Problem: Customers of telephone services were angry because company frequently missed promised delivery dates and final installations had to be reworked to meet expectations. Within the company, production and installation teams were frustrated because they were always playing “catch-up” due to what they believed were unrealistic sales promises. Conversely, sales teams viewed other employees as slow and internal processes as cumbersome obstacles which limited production.
Solution: PTD Partners conducted a baseline and value stream to map out the process. Analyzing and testing various solutions, it became apparent that the business needed a better process for aligning customer expectations with company’s products. Working with leadership from each team, the process for discovering customer’s requirements and sharing requirements so that they were aligned internally with all company teams from the beginning. Working together to resolve the problem, team members gained a new appreciation for each other. They developed new relationships based upon respect.
Results: Customer feedback from the new system was overwhelmingly positive. Internally, employee morale increased dramatically as employees were finally able to consistently meet the customer’s needs without feeling like they were constantly fighting to catch up. Company saved over $5 million by using this new system.