Service Approach through Production line approach in Delivery - Essay Example

Service Approach through Production line approach in Delivery Service approach and production line in delivery relates to operations management. Operation management comes as a crucial factor in any country’s economic growth. The growth of any economy will largely depend on the production of goods and deliverance of services. The two facets of production are highly influenced by customer relation for the sale of any production depends on customer willingness to buy. As the service sector gains more prominence, the issue of operation management has posed as a challenge. For service sector to maximize their influence in the market, majority of businesses have practiced either empowerment approach or production line approach to reach their customers (Bowen, 2003:2-4). Of the two theories on approach to customers, which one is more reliable? Production line approach is a management style where employees face the customers through a much standardized and procedurally coded operations. Other service sectors have relied on a more lenient approach towards their customers. The use of empowerment approach, which allows employees to face their customers freely creates a cross road on the best way possible towards service delivery. On which approach to apply, it depends on the condition and situation presented during the sale of the product. Production line approach remains dependable for the success of service operation in today’s world. This is an approach where employees follow the set rules of customer approach as set by the operation management of that company. Notably, earlier business empires have written in favor of production line approach on customer service. This logic and tactics of manufacturing create a structured order on the service, which a certain company gives to its customers. It is relevant since a majority of the companies in the current world of business make profits out of it. Take for example a case where an employee encounters a business merchant and the customer is new to the products of that company. This is where production line approach comes in since the merchant will need a brief of the company’s product. You will notice that in such situations, the operation management has structured down procedurals for its employees’ to follow in the advent of such scenarios. It would enlighten the client on the basic information, as the employees have to take customer service from stage to stage (Bowen, 2003:4). The customer benefits from the time and maximum orientation before transactions are sealed. As this is not enough, if a customer establishes himself as regular to a certain service business line, the employee production line approach have to work in favor of the customer until he or she gets are needs well catered satisfactorily. The traditional view of such an approach is that the operational management perceives and believes that when you put your employees into the specialization of their labor, there are economic benefits in it. Through such an operation, the chain of flow on how customers get services is convenient and even creating a non-confusing environment for the customers. This all happens because of the structured procedurals. The success of service industry can multiply with production line approach. The system encourages breaking down of Jobs into multiple tasks. The positions are then redistributed to employees with each assigned the magnitude of his services (Bowen, 2003:4). Just as the way production industries have broken down their lines of production, the service operation get alike. The employees are assigned areas where they would specialize hence perfecting their skills and register to use upon the customers. The production line of service delivery through specialization makes the quality of customer service efficient. The aim is to reduce wasteful efforts in employees and maximizes greater efficiency. According to Taylor, the procedure focuses on economic achievement as simplicity invents in work delivery. As a result, production line approach in service delivery relates to a systematic conversion of employees service from one area of specialty to another to enhance service efficiency upon the customer. Through simplification of tasks and clear laid procedures on the division of labor, the production line approach gives the service operation much needed control of their operation management. For example, the Airline sector the world boasts today has largely grown using production line approach in their service delivery. The employees’ etiquette towards the customers and space-bound handling follows the structured policies from the operation management. Employees are taught on how to greet customers and the structure of etiquette applied (Bowen, 2003:4). Even though I have never been on board, research shows that the Airline businesses Air Hostess receive much conduct regulation on with relation procedures, which should operate within the enterprise. This is a service provision industry, which banks a lot in production line procedure. Likewise, take the current trends predominantly in supermarkets and shopping mall. The employers adhere on the modalities of production line approach to run their businesses smoothly. It is one procedure, which has applied to the world business of supermarkets. One will realize that since this type of business stretches into numerous departments, the simplest way is to create division of labor upon employees. Practically, you will find there are those employees who guide the customer if stack on the exact location of a certain product, those who clean up the shelves, those who rearrange the items and restock them after a day of sales and those dealing with collection and accounting of customer sales. All this is division of labor. It is a feasible example of production line approach towards service operation. Even those, who are positioned to always remind the customers to come back again, form the long chain that gives the specified business its uniformity, a customer server interaction type of approach in daily operations. This is a confirmation on how relevant production line approach in service operations is relevant despite the opposition. On the contrary, many theorists have tried to disassociate service operation into following the production line approach on customer relation. They advocate for empowerment approach as then best line of operation. According to Major, public service operation is evolution in progress. He argues that the change of businesses into accommodating and even approaching customers through empowerment approach is gradual. He attributes the success of this idea as emanating from the employees of diverse institution since their co-operation results into changing into such models. As opposed to the prescribed codes of conduct one witnesses in Production line approach, the theorists portray empowerment approach as a modern system of service extension through elastic, unstructured, and a problem solving approach to its customers. This approach is relevant for the success of service operation since it simply applies a flexible approach when dealing with business clients. It is an art of improvisation, where the employees’ get room for spontaneity, and create a more self-motivated approach (Bowen, 2003:4). Without much ado from the operation management, business customers are attended. Theorists have preferred this approach since its procedural are manual. The employee’s ego is boosted for they have a voice in influencing the customers on the offers presented by the business. Moreover, they get unrestricted time to mingle and serve their customers to satisfaction. According to theorists, this approach draws more to customer’s needs and desire and may turn out as an easier way to the success of the service provision businesses. For example, the businesses, which apply such an approach, will find its employees more adaptive to their role than in an area where much regulation and procedures operate. According to theorists, the employees mature from just working for an end of month payment but involve themselves into making their services and business relevant to the customers (Bowen, 2003:6). In such businesses, high sales dominate the daily tabulation as employees can account for the service rendered. In addition, majority of customers will want to establish their purchases in a business that relates well with them. Therefore, empowerment approach upon service provision is a key concept that can amount to any business success if put into practice. The empowering of employees towards service operation contributes to the success of personal skills of improvisation and this is a benefit to the success service businesses of the current world. For example, if an employee is not worried of consequences upon messing when dealing with customers, he will train himself wholly to execute freely the approach he should use to appeal to his customers. He has control of the customer’s relation habits and he can as well change to suit the interest of his customer (Bowen, 2003:10). At this level, the employee feels at control of the daily running of the business operation and this translates to a more determined commitment of employees to the business they help serve. This guarantees the service operation businesses that the employee empowerment can translate to business profits. As this is not enough, then employees freely engage into problem solving. This may happen without the knowledge of the operation managers and then doubling as an advantageous contribution in the innovative brains within that service business. These descriptions highlight clearly that the success of service operation is not entirely dependable on the production line of approach. The diversity and innovative approach the employees impart on individual business is enough to translate to the growth of such a company or business. The success of a business venture depends on two variables. Customers come as the first priority. This has seen the universal application of the rule that a customer is always right in a business. The customers’ relation accorded to them influences their purchase and the probability of seeking for second return for the services again. One would contemplate on who exactly deals with these customers as they flock the businesses daily. The conclusion is simple. The employees come in as the second most important variable for the success of a business venture. Concerning the service industry, where customers receive services rather than goods, and the fact that these customers come at their own will translates as to how service businesses should treat their employees. Theorists attach customer empowerment as the feasible approach, which can lead to the success of service operation businesses. Moreover, empowering employees is a great source of ideas on how best attend to customers. This is what makes service operations better positioned to use this approach. When employees are empowered to lead in the front line, they acquire the capability to input the best from their brains on service delivery. The operation management only empowers employees just by highlighting or discussing the best way to performs within the business. Out of free will, the employees extend their gratitude by working to improve on the service delivery. The employees warmly and enthusiastically respond to the customers’ needs. The service quality of any business relies on the courtesy, responsiveness and empathy qualities of an employee. Customers will want employees to come out concerned of their needs and preferences. For example, in a hotel, if employees report to work feeling better and extend their attitude to the service delivery upon customers, the customers tend to attach the services rendered as quality. This shows how employees form an important part of the successes of service business. When employees notice that, their personal needs receive priority from the management, they become more willing to take care of business customers. It is a spillover technique, where every department of the business has a responsibility to the success of each other. If the operation management can organize the order, and in consideration of what should happen in a service business, the chain of quality performance extends to the customers leading, to profits in such a business. Such fairness even prompts employees to report back how the customers view the business and its services (Wood & Brotherton, 2008:65). This is not something that any manager would thrive to retrieve the truth since the customer flow and sales return will reflect what those employees are reporting to the manager. Therefore, it is of more relevance for services business to engage in employee empowerment approach. The method proves as more encompassing and can increase the sales of any business hence a tool of growth. The approach of empowering employees can also subsidize the cost of advertisement in the service industry. If the service rendered to customers is more appealing and contributing to reasonable sales, the customers will obliviously spread a word to other customers on the quality of services at that particular business (Bowen, 2003:10). In their marketing strategy and means, the business will only confirm to its customers what they know. For the new customers, it will only add as a double gain to the businesses. In this capacity, the employees of the business will have performed extraordinarily. This adds to the significance of workers empowerment approach can lead service business to achieving. The theorists disagree with production line approach for it does not put into consideration the value of employees. To the production line approach on service operation, employee’s role reduces into an exact role of a robot. They only follow order. Research has shown that the possibility of a business collapsing following this line is high. The neglect of employees affects the way the acts upon customers needs and this reflects on the flow of sales. Any business comes in the competitive world with a view of accruing profit. Of the two approaches, given the current change in market trends, any service industry would reap enough by making employee empowerment their main agenda. Motivated employee will ignite speed on service delivery towards their customers (Hanna, & Newman, 2001:136) Sped is one of the factors that customers expect from any service delivery. For example, a customer who attends a barbershop and witnesses a slow attendance to customers is more likely to leave the place in search of better quick services. Only through training employees and placing them on the frontline in daily service, operation can bare fruits to the company. Empowered employees will also put at hand the value of each customer on an equal balance. This prevents the business from unfairness, which is the most destructive vice in the service industry. On the side of production line of approach, since the employee operates under strict regulation and orders, the service upon customers is not from their heart. They lack patience and may drive the customers away from the business hence registering lose. No customer would to certain clients are given much preferences than them. Therefore, the worker empowerment programs trains workers o the holistic measures they should extend to the business customers hence the best strategy for service providing businesses. Even though product line approach receives much criticism as not suitable to service operating businesses, it has some outstanding advantages. The product line approach does not need a service operation business to incur an extra-dollar investment in through training and selection. Unlike in empowerment approach, where employees should exhibit a personality of an effective, creative, and problem solver, the production line approach employees only conform to the business set rulebook (Bowen, 2003:10). For employees to apply creatively their wits in customer handling in empowerment approach, the operation manager has to involve in rigorous recruitment of the best candidates for the job. The management then trains them on the lines of etiquette. This also involves ways how to apply positively their brains, when dealing with customers. One may argue that such kind of employees is purely talented but in addition to that, the management incurs an extra cost. Contrary to this approach, the product line, approach manager may hire employees based on chance or mere intuition. This is practical since all these employees will get a role, which follows a strict code of approach towards customers. The employees need no training. The workload is broken down into stages. Each employee specializes on his role upon an encounter with a customer, and the other phase the customer goes through may not bother the employee that much. For example, an employee who serves in an Airline and only specialize on announcing the departure hours of the Plane will always do so with or without customers on board. This is his area of specialization and he plays by the rules. In executing such roles, though learned, the employee does not cost the company any extra cost part from their salaries. Even if there is training involved, the workers in the industrialization approach require easy training, and then immediately deployed to work since the rules will guide them. Industrialization approach in service management is not labor intensive hence little training of employees only orientation to the codes of the business. As a result, production line approach in the service sector is more convenient to a businessperson, who intends to start service venture. Since any business will try to cut down the operations, cost at the beginning, production line approach would serve as the best line to incorporate. Moreover, in production line approach, the employees are much more careful and cases of giving away stores or making wrong decisions are minimal (Bowen, 2003:12). The rules as set in each employee’s area of jurisdiction bind him or her into executing their work perfectly. In addition, the managers are in toes and ground checks to ensure that, each employee performs as per his area of specialty. For service business providers, the approach will give the operation manager a grip of what is happening within his business. It also ensures that customers get service and direction to the different phases as per their transaction requirements with no interference at all. This contrasts with the empowerment approach. In this system, the managers are so much reluctant, and only rely on their employees to deliver, make and correct mistakes and freely interact with customers. It far much an efficient system though a greater risk comes with it. Some of your employees may make mistakes, which eventually can cost the business a lot something even the employees may not have been aware of in his operations. Therefore, for a business operation to avoid such costly mistakes, employees should only act as per the rules of that organization or the service business. It also helps the employees to learn on how to get credit through either promotions or incentives on merits. The customers will always point out at a certain employees who at accordingly in their areas. In conclusion, service operation should adopt the theory of empowering employees in order to experience efficiency and exponential growth. The service sector of business is very different from industrial production and the mechanical employee customer relation would not apply in the current civilized world. When employees are empowerment, they even perform much better, and the business benefits from such services. The value of a business is equitable to the value of the customer. In service the sector, the variable reach a compliance point because of an employee’s decision or action (Hanna & Newman, 2001:62). For the service business owner to get satisfaction out of his business, then the customers must also get a share of that pleasure. The employee pays a middle role in the fate of any business and thus he should get empowered in order to create a rapport between the two: the customers and the life of the business. Secondly, when employees are empowered, there is a faster on-line reaction to customer needs at the point of service delivery. This is the joy of any customer. Different customers in service business come with different question inn trying to learn more about the services offered. The employee would love a lot to inform the customer and interact a lot rather than the responding ‘No’ like in product line approach (Bowen, 2003;12). The customer’s requests should get an advanced approach other than condition responses in industrial approach in service industry. This approach can even turn the attitude of a frustrated customer into a more satisfied one. Therefore, it is good and beneficial for employees to operate independently when dealing with customers and create a cordial relation between the business and the customers. Employees feel much better about themselves in this approach. They tend to like their job and the value of their personality boosted. Their ego is satisfied as trust and security of their jobs lies on their hands. This is because much often the employees feel that they are in a meaningful work and the action and responsibility is solely theirs (Bowen, 2003:11). For example, if you can borrow a car, the care that you extend to it is much different from the care you will give to your personal car. In that reasoning, if employees sense that they are in the driver’s seat in the service business, they get more satisfied. The daily operation goes beyond working fro payment into acquiring that satisfaction every day. For the benefit of the service business, the operation manager rarely witnesses absurdities emanating from his workers. In return, the business operation experiences low level of absenteeism, reasonable union drives, and low turnover levels (Wood & Brotherton, 2008:126). Thus, the service operation would only amount success if empowerment approach goes into practice in place of the industrial production approach in service industry. Bibliography Bowen, D. 2003. FACING THE CUSTOMER: EMPOWERMENT OR PRODUCTION LINE? Available from: http://www.marshall.usc.edu/ceo [accessed on 05 December 2012] Gilmore, A. 2003. Services, marketing and management. London [u.a.], Sage. Hanna, M. D. & Newman, W. R. 2001. Integrated Operation Management: Adding Value for Customers. Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall. Nel, W. 2006. Management for engineers, technologists and scientists. Cape Town, JUTA. Wood, R. C., & Brotherton, B. 2008. The Sage handbook of hospitality management. London, Sage. Read More