For many companies in our industry, having a quality program comes as second nature. But for those without one, the implementation can seem daunting and cumbersome. You may even question if the benefits from a self-implemented quality management system (QMS) are even worth the effort. But a good quality program will help you eliminate the five most common business headaches.
Headache No. 1: Ineffective processes. Every organization has key benchmarks and goals for each department or operational unit to achieve, including production, sales, purchasing and customer service. But if you're experiencing missed goals due to ineffective processes, it's likely time to implement a quality program. This removes ambiguity by outlining a clear organizational structure, establishing procedures and providing a foundation for consistency across all disciplines.
How are you measuring department goals? How are those goals and measurements being communicated throughout the organization? If you can't answer these questions, focus on defining processes here as part of the quality program. Include methods for closing gaps and communicating interdepartmentally, and you'll quickly see the effects on your bottom line.
Headache No. 2: Inconsistent customer satisfaction experiences. If you've received feedback from your customers signaling inconsistent satisfaction experiences, you're aware of a problem inside your organization. But how do you fix it? Can you easily identify the source of the breakdown? A good quality program makes customer satisfaction a top priority, and all changes focus on consistently meeting the customers' requirements.
The first place to start this portion of the quality program is to implement a method for collecting customer feedback in a routine, frequent and unbiased way. This can be done via surveys, return forms or complaint documentation. Aggregating the collected data will identify opportunities for improvement.
Headache No 3: Inconsistent products/ output. All customers expect consistency in product quality, delivery times, customer care and pricing. Any unexpected deviation from their previous experiences or expectations causes problems. To avoid them, your quality program should include regular inspection of all areas, including raw materials upon delivery, manufacturing, customer service, packaging and shipping. Getting buy-in from the measured departments will lead employees to take pride in their work and feel they are making valuable contributions toward consistent high-quality output.
Headache No. 4: Unclear organizational objectives. Many organizations seem to have unclear objectives, and the further away from the C-suite you get, the blurrier goals become. Quality programs contain processes to ensure executive-level goals are communicated to frontline staff and broken down into how their actions affect those goals. Additionally, because no department operates in a silo, it is good practice to communicate goals across departments to convey how each action affects others upstream and downstream. The key is to facilitate proper training of personnel and open lines of communication.
Headache No. 5: Waning employee morale. Employee burnout and declining employee morale are common across all industries, but how can a quality program help with that? Many staffers report the most frustrating parts of their jobs are unclear priorities, changing targets and an overall reactive nature to obstacles. Worse yet, we've been led to believe higher compensation can overcome these woes. However, when you implement a quality program that clearly defines objectives and goals, outlines expectations across the organization and focuses on proactively overcoming challenges, you've eliminated this issue altogether without increasing expenses. Put another way, a good quality program creates a stable environment that ultimately translates to engaged workers, repeat customers and satisfied stakeholders.
So instead of taking two aspirin and calling the doctor in the morning, take two weeks to identify your current headaches and evaluate the pain points. Then you can begin developing your own prevention: a solid quality program.
For more information, visit www. pactecinc.com or call (800) 272-2832.