The Situation: You work for the Crafts and Sewing division of HSN. Orders for the Seashore Soap Kits have exceeded expectations. This rush for the soap kits started with a national magazine ad which featured a summer beach scene with a little girl playing in the surf. Next to the girl was an inset photo with the blue, yellow, and green “Sea-Life” soaps spilling from a bucket onto the sand.
Consumers are ordering the kit over your 800-line and from your web site, through the security-encrypted ordering service. But your supplier has just told you that the stock has run out and that they are speeding up production. The new kits will be ready to ship six weeks from today.
The kit sells for $39.01 and includes molds for scallop shells, bubbles, starfish, and a porpoise. It also includes a two-pound block of glycerin soap (enough for 52 soaps), lavender scent, color dyes, and 4 eyedroppers. Although your site sells some 75,000 products for creative crafts projects, the soap kit is the biggest seller the company has had so far.
On the website (http://www.hsn.com/shop/crafts-and-sewing/ct) consumers can read the online magazine, share tips and ideas with others, search for projects by level of skill required, and read instructions and tips for using the products they order. They can shop for the latest arts & crafts supplies from top brands and find sewing ideas, crafts tips, scrapbooking layouts & more for their next project. The website also allows customers to order any products (e.g., yarn, ribbon, candles, stencils) they want, track their orders, and request refunds and exchanges if needed. If they’re reluctant to transmit credit card information over the internet, they can call 1-800-373-0343, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. EST, and speak to an operator.
Your Task: As the customer service supervisory team, you’ve been asked to break the bad news in an email notifying customer of the 6-week delay. HSN will offer refunds or merchandise credits to customers who make such a request. Also, because the soap kits are hitting the kind of numbers that investors want to see, your message will be reviewed by the CEO before it is released. Better make it your best work.
Sample Solution