker. I have in front of me some items, and presumably a picking list. Are you saying I'm matching up the items with photos on the picking list? How big are these photos? Are they colour?

 

[pbsdirect]

No, picker has already picked order.
You are sitting there with a basket.
In it "should be" your product and the invoice ready to be sent.
Invoice says banana with a colour picture of a banana on it, in the basket is an apple.
Basically the only reason you would send the apple is if you didnt look at the invoice.

 

[sysops]

Invoice says banana with a colour picture of a banana on it, in the basket is an apple.
Basically the only reason you would send the apple is if you didnt look at the invoice.

But assuming that I don't know what an apple is, or what a banana is, how do I know it's correct?

Re. barcoding - we use a warehouse-wide barcode system. 90% of products come in with barcodes, the rest we have to barcode. We carry 4500 lines. Our current error rate is one in 12,000.

Systems are the key to making it work.

 

[sysops]

Oops, missed the 'colour picture' bit. How big is the colour picture? How many lines do you stock? How similar are they?

 

[pbsdirect]

Hi
They are not all that similar, there are different colours and sizes ect. The picture is about 3x3cm. Most mistakes are made due to the staff not reading and just stuffing in the bag. I honnestly do not know how to make them read, they CAN read. I would say about 5% comes in barcoded, so it would be me personally who would have to barcode absolutely everything incoming. This is not a great system for me, sometimes we get something in and it sells out in a week and never get it back in, it is not the same Skus that are constantly reordered on the whole. I would say 1/4 is reordered. At any one time we have around 2000 Skus but over 6 months possibly 10000 in total if not more. Thats a lot of barcodes and a lot of work, for something that may not even reduce errors that much.
Each invoice has a barcode that is scanable, when the invoice is scanned it shows up on the computer screen. Do you think I could do something with that? I am unsure though if they will not read on paper will they read a screen?

 

[caley]

firstly,it is obviously that sending the wrong items to customers is a terrible problem,and that s completely the sellers mistake. so if for us we usually talk with the customers anyway work but not sending back the items ,u know shipping cost will be high for shipping back items. and if they accept ship one together with next order and the wrong items just as sample to see quality that will be best.

 

[gibby]

Are you allowed to take something from the staff wages everytime they make a mistake?

I know in some supermarkets the staff lose money if the till is down.

G

 

[pbsdirect]

I do not think this is allowed.
I was thinking in offering shopping vouchers that would be awarded at the end of the month - each mistake would deduct the voucher value by 5 pounds or something like that. The way things are just now they would all get 0, but I think its worth a shot.
Anyoune know how you would account for this?

 

[kadencayden]

we are all experienced the same problems;

 

[Vacman2000]

Some one told me, there are no bad students, just bad teachers, I know everyone shold do their job, but as you know they do not do it probably as good as you would do it yourself, so maybe an insentive to do it correctly.

I saw a programme on Ocado where the products were scanned if they did not match the order bar codes it would not go onto the delivery section. Perhaps you could do it in such away that if they all didnt match it would not print out a delivery lable.

 

[Page]

Hi
TMost mistakes are made due to the staff not reading and just stuffing in the bag. I honnestly do not know how to make them read, they CAN read. I would say about 5% comes in barcoded, so it would be me personally who would have to barcode absolutely everything incoming. This is not a great system for me, sometimes we get something in and it sells out in a week and never get it back in, it is not the same Skus that are constantly reordered on the whole. I would say 1/4 is reordered. At any one time we have around 2000 Skus but over 6 months possibly 10000 in total if not more. Thats a lot of barcodes and a lot of work, for something that may not even reduce errors that much.
Each invoice has a barcode that is scanable, when the invoice is scanned it shows up on the computer screen. Do you think I could do something with that? I am unsure though if they will not read on paper will they read a screen?

Which is why systems matter

Maybe just accept it ?

But try pricing up the cost of errors compared with the work involved in barcoding using sysops and your own current figures and see what you think.

 

[pbsdirect]

True, its a fine line.
Unfortunately the errors actually win over the barcode system at the moment. In the future if we become bigger it will become a necessity.
In the meantime however I will try the reward system.
There are less errors made that are down to the checker/packer not checking, rather than the picker selecting the correct product.
The most recent one I just got emailed about today. Packer sent a padlock instead of a hat. and also vice versa to the other customer.
The only thing that could have happened here is that they were trying to do two orders at once and have packed them then put the address on the wrong package. This type of thing is the most errors I get. A little extra care, and I think I need to put the foot down. No mobiles and no radio, ipods whilst working? Do you think thats reasonable to start with?

 

[sysops]

The only thing that could have happened here is that they were trying to do two orders at once and have packed them then put the address on the wrong package. This type of thing is the most errors I get. A little extra care, and I think I need to put the foot down. No mobiles and no radio, ipods whilst working? Do you think thats reasonable to start with?

I think your training is seriously lacking. Why were they doing 2 orders at the same time? Have you trained these people in how to check and pack?

As for music - packing all day is a very tedious job. Keeping up spirits in the packing area is very important. We achieve this by encouraging a good level of chat, and having background music. Definitely no mobiles or personal music players though.

If you don't mind the question - you sound quite new to this, are you?

 

[James1980]

I was thinking in offering shopping vouchers that would be awarded at the end of the month - each mistake would deduct the voucher value by 5 pounds or something like that.

The annoying thing about incentive schemes is the way in which they can backfire. For example, imagine if each staff starts the month with a £20 gift voucher, and loses £5 for each mistake. After four mistakes they have no incentive to not make mistakes.



James

 

[Alicatt]

Are your people picking all day or packing all day?

If so can you switch them round? Our staff generally mix workshop, picking and packing and rarely do more than 1 hour of picking or packing at a time - then they swap around. Makes it less boring and they are hopefully more attentive.

However, our product range is pretty stable so it's worth our while investing in product training. Like you very little of our stock comes in bar-coded and quite a bit is manufactured or finished in-house.