Page 24 - Design for Six Sigma for Service (Six SIGMA Operational Methods)

8 Chapter One

Then the next important question is, in a service organization, how can these
two success factors (that is, maximizing customer value and minimizing
cost) be achieved? This question can be answered by studying the rela-
tionship between these two success factors and the three important aspects
of service (service product, service delivery process, and customer-provider
interaction).
Table 1.2 summarizes how service product, service delivery process, and
customer-provider interaction will affect customer value and total cost. The
table shows that excellent service product, excellent service delivery process,
and excellent customer-provider interaction are really the keys to delivering
high customer value with low cost.

According to Rohit Ramaswamy (1996), excellent service product,
service delivery process, and customer-provider interaction can be accom-
plished by superior service design and superior service delivery. Figure 1.3
shows the contents of service design and service delivery activities and
their relationships.
Service Product Design Service product design refers to the design of
service output attributes to the customers, or the service items provided
to the customers. For example, in restaurant service, the service product
design includes the menu design, decisions on what kind of dining
utensils to use, and service protocols.
Service Facility Design Service facility design refers to the design of
the physical layout of the facility where the service is delivered. For
example, in restaurant service, the facility design includes the design of
the restaurant’s kitchen, dining hall interior, decoration, layout, and
lighting. The quality of the facility design will directly affect the service
process delivery; for example, in the restaurant business, the design and
layout of the kitchen directly affects the quality and speed of the meal
service. The quality of the facility’s front room (the portion of the
facility that is visible to customers) design will directly affect
customers’ consumption process of the service, as well as customers’
perception of the quality of the service.
Service Process Design Service process design refers to the designing
of the service process that is needed to deliver service products to customers
or maintain the service products. For example, in a car rental center, the
service process includes all steps needed to rent a car to a customer.
These steps include collect driver’s license and credit card, check car
availability, fill and print contract, obtain customer signature, deliver car
key and contract to customer, and locate the car.