Discovery

Fernway Outfitters · CX, catalog, fulfillment & finance · 38 people

Sample deliverable

Sample deliverable. Fernway Outfitters is an illustrative company. The figures are invented but internally consistent, so you can see how a real plan reads.

How discovery works

Chapter 01

Discovery

Three weeks inside Fernway’s operation. We interviewed the people doing the work, watched it happen, sampled the data behind it and checked every idea against the tools you already pay for.

  • 3 weeks
  • 16 people
  • 15 sessions
  • 8 systems

The evidence base

People interviewed
16
Working sessions observed
9
Systems reviewed
8
Support tickets sampled
4,180
SKUs traced from supplier file to live
212
3PL exceptions analyzed
1,140

Scope

In scope

  • Customer experience: order, returns and product questions
  • Catalog: new product setup and updates
  • Fulfillment: 3PL exceptions and wholesale orders
  • Finance: invoice matching and the weekly trading report

Out of scope

  • Marketing automation, reviewed lightly
  • Retail stores and wholesale sales
  • Replatforming or website redesign
  • Headcount and organization design

Engagement timeline

3 weeks · 15 sessions

Week 1Sep 8–12Kickoff and shadowing

  1. Sep 8Kickoff

    Kickoff and scope alignment

    Maya Lindqvist, Chief Operating Officer · Tom Reyes, Director of Customer Experience

  2. Sep 9Shadowing

    Order-status and returns shadow

    Priya Nair, CX Team Lead · Jordan Blake, CX Agent

    • Gorgias
    • Shopify
    • ShipBob

  3. Sep 10Shadowing

    New product setup shadow

    Elena Ruiz, Merchandising Manager · Sam Okafor, Catalog Specialist

    • Airtable
    • Shopify
    • Sheets

  4. Sep 11Shadowing

    3PL exception handling shadow

    Marcus Chen, Operations Manager · Ava Thompson, Fulfillment Coordinator

    • ShipBob
    • Shopify
    • NetSuite

  5. Sep 12Interview

    Invoice matching and trading report

    Rachel Kim, Controller · Daniel Osei, FP&A Analyst · Grace Liu, AP Specialist

    • NetSuite
    • Excel
Week 2Sep 15–19Data and systems

  1. Sep 15Analysis

    Ticket sample: 4,180 tickets tagged

    • Gorgias

  2. Sep 16Shadowing

    Wholesale PO intake shadow

    Lena Hoffman, Wholesale Coordinator

    • NetSuite
    • Outlook
    • Excel

  3. Sep 17Interview

    Systems and access review

    Chris Patel, IT & Systems Lead

    • Shopify
    • NetSuite
    • ShipBob
    • Airtable

  4. Sep 18Analysis

    SKU trace: supplier file to live listing

    Mia Johansson, Product Copywriter

    • Airtable
    • Shopify

  5. Sep 19Interview

    Returns and product feedback

    Noah Williams, Product Lead · Hannah Moore, CX Agent, Returns

    • Loop Returns
Week 3Sep 22–26Sizing and recommendations

  1. Sep 22Analysis

    Opportunity sizing and tool checks

    • Gorgias
    • Klaviyo
    • NetSuite

  2. Sep 23Working session

    Working session: answer rules

    Tom Reyes, Director of Customer Experience · Priya Nair, CX Team Lead

  3. Sep 24Working session

    Working session: listing standards

    Elena Ruiz, Merchandising Manager · Sam Okafor, Catalog Specialist

  4. Sep 25Analysis

    Roadmap and business case

  5. Sep 26Readout

    Readout with leadership

    Maya Lindqvist, Chief Operating Officer · Tom Reyes, Director of Customer Experience · Marcus Chen, Operations Manager · Rachel Kim, Controller

People we spoke to

  • Maya LindqvistChief Operating Officer · Leadership
  • Tom ReyesDirector of Customer Experience · Customer experience
  • Priya NairCX Team Lead · Customer experience
  • Jordan BlakeCX Agent · Customer experience
  • Hannah MooreCX Agent, Returns · Customer experience
  • Elena RuizMerchandising Manager · Catalog
  • Sam OkaforCatalog Specialist · Catalog
  • Mia JohanssonProduct Copywriter · Catalog
  • Marcus ChenOperations Manager · Fulfillment
  • Ava ThompsonFulfillment Coordinator · Fulfillment
  • Lena HoffmanWholesale Coordinator · Fulfillment
  • Rachel KimController · Finance
  • Daniel OseiFP&A Analyst · Finance
  • Grace LiuAP Specialist · Finance
  • Chris PatelIT & Systems Lead · Systems
  • Noah WilliamsProduct Lead · Product

Systems reviewed

2 need action first

  • ShipBob3PL & warehouse

    Exceptions visible only in portal exports. One shared admin login.

    Action needed

  • AirtableProduct data

    Acts as the product database; 12% of live SKUs disagree with Shopify.

    Action needed

  • NetSuiteERP

    Orders sync nightly; product data is keyed in separately from Shopify.

    Manual handoffs

  • Loop ReturnsReturns

    Return reasons captured as free text and never analyzed.

    Manual handoffs

  • Excel & SheetsUsed everywhere

    Trading report, PO macro, exception tracker and launch calendar.

    Manual handoffs

  • Shopify PlusStorefront & orders

    Reliable record of orders and customers. Tags used consistently.

    Connected

  • GorgiasHelpdesk

    Current macros and tags. AI agent is included in your plan but switched off.

    Connected

  • KlaviyoEmail & SMS

    Well configured. In scope only for content generation.

    Connected

ConnectedManual handoffsAction needed