5、质量是产品的生命

5、质量是产品的生命

Innovo的一种针对小学生课程的学习software（软件）在北方地区销售了一个月之后，最近不断接到顾客的complaint（投诉）电话，反映该软件在使用过程中经常会引起电脑运行速度极其缓慢甚至突然死机的情况。

After-sales Department把顾客的投诉情况直接反映给R & D Department（研发部），要求他们尽快找到问题的原因。否则对市场的negative influence（负面影响）会迅速expand（蔓延），到时候局势就不好挽回了。R & D Department在仔细test（测试）研究之后，发现顾客所反映的现象是由于这种学习软件在Windows Vista系统中install（安装）了某些应用程序之后所产生的不兼容所致。

现在问题的根源找到了，就必须立即寻求解决办法。否则公司的public image（公众形象）和产品的reputation都会受到很大damage（损害）。但是另一方面，公司之前已经生产了300万张学习软件，并且已经和distributor（分销商）签订了供货contract（合同），如果现在单方面毁约并停止供货，分销商肯定是不会轻易答应的，弄不好，会给公司造成巨大的经济损失。

眼前的这种embarrassing situation（窘境）使领导层心急如焚。是否要先take back（收回）产品成为迫在眉睫的问题。Johnson作为业务负责人有更多的顾虑，他担心order cancellation（撤单）会造成销售额的大幅下滑，影响到中国区的年度业绩，总部那边追究起来，不好解释。有些同事站在Johnson的一边，建议就这样先不动声色地遮掩过去，随着时间的推移，事态的严重性慢慢会消退。Nancy却认为，公司要look at the bigger picture（把眼光放长远），必须要立即把产品收回，cancel（取消）订单，才能控制住对企业不利的影响，挽回声誉，为以后其他产品的推广做铺垫。所以今天的讨论显得异常激烈。

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.

今天讨论的话题既重要又sensitive（敏感），Nancy觉察到VP的态度有些ambiguous（模糊），这是可以理解的：如果收回产品，Innovo今年的sales volume（销售额）会受到重创，损失巨大，总部那边也会不满；但如果就这样装聋作哑，无动于衷，Innovo 今后在中国市场的reputation就大打折扣了。如果这个时候她不坚定地站出来提出自己的见解，公司未来的发展一定会受到很大的影响。但是如何以VP可以接受的方式让他听取自己的意见呢？Nancy在用词上很是斟酌了一番。她遵循了下面的这些原则：

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现在应该为公司想出一个可以一试的solution。