sonnel sug me process anc enabling the Sey, in . ppott Pray suppor” sayy ven 10 vices: fo ie i serv’ : pa99er', fectivelY fan airline service ‘ 5 OF Baggage ream Information at destingy” on Services reg , et ‘garding lost bq oy, in Assistance in finding ae Fi Check baggage i” baggage Inspect ticket Departure time boarding poss Attentiveness of ers ae departure gore Quality of food ang cael a ‘announcement Announcements ‘Sinmeny Waiting environment Safe, comfortable ©Peration of Shopping Fast transfer from aircrafy tee 4 ° ering eoccvoece? coveccooecses’ Soe . ° be able to answer Learning Ou es 1 and 2, outneg a , $ You should by now ® beginning of this chapter. eo occcceeeercceeensy,, t foe! eooeseee " Critical incidents are captured in a service blueprint to Tepresent the 7 layout of the service production process. This Process can be very ae relatively simple, depending on the service in question. The level of one should reflect the needs of the customer to ensure that the Organisation fies spend money on unnecessary extras that customers do not want or on 6 7.1.3 Complexity and divergence The operational system of a service organisation can be described in terms ofi complexity and divergence. . cimlexity refers to the number of steps and sequences in a service proc: A ae service (such as brain surgery) has a large number of steps at = es whereas a service with lower complexity has fewer (such as filing S petrol tank at a service station).ea cag i diverG@NC@ CON be oy vie church that address q y se! ino New ers qiverencey there is only one oy ve CULE vin tople » Fen " Sune, y win yeh as replacing a flay OW Ways yy * (such 1m gecuted (s £0 tyr) 78 which the rervee ha b PVIce ce, axtremes of Service Operations one an » woe bank ot th £2 plac athe jeond ABSA ae im oe With o Chip 1 Chiy ye 5 ited 10 placing the order for the chips "Dip ite Hand oy ' on isl The only variation is the 4, * Preparin "ho am pont fOr . tional purchase of he Of saug the ch and 5 caro or pe additior Me erere SOF drink, ay ho othe May ae ving 2 pos ‘on iv ; i i is immenselY a ‘4 can be eae, with many Stops a xtreme i, ie wich Says in Ww cuted. The adyg,y, Ps iM the pp "king i . ertis ‘Oces, os 1007 complex and divergent service Process anand by ABSA a 5 well sit fe s the consumer can follow, namely choose yeu Dreaking it ¢ amply 4 ui 0 ide ona value-added top up, nd [ Choose the bank that makes banking simpler Best value and easy-to-choose bankir provide another way for you to pros uttons Aa of ene acu come wth sro internet banking monty ees. te mt Ans ich ach 8 8 GABSA Organisational resources should match the level of complexity and divergence of the service process. The higher these levels, the more costly the operation tends to be. Reducing divergence standardises the service product and reduces Production costs (McDonalds is an example), whereas increasing divergence enables service providers to tailor their products to individual customer needs (o '0x advisory service would be an example). Similarly, reducing complexity is Chapter 7: Process — 189ee strategies, while increasing Compe, It Y ‘ jalisation tion strategy. : th S| ecialis «aq a penetra’ . consistent ee organisations pursuing Pp jate appropria ; the roles played d_ complexity also Oe ele process, The” tt Divergence On employees in the ee ee customers and oe ing oF ‘scripts’ in the service y SS, i : play! will explore role-p! customer scripts ing or 1.4 Role-playing 0 me ie the service encounter, both on, De Mine pre species : During often according Procedure certain nae oe This procedure can be referred to : guideline set by role or script, and it specifies the activities ang 4 : customer/empioy sored during the service encounter. These Scripts (ong ft expected to be le same manner as those of actors in a movie) ensure that think of them i Paice will know what to expect during the oe customer and the emp! handle the encounter in a profesin, encounter, while helping employees manner. rs and service employees ereey, lefined as a set of behavioural patterns that are learney d communication and is performed by an individual in a certain social interaction (such as the service encounter) to maximiy effectiveness. It is important that roles are clearly defined and that the rok. player understands what is expected to be done (or not to be done), Ar example of following a script will be a restaurant training its waiters on good service etiquette, thereby ensuring they ‘know their place and role’ in the customer’ service experience. Many people will not be impressed with an over-friendly waiter who talks to them for lengthy periods of time or a waiter speaking on his/her cel phone while serving them. Role-playing can be di through experience an' 7.1.5 Managing customer queves and waiting periods Another aspect, crucially important in ensuring a smooth service delivery proces is the management of queues and customer waiting. Since waiting and queuing are frustrating to the customer, the organisation should determine the acceptable ; expected customer waiting time. Waiting fifteen minutes in line to be se’ a : helpdesk of a bank may be acceptable, but waiting fifteen minutes 0’ a rs with an account query may be unacceptable. Waiting a relatively long ine = tae pala! oa @ medical specialist will be acceptable, but wailing ‘es Tor a cup of coffee may not be. Thi +4: ey time is the 7 iting time affected by several factors, including:4 tie © the importance of i : vi is to the customer fp achen = ns customer — the more important the #1 © how busy the cust meer they will be fee taaeea Understand that they wil aa eee te i : it longer if the servi ider i ve © the ger if the service provider is very time of day — people are, f e i bre it < ‘aks than during other times. or example, more impatient duringwae All of these factors significantly influence the customers’ level of satisfaction with the waiting period and the service provided. Managerial insight in customers’ perceptions of their waiting experiences can help service organisations prepare for, oF handle difficult situations. To avoid these difficulties managers should attempt to manage waiting times to enhance the customer’s service experience. This can only be done by improving the service delivery process or adopting faster technology. Unfortunately, eliminating waiting periods and queues completely is probably unrealistic for many service providers. However, it can be expected of the service organisation to minimise the irritation and frustration of waiting and preferably to make it more pleasant for its customers. Standard Bank recently introduced a new contactless card payment technology. This new payment option aligns with consumer preference for fast payment methods, thereby reducing customer waiting time during payment. Read the story for more information on the ‘tap and go’ payment option.>ion: how can service organisations i i Rr , iting experience? Although reducing actual waitin. ve customer's wel ig the customer’s perceived waiting time is even moras ting * ‘ i je . l i mportant, reducing ° : iting time i Mp9 P duction of subjective or perceived waiting ¢ Js often ef ecg This re tion and the perceived quality of the se, j i i satisfac increasing customer action ice to be short ie customers perceive the waiting time of a service er (even whe i : sa ‘ ih actual waiting time is not shorter), they will be more satisfied with the ite Reducing the actual waiting time may © This contention begs the questi ry, r may not accomplish the same result, ce, omer waiting and queuing can be managed ys . ng he actual operations and manag 9 tw Given this paradox, cust . "8 the different techniques: managing perceptions of the waiting time.® 7.1.5.1 Operation management techniques in reducing waiting times The purpose of operational management is to reduce the actual amount of waiting time by changing the service delivery processes. Since waiting stands between customers and the accomplishment of their desired goals, it Often creates frustration and lowers their sense of satisfaction. Shorter or faster queues can help address this problem and improve evaluations of the Service experience.” Service organisations, therefore, need to get the customers out of the queues as soon as possible. This can be done by encouraging them to rather make use of, for example, an online reservation system as in the case of Mango airlines, where customers can check in online whilst at home. Once customers get fo the airport, they do not have to queue to check in, but only need to drop off their bags at the Mango counter. Europcar encourages customers fo register as Ready Service customers which will allow them to have the keys of their rented car in their hands in 30 seconds. In one of their print advertisements they state: “Nobody goes to bed thinking | wish I’d spent longer queuing at the car rental place today.” Another example of a service provider that adapted their service delivery processes is Capitec. This poster below was displayed outside the bank’s offices and communicates that customers can apply for credit without the need to queue in the bank for assistance.les many organisat _, 0109) las, in fo aantations to weaves et ee going outsic ihe delivery A cust eir Custom, je sit le ‘ Is ; " may con h ap ° an ATM, and : omer Waiting - ile consider telephone banking, internet ait Ustomers waitin the ban it in, at f 191 oe! readiness 0 use these technologies, i oF even my ile pe ATH custo”, can sometimes take years to take pla OWever, differ tio! gor i imple o} ; ce. The ° of ing 15 example of a technological service th adoption ance jat has met som, Provide of mobile os © Consumer ther technique is to encourage customers to facies during off-peak Periods. Signboards cima sl nate delivery a off-peak times and some service organisations will offer a inform customers ak periods to shift demand away from peak demand moe during off- restaurants having a ‘happy hour’ at six o'clock in the ae pn oate quring the week. Another example is Ster-Kinekor offerin nas or pub lunches Tuesday nights, since Tuesday nights are usually n 1g lower-priced tickets on jot ver) P nights often draw so many patrons that they have to queer while Saturday 7.1.5.2 Perception management techniques Other than operational management, Perception management alters the customer's perceived waiting time without changing the actual waiting time. Thi technique is important since perceived waiting times tend to affect the oot evaluation of the wait more than the actual or objective waiting time.® This technique works on the premise that unoccupied waiting time feels longer than occupied waiting time and that keeping customers busy whilst waiting will reduce the perceived waiting time (refer to Chapter 6 to refresh your memory on the principles of customer waiting and queuing). A study involving banks found that the distraction of televisions near the queues improved customers’ attitudes towards the bank. Although several types of distractions were studied, the most effective were found to be horoscopes and the day's news headlines displayed ona television screen. By watching the television screen, customers perceive the waiting time to be shorter than what it actually is. This technique is used by Shell Ultra City where a television screen is used to distract waiting customers and thereby reducing their perceived waiting time. Also, have you noticed that Woolworths has magazine and sweet stands in the queue? This is so that customers can look at all the merchandise and even page through magazines while waiting in the queue which reduces the perceived waiting time. The key is thus to take the ff the inconvenient waiting. The customer's attitude towards the customer's mind o| and waiting can thus be improved, resulting in greater customer satisfaction reduced pressure on the service process. The advertisement of Old Mutual on the next page claims fo have waiting = der control. The mere fact that they address this issue in euving un : : ‘ " t shows the strategic importance of doing something about customers advertisemen' experiences in queues.jay. We endeavor 1s to our sta it without you. 11, we couldn't have done i ee : $e sel by row be able to answer Learning Outcomes 3 to 5, outlined" | $ You should by r ie “s $ beginning of this chapter. : Service recovery ; er pe 1K aspect in the use of a service blueprint is the identification of Ee recovery opportunities during the operational processes of the Organisation, th, identification of recovery opportunities is firstly geared towards iy disappointed customer, but also towards the service delivery System or proces that may need modification to prevent the failure from occurring again. The ing test of an organisation’s commitment to service quality, however, lies in the Way it responds when things do go wrong. The goal of service recovery is to perfom the service really well the second time to avoid losing a potentially loy customer and to prevent negative word-of-mouth communication. For the service organisation to actually deal with service recovery they havel carefully listen to the customer. Research has shown that the customer rolof and assesses whether the service provider 4 nt the organisation $ recovery strategy.’ Althou gh a age the reality of the initial service failure ervce isation’s commitment to service excellence and its dese | i & ast ets. needs: Many airlines ” L for instance, when they have over- sto a flight has been significantly delayed, supply waiting Fs, Hay light fo alleviate the waiting ti r ouchers 10 i e waiting time and ‘at ih meal show care and oe | é which service recovery 'S possible depends on two principal fe a aly qystomer-contact personnel must be able to empathise with oe ae secondly, these customer-contact personnel need to be en is take remedial action at the right time. By implementing these two ote is possible for a service organisation to turn a failed critical incident jit? efical situation. In the face of adverse circumstances, a service i ation’ ability to empathise with its customers can create stronger bonds ar no service failure had occurred. In cases where service recovery was on d the initially dissatisfied customers were compensated, these voile : meets proved to be more likely to repurchase from the organisation than a qstomer who has not experienced any problems." gcon the QR code to go fo the YouTube video entitled ‘Service recovery boosts qustomer loyalty’ for information on how to take a customer from hell to heaven in 60 seconds in four steps as told by John Tschohl, President of the Service Quality Institute. ERE e 7.1.6.1 Customer complaints The primary source of identifying servic complaints. By analysing the nature ‘of customer complaints lodged to the organisation, management should be able to identify trends or frequently occurring problems. By rectifying them quickly, or preferably preventing them, the problem that customers have a strong tendency rather to defect to competitors than to complain, can be overcome. There seem to be three primary teasons for customers not complaining. Customers feel that: ® it is not worth the time and effort; . oo would be concerned about their problem or intereste! e recovery opportunities is customer din rectifying ity * they do y do not know where to complain, or what to do.ww m often seems justified as research fing; fied with the way their complaints w in, thy ion, This is 5° regardless of the fare hong , er complaints directly influences - ts . 'eir (loyalty) as well as their Cus, "3, Words, Me: hot, this pessimis! Unfortunately, i re dissatis many customers O! the service orgal organisations respon future purchasing beha communication.'? nisati d to custom viour ‘0 other reasons why customers do not co context. It has been found that custome ony e likely to complain than those cs from ,** and younger people tend to feel more comfortable to Covering factors that also tend to increase com Oman Mh Plaints ance of the purchase t pi ‘0 the customer and the inh, Otten, MH There are, however, als include their culture OF income households are mor households, older people. Other problem severity, import the financial loss suffered. Responsive service organisations view complaints from two per + S| y as a rich source of feedback and information that can b Pectives, © used service delivery and to suggest improvements to ser 0 Y servi i {0 j ice design an Wag and xe ¢ as a series of individual customer probl . lems requiring a resolutioy n, If isati i Lurial panied wan like to make use of complaints to improve j aoe vere ere y pi its customers, it has to ilo i Proce oiaiiella ee . important source of modern-day Freee Vodacom provide their sit -options found on many web sles MING i irae haar jomers with ample opportunities to | dh . Cal Co © opportunities provide their customers bai i WII sense of security and if the or: i ganisations heed th eum et ese customer complaii plaints, they wil byj they will build « The story on th e next page outlir manage the complaii lines the proced 7 plaints th : lures Nedb and inquiries can also Ee receive,!3 Besides bitin follows to capture on can be used to increase The onaaered as these sources serait oe efficiency of th ‘ovide informati fe organisation, ‘mation that i lai Various sources, such ae ints, suggestions and inquiri a Viries can b @ captured fron Organisations act Stage and supervisors; Agency actin, acting on behalf of the origi plaint card 9 on behalf of an airline; IS mailed or placed in a box; and supplier, fo example a trave| f le a trey © analysi sing su ‘99estion and com;third parties, customer a re . d other customers. Sroups, legislative Nedbank implemented Client Complaint 7; cll of its branches. This technology supports : ot Oe and ensures that only a single ce se yoni required. In addition, Nedbank — ino sive jnitiatives to improve client service, Some d pr include? Hee repository that provides a means to elect ‘od business Ideas of employees, nd’ helpline: © call centre that provides support fo « e who receives a complex complaint or query Loy’ candle it: Experienced call agents, who pr or pesttions, will then guide the employee as to. on many 9° ear Hug! this is where executives spend a full da , to experience @ day In the life of the fo gain insights and knowledge in terms of the A ‘e and, where necessary, offer suggestions for p ar in mind that accepting complaints implies a promi Ignoring a problem may make matters even ae e to a complaint can offer deeper insight into th e sofions should be! 097 the problem. in respons ice failure and complaint, can resolve the customer’ a es mer’s and create opportunities for building a long-term as vile satisfied with the way the complaint was handled in reso er falow-UP of the serv! sree catome who is janassqneeeeeeee eee eeeeeeeee sees eeeeegs Noy ould by now be able to answer Learning Outcomes 6 to 8 a oe - ° + begining of this chapter. , ‘at the leeee SUMMARY aor Resist of this chapter was to demonstrate that co-operation m . . , . ei ain operations is a prerequisite for the success of a service . road sense, you could view the functions of marketing and Guplet7: Process 197