Digital transformation in Morocco: real-life examples, featuring Ikea and Marjane

The digital transition was recently the subject of a report by the Economic, Social and Environmental Council entitled “Towards a responsible and inclusive digital transformation”. The report rightly points out

a significant delay in the implementation of previous digital transformation policies across several sectors, such as public administration, healthcare, education and industry.

So I’m going to tell you, ‘from personal experience’, about the catastrophic reality that this phrase conceals… Today it’s private logistics, tomorrow it will be public sector logistics

Delivery logistics: Ikea

Let’s start with a major international retailer, from which one might expect the application of expertise and a global platform – in short, if anyone is going to manage deliveries properly, surely it’s Ikea?

Well, no…

First surprise: choosing a delivery slot

You can choose a day. And a time slot. Bear in mind that there is a single, pre-selected time slot, from 9 am to 9 pm.

Except that…

If you don’t click on the time slot in question (remember, there’s only one option, and it’s pre-selected), well, the system grumbles. It’s a minor UX issue, but it clearly shows that on other IKEA platforms around the world, you can choose from a more limited range of time slots, rather than having to mentally prepare yourself to wait around for a whole day.

Confirmation of delivery from IKEA Customer Service

The surprise here is whether they’ll confirm it or not…

Usually, the day before, customer services ring to give you a narrower delivery window, like 12 noon to 2 pm.

Except that …

• Sometimes he calls the next morning to suggest a different delivery slot;
• sometimes the delivery slot isn’t adhered to;
• and sometimes the delivery doesn’t take place at all

The most recent example is an order that has been ‘pending delivery’ since 18 January.

Unscheduled delivery

When a delivery hasn’t gone ahead, you’re lucky if customer service rings you back to arrange another one. Usually, you get a call from the IKEA delivery driver: “Hello, can I have your location? I’ll be there in ten minutes.” Oh really? Well, I’m not here – nobody told me…

Incidentally, this (dis)organised mess costs IKEA money, as they end up loading and unloading parcels for nothing…

IKEA’s customer service team is unable to provide you with information on the expected delivery date

I had this surreal exchange on the customer service WhatsApp today.

[15:48, 08/02/2022] Marie-Aude: Hello Ismail, could you tell me when my order xxxxx is due to be delivered?
[15:49, 08/02/2022] Ikea Customer Service: The order is in the name of Mrs Marie-Aude
[15:49, 08/02/2022] Marie-Aude: Yes, that’s correct. [address] [15:51, 08/02/2022] IKEA Customer Service: We’ll raise a complaint with the delivery team to sort this out
[15:51, 08/02/2022] Marie-Aude: What complaint? I’m asking you what date the delivery is scheduled for this week?
[15:54, 08/02/2022] Marie-Aude: I’m expecting a delivery this week; I can’t remember which day it’s scheduled for – I want to know which day the delivery is due.
[15:56, 08/02/2022] Marie-Aude: Hello?
[15:57, 08/02/2022] IKEA Customer Service: The order you provided us with, xxx, was scheduled for delivery on 18/01
[15:57, 08/02/2022] IKEA Customer Service: Is this the order you’re referring to?
[15:57, 8 February 2022] Marie-Aude: That’s the one, but there have been a lot of problems and, after speaking to customer service, it’s normally been rescheduled for this week
[15:58, 8 February 2022] Marie-Aude: And as it was over the phone and I wasn’t at home, I don’t know which day it’s for
[16:01, 08/02/2022] IKEA Customer Service: The delivery team will contact you to confirm the delivery of your order
[16:02, 08/02/2022] Marie-Aude: Today?
[16:02, 08/02/2022] Marie-Aude: I’ve got an order to place; I’d like both deliveries on the same day…
[16:08, 08/02/2022] IKEA Customer Service: Your request has been passed on to the delivery team so they can call you back

So the customer service team – whose official WhatsApp number is listed on the website – has NO information about the various issues with my order (it still shows the delivery date as 18/01) and can’t tell me when delivery is due… Needless to say, the delivery service didn’t call me back *… After three-quarters of an hour, I finally managed to get through to the same customer service team on the phone, and then, MIRACLE of miracles, the person I spoke to was able to give me the information I needed, simply by asking the delivery service. Ismail, you should have thought of that!

* Finally, at 8 pm, someone from customer services (the person Ismaïl had contacted?) rang me to ask whether I’d received my delivery…

Data management: Marjane

At Marjane, the issue is completely different. Their logistics are absolutely top-notch; orders are delivered on time and within the scheduled time slots. If there’s a problem with an order, customer service will call you to sort it out. It’s a model of logistical efficiency in terms of delivery planning, accuracy and payment options.

On the other hand, data management in the app…

First problem: change of telephone number

At one point, I changed my mobile number. I wanted to update it in my Marjane account. As this is your login details, you can’t change it yourself – you need to contact customer services.

TLTR/TLTW: It took me six months, five visits to the shops, countless contacts with customer service, a rubbish review on the app store and three emails to the IT support team before I was finally able to log in to my app.

The problem was clearly with the data, as it was happening on both the website and the app, BUT I was made to uninstall and reinstall the app four times (even though I’d just said that, yes, I’d only just reinstalled it…)

Of course, in the meantime, I was using my card at the till and collecting loyalty points. But I couldn’t place orders online.

At last, after the summer holidays, the problem’s sorted.

I’m delighted to discover Marjane’s delivery service – it works well, no mistakes, etc.

Except that …

They’ve done an update somewhere…

And it’s all gone haywire again

They’re still using the old phone number

Although I’d had several express deliveries – via Kaallix – without any problems, the delivery drivers started giving me funny looks, saying, “Your phone number isn’t right in the app”, and sure enough, the drivers are being shown my old number (which I can’t see anywhere in the app, and which, in any case, I can’t change).

How did this number, which was supposedly cancelled in September 2021, manage to reappear?

(and that’s a real problem because I don’t have a key fob; you have to ring me to get into the block).

This issue has already been reported to customer services three times…

They’re not tracking my location properly

Again, this is a recent development.

My delivery address is, of course, saved in the app, and my location is pinpointed on the map, almost to the nearest centimetre.

Except that …

The other day, I got a call from customer services explaining that there was a problem, because my order had been sent to the Marjane in Aïn Sba (about 15 tram stops from my home – it is actually a bit far). I’d need to have my order delivered from a Marjane closer to home, so I was asked to place a new order, removing my current address and entering a new one. 

The ‘it doesn’t work, but we’ll try again just in case a miracle happens’ syndrome.

Bref.

I’ve learnt to do what I’m told, so I’ll do as I’m told.

Except that …

Customer services cancelled my order completely, instead of just letting me change the delivery address, so now I have to place it again.

I’m creating a new delivery address. In Casablanca, you’re asked to select a neighbourhood, and mine isn’t on the drop-down list. In that list, Aïn Sba appears first. I suspect that’s part of the reason for the problem, so I just pick the neighbourhood that looks like it’s closest to mine.

Raté.

Un quart d’heure après, le service client me rappelle, pour me dire que ça ne va pas, je suis toujours sur Aïn Sba, etc, et qu’il faut recommencer… “ça marche pas mais on recommence au cas où il y aurait un miracle“. 

I would therefore like to point out that THEIR internal organisational issues are none of my concern; if their app doesn’t allow me to change a store or assign one correctly, that’s not MY problem, given that, within the options I can edit, my address is geolocated perfectly. Admittedly, I’ll place my order again, but this will be the last time, and they can sort it out however they like – just as long as they deliver to me.

And so I received my items via “express delivery in under 60 minutes” two hours after placing my first order…

What’s annoying about Marjane’s case is

cThe thing is, these are clearly changes to the application that have been poorly managed, based on old backups dug up from who knows where, and nobody knows how to deal with them properly.

 

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