Further to event that recently occurs with a delivery business DPD over the delivery of a package to our office since the 02/01/19 and this package was ordered in December 2018 over the Christmas period and we were advised that it would be delivered in the new year but all conspiracy theories developed in my mind as a web of lies have been told by the delivery driver to his company when we enquired about the whereabout of the package and up to today it is still not delivered to our office I was told that they do not know why there is a delay by DPD depot.
Why we are using this example to discuss consistency in business and how important it is to have integrity in business, being trustworthy, transparent and honest in your business dealing with your customers.
The jest of this true story comes exactly like this. On the 2/01/19 I went to my door as I went down the stairs the postman was delivering letters through the letterbox and with our letters I saw two cards for missing delivery posted by the delivery driver.
I looked at the cards and thought he or she did not ring the doorbell and just put cards in. I contacted DPD and the customer service officer confirming to me what I saw when I clicked on the text message link received stating the driver could not deliver your parcel today please click to re-arrange delivery. I clicked on the link and saw that the driver had written no one was in at the address.
I informed the customer service officer that everybody was in and the driver did not ring my bell but just put two cards in. He replied he is trying to contact the driver but his phone goes on voicemail. He is unable to speak to him and he can see on his system that he is busy delivering other people parcels hence he cannot come back to my address. He re-arranged delivery for the next day the 03/01/19 by the same driver and this time delivery to take place between 12.45 to 13.45.
The 03/01/19 I am waiting for the DPD driver to deliver my package the time pass and at around 3pm I looked at my text message and I saw that the driver could not delivered your parcel please click on the link to rearrange delivery. I clicked on the link this time it stated an attempt to deliver the parcel was made but no access to the road. I rang DPD spoke to the customer service officer who state your road was blocked therefore the driver could not deliver your parcel.
I replied the road is cleared and was never blocked either are you sure he came to my address and he did not go to Cumbria road, he replied no he went to your address but he said the road is blocked and he could not access the property. I replied they are no blockage in my road I can see and I was in all day waiting.
He replied are you sure you were in. I replied I worked from my home office therefore I was in and I can clearly see that my road is not blocked at all. He replied he is trying to contact the driver but no reply and added you worked from home, I replied yes I do and added your driver lied on two occasions over the delivery of my parcel.
Suspicion set in my mind
He first stated that no-one was in and left two cards, then today the road is blocked can you tell me if my parcel is in your possession he could have been stolen, by the driver or damaged or something happened to it. He replied I contacted the depot and was advised that they could not locate the driver to ask him but that my parcel was out for delivery and the tracking number is link to my parcel. He added the parcel is here and we will deliver it for you tomorrow between 12.45 and 13.45.
Request denied
I replied I want another driver to deliver my parcel. He replied the same driver would be assign to your parcel as it is too late to arrange for another driver. I replied you are assigning the driver who already lied twice over the delivery of my parcel and I want another driver. I added I bought my item over Christmas for my daughter and I want my parcel so please arrange another driver if the parcel is here in your depot. He replied he cannot but he can assure me that he would deliver the parcel on this occasion.
The third day
On the 4/01/19 I am waiting for the parcel to be delivered the time pass and the window for delivery time is gone and no delivery was made by DPD but I received other delivery by another company. Around five pm I checked my text message and no text message from DPD has been received. I used the previous link from the text message received the previous day and noticed that the driver had written that he could not deliver because he could not find the address.
I contacted DPD and spoke to the customer service officer who informed me that an attempt was made but the driver could not find the address. I replied that is a lies and he does not make any sense at all. I explained on the 2/01 he left two cards stating no-one was in, on the 3/01 the road was block and today he cannot find the address.
I added I requested yesterday to be assigned another driver and the request was denied. I was assured that the same driver was going to deliver my parcel today but as you can see he did not and lied stating he could not find the address. Can you tell me if my parcel is with you. He replied you can put a complaint against the driver would you like to do that I replied I would like to do that.
He replied I wrote what you say as a complaint already but if you want to make another you can go on our website and make a formal complaint and called me by my daughter name as the package is at her name. I replied it is not my daughter but her mother talking to you and added if it was you that this is happening to. You are waiting for your parcel and you are fed with lies how would you feel. He replied he would be angry and put a complaint and added we will assign another driver to the delivery of your parcel tomorrow you will received a text message informing you of the time slot as we give a 1 hour window.
I replied your company has very poor customer care and an appealing way of treating your customers and this can affect your reputation as you are not transparent and trustworthy you cannot tell me if my parcel is your possession and you have sent the same liar driver to my house to deliver my parcel which is still not delivered, you cannot tell me where it is and you keep arranging delivery of my parcel but it might not be in your possession.
He replied if you not in this time we will return it to the company. I replied and on top of that you do not even believed your customers when they report to you that their parcel has not been delivered and when you looked at your system and see what the driver written you still do not believed he is lying. This is amazing to me as you cannot see what he says over three days which does not make any sense over the sequence of events, first two cards no-one was in, then the road is blocked no access to the property and today he could not find the property.
I added if he put two cards through my letterbox on the 2/01 and return to the same address the next day but this time the road is blocked no access to the property meaning that he went to my address and to my door except he did not ring the bell on the 02/01 them on the 3/01 he did not even bother delivering my package but just entered in your system that my road was blocked no access and on the 04/01 he run out of excuses or forgotten his lies so he entered he could not find the address that he went to twice according to his entries on your system since he put two cards in my letterbox and the next day he found that the road was blocked can you see what I am saying to you. He terminated the phone call on me.
Collection at the local shop
On the 07/01/19 I picked up one of the cards and went on their website since no text was received on the 04/01/19 to confirming that another driver was going to deliver my parcel to my address as informed by the customer service officer who terminated our conversation abruptly once I told him how bad is company was and the poor treatment their customers are receiving.
After selecting on their website to collect my parcel. I selected my local shop to collect my parcel after entering the card number. I received a confirmation text message saying your order will be delivered 8th January to my local shop. We'll let you know when it arrives and what ID to bring.
The parcel was to be collected today after 12pm I went and it was not there the manager rang DPD depot and asked why my parcel was not delivered at their shop? and after speaking to the customer service officer she told me it will be there tomorrow after 11 am to comeback with ID and when I asked why they are a delay to the DPD customer service officer at their depot she said to me that she did not know.
How consistency is important in business
Consistency in business is important as it brings trust in your business and it is important to have an element of trust within your business and what you saying should be in line with your action as what you inform your customers should happened and not the contrary otherwise your customers will not be able to trust you and will not use your services or products.
The meaning of Consistency in business
If a business consistently take care of their customers and provide solution to their needs in turn the customers will become their advocate and they will see an increase in returning customers and new customers due to their good reputation and their business become profitable.
An organisation or business should be constant and supportive in their dealing with their customers, supplier and associate meaning that their behaviours continues to be need and solution orientated throughout time and remain unchanged as they grows as the years gone by.
Applying consistency to your business dealing is not difficult at all and the way a business behave is usually in line with their ethos and their ethical views and what they seeing as right and wrong, also the influence felt by their competitors and the market their business niche is in.
Therefore, if you want to have an edge over your competition a business should distinct itself from its competition and navigate in the business world in an infinite way to remain relevant and move through time. This is when consistency in actions is mighty important for business sustainability.
If a business think that they cannot fail due to their name being known and the huge amount of customers they have complacency set in and we start seen a lack of customers care as the latter example. Therefore small crack start to appears and eventually their level of customers drop as well as their share of the market and their customers goes to their competitors where they feels they are receiving a better service or product. If this continues to happen over times the company will close down or go in administration as they can no longer operate due to lack of funding and customers has lack of consistency brings lack of interest.
Conclusion
With consistency all thing is possible as when you are consistent in your actions people start trusting you and believe in you, see you as reliable. In your business consistency brings transparency, engender trust and honesty which is mighty important when conducting business dealing with potential customers, your customers or acquiring deal and major contracts which can help your business grow.
customer care and communication with your customers is mighty important and the way you communicate with your customers and respond to their queries is also paramount as it can makes the difference between an happy customers who will refer your service to other and an unhappy customers who can decide to damage your reputation by advertising your bad customer service to whoever want to listen.
My story above is an example of bad customer service and as a customers I felt that I was not believed when I reported my parcel not been delivered by the driver assign to that tasks, the level of lies told brought suspicion into my mind and the denied request of another driver to be assign to my parcel as make me question the company ethic and honesty as a whole and start to believe that they care more about their staff than their customers.
The fact that the staff put the phone down on me when I informed them that their customers care was below par did not make me trust them and the fake reassurance that my parcel was going to be deliver as made me question their services as a whole and asked myself how many people this as happened to and they brush it off like nothing happened.
I was informed by my local shop that a similar experienced happened to another customers this information does not engender trust within the company at all and I still have no reassurance that my parcel is in their possession.
This business is bad and the culture within the company speak volume and that does not look good at all as they set themselves as liar, uncaring, serious lack of transparency and dishonest company as one member of staff lied and it seems to be tolerated by the company as the complaint offer over the bad treatment was already made on my behalf before it was offered to me that made think the whole company is shoddy and they need to fix up if they want to remain viable in their chosen market.
If you experienced similar experience with DPD please comment or if you like this post share it amongst your peers.