| Assuming you have a service offer on the market, | | | | service organization apart is not its generic strategy, |
| there are specific steps to take that ensure service | | | | but the particular, individual situation in which a given |
| quality. Remember that quality begins and ends with | | | | firm finds itself. Each firm's quality agenda must match |
| the customer. Feedback from existing customers is | | | | its competitive position, its budget constraints (current & |
| therefore critical. Quality involves meeting service level | | | | future income), and the benefit-oriented value |
| expectations and so your customer has an | | | | proposition it offers customers. |
| exceptionally pleasant experience. Exceeding service | | | | It is common to over-engineer service offerings in the |
| expectations can be nice, as it may delight customers; | | | | name of "quality improvement," or "capturing the |
| but failing to meet service expectations is sure to cost | | | | market," or "customer satisfaction." Product engineers |
| you business. Think of service delivery as a hygiene | | | | and visionary leaders tend to have a perfectionist bent. |
| factor, much like taking a shower. If you take two | | | | It's fun, it's cool, and everything is a "must have." But it's |
| showers you are no cleaner than taking one; if on the | | | | the job of the responsible quality manager to add in |
| other hand you fail to take a shower your oversight | | | | and take away - to balance the tradeoff between |
| will be noticed when you present yourself in public. | | | | benefits and costs. If for example your (new and |
| Thus service quality objectives follow directly from | | | | existing) customers would be perfectly content with |
| business strategy (where else could they come | | | | four-hour on call responses and 24 hour |
| from?), and business strategy itself must incorporate | | | | non-emergency replies, but you're managing to 30 |
| quality objectives. Aiming to be the "world's best" is | | | | minute on calls and one hour non-emergency |
| hardly necessary and rarely useful. The more insightful | | | | responses, then you're shipping cost. That is, your |
| question is, "Are we offering our services in such a | | | | service offering has features that do not benefit our |
| way that we deliver high value to customers while | | | | customers. If the actual or projected market doesn't |
| controlling our costs?" Service quality is thus not a | | | | want the service you're providing, and it costs you |
| question of whether your service is superior to that of | | | | money, stop doing it. Allocate your money to better |
| a distant competitor or whether you meet arbitrary | | | | uses. |
| industry benchmarks (both of which can be useful in | | | | This emphasis on benefit-oriented service quality is |
| some situations). Your goal is not to impress industry | | | | certainly subjective and difficult to measure. |
| analysts. Rather, you must determine if your service | | | | Acknowledge subjectivity is part of the quality game. |
| offering is suitable for your purpose given your | | | | Quality measures are both subjective yet critically |
| business strategy. | | | | important. Continual quality improvement will measure |
| It's a shock to realize that most companies operate | | | | service offers in terms of (current & future) customer |
| under the same strategic guidelines: satisfy customers, | | | | satisfaction, and will always balance the tradeoff |
| treat employees well, and make a profit. What sets a | | | | between (current & future) income vs costs. |