A barrier-breaking initiative at Goodyear is giving employees on the factory production line a chance to connect directly with dealers and end users on the retail shop floor … and to listen to the ‘voice of the customer’.
In fact, this innovative programme is called just that: Voice of the Customer. Chris Tye, Goodyear National Customer Services Manager, has been instrumental in adapting the global programme – which is shared as best practice throughout the Goodyear group – and driving it since its South African launch in 2010.
“The issue is the same the world over: those hard at work in the heart of a manufacturing plant do not usually get the chance to see the fruits of their labour on the shop floor – and those buying or selling the products do not usually get to meet the people who made them,” he explained. “If these dealers and customers have a complaint or a comment to make about the product, it is usually first communicated somewhere other than the guys on the shop floor.
“‘Voice of the Customer’ is a way of bringing the two ends together, ultimately contributing to the continuous improvement of Goodyear’s products and service.”
In essence, Voice of the Customer is an opportunity for dealers and customers to share concerns or questions directly with manufacturing plant employees, taking them closer to the source than a sales or business development representative. It also presents an opportunity for employees to present to these customers the plant improvements implemented to correct their concerns and is a clear demonstration that Goodyear values and acts upon on customer communications.
Tye, together with Mahir Mehmetoglu, Goodyear’s Q-Tech Manager and various groups of specifically selected manufacturing employees, has so far travelled to various dealerships in Natal, Eastern Cape and Western Cape.
“It is tricky to pull valued employees off the production line when there are targets to be met, so the trips are scheduled according to availability, but the plan is to cover the country.
“Dealers have responded enthusiastically to our visits. They are pleased to see that the issues they raise are taken seriously by Goodyear and have even led to improvements in the tyres. It is great for them to be able to question the people who are actually there when the tyres are made.
“The visits are also opportunities for our factory employees to interact with dealer staff, such as the fitters who handle the tyres they have helped to make. It is a chance, too, to see our tyres and those of our competitors standing side by side and to compare appearance and quality standards.
“Opening communication like this encourages greater understanding on both sides. For us at the factory, most importantly, when dealers and customers can tell you the good and the bad themselves, the message reaches the manufacturing floor that much quicker and Goodyear can respond that much faster.”
Editors Notes: Not quite the same as meeting the guy that made your Rolls Royce engine but a good enough start from the ground up!
Alan Straton
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