Tools for service operations/Design

QFD - method of product development. - Voice of the customer Service Blueprinting - the process of recording in graphical form the activities and interactions in a service process - Front and back office activities Service scapes - Space and function wr service takes place - Ambient condition,signs, symbols and artifacts

Types of service operations

Product line approach/Quasi manufacturing Self service approach Personal attention approach

Product line approach/Quasi manufacturing

Approach has been pioneered by Mc donalds Delivery of fast food is treated as manufacturing process rather than the service

Self service approach

Customer as participant There is hgh degree of customer involvement For egATM, salad bars etc

Personal attention approach

Customer as a product Hotel services provided to the guest is the best example of Personal attention approach Good hotels treat customer as king Feel good is created.

Service Operations Strategies

Three generic strategies - Customer oriented focus Providing a wide range of services to a limited range of customer -Service oriented focus Providing a focused, limited menu of services to a wide range of customers - Customer and Service oriented focus Providing limited service to a highly targeted customers

Scheduling service Operations

Pricing and promotion For eg dmd for airlines is high during the summer and low during winter So airlines offer low fare during winter . Appointment and reservation system

Types of service scheduling

Scheduling the workforce Multiple resource scheduling Cyclical scheduling

Scheduling the workforce

Scheduling the workforce is the capacity management This approach work when dmd cn be predicted with reasonable accuracy Crossed trained workers cn be temporarily assigned to helpout on bottlenecks operations

Multiple resource scheduling

Generally occurs in a multiple project environment Org must develop and manage system for efficiently allocating and scheduling resources across several projects.. System must be dynamic and capable of accommodating new project

Problems
Overall Schedule slippage Inefficient resource utilization Resource Bottlenecks

Cyclical scheduling
In services (e.g hospitals,police, supermarkets,fire departments) the scheduling are fairly similar Employee must be assigned to work in shifts or time slot on a cyclical basis It is the method for determining both a schedule and min no of workers needed