Over the Christmas my period I visited my parents. One of the discussions that came up was the long delivery time for a replacement fridge freezer that they had ordered online. As we were driving I spotted a store that belonged to this particular retail chain; we paid them a visit.
It turned out that the delivery lead time is less than five days on average, so far my parents had waited over two months. The order my parents had placed was missing one piece of information and this had put the order into limbo. It was only after we made this enquiry that the missing piece of information was requested by the retailer. A two month delay for ten seconds of interaction!
Anyway, this got me reflecting on how businesses in general have similar problems with their own systems. Whether they use MRP / ERP systems, CRM systems or in-house systems; having clean, complete and reliable data is essential.
The challenge that I put before you is this: is your business data complete and useable 100% of the time?
If it isn't, what changes can you make in your business to improve your business data?
Giles Johnston
Author of 'Business Process Re-Engineering', a practical plan to improve business performance.