I work at a furniture manufacturer. When a customer comes to us with a request, here is the process.
1) They ask for something special.
2) We quote it.
3) They send us a purchase Order.
4) We do the engineering work and send them a "Drawing for approval".
5) If they mark up the drawing and want changes we can go back to either step 1 or step 4 depending on what the change is.
6) Once they sign off on the Drawing For Approval we begin building.
Each step must be done, and they must be done in that order. Period. We make it very clear to the customer that Orders take about 8-10 weeks to build from the date that the PO comes in, minus the time it takes them to sign the Drawings for Approval. That comment is on the quote, and it is confirmed to them again when they send in the PO.
8/1/08 - Request for a special comes in.
8/1/08 - Special quote sent to them.
8/28/08 - PO comes in from the customer. They did not provide all the color choices. Sent them a letter asking them for the choices.
9/4/08 - Answers received. Order entered and to engineering.
9/8/08 - Drawing for approval sent
9/10/08 - Drawing for approval sent again (no answer).
9/12/08 - Drawing for approval sent again (no answer).
9/15/08 - Drawing for approval sent again (no answer).
9/17/08 - Drawing for approval sent again (no answer).
This morning we receive the following e-mail:
"We have received the multiple copies of the Drawing For Approval. We are waiting for the customer to sign off on them. We want to confirm that the order will be shipping in the next week or two."
Me: Perhaps I am confused. What order are you thinking will ship this week? Do you have another order that I am not aware of?
Customer: No.
Me: What order are you wanting to confirm will ship in the next two weeks?
Customer: This one.
Me: This order that you are still waiting to sign off on the drawings for?
Customer: Yes. We need it in the next two weeks.
Me: That is not possible. You placed your order on 8-28, but it was missing finishes. Those finishes were not provided until 9/4, so that is the date that the order was entered. We have been waiting two weeks for you to sign the drawings. As stated on the quote, our lead time is 8-10 weeks from the receipt of a clean PO (meaning all the finishes provided), minus the time it takes you to sign the drawings. If you sign the drawings today the soonest you would get the furniture would be about 6 weeks from now.
Customer: How can that be? I requested this furniture back on 8-1, that was 7 weeks ago. We expected this to be done in 8-10 weeks.
Me: Ironically, we have chosen as a company to not begin building something until you tell us what you want to be built. Are we as a manufacturer supposed to assume that a quote request, without a PO, is something that we can bill you for and start manufacturing?
They have not replied to that one.
Seriously, who in their right mind assumes that when they ask how much something costs that we would start hand building it for them?
1) They ask for something special.
2) We quote it.
3) They send us a purchase Order.
4) We do the engineering work and send them a "Drawing for approval".
5) If they mark up the drawing and want changes we can go back to either step 1 or step 4 depending on what the change is.
6) Once they sign off on the Drawing For Approval we begin building.
Each step must be done, and they must be done in that order. Period. We make it very clear to the customer that Orders take about 8-10 weeks to build from the date that the PO comes in, minus the time it takes them to sign the Drawings for Approval. That comment is on the quote, and it is confirmed to them again when they send in the PO.
8/1/08 - Request for a special comes in.
8/1/08 - Special quote sent to them.
8/28/08 - PO comes in from the customer. They did not provide all the color choices. Sent them a letter asking them for the choices.
9/4/08 - Answers received. Order entered and to engineering.
9/8/08 - Drawing for approval sent
9/10/08 - Drawing for approval sent again (no answer).
9/12/08 - Drawing for approval sent again (no answer).
9/15/08 - Drawing for approval sent again (no answer).
9/17/08 - Drawing for approval sent again (no answer).
This morning we receive the following e-mail:
"We have received the multiple copies of the Drawing For Approval. We are waiting for the customer to sign off on them. We want to confirm that the order will be shipping in the next week or two."
Me: Perhaps I am confused. What order are you thinking will ship this week? Do you have another order that I am not aware of?
Customer: No.
Me: What order are you wanting to confirm will ship in the next two weeks?
Customer: This one.
Me: This order that you are still waiting to sign off on the drawings for?
Customer: Yes. We need it in the next two weeks.
Me: That is not possible. You placed your order on 8-28, but it was missing finishes. Those finishes were not provided until 9/4, so that is the date that the order was entered. We have been waiting two weeks for you to sign the drawings. As stated on the quote, our lead time is 8-10 weeks from the receipt of a clean PO (meaning all the finishes provided), minus the time it takes you to sign the drawings. If you sign the drawings today the soonest you would get the furniture would be about 6 weeks from now.
Customer: How can that be? I requested this furniture back on 8-1, that was 7 weeks ago. We expected this to be done in 8-10 weeks.
Me: Ironically, we have chosen as a company to not begin building something until you tell us what you want to be built. Are we as a manufacturer supposed to assume that a quote request, without a PO, is something that we can bill you for and start manufacturing?
They have not replied to that one.
Seriously, who in their right mind assumes that when they ask how much something costs that we would start hand building it for them?
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