quality assurance for service industries
DESCRIPTION
A set of 15 slides to learn about Quality assurance for service industries with simple,practical examples for health care,tourism,hotel,education and others,brief mention of statistical measures,reference bookTRANSCRIPT
Quality Assurance for Service Industries
Srinivasan Nenmeli-K
What is Quality Assurance?
Q A is defect prevention.
Quality Control [QC] is testing and inspection.
What is Quality ?" Achieving Customer satisfaction!."
Service Industries QA?❑ Service industries are increasingly
applying QA techniques!❑ Service industries--> health
care,hotels,tourism,education,elder homes
❑ Service industries deal with humans at every step or their pets...difficult to achieve customer satisfaction --that is, QUALITY !
❑ You cannot easily test or measure the outputs/results.
❑Service industries of great value:
Develop a Quality Plan
❑ Set quality goals--> say faster service,reduce mishaps,reduce rework
❑measure the present levels--say time for waiting in clinics, time for delivery of services, no of accidents in a year
❑ Set goals for the next month or two!❑Explore the means to do that❑Fix the tasks to specific persons--
process owners
Process Flow Chart
❑Develop a process flow chart--go into major processes
❑Avoid wasteful,waiting process steps❑Combine two or more process steps❑Measure time,effort for each process
step❑ receiving clients->enquiry-->assign
attendant -->further enquires-->selection of treatment methods..........
❑can you reduce the steps.!
Analyze Process Steps
❑Fro each process step, measure 2 or 3 critical parameters--write them down
❑Measure the parameters in real situations
❑Find the mean and sigma for these parameters
❑can you reduce the sigma value? Achieve this!
❑Can you reduce /increase the mean?❑You always reduce sigma first and then
shift the mean!
Defect Analysis
➢ identify defects ➢Classify them-->Critical,
Major,MinorCount them--use Checksheets--see any trend
➢Critical and Major defects--> find their "Root Causes"
➢Eliminate the causes in a time frame
How to find the root causes?
■The root causes are from■time factors (delayed response to a
patient)■Space factors (inadequate space, poor
storage of medicines)■Materials (non availability of wheel
chairs,equipment)■Humans (delay, inattention,lack of
skills)■environment (unhygienic,slippery floor)
Eliminate the root causes
❑ Timing--written schedules,planning❑Space ---desing properply,plan❑materials--planning, inventory
control,database❑humans--more
training,training,training❑environment--proper
inspection,use of technology
Process Control for services
❑Since service industry involves lot of human work,process control is tough.
❑For each process,identify critical parameters❑If you are running a restaurant,you may take the
service time [time from ordering to placing the food on the table] as critical parameter.
❑Fix a lower and upper limit for this: say 10 to 20 mins.
❑Take measurements--about 30 measurements for a sample
❑Find the mean and standard deviation or sigma❑try to keep the sigma 1/6 th of the range of 10
mins,say 2 mins.
Customer Feedback
❖This is a major resource for you❖Analyse the feedback regularly,say
once a month❖Share the analysis with the staff❖Find means of improving the
customer satisfaction❖Some measure the "satisfaction
level'❖This level should be greater than
95%
Achieving Customer Satisfaction❑Try using simple means to achieve this!
❑ Often try to give physical comfort to the customers
❑You must study the age group of your customers--this is the single most factor.
❑Young customers in a restaurant tolerate or even welcome noise but not elderly group
❑Study the educational level/professional groups for customer satisfaction -->next slidea
Achieving Customer Satisfaction
❑This is giving Quality❑Learn to study customer
profile;this is the first stepAge group,edu levels,professional identity,family factors,income level,cultural groups, --------
❑Set parameters based on these!❑Train your employees in learning
these
Training for Quality
❑Train your staff on the basics---❑Train them in SPC Magnificent Seven
quality tools❑train them for using Check lists❑train them for using and writing internal
standards---review the standards❑train them for process control--to
reduce sigma!!❑train them for defect counting and
analysis
Quality Circles/Discussion
❑Discuss quality matters with all the staff in a non-threatening way
❑Except for safety violations, dont reprimand anyone for lapses
❑Point out lapses and see how things can be improved
❑create fail-safe design features❑Reward staff for good to great
performance--every body needs this!!