Training/Development Improves Quality and Reduces Costs
The Challenge
Pro Staff has been a partner with a large cellular communications company for more than 10 years - providing talent for all levels of the company – from administrative positions to technical. In 2006, the company created an initiative to improve the quality of the phones it serviced for a variety of mobile phone service providers while controlling costs associated with the work. In order to help the company accomplish this, Pro Staff worked with key members of the company to develop job improvement strategies for the talent working on the assembly line as well as the full time staff – most of whom were former Pro Staff employees. The task at hand was twofold:
- Improve quality of repaired phones for customers
- Reduce cost per unit for repairs
Because there were no formal training processes previously in place, each employee was only trained for a particular assembly line process as needed. As a result, there was little accountability for the end product and the quality for phone repairs suffered.
The Action Plan
Pro Staff examined the assembly line process from beginning to end to better understand where improvements could be made. The most obvious problem was the time each person spent being trained on the line – five minutes or less. Employees were moved around and spot trained as needed, but no one could be considered an expert in any particular area. To fix this, Pro Staff immediately:
- Researched outside training companies that specialized in technical work
- Developed a customized training curriculum for the company
- Delivered new hire training and certification for existing employees on each process
- Created a manual for reference after training was completed
The Results
Once Pro Staff identified the problem and found the right training & development solution, the company experienced an improved talent base, lower costs and higher customer satisfaction.
- New hires received extensive training specific to the company
- Talent were recertified each time they changed positions on the assembly line
- Repair cost per unit decreased by 42 percent
- Satisfaction survey results improved
- Pro Staff delivered cost savings exceeding $500,000
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