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Management Tips: How to create Client Centricity Among Workman in Manufacturing Shop floor

Let’s see why client centricity among workman in manufacturing shop floor is important. The workmen on the shop floor of a manufacturing supplier can contribute effectively to customer satisfaction and the success of the organization by adapting client-centric mindset in their work place. However, the enablement is in the hands of management. The management can proactively develop appropriate mechanisms such as training, reward and recognition, daily work management practices, leadership small talks, success stories, anecdotes, building role models, creating healthy contests, etc, to imbibe these qualities in their workmen. This is really where the creativity of the management comes in.

• Pride in Workmanship: Taking pride in their craftsmanship and the products they produce is crucial. When workmen view their work as a contribution to the client’s success, they are more likely to pay attention to detail and ensure high-quality output.
• Ownership and Accountability: Instead of trying to inwardly focus on work as tasks that are one’s responsibility, embracing a sense of ownership over one’s work based on its impact on the client encourages workmen to take responsibility for the final product’s quality, timely delivery and contingencies that weren’t planned
• Client Satisfaction as a Measure of Success: In most organizations, workmen and their supervisors take an objective view of meeting production targets and conforming to the quality standards as a primary measure of success. However, viewing client satisfaction as a key metric for measuring the success of their work reinforces the importance of meeting client needs and expectations.
• Replacing Conformance mindset with Empathy:  Clients’ needs may change, and workmen should be flexible enough to adapt and accommodate these changes without compromising quality or delivery timelines. Encouraging workmen to put themselves in the client’s shoes helps them better understand the importance of their role in delivering products that meet the client’s needs and expectations.

• Respect for the Client’s Investment: Clients invest time, money, and trust in the products they purchase. A client-focused mindset involves treating these investments including the intangibles with respect and ensuring that the products reflect that commitment. Every client may be different though we are supplying the same items. Workmen should be educated to understand that the specific needs, preferences, and expectations of the clients they are serving are subjective and even change from time to time. This understanding allows them to accept reality rather than fight it. Ultimately it will lead to better alignment with clients and with management staff.

• Client Oriented Continuous Improvement: Having the mindset to always seek ways to improve processes, eliminate inefficiencies, and enhance product quality is good, but unfortunately, most manufacturing organizations use their workmen’s creative energy in cost reduction. It is vital to prioritize Kaizens that demonstrate a commitment to delivering better value to clients over time.  
• Effective Communication: The need for seamless and proactive communication is something all workmen to be educated on. They should communicate proactively and openly inform anything they feel impacts their client deliverables. This is in contrast to restricted and limited communication style where they share information only when asked and that too in a limited fashion. A collaborative approach helps prevent miscommunications that could affect the final client satisfaction long term relationships.
• Strive for Excellence: Workmen should be encouraged to actively seek client feedback. The openness to accept criticism sometimes contradicts the quality of pride in workmanship. With the right balance, this will drive product quality and client experience.

If you are planning to improve your client centric business growth in manufacturing, please feel free to reach out to business.support@collaborat.com

Nilakantasrinivasan J

Nilakantasrinivasan J (Neil) (born 1974) is an Indian author, consultant and guide, focused on the subject of client centricity, B2B client centric business growth, business transformation & analytics. Nilakantasrinivasan J (Neil) is the author of 3 books, The Client Centric Protagonist, The Master Book for Lean Six Sigma & A Little Book for Customer Experience.