Page 373 - Design for Six Sigma for Service (Six SIGMA Operational Methods)

Design and Improvement of Service Processes—Process Management 333

may be long, typically measured in hours or days. The primary consid-
eration is quality of service. Delivery time and price are of secondary
importance.

The customer’s ability to describe the symptoms and possible service
requirements are helpful in minimizing service and waiting times. When
customers arrive, they usually all go through some type of check-in activity.
At this time, a record (paperwork or computer file) is generated for the
customer, and a sequence of service or care is prescribed. The duration of
the service or the type of resources required may change during the process
of providing the service because of a change in the status of the entity. After
the service is provided, tests can be performed to ensure that the service is
acceptable before releasing the entity from the facility. If the results are
acceptable, the customer and the record are matched and the customer
leaves the system.

Examples of Pure Service Shop Processes
Hospitals, repair shops (automobiles), equipment rental shops, banking
(loan processing), Department of Motor Vehicles, Social Security offices,
courtrooms, and prisons.

Pure Service Shop Process Performance Metrics

Number of Errors or Defects
The number of errors or defects in each customer transaction is an important
indicator of pure service shop process quality. For example, in the health-
care industry, accuracy of diagnosis and the appropriateness of the treatment
are among the main health-care performance metrics. In customer help
centers, wrong advice or information provided to customers will quickly cut
down on the credibility of the company.

Waiting Time
In the pure service shop process, the average waiting time is an important
process performance metric. Again since waiting time does not provide any
value for customers and service companies, the longer the waiting time, the
poorer the performance is. For example, in the health-care industry, the total
length of time that a patient stays in the hospital may not be “the shorter, the
better,” because first of all, the patient’s disease should be cured or at least
reduced. Diagnosis, treatment, and care must be provided for as long as
needed. However, excessive patient and doctor waiting time, excessive
testing and report turnaround time, and excessive time required for admin-
istrative activity are definitely unwanted because excessive waiting time