Some Insights Into What I Have To Offer
My resume is available upon request. Email me at
[email protected]
The purpose of this page is to provide in-site into the challenges (and Solutions) I have faced over the years and the creative methods that were implemented. Each case study demonstrates a key skill set
Contact me.
[email protected]
The purpose of this page is to provide in-site into the challenges (and Solutions) I have faced over the years and the creative methods that were implemented. Each case study demonstrates a key skill set
- Frontend Web Developer and SEO Specialist (see case study-- A Site For Sore Eyes)
- Network Configuration (see case study-- A Stable Challenge)
- Spreadsheet Solutions (see case study- Money In The Bank)
- Database Usage (analysis) and ETL (Extract, Transform and Load) (see case study --Smart Billing-Every Challenge Has A Solution)
- Interpersonal Communication. (see case study-- Excellent Customer Relations Strategies)
Contact me.
A Site For Sore Eyes
As a member of The National Contract Management Association. I felt it was time we updated our chapter website in the Los Angeles South Bay. After successful discussions with the board members, I applied my experience in the areas of:
I have worked with Square.com, Weebly, WordPress and others. I like to use what is effective in various applications to design a site in an effort to express the powerful benefits to any visitor that views the sites that I create. As a way to assess the quality of my work feel free to take a moment to view the site at... www.ncma-lasb.org 
A Stable Solution
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Excellent Customer Relations Strategies
In my case study titled "Money in the Bank" I mentioned training 17 new people in the Collection Department and the Customer Service department. A brief reminder. Toyota had a 25% delinquency (Note: Before the switch to the poorly researched SAP system, we were averaging 6% delinquency). Having worked for Toyota in the collection department and in other customer relation roles, I implemented several principles in the training program that helped to reduce the delinquency to 1.5% a record low. Principle 1 – Innocent Till Proven Guilty Many customers were behind in payments or had issues with their accounts due to the SAP transition. To rebuild the trust and ensure a dynamic cooperation with the customer, I implemented the principle mindset that we are responsible for the circumstances the customer is facing. An apology is in order and we would appreciate the cooperation of the customer to resolve the current issue. Why this approach… You get what you get with pride, but humility will produce a mountain of results. As we obtained the necessary information the issues were methodically addressed and either the company was truly at fault or the customer is at fault. In either case an arrangement was made (often to the satisfaction of everyone involved). Customer loyalty shot through the roof with many customers insisting that future payments were done by phone rather then electronically. Customers loved the interaction. Principle 2 – Feel, Felt, Found In our communication with the customer, many were frustrated and expressed their feelings (often) in colorful metaphors. I trained the team to listen and allow the customer to express their frustrations. And respond with something like...I know how you feel. I felt the same way. What I found is that by working closely with someone who cares (such as myself), we can fix the reason and usually the results are even better than you could have ever imagined. Principle 3 – Slow down and adjust the volume Angry customers almost always raise their voices. As part of the principles noted above, when it is time for you to speak start with the same volume as the customer and start lowering your voice to a calm level and begin to slow down the pace of your words. This has a subliminal effect on the customer and will often diffuse the tension and bring the customer to a calmer state of mind. Principle 4 – If it was not written, it did not happen NOTE EVERYTHING THAT OCCURS. What the customer says and felt along with any supporting documentation will set the foundation for any communication with the customer in the future. So simple yet so often overlooked. He said-she said never works. If I cannot prove my point calmly with absolute facts, then I have lost before I have even begun. These and other communication techniques resulted in improved customer relations, with a higher satisfaction and repeat business. |
CONNECTING TO THE OUTSIDE WORLD
A Stable Challenge My client operates a large stable with over 60 stalls. The structure is nearly 100 years old and is located in an area with little to no internet access. What was available was unreliable, costly and outdated. After researching a new cost effective internet resource with a high download rate and dependable upload speed the next obstacle required allowing access to this central resource. A standard wired network was both cost prohibitive (due to the nature of the structure) and took away from the original historic appearance of this large (mission like) stable. A Stable Solution The best solution was the formation of a wireless Mesh Network. Nodes were strategically placed throughout and tested with various applications. My personal goal was to achieve the following parameters: 1- Consistent high throughput 2- Performance stability 3- Acceptable ping rate 4- Ideal signal overlap. The result was a mesh network of wireless (discretely placed ) nodes accessible by office staff for: 1- Financial transactions 2- Various forms of communication 3- Horse training Instruction 4- And other essential office affairs. Customers also had access to conduct work and communication while on site awaiting their riding lessons. Access to the mesh network is accessible throughout the structure and the Training arenas. The benefits of this arrangement continue to be seen as time wears on. Plans are in the works to install remote viewing of the training arenas and (thanks to the mesh network) using Android/Apple apps to access views of all of these areas. Do you need a solution to your network needs or perhaps you need someone to install and/or administrate your network? If so...Contact me  There's option A or B. Actually there is also The X option
Smart Billing-Every Challenge Has A Solution A client had to be invoiced for past dues going back months for over 400 fork lift units located in over 20 locations across the country. Past invoices took months to resolve due to the invoice format and the structure of the clients accounting operation. Disputes always occurred. A custom invoice would take 2 hours. We need to produce countless invoices and fast. The problem was brought to my attention and I thought about the options available: A- Keep invoicing as before (No good. We will never catch up with the client) B- Develop the routine custom invoice (Same results as option A and the man hours would be cost prohibitive). C- Exercise the X option, But... What is that? I had to think outside the box so I chose the X option. My favorite option. Within 3 days I created a custom invoice workbook. Imported data from two SAP reports and with the implementation of a macro, I extracted key data, performed VLOOKUP, transposed the data, dynamically linked the results and (using concatenation) I created invoices with a unique invoice number so payments could be applied accurately. Once implemented, the workbook produced 200 invoices in 4 hours for a total of $3 million dollars in past due balances. We packaged the thick stack of invoices (practically a ream of paper) and overnighted the invoices to the client. The client was shocked and unprepared to resolve the invoices that were tailored to meet their specific invoicing requirements. So we negotiated. A repayment plan was established and Toyota collected the 3 million that was past due. The workbook was modified and used with other corporate clients to recover many millions more in past due dollars. A Smart Billing Solution If these are the kind of skills your company requires, then I am available to discuss your needs. |
 Losing Money Hand Over Fist! What to do?
Money in the Bank
While at Toyota Financial Services (Commercial Finance) a major problem arose. Challenge Due to the economic times and a poorly deployed SAP database infrastructure, our delinquency rate (the amount of past due balances from our clients) went from 6% up to 25% in a few short months. Hundreds of Millions were being lost and collectors were hamstrung. Collection entries of 40 to 60 per day per person went down to 1 per day per person (due to SAP issues- Hard to believe, but true). -- How do we increase the amount of collection activity? -- How will we recover the millions in lost revenue? Solution Using my skills in communication, databases and advanced spreadsheet resources, I went right to work. * First... I refined an existing excel report that was then distributed to the entire Toyota division. In this excel workbook all data from several other SAP reports were integrated and separated by worksheets. Some sheets had graphs and others had critical information with column tabs turned on to isolate key information for use by the various departments and individuals. Typical generation of the report would take a full day. I created a macro to make rapid production of this report on a weekly basis within 1 hour. Quarterly summaries were generated by referencing this report and sent to the Toyota executive management in Japan. Today Tableau and Power BI are my tools of choice. * Second...Using my Training/Instructional skills I then addressed the high collection rate needed to recover our growing losses, I collaborated with management and formed a 3 person team to compile and create a comprehensive training program. We trained 17 people on collection and customer service policies and procedures. Once the additional personnel completed the training, I supervised their work and a fast increase in collection activity began. *Third...The results were surprising to management. In time... The delinquency went from 25% down to 1.5% (An all time low record). Hundreds of millions were recovered (based on a comprehensive daily activity report that was produced by me). * Conclusion...After 2 years the SAP issue was ultimately resolved integrating many of the elements found in the workbook into the collection section of the database. The workbook was later dropped (to the great disappointment of many people-It was a very user friendly- one stop resource) and we downsized the number of collectors. Since then the division never achieved such a low delinquency or the recovery of so much money. * Advanced Excel skills * Database experience AND * Communication skills Produced... -- Money in the Bank -- 
I have worked for Toyota headquarters for 8 years. During that time, I utilized the principles of Kaizen in my pursuit of coninuous improvment.
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