Danger: Work Post. Not sure if this makes sense to anyone else.
So... there's this new reservation system set to "go live" in a few weeks. Actually, it already is live, since people have been booking in said system for weeks now. Now we're nearing the event horizon where the restaurants will have to start using it exclusively.
I'm not happy.
The old system, while antiquated and not willing to conform to the great data-share in the way that the company feels ALL systems should, works just fine. The new system, which apparently shares information just fine, does NOT do anything else just fine. I've been dealing with this system since the testing phase in November. We identified problems, and were told that said problems would be fixed. Indeed, situations arising for The Restaurant especially would be priorities because of our status in the hierarchy of dining.
Fast forward 6 months to the present.
While some things have been fixed, most "have been requested" and have no ETA. We just got access to the last piece of the puzzle - reporting. Reports are the bread & butter of the way we do business. It's how we know who is coming, when they are coming, what allergies/occasions/special quirks they all have. The new reports take 5 minutes (literally) to load, are incomplete, and have little grasp on reality. Case in point: a date in late July where we have 5 parties of 2 showing on the report. Total guest count: 12. WTF???
Someone (maybe Scott?) asked me last night why we're changing systems if the other system was ok. At the time, I made a bad heart transplant analogy. This morning, I think I have it. It's like going to a (bad) surgeon because you have a splinter in your foot. The surgeon thinks in terms of surgery, so instead of grabbing tweezers and pulling out the splinter, he amputates the whole foot. Recovery? That's YOUR problem.
One of my co-workers had a chat with the manager of another restaurant yesterday, and he said he was ready to jump off a bridge. It seems that the only restaurant people who aren't stressed about this change are the ones like The Boss, who have delegated all responsibility to other people and choose to remain blissfully ignorant. This train is rolling towards the edge of the Grand Canyon, and I'm betting they're not going to build the track around in time for us to not derail.
And now, I shall take my bucket of mixed metaphors and do some deep breathing.
1 comment:
Well that sucks. And you're right, most managers are clueless. Unless the kinks directly affect them, it's just "rough spots" that need to be "worked out".
My advice, start a detailed file on what works and what doesn't and give him weekly updates. Document, document and document. It'll be tedious but it could pay off, either in CYA or in actually resolving the issue.
Best of luck!
Post a Comment