Hello, everyone! I am Weiwei, and today marks the 47th day of my continuous sharing.
Yesterday, I shared whether a separate follow-up is necessary and some simple processes.
Today’s topic is: Why must the PCB industry establish a follow-up system? What is the importance of follow-up?.
Common issues: From a sales perspective, if follow-up is not taken seriously, handling one email at a time means that other tasks rely solely on sales.If sales frequently visit the production line, they will be very tired; if sales also handle follow-up, after a two-day business trip, the backlog of tasks will be overwhelming, and it may take at least a week to sort everything out. After dealing with these tasks, if another business trip occurs, it will be even more exhausting, and working late will not guarantee performance.
From the boss’s perspective, the boss is the ceiling of the company, believing that follow-up is optional, and that sales and follow-up can be managed by one person. However, for sales, this is hard to articulate, and I will clarify this thought process in the coming days, from processes to importance, to what specifically needs to be followed up on, and finally provide a follow-up checklist to clarify the specific responsibilities of follow-up. Although the effects of follow-up may not be immediately visible in daily work, its value is indeed significant.
From my 18 years of experience in PCB follow-up and sales, I conclude that follow-up is necessary.
There are several reasons for this analysis.
1. The characteristics of the PCB industry, with processes that are non-standardized and highly complex..
PCBs go through more than 20 processes from design to finished product (drilling → copper plating → electroplating → etching → solder mask → testing, etc.), and any delay in any link can lead to a collapse of the delivery schedule. The demand is highly customized, with various thicknesses and specifications clearly stated, especially for specialized high-difficulty boards.
2. Delivery time and core materials (such as high-frequency substrates and imported inks) are concentrated in global production capacity, leading to high risks of stockouts. Follow-up personnel dynamically adjust delivery strategies, informing customers while ensuring that order cancellations are not affected. I wrote in my article on February 14, 2025, about the importance of delivery in PCB sales; I recommend referring to it. The factory has its own plans; why is follow-up still necessary? The plan is an overall schedule for models, and any anomalies will be handled collectively. Follow-up monitors each model, and if any anomalies are found, resources are mobilized immediately to initiate emergency plans.
3. Quality: Why is follow-up so important for quality? Because follow-up personnel are one of the most direct contacts with customers every day, all customer concerns stem from past issues. For example, customers have their own specifications, and key content is also indicated in the customer specifications. However, if the factory quality still fails to address the customer’s pain points, follow-up will need to remind them. For instance, for end-use computer shielding boards, customers first reported that the black oil boards should not have more than three stains, and they provided images. When the customer received the boards, the same quality issue occurred. When the customer only reports the problem and not a formal complaint, the role of follow-up is to notify sales and quality managers to travel immediately to discuss specific solutions with the client. After the meeting, the quality team will re-evaluate quality standards from material cutting to packaging and print color defect images for each QC desk, among other measures. (Quality will be more professional; this is just a case study.)
4. Cost control: For example, excess boards and inventory boards are shared with customers in a timely manner, which may absorb inventory while also securing the next batch of orders.
5. Enhancing customer relationships: For example, in every EQ card issue, if there is no response, we immediately connect with MI, planning, production, quality, etc., for a five-minute discussion to resolve the issue and provide the best solution to the customer.
6. Follow-up is a fire-fighting reporter, a team participant, and a maximizer of value. Follow-up requires daily verification of the dynamics of each model. If any anomalies are found, it is necessary to push the plan to understand the on-site situation, and if necessary, escalate the report for handling, while also participating in the entire process.
In summary, the relationship between sales and follow-up is a perfect collaboration!
If sales initially regard themselves as the CEO of the company internally and externally, then follow-up is the internal CEO’s assistant and fire extinguisher, directing follow-up to where it is needed.
If follow-up becomes very skilled and can handle various anomalies, then follow-up becomes a trusted CEO for customers, having a complete thought process, regularly informing sales when visits should occur, and reminding sales about upcoming holidays and what gifts to prepare. Follow-up enhances the relationship with sales and the relationship with customers, allowing follow-up to guide sales effectively.