Findings

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 02

Findings

Fernway’s operation as it really runs, organized so leadership can absorb it in a few minutes.

How 38 people spend their time

  • Moving and re-keying information
  • Looking things up
  • Routine replies and status chasing
  • Exceptions, review and approvals
  • Improvement, analysis and relationships

58% of in-scope time goes to moving, finding and relaying information. Systems can absorb most of it. 24% is judgment that should stay with people, made faster. 18% is the work you hired them to do.

By team

  • Customer experience14 people68% routine
  • Catalog8 people60% routine
  • Fulfillment9 people56% routine
  • Finance7 people42% routine

How work really moves: documented vs. actual

ManualHandoffJudgment

Order-status questionCustomer experienceDocumented: 3 stepsActual: 9 steps, 2 handoffs, 4 systems

As documented

  1. Ticket received
  2. Check order
  3. Reply

As it actually runs 5 manual steps

  1. 1Ticket receivedGorgias
  2. 2Find orderShopify
  3. 3Copy tracking number
  4. 4Check carrier siteCarrier
  5. 5No scan? Open 3PL portalShipBob
  6. 6–24 h6Ask Ops in Slack
  7. 7Ops checks portal exportShipBob
  8. 8Reply to customerGorgias
  9. 18% of tickets9Customer follows up
New product setupCatalogDocumented: 4 stepsActual: 11 steps, 2 handoffs, 7 systems

As documented

  1. Receive supplier sheet
  2. Enter in Airtable
  3. Review
  4. Publish

As it actually runs 6 manual steps

  1. 1Supplier file arrives by emailEmail
  2. 2Reformat to internal templateExcel
  3. 3Key attributesAirtable
  4. 3–8 days4Chase missing care or fit data
  5. 5Write title and descriptionDocs
  6. 1–2 days6Copy review
  7. 7Match photos to SKUsDrive
  8. 8Re-key into ShopifyShopify
  9. 9Re-key into NetSuiteNetSuite
  10. 10Final check
  11. 11PublishShopify
3PL exception handlingFulfillmentDocumented: 3 stepsActual: 10 steps, 1 handoffs, 6 systems

As documented

  1. Exception flagged
  2. Resolve
  3. Notify customer

As it actually runs 7 manual steps

  1. 1Export portal reports twice a dayShipBob
  2. 2Filter in a spreadsheetExcel
  3. 3Look up the orderShopify
  4. 4Check carrier statusCarrier
  5. 5Decide the fix
  6. 6Request reship or address fixShipBob
  7. 4–12 h7Tell CX in Slack
  8. 8Email the customerGorgias
  9. 9Issue goodwill creditShopify
  10. 10Log in trackerSheets
Weekly trading reportFinanceDocumented: 3 stepsActual: 9 steps, 2 handoffs, 5 systems

As documented

  1. Pull data
  2. Build report
  3. Share

As it actually runs 5 manual steps

  1. 1Export salesShopify
  2. 2Export marginNetSuite
  3. 3Export returnsLoop
  4. 4Align SKUs and datesExcel
  5. ½ day5Reconcile two revenue definitions
  6. 6Build pivots and chartsExcel
  7. 7Write commentary
  8. 1 day8Controller review
  9. 9Circulate PDFEmail
Wholesale order entryFulfillmentDocumented: 2 stepsActual: 7 steps, 1 handoffs, 3 systems

As documented

  1. Receive PO
  2. Enter sales order

As it actually runs 4 manual steps

  1. 1PO arrives as PDF or emailOutlook
  2. 2Open retailer price listExcel
  3. 3Run personal reformatting macroExcel
  4. 4Check stockNetSuite
  5. 5Key sales orderNetSuite
  6. 6Confirm to retailerOutlook
  7. 1–3 days7Fix line mismatches

Most frequent exceptions

ExceptionPer monthResolutionPatternOwner
No carrier scan after 72 hours4101.8 daysRepeatableFulfillment
Split shipment confusion2600.6 daysRepeatableCX
Address validation failure1801.2 daysRepeatableFulfillment
Backorder not communicated1402.4 daysRepeatableCX
Missing attributes at review1204.5 daysRepeatableCatalog
Damaged in transit953.1 daysJudgmentCX
Invoice price mismatch722.0 daysRepeatableFinance
Return without authorization641.5 daysRepeatableFulfillment
Wholesale PO line mismatch192.2 daysRepeatableFulfillment
Suspected fraud or chargeback145.0 daysJudgmentFinance

92% of exception volume follows a repeatable pattern that a system can resolve or prepare. Damage claims and fraud stay with people.

Risk register

  • Single point of failureCritical

    Wholesale orders depend on one person’s macro

    A personal spreadsheet macro reformats every retailer PO. When its owner is out, wholesale orders wait. Nothing is documented.

  • Customer experienceHigh

    Customers find 3PL problems before you do

    62% of 3PL exceptions are first reported by a customer. First response reaches 14 hours at peak.

  • Data integrityHigh

    Three versions of every product

    Attributes live in Airtable, Shopify and NetSuite. 12% of live SKUs disagree on at least one field, including 41 with wrong care instructions.

  • Revenue leakageHigh

    Unmanaged goodwill credits

    About $4,100 a month is credited without reason codes or approval limits.

  • AccessMedium

    Shared 3PL admin login

    Five people share one ShipBob admin account. Fix this before any automation is given access.

  • ReportingMedium

    Two definitions of net revenue

    Finance and merchandising report different numbers for the same week, so meetings start by reconciling.

What’s working: keep these

  • Clean order data

    Shopify is a reliable record of orders and customers, with consistent tags.

  • A well-kept helpdesk

    Current Gorgias macros give an AI agent good material from day one.

  • A written listing standard

    Catalog already has a style guide and attribute list. Rare, and exactly what automation needs.

  • Appetite for change

    11 of the 16 people we interviewed asked for help with the same three tasks.