AWS Archives - Riverbend Consulting

Reactive vs. Proactive

By: Lauren Barbera

Humans, are fallible, and the systems we build are also fallible. It is inevitable that a blip in our operations or policy adherence will happen because we are human.

When this blip happens, it can feel like Amazon engages in a parental-style finger-wag of shame as they ask sellers to provide a Plan of Action (POA). This stings, especially when it feels like the error was caused by something out of our control. Writing these POA’s can also be stressful and time consuming, which can be an added frustration when you feel this time could be better spent running other aspects of your business.

I can hear you thinking “But we fixed the blip as fast as the blip could be fixed! How could I have known there was an imminent blip?!”

Is Amazon asking for us to divine the future before it happens?

The answer is both yes and no.

Amazon fully understands that problems will occasionally arise that impact operations. The recent AWS outage is a great example.

However, if it is any consolation, Amazon forces its own internal teams to provide Plans of Action when they’re responsible for a problem impacting operations. They call them “Post-Mortem COE” (Correction of Errors). They hold their own feet to the fire as much as they do so with sellers.

The long and short of it is

Amazon knows, down to an approximate dollar amount, how much service and policy failures cost them in terms of current and future buyer behavior. Buyers don’t know you’ve fixed the blip, and they don’t care. All they are concerned with is that the widget they ordered did not arrive, was late, different than expected, in a lesser condition than expected, or they suspect the widget is inauthentic.

Amazon has been able to quantify all of those experiences in terms of dollars spent after the ‘Widget blip event’.

So, Amazon has decided they do not want buyers to HAVE ‘widget blip events’. Amazon wants the buyer to receive the widget they ordered on time, exactly matching the product detail page, and in the condition advertised.

THIS is why Plans of Action are required. Amazon KNOWS people are fallible. They want to know what, to the best of your abilities, you can do to give yourself the most robust safety nets possible to avoid future WBE altogether. Can people avoid car accidents that are entirely all together not their fault? Unlikely. However, if that accident was the cause of your not being able to get packages out the door on time, Amazon wants to know that you have a backup plan for when things happen that are genuinely outside of your control. Simply crying, “but the widgets were shipped eventually!” doesn’t tell Amazon what you will do to prevent future late orders in the event of emergency.

Resolving the root of the widget blip that caused Amazon’s enforcement is only step 1. To be fully proactive, Amazon also wants to know that you have already done the work to prevent a poor buyer experience caused by future blips even before they ask for a Plan of Action.

In short

An ounce of blip prevention (so as not to repeat the same events in the future) is worth a pound of POA avoidance going forward.

Do you need help providing an Plan of Action? Contact us at Riverbend, we are happy to help! (877)289-1017

Lauren helps clients find real-world, scalable solutions to their problems and translates them through the Amazon lens. Lauren worked for Amazon for nearly 12 years, first in Seller Performance Operations, then on the business teams managing Seller Performance programs. She tirelessly worked to address authenticity, fraud, money laundering, and condition, all while providing front-line support to Amazon executives via high-level escalations. If you ask, Lauren WILL sing karaoke duets with you.

Amazonians can provide excellent insights – if they are real and relevant

By: Lesley Hensell

Writing Amazon appeals requires a special set of skills. Persuasive, clear prose helps. Responsiveness and attentiveness to the client are a plus. But more important than anything else is a true understanding how Amazon works for and with third-party sellers. Who embodies this last set of skills? The best candidates are ex-Amazon employees and long-term Amazon sellers.

When we launched Riverbend Consulting, our team included two Amazon sellers and one ex-Amazonian. Since that time, we’ve dramatically grown our ex-Amazon staff. Today, we have eleven Amazonians who fill consultant and analyst positions.

Fake Amazonians everywhere

Unfortunately, we’ve noticed an ugly trend in our industry. Many consulting firms are claiming to have ex-Amazon employees on staff – when they have only one or none at all. If you want an edge with your account or ASIN appeal, you’re better off with a firm that has real Amazon knowledge in-house.

Here are some strategies to be sure you’re getting the expertise that you have paid for:

Check the web site. Companies that have real Amazonians on staff advertise it on their team page. Ex-Amazon employees are a valuable asset, so their bios will be included as well.
Ask questions. If a firm claims to have ex-Amazon employees, ask for names and details. Confirm they actually work at the company full-time and aren’t simply a name used to draw in business.
Determine their departments. For straight-up appeal writing, a team that includes Seller Performance and Seller Support experience is your best bet. Those with knowledge in other areas could be helpful for long-term account management and performance.
Find out how long they’ve been gone. Processes and people change continually at Amazon. This makes more recent experience critical. While knowing the “Amazon way” of thinking and working is incredibly valuable, at least a few employees should be more recent Amazon team members to ensure fresh, relevant knowledge.

What can ex-amazon employees do for you?

At Riverbend, our ex-Amazonians hail from a wide range of departments: Seller Performance, Seller Support, Account Health Services and AWS.

Should I hire an ex-amazon employee to write appeals? Our Seller Support pros know strategies for ungating issues, catalog folks don’t. Our Seller Performance team members understand nuances of the appeal process unlike anyone else. Likewise, our Account Health Services employees provide great feedback on how sellers can extract information about their accounts.

Amazon can be quite siloed. Employing experts who have worked in many of these silos gives us access to a broader range of information and strategies to help our sellers solve their ongoing challenges with Amazon. Best of all, we are well-equipped to provide prophylactic strategies that head off problems before they occur.

When a client has a question that one of our team members cannot answer, it goes into the company chat. Chances are, one of our ex-Amazonians knows the right information – or how we can get it.

What’s more, not every employee can be an ex-Amazonian. But we have enough Amazon knowledge in-house that our non-Amazon staff receives extensive training and mentoring from those who spent time at Amazon. It makes for a great mix of consulting know-how, people skills and domain expertise. So, should you hire an ex-amazon employee to write appeals? We think so!

Have questions for our team? Let’s talk 877-289-1017 or visit our website.

Lesley is co-founder and co-owner of Riverbend Consulting, where she oversees the firm’s client services team. She leverages two decades as a small business consultant to advise clients on profitability and operational performance. Lesley has been an Amazon seller for almost a decade.

AWS

Why does Amazon want a Plan of Action?