The main reason why a company would consider moving from a manual, bottom-line approach to a more comprehensive and quantitative method is due to the increased profitability of the business. The process is also known to increase employee satisfaction as well as keeping employees more focused and involved in their work. There are numerous reasons to use a solid Six Sigma methodology and taking your training to the next level will enable your company to reap all these benefits.
The truth is that Six Sigma does not really “expire” unless it is used to improve one or more areas of an organization. For example, a business can take six sigma certifications and apply it to reducing customer service lines, increasing the productivity of associates, streamlining the production process, and reducing waste. All of these processes can save a company thousands of dollars on annual operating costs.
Unfortunately, if your company hasn’t already taken advantage of what Six Sigma has to offer, it’s unlikely that they will in the near future. It is very important to understand that Six Sigma Certification is not a long term solution to any problems you might be having within your own company. Instead, it is meant to provide quick, short term results, helping your company to resolve current issues and create more efficient processes in the future.
When looking for a Six Sigma Training provider, ask them why six sigma certification is important to your company. If they respond with something like, “Why do we need this when we are so efficient,” think about spending some time talking over the issue. It’s likely that they don’t understand how Six Sigma can really make a difference in their own company. However, they can easily find out how by asking the right questions, which is the whole point of training anyway. Keep asking, until you get the answer you were seeking.
Ask for statistics on training cost savings during your meeting with the Six Sigma Training provider. You want to know how much training and development costs per employee, as well as the overall savings the entire organization has seen since they adopted Six Sigma. There should also be figures on ROI, as well as a detailed process flow for how Six Sigma has impacted each department within the company. These statistics will show you exactly why six sigma is so critical to the success of the company and should be taken seriously before any decisions are made.
Ask them what Six Sigma Certification means to them personally. There is a great deal of pride in being certified, especially if you are in a field or industry that is highly competitive and strives to continuously improve and find new ways to make things better, and the Six Sigma Process is certainly one way that they have taken advantage of this competitive edge. They will be happy to tell you how Six Sigma has dramatically improved their processes and how they have saved money and time while doing so. Six Sigma certification is definitely a great way to justify your budget investment and show your customers how serious you are in improving the quality and process of your business.
The most important question to ask when it comes to certification and training is, “Do you feel that you need Six Sigma Training?” If the answer is no, then there may be no need for you to bother with Six Sigma certification, but if the answer is yes, then it would be a good idea for you to look into whether or not you need it. It may also be an idea for you to ask if there is a way for you to get Six Sigma Certification on the cheap, without having to spend a lot of money or sacrifice the quality of your training. Most importantly, make sure that you ask the right questions when it comes to the decision of whether or not you need Six Sigma Certification.