5、質量是產(chǎn)品的生命

5、質量是產(chǎn)品的生命

Innovo的一種針對小學生課程的學習software（軟件）在北方地區(qū)銷售了一個月之后，最近不斷接到顧客的complaint（投訴）電話，反映該軟件在使用過程中經(jīng)常會引起電腦運行速度極其緩慢甚至突然死機的情況。

After-sales Department把顧客的投訴情況直接反映給R & D Department（研發(fā)部），要求他們盡快找到問題的原因。否則對市場的negative influence（負面影響）會迅速expand（蔓延），到時候局勢就不好挽回了。R & D Department在仔細test（測試）研究之后，發(fā)現(xiàn)顧客所反映的現(xiàn)象是由于這種學習軟件在Windows Vista系統(tǒng)中install（安裝）了某些應用程序之后所產(chǎn)生的不兼容所致。

現(xiàn)在問題的根源找到了，就必須立即尋求解決辦法。否則公司的public image（公眾形象）和產(chǎn)品的reputation都會受到很大damage（損害）。但是另一方面，公司之前已經(jīng)生產(chǎn)了300萬張學習軟件，并且已經(jīng)和distributor（分銷商）簽訂了供貨contract（合同），如果現(xiàn)在單方面毀約并停止供貨，分銷商肯定是不會輕易答應的，弄不好，會給公司造成巨大的經(jīng)濟損失。

眼前的這種embarrassing situation（窘境）使領導層心急如焚。是否要先take back（收回）產(chǎn)品成為迫在眉睫的問題。Johnson作為業(yè)務負責人有更多的顧慮，他擔心order cancellation（撤單）會造成銷售額的大幅下滑，影響到中國區(qū)的年度業(yè)績，總部那邊追究起來，不好解釋。有些同事站在Johnson的一邊，建議就這樣先不動聲色地遮掩過去，隨著時間的推移，事態(tài)的嚴重性慢慢會消退。Nancy卻認為，公司要look at the bigger picture（把眼光放長遠），必須要立即把產(chǎn)品收回，cancel（取消）訂單，才能控制住對企業(yè)不利的影響，挽回聲譽，為以后其他產(chǎn)品的推廣做鋪墊。所以今天的討論顯得異常激烈。

You know, we don't have to pick either of the two options. We could just continue selling our products. After all, it's not really our fault. We did all the research anyone could do.

I appreciate your point of view, but maybe we should look at the larger picture. Maybe no judge would say it's our fault. But people would feel we were wrong, and would stop buying our products. I know the options will cost a lot, but doing nothing could break the bank.

We've only been talking about money here; we should be talking about people. Is it OK to save the money if we know some people are going to get hurt?

I guess not. But we just can't take the software off the market. You know what will happen. Profits will go down quickly. The shareholders will get angry. Management in headquarter will have to blame someone. You know who that will be, US!

I'm sorry, but I have reservations about that. We have to make the best of a bad situation. But I can't agree with leaving the products on the market just to save our profits.

Then what do we do?

We bite the bullet, and take the products off the market. But there is a way to have the best of both alternatives. We try immediately to see if we can easily find out a patch to fix it. If it will be too expensive and time-consuming, we never sell them there again; we pack it in. This will be my decision.

今天討論的話題既重要又sensitive（敏感），Nancy覺察到VP的態(tài)度有些ambiguous（模糊），這是可以理解的：如果收回產(chǎn)品，Innovo今年的sales volume（銷售額）會受到重創(chuàng)，損失巨大，總部那邊也會不滿；但如果就這樣裝聾作啞，無動于衷，Innovo 今后在中國市場的reputation就大打折扣了。如果這個時候她不堅定地站出來提出自己的見解，公司未來的發(fā)展一定會受到很大的影響。但是如何以VP可以接受的方式讓他聽取自己的意見呢？Nancy在用詞上很是斟酌了一番。她遵循了下面的這些原則：

Listen to what your boss says and try to understand his situation.

Be polite and persistent, but not arrogant.

Make your advice with attitude and standpoint acceptable to others.

最重要的是，Nancy現(xiàn)在應該為公司想出一個可以一試的solution。