1. The document discusses improving customer service in manufacturing by shifting from a reactive to proactive paradigm. 2. It highlights some inherent problems within organizations from an operational perspective that can lead to bad customer experiences. 3. The author argues for understanding the full value chain, customer demand, inventory levels, and using tools like Excel to improve communication and better serve customers.

1. Customer Service
in Manufacturing
Dick LamDec 2015
A Paradigm Shift

2. The only thing we know about the future is
that it will be different. Trying to predict
the future is like trying to drive down a
country road at night with no lights while
looking out the back window.
The best way to predict the future is to
create it.
Peter Drucker

3. I am always a junior manager
• I only focus on figures which is related to daily operation
• I don’t have any strategic thinking; rather, just deal with
reporting of expenses, staff turnover, absenteeism,
canteen, dorm, daily sales, daily scrap & all trivial stuffs;
above all, asking people do what they should do
• To certain extent, my work is rather lame to senior
management; I don’t say anything presentable!
• I am just summarizing/restating something you have
ever heard before
知人者智，自知者明

4. This is me…
• BBA in Accountancy (HKBU)
• Fellow of ACCA
• Master of Arts in E-Business (CityU)
• Worked in various MNC and industries, mainly
manufacturing in mainland China, focus on management
accounting, business strategy, supply chain management
and new business setup in PRC
• 2010~2012, Consultant in a US consulting company for a
countrywide supply chain project
• Now, Director of Business Process of a US mfg co with
focus on customer services to boost revenue.
勝人者力，自勝者強

5. Contact Details
Mr. Dick Lam Chor Ki
dicklam128@hotmail.com
http://dicklam128 .wordpress.com
http://www.box.net/dicklam128
善无主于心者不留，行莫辩于身者不立

6. Content
1. What’s wrong?
2. What leads to bad customer experience?
3. Inherent Problems within and without
Organization from Operation Perspective
4. The Value Chain & The Nuance
5. Job Scope of Customer Service
– Routine
– Ad hoc
6. Understanding Inventory – RM & FG
7. Understanding Demand/Forecast

7. Content
8. Tailor-made Data model
9. Lead Time
10. The tools – Excel and data to share
11. Communication – internal & external
interaction
12. Customer Visit - Agenda
13. The Organization Structure of Customer
Service
14. Role Conflict: Sales vs. CS
15. Connotation

8. What paradigm shift?
• Step backward and forward
• Reactive => Proactive
• Do everything, not restricted by role, position,
department but collaborate with everyone with the
passion
• Face the finger-points
• It is always the nuance that matters
• Use thyself to change themselves
• Customers are looking at ourselves, not oneself
• Action on short term, planning for medium term and
mission on long term
Demand Pull System

9. The world is changing …….
• 1 to say Yes, 2 to say No
• But nobody would like to talk to a Yes-man.
• An overly agreeable employee that starts
out as a nice addition to the staff can turn
out to be a chronic source of problems.
• Any employee who agrees to everything is
not doing you any favors.
Pragmatism: Help me understand the reality!!!

10. The nature of Yes-man
• Yes-man is a liar as his month can only
pronounce Yes and nothing more
• Yes-man is mindless and does not provide
reliable resolution
• Yes-man is affable and make your own
mistakes opaque to you
• Yes-man only provides hope for good
• Yes-man ultimately kills you all!
I only know the truth when I am done

11. Your customers want to….
• talk to somebody who can materialize his
commitment
• talk to somebody who understands the
details of the problem, if any
• talk to somebody who knows the operation
and knows how & where to improve
• talk to somebody who could counter-
propose the customer to collaborate
You don’t have to ask permission to take responsibility

12. Mapping
Supplier (You) Customer (They)
• Sales
• Customer Service
• Supply Chain/Planning
• NPI/Engineering
• Sourcing/Purchasing
• Finance
• I.T.
• Quality
Interaction enables collaboration
• Sales
• Customer Service
• Supply Chain/Planning
• NPI/Engineering
• Sourcing/Purchasing
• Finance
• I.T.
• Quality

13. Product &
Service
Awareness
Image
Distribution
Trial
Performance
Repeat
Value
Trust
Loyalty
Customer
Loyalty

14. Brand
“
Brand is the psychological contract between a
company and its employees and between those
employees and their customers
We have to keep doing more than our
customers expect us to; we can’t worry about
what other companies might do.
”
Mavericks at Work
Your attitude is revealing the brand of the company

15. “…..
Brands are all about emotions. And emotions
are all about judgment. Brands are signifiers of
our emotional responses, which is why they are
so important in the world of commerce.
…..”
“…..
We interpret, we emote. We can thereby believe
that the object of our interpretation is sad or
happy, angry or calm, sneaky or embarrassed.
And, in turn, we ourselves can become
emotional just by our interpretation of others.
…..”
Donald A. Norman
Your customers only remember your company name….

16. 4 Capitals for Organization
Economic
Capital
• Fund
• Facilities
• Equipment
• Copyright
• Database
Human
Capital
• Experience
• Education
• Knowledge
• Skill
Psychological
Capital
• Confidence
• Hope
• Optimism
• Resilience
Social
Capital
• Relationship
• Network
• Friends
• Reciprocity
Thyself to influence others

17. Are you ready to change?
• It is not a wish
• It is an inner urge
• It should start from the heart and the
mind of the leader
• What is the change within yours?
佛在靈山莫遠求,靈山只在汝心頭。人人有個靈山塔,好向靈山塔下修。

18. Side-tracking
人不管是誰都無法看清現實的一切, 大
多數人只希望看到自己想看到的和想要
的現實而矣
尢里烏斯 凱撒
veni vidi vici

19. It’s not the work of organization to develop
people, but people are given the
opportunity to develop by doing the work
of the organization
Tom Thomison
So, what do you think CS should do?