Learning Objectives
LO 10-1: Design a customer flow map and describe its benefits.
See figure 10.1, customer flow map, page 294. A customer flow map allows managers to visualize the flow of customers through a service delivery system. This enables the manager to identify potential customer flow problems; for example, long waiting lines.
LO 10-2: Construct a service blueprint and explain its use.
See figure 10.2, service blueprint, page 296. A service blueprint is a representation of all activities within the service delivery process. A service blueprint identifies which parts of the process involve direct customer contact, indirect customer contact, and no customer contact. Consequently, a service blueprint enables the company to assess the level of customer contact and ensure the right level of customer contact is maintained.
LO 10-3: Describe how services manage capacity.
Services manage capacity through five techniques. Employee scheduling can ensure that service capacity closely matches customer demand; thereby, minimizing customer waiting time. Yield/revenue management is a combination of overbooking, allocating capacity among customer segments, and using different pricing for the customer segments. Capacity sharing is finding other uses for capacity during periods of underutilization; for example, airlines sharing gates, etc. Employee cross-training enables the manager to move employees from an idle process to a busy process. Self-service is simply having the customer as the server; for example, having customers pump their own gas.
LO 10-4: Explain how customer queuing systems are designed and managed.
Customer queuing systems are designed to manage customer perceptions and expectations; thus, their satisfaction. This is accomplished through the use of waiting time management techniques such as keeping the customer occupied, keeping the customer informed, designing a fair wait system, or grouping customers together. The virtual queue is an example of keeping customers occupied. For example, customers are given a pager and can then walk around and shop while waiting for their table. The continuous queue or snake line, often used in banks, is an example of a fair wait system since it assures a first-come, first-served approach.
LO 10-5: Define work flow and describe how these flows are managed.
Work flow is the movement or transfer of work from the customer or demand source through the organization according to a set of procedures. Work flow can be managed using work flow analysis. Work flow analysis can help identify work that can be eliminated or combined with other work. Such actions can provide reductions in cost and improvements in customer service.
Chapter Outline
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