We train them to help customers make orders online, to explain the variety of products we offer, and to offer advice on specialty products, like custom-cut meats. If they can't answer a question on the spot, our customer-service folks call the customer back from the office. That's the kind of service that Anthony Parks, Webvan's original customer-service director, always envisioned for the company. Parks left Webvan in April 1999 due to differences over customer-service strategy. But while he's no longer with the company, Webvan seems to be moving closer to his original plan.
Grocery shopping is generational.
It's a tradition. My mother took me shopping, and her mother took her. Parks believes that preserving that emotional link is crucial to the success of all e-commerce. He thinks people want the convenience of the Internet without losing the feel of the neighborhood butcher or produce person. Building a new tradition is crucial to Webvan's success.