M-P4

To audit your selected organization, use any of the following documents (in the Handouts area of MyCC):

· Characteristics of a Well-Designed Service System

· Best Practices Product Design Systems

Comment on each section of the systems review outline.

· Services

· Products

If the organization you picked delivers both goods and services, then pick one to audit.

Refer to the section on Services (p. 215) in Chapter 11 in the text.

Seven Characteristics of a Well-designed Service System

No matter what approach is taken to design a service, the following are typical characteristics of a well-designed system:

1. Each element of the service system is consistent with the operating focus of the firm. For example, when the focus is on speed of delivery, each step in the process should help foster speed.

2. It is user friendly. This means that the customer can interact with it easily -- that is, it has good signage, understandable forms, logical steps in the process and service workers available to answer questions.

3. It is robust. That is, it can cope effectively with variations in demand and resource availability. For example, if the computer goes down, effective backup systems are in place to permit service to continue.

4. It is structured so that consistent performance by its people and systems is easily maintained. This means that the tasks required of the workers are doable, and the supporting technologies are truly supportive and reliable.

5. It provides effective links between the back office and the front office so that nothing falls between the cracks. In football parlance, there should be no “fumbled handoffs.”

6. It manages the evidence of service quality in such a way that customers see the value of the service provided. Many services do a great job behind the scenes but fail to make this visible to the customer. This is particularly true where a service improvement is made. Unless customers are made aware of the improvement through explicit communication about it, the improved performance is unlikely to gain maximum impact.

7. It is cost effective. There is minimum waste of time and resources and delivering the service. Even if the service outcome is satisfactory, customers are often put off by a service company that appears inefficient.

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