Quality is an integral part of any business whether you are in a manufacturing company or a business that is essentially a service business. For example, maintenance is a service function in a manufacturing operation as are many other functions. In education, hospitality, transportation or a myriad of other businesses people are engaged in pure service businesses. In this article we will simply present the basics that can help you “delight your customers.”
Service Characteristics
– Direct contacts with users
– Benefits users when provided on demand
– Completion time is important
– Work is not storable or transportable
– Output is created as delivered
– The primary benefit is NOT a physical product
– The activity, benefit or result is really the “product” for the user
Customer Satisfaction & Quality
– Psychological-perceptions, how it looks, how it “feels”
– Time oriented-typically, the primary factor for satisfaction
– Contractual-written or implied
– Ethical concerns
– Professional or technical support functions
Factors to Consider in Establishing Service Quality Requirements
– Timeliness
– Integrity
– Completeness
– Predictability
– Measures of Customer Satisfaction
Essentials of Service Quality Systems
– Specifications or expected requirements
– Control points
– Process understanding and control
– Identifying and correcting sporadic errors
– Statistical data and measurement
– Corrective action process
– Feedback to employees and users
– Continual improvement
Components of a Quality Management System (QMS)
– ISO 9001:2008 is the new model
– Performance requirements
– Measurement of performance
– Corrective actions
– Improvement
– Management reviews
– Effective documentation
Benefits to Expect From Your QMS
- Reduced expenses
- Higher productivity
- Improved image
- Improved marketability
- Improved work environment
- Proactive position
- Improved profits
Quality is an essential part of serving your customers, no matter what business you are in today. The businesses that prosper and grow will insure they have processes in place to insure expectations are met. A friend said to me, “Delight your customers and you will always have plenty of business.” This should be the goal of every business.
