Service Process Analysis (II)

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Questions and Answers

What does the difference between customer perception and expectations indicate?

Customer loyalty levels

Employee performance issues

Quality deficits in service (correct)

Business growth opportunities

Which of the following is NOT one of the criteria measured by the SERVQUAL scale?

Empathy

Responsiveness

Security

Satisfaction (correct)

What source of discrepancy relates to the gap between customer expectations and managers' perceptions?

Provision

Standards

Knowledge (correct)

Feedback

Which discrepancy originates from poor application of standards and procedures during service provision?

Provision Signup and view all the answers

What is essential for weighting the scores obtained in the SERVQUAL questionnaire?

Relative importance of the service criteria Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary goal of a service according to the Quality House framework?

To meet the customer's needs Signup and view all the answers

What does the term 'HOW' refer to in the context of the Quality House?

The design requirements to satisfy customer demands Signup and view all the answers

What is the significance of the Relationship Matrix in the Quality House approach?

It shows the correlation between customer requirements and service design Signup and view all the answers

How are the importance ratings assigned to customer requirements in the Quality House framework?

Through customer interviews using a scale of 1 to 10 Signup and view all the answers

What does a positive correlation in the Correlation Matrix indicate?

Supportive requirements for service enhancement Signup and view all the answers

What action should be taken if negative correlations are identified in the Correlation Matrix?

Modify the HOWs associated with those requirements Signup and view all the answers

In the Quality House model, how are the weightings of each HOW determined?

Using a calculation method based on importance assessments Signup and view all the answers

What primary purpose does the Correlation Matrix serve in the Quality House framework?

To visualize relationships and conflicts among design requirements Signup and view all the answers

What is the purpose of weighting the HOWs in the quality house model?

To approximate the most relevant design requirements for customer satisfaction Signup and view all the answers

What does the SERVQUAL scale primarily aim to evaluate?

Quality of service offered by an organization Signup and view all the answers

Which dimension of the SERVQUAL scale focuses on the appearance of facilities and equipment?

Tangible elements Signup and view all the answers

How are customer expectations conditioned according to the content?

By personal needs, past experiences, and external communications Signup and view all the answers

What does benchmarking involve in the quality house model?

Comparing customers' perceptions and competitors' techniques Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is NOT a dimension evaluated by the SERVQUAL scale?

Marketability Signup and view all the answers

What result indicates sufficient quality of a service in the context of SERVQUAL?

Expectations are met or exceeded by perceptions Signup and view all the answers

What mathematical approach is used to calculate the weighting for a HOW, based on the example given?

Using a multiplication and addition formula Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary aim of Quality Function Deployment (QFD)?

To incorporate the consumer voice into quality characteristics Signup and view all the answers

Which step is NOT part of the basic QFD process?

Implementing the service without feedback Signup and view all the answers

Why is service quality important according to the reasons to use QFD?

A lost customer can lead to the loss of 20 potential clients Signup and view all the answers

What is represented by the House of Quality in QFD?

The relationship between customer requirements and service processes Signup and view all the answers

What does the term 'Voice of Customer' (VOC) refer to in QFD?

The customer's expressed needs and requirements Signup and view all the answers

Which factor does NOT contribute to the opportunity/speed aspect of QFD?

Increased consumer oversight during the design phase Signup and view all the answers

What is a significant advantage of making improvements during the service design stage?

It has a much greater impact than changes made after market introduction Signup and view all the answers

In the context of QFD, what do benchmarking comparisons relate to?

How competitor services meet customer requirements Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Subject Matter 5: Analysis of the Service Process (II)

Content Overview: Quality function deployment (QFD), SERVQUAL Model of Quality of Service, and Service Design Features (Complexity and Divergence) are covered. Operational management book chapters 4 and 8 are referenced.

Quality Function Deployment (QFD)

Definition: A system to interpret and incorporate customer needs (the "Consumer Voice") into product, process, and service quality for customer satisfaction.
Process: Begins by studying and listening to customers to define superior product characteristics. Market research defines customer needs and preferences, categorized into customer requirements.
Reasons for Use:
- Competitiveness: Effective in short-term cost reduction. A lost customer represents a significant loss of potential clients through word-of-mouth. QFD can also improve speed of service delivery in new service creation.
- Proactivity (Quality Lever): Improvements during service design are significantly more impactful (approximately 100 times) than changes made after service launch.

Deployment of Quality Function

Basic Steps:
- 1. Identify & classify customer requirements (What's).
- 2. Identify key service operations, aspects, & processes (How's).
- 3. Establish relationships between what's and how's (customer/internal aspects).
- 4. Competitive analysis.
Representation: Data is presented through a "House of Quality" diagram for translating customer needs into operational goals.

House of Quality

Methodology: Based on matrices, called "Houses of Quality," for development.
Elements:
- 1. The Voice of Customer (VOC): Understanding customer needs (What?).
- 2. Design Requirements: Defining how customer needs will be met (How?).
- 3. Relationship Matrix: Relationships between "What's" and "How's."
- 4. Benchmarking: Comparing "What's" and "How's" against competitors.
- 5. Correlation Matrix: Identifying synergies and conflicts in how elements interact.

Quality House: The Consumer's Voice (What?)

Goal: To meet customer needs.
QFD Target: Identifying desired customer needs for new service development ("What").
Methods: Interviewing potential customers to understand needs and requirements. Identifying the primary "What's" through surveys; customers assess the importance of each identified item using a scale of 1 (little importance) to 10 (essential).

Quality House: Design Requirements (How?)

Objective: Defining how each customer requirement ("What") will be satisfied by the service.
Process: Determines how the service will function to meet customer demands, including the need for resources. Measurable characteristics of the process that can be evaluated at the end.

Quality House: Relationship Matrix

Relationships: Relationships between "What's" and "How's" are not always one-to-one.
Degrees of Relationships:
- Weak = 1
- Medium = 3
- Strong = 9
- Null = No relationship

Quality House: Correlation Matrix

Objective: Identify supportive and conflicting requirements.
Positive Correlations: Support service design.
Negative Correlations: Indicate areas needing modification to improve. Importance and weights need to be adjusted.

Quality House: Weightings

Purpose: Determine the importance of each "How" to improve service.
Calculation: Importance of the customer's need(What), multiplied by the calculated correlation with the process element is added up for each need. Weightings show relevant design needs for customer satisfaction.

Quality House: Benchmarking

Objective: Assess competitors to compare the design elements of the company with its rivals.
Benchmarking What: Evaluate customer perception of satisfaction with the service against competitor's satisfaction with that element.
Benchmarking How: Compare operating techniques used in service delivery.

Measuring the Quality of a Service (The SERVQUAL Scale)

Objective: Improving the quality of services offered by an organization.
Model: A questionnaire model evaluating service quality across five dimensions:
- 1. Tangibles: Appearance of facilities, equipment, employees, and communication materials.
- 2. Reliability: Ability to perform the service accurately and dependably.
- 3. Responsiveness: Willingness and speed in helping customers.
- 4. Security: Knowledge, courtesy, and ability to build confidence.
- 5. Empathy: Individualized customer service.
Quality Definition: Defined as the difference between customer expectations and perceptions. Quality is present if customer perception meets or exceeds expectations.
Key Factors for Expectations: "Word-of-mouth" communication, past customer experiences, personal needs, and external communications.
Evaluation by Sections:
- Customer expectations
- Customer perception
- Relative importance of the criteria for weighting
Quality Deficiencies: Possible discrepancies between customer expectations and the service provided arise from:
- Knowledge: Gap between customer expectations and manager perceptions.
- Standards: Discrepancy between manager perceptions and quality specifications.
- Provision: Gaps between quality specifications and actual service provision.
- Communication: Differences between the service provision and external communications.

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Description

Explore the concepts of Quality Function Deployment (QFD), the SERVQUAL Model, and key Service Design Features in this quiz. This content emphasizes the importance of aligning service characteristics with customer needs for improved satisfaction and competitiveness. Refer to operational management chapters 4 and 8 for deeper insights.