Originally Published 2.21.2017

MAKATI CITY, Philippines - On January 23, 2017, Personiv Operations Head, Czarina Cordova, received her Lean Six Sigma Green Belt certification together with the whole Personiv management committee, after almost halving the ACW (After Call Work) handling time for her voice accounts.

Aside from reaching their SLA for handling time, this reduction of ACW also allows them to handle more calls each day. Not to mention the additional savings that came with it, Czarina’s project brings a considerable amount of annual savings equivalent to PHP1,163,284.

To get in-depth details, and tips, and know more about Czarina’s project, just keep scrolling down and read the rest of the article for our one-on-one interview with Ms. Cordova herself.
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Q. What prompted you to take the Lean Six Sigma Workshop? 

A. The Lean Six Sigma workshop is a companywide initiative for all members of the Management Team. Our company is in the Business Process Outsourcing industry and believes that Lean Six Sigma is a necessity as we grow our business to streamline our processes, reduce non-value steps, improve productivity, and increase revenue. We have envisioned Lean Six Sigma to be not just part of our production processes but also part of our daily activities as well.

Q. What Prompted you to start your project?

A. As our company ventures to diversify our services, we need to ensure that established practices for new accounts are optimized so replication will be easy for succeeding accounts. My project is the first B2B offering of our company hence, there is a drive to improve all processes.

Q. What was your project about?

A. My project is about the reduction of ACW (After Call Work) handling time for my voice account from 11.30 minutes to 10 minutes.

Q. What was it like for you, starting up and executing your own project?

A. It was a challenge at first as we needed to involve the whole team and get their buy-in on the purpose of the project. At the same time, the exercise was very enlightening as we tried to understand the impact of even the simplest procedure on the whole process.
 
Q. What were the results of your project?

A. Average ACW ended at 6.65 minutes at the end of the project.

Q. What was the impact of your project on your company?
A. Non-Financial
1. Meeting the SLA of 10mins/ad ACW handling time
2. Increase in # of calls handled due to shorter ACW.
 Financial
1. Savings of 1.4 agents/month equivalent to $25,283 annual savings or PHP1,163,284 for the customer 

"That's one reason why companies give high value to Certified Lean Six Sigma individuals. One does not just attend a program and receive his certification but has to successfully apply and show proper use of tools and methodology with actual work processes. One has to earn his Lean Six Sigma certification,"- Rex Tuozo, “The Six Sigma Guy”

Q. What was the impact of being a certified Lean Six Sigma Black Belt on you as an individual?

 A. I feel accomplished being a member of the highly coveted Lean Six Sigma belts. Aside from the bragging rights of course , after the certification, I feel more confident in implementing process improvement initiatives.
 
Q. What would be your message to those who are currently taking/planning to take the Green Belt Program or those who are currently conducting their own projects?

A. Begin with the end in mind. This is one of the habits I adapted from the 7 Habits of Stephen R. Covey. If you have a clear vision of what you want to accomplish at the end of the project, nothing can stop you from achieving your end goal.

Q. If there’s anything else that you’d like to share about your experience, what would it be?

A. 1. Importance of gathering information – It is necessary to have a baseline before setting a target. This will quantify the gap between the current and desired status of the project.

2. Immersion - To improve the overall process, one must understand every detail affecting the process. Involving rank and file/operators is the most effective way to understand all areas of a certain process. Who can best help you to complete your project but your own team?

3. Awareness and Accountability – Powerful motivation tools that can yield positive results.
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4. Recognition – Hearing the results is good but seeing the results is better. This creates healthy competition toward achieving the team goal. Ensure to recognize and acknowledge contributions, you will not be able to complete your project alone.

5. Lastly, I believe in teamwork and stand by the philosophy that everything is achievable if you have your team supporting you throughout the project

​To be certified in Lean Six Sigma, one has to complete an actual Lean Six Sigma project and apply process improvement tools, methodology, and techniques learned in class. "That's one reason why companies give high value to Certified Lean Six Sigma individuals. One does not just attend a program and receive his certification but has to successfully apply and show proper use of tools and methodology with actual work processes. One has to earn his Lean Six Sigma certification," Tuozo said. "If you attend our Lean Six Sigma programs, unlike other training providers, you get continuous support after the program, for no additional cost. You'll be assigned a Black Belt to help you complete your project," Tuozo added.

"If you attend our Lean Six Sigma programs, unlike other training providers, you get continuous support after the program, for no additional cost. You'll be assigned a Black Belt to help you complete your project," –Rex Tuozo, “The Six Sigma Guy"

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