How Technology and Generative AI Impact Capacity Building at Work+Shelter

For over a decade, Work+Shelter has been bridging operations between our offices in India and the US. Close collaboration between our teams is extremely important – it's crucial that our prospective and current clients in the US have clear information about the status of their quote or order when they need it.

There are unique challenges with managing a business in two countries, in two different time zones, with two distinct cultures. However because Work+Shelter exists to help women in need in India by providing them with opportunities to grow personally and professionally, it inspires us to continue to develop our team and create processes that ensure smooth communication between our teams.

Our team members in New Delhi come from diverse educational backgrounds and work experience. Some women have never been to school a day in their lives, while others are government school graduates in need of foundational training.

Because of that, we offer two types of training at our center in India.

1. First and foremost we offer paid training where vulnerable women are taught essential skills like cutting, sewing, quality checking, and garment finishing.
2. Second, we offer professional-level development program for our junior managers including skills like financial management, merchandising, photography, and client communication.

Junior managers are often unmarried women in their early 20's, working to support their parents or siblings, or even put themselves through a formal degree program. Although they may have basic education and are literate in Hindi, they typically lack professional work experience or opportunities and do not speak English.

Founder Theresa VanderMeer training with the ladies of Work+Shelter

The Foundation for Training

The first round of training for junior managers is in basic professional development including foundational computer skills, basic work decorum, and how to be professional in the work environment. As you can see in the image below, foundational skills like, "Dressing appropriately" and "Being punctual" set the stage for more advanced training.

An excerpt and self-assessment from the cultural homework of a junior level manager

Next Level Capacity Building

In 2024, our program to have a seamless workflow experience between our US and Indian teams, which includes developing our junior managers in India, has risen to new heights. The results have been:

• Faster Responses
  
  We transitioned from the US team drafting all client communication to our junior managers using HubSpot’s CRM ticketing system to manage client interactions more effectively.
• Personalized Product Recommendations
  
  The India team is tasked with evaluating client needs by proactively visiting our clients' websites and social media platforms, resulting in more informed and personalized responses.
• More Accurate Quoting
  
  We’ve also focused on advancing their technical skills, including working with Google Sheets for more complex tasks like VLOOKUP functions and integrating a Master Database for better data management.
• Improved Marketing
  
  With new guidelines and practice, the team has enhanced their ability to take high-quality product photos, contributing to better overall presentation and branding.

Integrating Generative AI into the Program

In addition to advancements in our current capacity-building program, the most significant improvement has been the integration of AI tools into our workflow.

• The US team creates training videos and tutorials in Loom, leading to a continuous feedback loop to refine their usage.
• Recordings of client meets in Fathom are shared with the India team – they are able to independently move forward with call follow ups including sending samples or drafting invoices based on what action items were discussed in the call.
• The India junior management team uses AI to double check and audit the prospective project costs that our fabric and stitching teams provide.
• AI has been instrumental in helping the team write in English, adopting the direct and concise tone often expected in American business communication.

We are so proud of our incredible junior managers. Below is an excerpt from Khushi, who started off on the stitching team but now oversees logistics:

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These advancements have improved our capacity-building program, equipping our junior managers with skills and tools that not only improve their day-to-day operations but also position them for long-term success.

To support our mission of helping women-in-need by ordering custom-sewn goods, please reach out to us at hello@workshelter.co.