What OTIF Means for You
OTIF is an acronym that stands for “on time, in full.” That’s exactly how you want your shipments and products: delivered to you on time and with each product accounted for in full. OTIF is something we take very seriously; we hold ourselves to a very high standard. With our industry-leading, 3-day lead time on so many products, it’s incredibly important that everyone on our team understands the importance of OTIF and how it affects our customers.
All departments at Clear Design play a role in getting your orders out on time and in full; here are just a few examples.
The Steering Wheel: Leadership
First and foremost, it is the job of company leadership to convey to its employees why OTIF is so important; they must steer the company in the right direction. COO Robert Warrilow says, “We work hard to ensure OTIF doesn't become some forgotten metric in a file drawer or a slogan on the wall not lived by. OTIF is kept top of mind through a few different mediums.” Through both daily reports and weekly huddles, Clear Design leadership makes sure the importance of OTIF is always visible for the whole team. “Lean operations is at the heart of each of these conversations, and we apply many of its principles to consistently raise the bar of operational excellence.”
The Friendly Face: Customer Service
When an order is submitted, our Customer Service team begins the process of getting the order out on time and in full. Customer Service Manager Clarissa Dawson says the department “works hard to create a positive experience for the dealer during the order-entry process.” Checking each other’s work and communicating with transparency are both critical to “ensure our customers are receiving everything they need for their projects.” The awesome Customer Service team is ready to answer any questions our partners have now or may have down the line.
The Octopus: Operations
Our Operations Team must have at least eight arms to do everything it does. Executive Assistant Lauren Sparling says, “we work very closely with all departments to ensure that everyone has the procedures and tools to deliver to our customers on time and in full, every time.” Though said so succinctly, that is a huge undertaking. No other department can do its job without the help of this team. The Operations department is ready to quickly resolve any issue that threatens OTIF.
The Last One Standing: Warehouse
Warehouse Manager Will Cardenas describes the team’s role in OTIF as the “last one standing.” The Warehouse team is last to have its hands (or forklifts) on the products before they’re sent to their destinations. It is their job to “make sure everything is 100% pulled, carefully and safely packed, quality controlled, and shipped in full as it heads out the door.” In addition to robust packaging that prevents damages, our OTIF score is maintained by ensuring every warehouse team member is cross trained to be able to jump into action wherever needed.
OTIF is Who We Are
OTIF is a direct application of Clear Design’s core values. As Robert Warrilow says, “Clear Design has separated itself in the crowded marketplace for years by offering world-class service to our dealers. Our overarching ethos is to keep our promises by delivering quality products on time.”
Clear Design strives to be true to its values by keeping the customers’ needs at the forefront of everything we do, and OTIF acts as a sort of scorecard to keep us accountable to ourselves and to our dealer partners. At the end of the day, it’s about keeping our promises.