Staff must
work WITH
the system
Right way of
looking at ISO
TAKE YOUR ISO standards and apply them to your internal - often humdrum - procedures, as well as those apparent to the client, said Frans Smith, ops and quality manager at Bax Gobal in Johannesburg.
Since we started to do this internal extension of the ISO principles, he told FTW, our housekeeping has improved dramatically - and our other offices are soon to follow the same route.
There's a logic behind this, Smith added.
If you're not doing it right internally, he said, it is likely that you won't be doing it externally either.
It's a matter of absorbing and living the ISO lifestyle, is how Smith views it.
We're focusing on improving the internal system, he said, and applying the ISO principles there. It leads to improved customer service in the end.
But it is not a matter of putting a system in place then expecting it to keep running, Smith added.
You've got to maintain it on a daily basis, he said. You've got to keep doing what you promised.
And add to that: You must focus on ALL aspects of your business.
While a lot of this effort filters down to what might be described as the smaller things of business life, Smith feels that the little things are also important.
At its most micro-level, Smith highlights weighing scales which have not been allocated a regular accuracy check-up. Take this up the procedure ladder, he said, and you will eventually be guilty of putting false mass information on customs documents.
And, just think to yourself, how many company employees are walking around with broken tape measures - with the last two-to-three metres broken off.
Again, the ultimate might be incorrect dimension measurements.
There's also a right way of looking at ISO, Smith added.
We focus on the system, not the individuals working it, he said. It was not introduced on a penalty basis.
The attitude this breeds, according to Smith, is that the staff are comfortable working WITH the system - not viewing it as an autocratic control.
We are focusing on getting all our branches to think similarly, he said. All on the same frequency.
That helps to maintain consistent service.
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