Issue link: http://psai.uberflip.com/i/810924
W EEKLY EDITION APRIL 12, 2017 Quality Control in the Field …continued By PSAI Executive Director Karleen Kos It should go without saying – but we'll say it anyway just to be safe: Make sure you have properly oriented yo ur drivers and ridden along with them during the training phase. The QC ride along should be a routine follow up process for your whole team, not the first time anyone goes out with a driver. Because the QC checks should apply equally to newer and more sea soned drivers, you may also want to do some refresher training in the weeks before you start your QC checks just to ensure everyone is on the same page about current expectations. Make sure you have a standardized QC checklist that is used for all QC ride alongs. This ensures you are checking the same things for everyone, makes it less likely you'll miss or forget something important, and creates a record. Your checklist sho uld cover everything you want the driver to do, and might be divided into sections. The sections might include: • Items they should do or attend to on the yard before leaving for the day. • Several identical sections for monitoring what they should do on each of several sites. If they get it right on the first sit e, do they do it the same w ay every time? You'll want to document this. • Sections covering safety while driving and safety during loading/unloading and/or service. • Items they should do or attend to when they return to the yard. • Ideas for spot checks – random things to check in the f ield that are important areas of quality control but may not apply to every site. • Open comment sections for noting the quality of customer interaction and problem solving. The company leader that is conducting the ride along should introduce him - or herse lf to the site contact and explain the reason for the visit. This will give you a chance to get feedback from that person and may also favorably impress them with y our company's commitment to quality. After the check. Once the check is over, give the driv er feedback as immediately as possible. • Good QC ride alongs should be acknowledged. Some companies recognize their drivers publicly at company meetings, some give the driver a small gift card. The point is to recognize and reinforce the actions of drivers who are doing things the way they should be done. • If you have a poor ride along, bring the driver back and retrain him or her. Then ride along again. • Regardless of the results, the information should go to the employee file. • If necessary, follow up with t he site supervisors. A good QC program can be part of your regular staff training and communication program. The best companies never stop training their team to do a great job. They will discuss highlights and scenarios from the month's QC ride alongs i n their staff meetings, giving everyone the opportunity to learn from their colleagues' experiences. Your QC team may also begin to see issues in the field that will lead you to explore the purchase of different products or equipment or to provide addition al training on customer service. Whatever you decide to do, make it part of your company routine. You'll be glad you did. PAGE 2