How to Get Customer Satisfaction When Visiting

Table of Contents

There are times when customers plan visits in order to carry out audits of their suppliers according to their procedure..

This procedure is actually carried out by their Purchasing, which is a procedure regarding supplier selection and evaluation based on price criteria, product or work quality, ability to provide products, services, payment terms and supplier track records.

Sometimes this audit is carried out with the Incoming Material QC team to ensure quality standards and processes are in accordance with qualification requirements and reviewed according to aspects of Quality and Occupational Safety and Health and the Environment.

The evaluation process for suppliers is carried out if a purchase transaction has occurred at least 3 times in order to obtain maximum information as evaluation material.

Evaluation schedule for suppliers at least once a year. This evaluation is set forth in the Supplier Evaluation form.

This evaluation refers to the Supplier Assessment Standard document and stipulates that:

• The results of the supplier evaluation assessment are declared unsatisfactory so that the supplier can be removed from the list of partners or given the opportunity to return with a record of correcting any of these deficiencies.
• The results of the supplier evaluation are stated to be satisfactory and the supplier remains on the list of partners.

In order to always be on the list of customer partners, the key is to be able to provide customer satisfaction, one of which is customer satisfaction when they make a visit.

How to get customer satisfaction when visiting

1. Fulfill all previous customer requests

Before the day of visiting, there are usually several customer requests in the form of improvements both from the results of long-distance communication between the customer's purchasing department and management and the results of previous visits.

For example, improving process traceability and reject handling, this request must be fulfilled as soon as possible through corrective actions and reporting the results of repairs to the customer.

But what if a customer request turns out to result in an increase in production costs, should we still fulfill that request?

For example, at the location of the customer's production process, efficiency is being carried out in the material preparation process from the raw material warehouse by changing the way it works, namely eliminating the process of unpacking the supplier's raw material packing.

Customers will benefit from efficiency in the form of reduced demolition labor and time efficiency because raw materials sent by suppliers are ready to enter production directly.

Meanwhile, to meet customer demand, there is an additional workforce for repacking, the need for costs to purchase production process boxes and wasted time due to repacking.

Of course, if you only have 1 customer, then all requests must be met with difficulty because you have no bargaining power.

It's different if you have more than 1 customer, then this condition can of course be negotiated for mutual benefit.

But in essence, in order to get customer satisfaction, fulfill all requests wisely.

2. Prepare documents as for a quality management system audit

The agenda for customer visits includes checking procedural documents, work instructions and quality records.

If you have implemented a quality management system, you will ensure that all procedures have been carried out correctly and can be proven based on quality records and other documented information.

Complete documents are not only those behind the desk but all forms circulating at the plant such as checklists, history and others will be the target of customer inspection.

Prepare documents as well as possible and in full and make them in hardcopy and softcopy form.

3. Maintain cleanliness and tidiness

Implement 5S every day and increase the intensity of 5S or 6S activities before the arrival of customers.

Make sure the work area is free of trash and unnecessary items. Process materials arranged according to the process flow are placed in certain positions and given an identity if the goods are placed in the tub. Create identity of batch / lot of raw materials and WIP.

Make sure floors, machines, work tables and equipment are free of dust, dirt and wood pallet debris.

When customers visit, this is to ensure that all employees adhere to work ethics, including not joking around, being focused and enthusiastic about getting productivity results on target.

Comply with health protocols and safety standards at work such as wearing PPE masks, wearpacks and Face Shields when entering the work area until leaving the work area.

4. Ensuring smooth production process

It will backfire when a customer visits, it turns out that the process line has stopped for some reason.

This will be the material for customer questions that must be answered correctly by top management.

To prevent something like this from happening, make sure the readiness of the process is ripe, both from the stock of raw materials, the condition of the machine, the readiness of the operator and other supporting facilities for the smooth running of the process.

Postpone the machine's preventive maintenance schedule, repair machines that are not heavy and maintain the condition of the machine from momentary errors.