Custom New Product Sample Requests

As Program Manager for New Product Implementation, I was responsible for fulfillment of requests by R&D, Marketing, and the Business-to-Business for custom samples of existing products. These requests were for new colors or new geometry and sometimes one component or complete assemblies.

The past track record had some problems with samples provided that did not meet customer expectations and my investigation revealed inconsistencies in our fulfillment process. We formed a team to review process and look at what went right most of the time and wrong in the cases that needed to be redone. Delays were common and that caused additional angst for the customer.

We found that although many of the requests were simple and done correctly, the procedures needed to be robust to identify more complex requests and assure quality. The team developed a project initiation request form to pinpoint the exact needs for each request. A standardized project execution schedule was also developed to get each request satisfied quickly.

As a result of the new "Custom Sample Request System," fulfillment satisfaction surged and average time to completion dropped by half.