This is one in a series of posts about business processes that are calling for "angioplasty". The process is burdened with expensive technology, people costs or laden with security or compliance related steps - sometimes all of the above. Looking at it from a customer POV, it needs significant surgery.
Wal-Mart has highly efficient sourcing and logistics processes - some would say brutally efficient. The customer experience on the other hand is - even charitably put - one of walking in to a cattle car. They do not have enough people when you have questions, and too many customers in aisles, check out lines.
Over several visits in the last week (when you are in-town the "honey-do" list magically appears), I was pleasantly impressed with 3 customer processes - one around gift cards, one around check out and one around returns.
a) Getting a gift certificate in many retail stores is a manual, hand written, 10 minute process. The certificates are kept in a safe, only the supervisor has access to them - you know the drill. Wal-Mart hangs its magnetized gift cards in various designs at a counter. Pick one and at check-out you tell the cashier the amount you want it for. Done. You can even track on-line the balance on the card. In some stores where they are experimenting with gas stations, using the card even gets you another 3c off a gallon. Wal-Mart is not alone - many other retailers offer similar cards, but not sure if the check-out process around them is that simple.
b) The last time I tried to return something at a Wal-Mart the line was a mile deep - they wanted to see driver's licenses, make you sign forms etc. This time they scanned the bar code on the sales receipt, scanned the UPC of the returned item, swiped my credit card and gave me a refund receipt. The rep and I did not exchange a word ...I think I said "happy holidays" on the way out. I am sure if you do not have your receipt or if it is a high dollar item - "process exceptions" - things are a little less pleasant.
c) Self-service check out: The scanner is a little quirky and the payment screen has way too many options - but there was no one else in line and I had finished scanning and paying for 10 items in 2 minutes.
These are examples of highly efficient use of technology for "lightening" processes. From the customer POV it is delightful. From Wal-Mart's point of view not having to tie up employees in these processes makes financial sense. And if they can move folks like me to not think of the store as cattle car, what's that worth?
