Business Zen: Actions need to back up the ads

Russell Bell

Businesses today are faced with decisions about how they position themselves in the face of a changing environment.

New Zealand Post is no exception -- in fact, if you have access to TV and smart devices, you will have seen how their advertising has changed in an attempt to reposition themselves as a modern business.

I actually liked the ad with Tywin Lannister (ahem, I mean the actor Charles Dance) extolling the virtues of a "Can do" attitude.

"You can" was a call to action and smartly positioned NZ Post with its customer base from Baby Boomers down. More recently, but less easy to understand, it has been hip-hop dancers flailing madly around neon boxes. I guess this is about parcels for the new generation, one ad extolling "My parcels, my way".

The key to the success of NZ Post (and any business for that matter) is not actually the glitzy presentation, it's the reality of dealing with the entity or business. And, unfortunately, an experience that I have had brings a hip-hop anthem to mind -- Don't Believe The Hype by Public Enemy.

During the school holidays I delivered the family to the airport to fly to Christchurch. As we were saying our goodbyes, my son declared he had left his puffer jacket in his room -- not ideal when Christchurch was predicted to resemble a winter wonderland the following day.

A dash home not being practical, we agreed to courier the item to arrive the next day. I went to the NZ Post outlet and was informed that I could send an item for next day delivery -- and I actually thought of Tywin saying "You can" as I paid the fee.

To cut a long and frustrating story short, my son had already arrived back home a week later before the parcel actually arrived at its Christchurch destination. "Next day" had turned into next week -- hardly "You can" or "My parcel, my way".

In addition, a much-vaunted online tracking system was useless as all it showed was that the parcel had been picked up on the day I handed it into NZ Post's care. Calls to NZ Post's call centre had my concerns passed around but it wasn't until someone here got involved that I started to feel like I was dealing with a 21st century business.

My experience may be isolated and, I am told, it occurred because my "next day" package somehow made its way into the ordinary mail, but a business like NZ Post needs to look at its processes to ensure that this type of thing isn't repeated.

Apologies were given and accepted but, in a highly competitive market, surely it's better to have best practice systems so you don't need to apologise -- particularly when you are positioning yourself as a partner in your customers' successes.

The speed with which the parcel was returned from Christchurch shows that, in terms of potential, NZ Post does have the capacity to deliver.

Human error is common -- we are human!

But in an age where autonomous machines are less than a generation away, perhaps businesses need to invest less in flashy advertising and more in the processes which support their future success.

I do not know who said the quote: "Come rain, hail or shine the mail always gets through on time" but in this regard I look forward to being able to say of NZ Post, "You can".

Balance Consulting is a Whanganui consultancy specialising in business strategy, process excellence and leadership mentoring -- contact Russell Bell on 021 2442421 or John Taylor on 027 4995872