Group thinking

Yesterday, I read a column of Roos Vonk in the Intermediair about Group thinking. Her statement is that it is not true to think that a group will come to a better decision (because multiple people know more than just one). Apparently, the need to reach a consensus is often in a group stronger than reaching the correct decision.

I really liked the column because it shows really how a group decision taking process is in practice. I recognized the situation that someone in a group (meeting) is considered as being 'difficult' when he or she ask (critical) questions or tries to bring in alternatives. Or that the group nearly reached a consensus / decision, and someone doesn't agree which evokes a reaction of the other group members 'don't start being difficult now we have almost reached agreement!'. I have to admit, I also have had that thought sometimes.

To support the group decision, the group members think 'everyone agrees, so that will be the right decision'. It is not often that someone says 'I don't understand'.

Reading this column, I was kind of glad that I do (try to) ask questions if I don't understand the arguments or situation. Perhaps we should all say 'I don't understand' more often!

Follow up: Importance of a company website

As mentioned in my previous post about the importance of a company website, I would let you know if, when and how a would get a response of the V&D organization about the fact that I cannot find the product warning announcement on their website.

I did get a response on my question (asked via the Contact Form). I send that question on 09:44 (CET) and got a reaction at 13:30 (CET), so that is not bad at all.

It turns out that the product warning IS available on the website. In the response I got on my question, I got a link to that announcement (http://www.vd.nl/vendWebShop/contents/Acties_recall_0509). So that is then oke, you would say. Not completely however for me.

First of all, I had a look and it turns out that the announcement can be found in the 'Actions' menu. Very strange place to put a produce warning announcement!

Then, when you use Internet Explorer 8, you will only see the 'Actions' menu if you have Compatibility mode on.

Unfortunately, still when searching for 'Slaapzak Frendz', I still get no results.
If I search on 'Veiligheidswaarschuwing' (product warning), then will I get to the announcement on the site. But who will search for a 'Veiligheidswaarschuwing' (product warning) if you are not already notified from another source that there is some kind of product warning?

So according to me, this is a missed chance for V&D to have inform their customers pro-actively on their site (or at least make it easy for customers that want more information, to actually find that information!)

Of course, I gave my remarks also to the V&D (with a simple reply to the received e-mail). I have to say that I got again a reply within 30 minutes! Wow, that is great. Also the content was encouraging for the future: they wrote that they appreciated my feedback (as according to them, it demonstrated my involvement with the V&D) and already forwarded it to the appropriate management. With a closing sentence that they hoped to see me as a satisfied customer in their department store, I had a better 'customer experience' than I would have thought this morning.

Importance of a company website

This morning I was listening to the radio and heard an announcement about a product warning for a 'sleeping bag' for babies of their own label (Frendz) of V&D. Because of possible suffication danger, the sleeping bag (several types of it) was not save. According to the radio announcement, more information could be found on the website of the company. When the newsreader mentioned the website, there was immediate discussion on how you have to write the website? Was it www.V&D.nl or www.VenD.nl or www.VD.nl? Probably just try and find out!

Curious as I am, I decided to have a look at www.VenD.nl. On their homepage, there was no announcment about it. Also when I explicitely looked at 'slaapzak Frendz' no results were found:



So, now let's see what Google will come up with:



When reading this product warning, it states that the source of the information comes from V&D (dated May 15th)! So why is this information not available on their own site?!?

This reminded me about a post I read a few weeks ago on how important a website is for a company.

So, again curious on the response process, I asked them via a contact form (where only an e-mail address and name was mandatory) on the website why this product warning was not announced on their website. Let's see when I will get a reaction (and what the reaction will be of course).

I hope V&D (and companies like it) also will understand this and make sure that besides products, also (important) information can be found!

I'll let you know how long it took them to put it also on their own website (if all)...