Q: Delivering smiles – truly defines Operations and the teams that make this possible here on the ground in India. What did you take away from meeting the India team?
I am always impressed with the passion, optimism and the commitment to a world class customer experience the Ops (Operations) teams in India show. As always there was a lot of innovation, new, India-first initiatives coupled with a host of global best practices that should have us ready for another terrific Diwali season.
Five years ago I would not have guessed that the I Have Space program would be the innovation it is; but what has always been clear is that we were in uncharted territory (with delivery in India) and our team here was going to need to lead the way innovating for solutions to complicated problems.
Q: Our service partners in logistics and I Have Space programs have enabled last mile delivery, so much so that we reach 100% of pin codes today. When the India operations started 5 years ago, what were your thoughts on how logistics would develop as cities in India are not as well planned as cities in the US?
The I Have Space program is a great enabler of small businesses and entrepreneurs across India, while improving the customer experience, by having people from the neighborhoods delivering their packages. These are the impressive types of Innovations you would expect from the team. Five years ago, I would not have guessed that the I Have Space would be the innovation it is; but what has always been clear is that we were in uncharted territory (with delivery in India) and our team here was going to need to lead the way innovating for solutions to complicated problems.
Q: Did you come across any transformation stories in India that would like to share with us?
I was impressed with the number of serious community engagement projects the team has undertaken while dealing with massive growth and the challenges of steadily improving the safety, customer experience, quality and cost of our operations. Initiatives like the silent station and all women delivery stations are two examples.
When I look back to 19 years ago there was an almost limitless list of things that had never been done before that seemed impossible. The idea of universal one or two-day shipping and Prime seemed like a moonshot. But after years of innovation and lots of great people eliminating defects at their root to deliver great execution, it's enabling that next level experience.
Q: You are almost 2 decades old in Amazon terms – how do you ensure that the Day 1 culture is alive even as the Amazon footprint gets larger and scale is the new normal? Any anecdote that you would like to share from your early days at Amazon?
You really make that sound like a long time...feels like it was yesterday. The key is to never be satisfied, we can always do more. Safer operations, faster delivery, more delivery choice, lower costs through process improvement and innovation are what make me excited to get to work everyday. We all need to ensure we hire and develop new Amazonians who understand and can lead with this spirit of divine discontentment always looking to make tomorrow better than today. When I look back to 19 years ago there was an almost limitless list of things that had never been done before that seemed impossible. The idea of universal one or two-day shipping and Prime seemed like a moonshot. But after years of innovation and lots of great people eliminating defects at their root to deliver great execution, it's enabling that next level experience. There are lots more of those left to be delivered and it’s our job to find them and deliver the results needed to build the next great thing for customers.
Finally, on a personal note how has the India visit been? What were your impressions? Will you take time off to visit any tourist hot spot, try an Indian dish etc?
As always my visit to India was awesome though too short and as per usual didn’t include any tourist activity.
QUICK TAKES:
- If you could binge watch, you would which show (on Prime of course): I just binged watched Bosch on a recent flight. It’s an awesome show.
- A gadget you cannot imagine life without: What did I do without my phone! A blessing (and sometimes curse)
- The last book you read: Pete the Cat and his new white shoes
- The last album you listened to: I haven’t really been listening to any albums but I do listen to a number of different Amazon music stations.
- A task on your to-do list that’s been pending a while: I think I have a long list of to-dos at home that I have very effectively created excuses to avoid!
