Service Operations Management - Research Paper Example

The Service Operations Management Documentation of expectations as a of the service prior to the visit In most situations, the service at afast food restaurant can be uncomfortable and a feeling as if you are just a number. Therefore, my most recent documented expectations as a customer in a service environment was quite surprising to visit and experience. The most notable fast-food chain of a restaurant is McDonalds Corporation as being one of the leaders that adapts to cultural changes (McDonalds.com, 2011). However, my concern was still over the operating processing of customers orders and the flow of managed traffic in a fast pace environment detects success on how the technical terminal can process orders (Baron, 2009). Therefore, my initial expectations are in relation to the speed of orders as well as the quality of service that correlates to the technology capability of the company. My visit to a McDonalds presented a familiarity of most fast food chains, such as, the vibrant colors and unique furniture design that is welcoming and intriguing (McDonalds.com, 2011). As usual, the crowd of people presented a somewhat noisy environment but still manageable that you could talk to the person you came in the fast food restaurant. At prior research study, the senior management team at McDonalds Corporation conducted focus groups on learning what customers prefer to receiving excellent service that is indicated by two main elements: clean environment and reduce noise output of the site. Therefore, the identification of prior expectations are timing of moving the lines through and a clean environment that allowed a feeling of being comfortable and relaxability. The proposed approach provides the sense of willingness to wanting to purchase a meal and stay at the restaurant to eat the meal. During the visit the noise radar was somewhat high but understandable due to the amount of crowds of people in line to present their orders. The noise was not unexpected; rather, the knowing was already there in the beginning to expect some disturbance. However, the expectation was for the effectiveness of managing the noise level to having a sense of control and manageability. The definition of service relates to the inputs of elements: Ranging from the experience + outcome = service (rending a customer’s perspective). The customer lines at the fast-food restaurant were long and at times not so coordinated with children abound but just moving at a pace - that gave the customer a chance to making a wise choice of selection. Therefore, the expectations were of a more defined method of a concern of the noise level for any increase of customers or decrease that will render a satisfactory experience to increasing brand identity (Haritz-Menne, 2004). Mainly, the initial expectations were in the management effective staff of employees to learn how to manage the incoming traffic during busy hours. This focus on training of employees to knowing how to operate the high-tech order taking terminal machine presents a mandatory element of mastery, in which, the issue of long lines can be decrease. The goal is to ensure a faster processing of customer’s orders. Further, the review of expecting customers to understanding the many different menu items presents both an opportunity for a business - that is on perfecting customer service or presenting failure in servicing the customer. The method chosen by McDonalds proved my initial expectations that at least a certain point of experience of a staff employee will present the many choices of payment methods to moving the crowd along (McDonalds.com, 2011). However, the delimina is in the failure to understanding of the so many choices of payment methods the creates a lock-up of the terminal computer at times - that it creates a rush feeling of figuring out what overrides are needed to clear out transactions. The once good feeling of arriving at the fast food restaurant can be washed away that fast when the comfortable state is removed with anxiety. For instance, the customer is almost never sure what to order or payment method that creates changes after the order is input into computer cash terminal. Developed evaluation schema to rate the service delivered against prior expectations. The development of an evaluation schema to rating the service delivered against my prior expectations is in presenting the main 5 elements of analysis. In doing so, the end result will present the definition of service that is the customer’s perspective. For instance, the covering of a Front Office Processes and the Back Office Processes that is actually can render into the customer’s perspective. In assessing the prior expectations are in the two areas of focuses that correlates to the final customer’s perspective to the following core areas: See Figure 1: Front Office Processes Rank Back Office Processes Rank Cleanliness of environment A Order and stocking food & Drinks A Greeting customers B+ Managing delivery of food and drink A Presenting available tables B+ Preparation of food A Time in Taking orders B+ Perfecting cooking orders A Delivering food and drinks A Apply right prices B+ Observing customers responses A Researching industry target market A Handling different payment methods A Proper maintenance of restaurant premises A Figure 1 The above assessments are in the stated realm of identifying how clean the environment is for entering customers to the core establishment mission. The greeting of customers was expected to be friendly even with the onset of more customers than usual in the restaurant. The presenting of tables was a surprise of how each employee order taker instructed the available seating areas (Baron, 2009). The deliverying of the food were more than expected to receiving the exact order to the specifications of the customer. The timing of the order and delivery provided a balance of expectations to not allowing the food to being slightly cold once it was finally received. The handling of the food provided an opportunity to demonstrating the core reasoning for perfecting the managing of payment methods. With today’s business enterprise the usage of different usage of methods besides cash can be challenging for employees, in which, the surprised outcome of managing different credit cards, coupons, discounts, and gift cards proved inspiring. The lines were already long and crowded with hungry customers and to experience not a sole delay in managing different payment methods proved exceptional.The review of the company’s back office processes presents the area of order and stocking food as well as drinks proved right on the mark. The assessment were made when the lines of customers in line was able to get their desired orders with no delay or restriction (Baron, 2009). The managing of the delivery of food showcased the strategy implemented correlated to a beneficial outcome (Haritz-Menne, 2004). Therefore, the preparation of food provided a higher expectation and was met accordingly the level of expecting a certain outcome. The cooking of the orders offered a vantage point of awareness to the preference of the customers for reaching the desired outcome. The application of prices at McDonalds Corporation expected a level of grade that is beneficial to different income level customers (McDonalds.com, 2011). The concentrated menu items levels provided awareness to the ability to really connecting with the customer base. The lasting impression of the initial contact with McDonalds Corporation restaurant is in the flexible and sometimes different prices on items that are popular or new items. For instance, the McDonalds French fries are somewhat popular but not as so compared to the Big Mac, in which, the famous sandwich is still priced at a higher rate. The restaurant premise provided a sense of familiarity to eating in professional establishment; the realism was meeting expectations proper maintenance. The cash terminals, dispensers of drinks, the turning capability of the chairs, and restrooms really support the aim of good customer’s perspective. Development of evaluation criteria in an identification of prior expectations and participate in and document an example of the service. Discussion of service experienced The development of evaluation criteria in assessing the effectiveness of McDonalds relates to the identifying core expectations of a service operation. The level of awareness is in the positioning of the B2C enterprise of McDonalds that rendering a customer service approach to patrons. The service operations of a fast food restaurant provide the necessary evaluation criteria focusing on how customers are treated in a fast paced environment. Therefore, the model implemented on the identification of prior expectations is in a defining market of adapting to changes in the daily operations (Haritz-Menne, 2004). Employees are the key to meeting such obstacles or challenges by applying the training elements to each customer that plays into the defined “input” protocols. The structured element platform of the scenario renders the following assessment to verifying if McDonalds lives up to expectations: See Figure 2:     Inputs Performances Outcomes Effort Quantity of work Pay Time Quality of work Job Education Level of customer service Benefits Experience Less errors made Vacation Skills Adaptability Job Satisfaction Knowledge Bridging departments Feeling of accomplishment Job behaviors Learn to work as a team Pleasure of doing interesting work Figure 2 The layers of possible outcomes correlate to the many opportunies that can be a positive or negative outcome. Thus, the understanding that the role of how McDonald’s employees are treated within the backend office operations processes detects how the front office operations are presented to customers. Although, the expectations initially related to time management of the service operations provides of McDonalds, the goal was to reveal how satisfactory the service compared to other competitors (McDonalds.com, 2011). The ultimate goal of any B2C enterprise relates to the purchasing of the food item(s) by the individual consumer that demonstrates great customer service. The often challenges as indicated in the initial expectations model of review at the visit at McDonalds relates to providing a consistent service to a wide variety of customers. The demonstration of implementing service operations protocols that are encouraging the first hand approach is to directing to consumers (Haritz-Menne, 2004). Respectively, the categories of service processes presents the several levels of managing the different approaches to increasing brand identity and decreasing costs to meeting such objectives. Thus, the increasing of process definitions is within the process variety for customers to being treating fairly to the primary objective. The categories of service processes are in the simplicity of the developed expectations during a visit to McDonalds to compare and contrast what actually happen when arriving at the restaurant. The 4 main customer types presented itself at the restaurant location that illustrates the realm of identifying possibilities of consumer behaviors. In doing so, the identification of the customer types played a major role in assisting to assert the different 4 main layers of operating a straightforward approach (Baron, 2009). The following customer types are essential to meeting the core element of meeting a consumer expectations or not meeting expectations: Tolerant Patient Champion Ally Incompetent Victim Hostage Intolerant Anarchist Terrorist In the developed model of rating the experience visit at McDonalds presented several consumers fitting in at least each of the above customer types (McDonalds.com, 2011). The experience at the restaurant indicates the available outcomes of three behavior expressions, such as, positive – attitude – negative for bridging a steadfast positioning. The aftermath of results is in the building blocks of operating on a level of accountability to instilling a methodology to identifying customer expectations (Ingram and LaForge, 2006). The variation in a zone tolerance zone being within a busy fast food restaurant presents challenges to meeting the level of expectations (Baron, 2009). Thw level of intolerant range of emotions from customers is at times met with hostility when the perceptions are not met accordingly to initial expectations. Evaluation of the service with the developed criteria on a summarized assessment to the strengths and weaknesses of the service In evaluating the servicing matrix applied is in using the developed criteria model based on the front office processes and back office experiences relates - to core factors of meeting customer’s expectations. The area of focuses provided a firsthand approach to identifying if McDonalds really met customer expectations by offering each element of needs and wants; pricing, customer service (polite attitude), fast order taking, a clean environment, and available or comfortable sitting area (McDonalds.com, 2011). Therefore, in the evaluation of the fast food enterprise is in the three main forms of customer relations; the vast available of service products, personal relations between individuals and customers, and temporary relationship, such as the drive thru. In the evaluating assessment, the strengths are in connecting with a customer by effective listening skills in order taking, moving the line at a pace that was not too disruptive, and providing diversified range of prices. The identified weaknesses are in the area of planning more sufficient staffing that is not too many employees standing around and not too little staffing to handling the inflow of customers (Hicks, 2004). The developed criteria of grading the McDonalds restaurant is in the mission to establishing a needed connection to the way the company structured its personal relationship. In doing so, the brand identity is reinforced on providing an enjoyable experience for all consumers in a proactive measure of desired expectations. Recommendations The directive of recommendations for McDonalds relates to the redesigning of the incoming flow of consumers to increasing the movement of customers to take their orders. The ability to restructure the walk-through lanes are in need to incorporate a well structured framework of serving customers effectively (Baron, 2009). The ability to direct and lead customers to the appropriate positioning of the awareness level of the customer to appreciating the service rendered, in which, leads to increased brand equity. The McDonalds Corporation mission to facilitating a strong relationships with each customer will open up feedback opportunities that presents a lasting impression to the target demographic (McDonalds.com, 2011). Therefore, the implementation of observing the customer behavioral preferences of receiving service can render a solid foundation of satisfying customer proactively. References Baron, David (2009) Business and Its Environment, Prentice Hall Haritz-Menne, Angelika (2004). Business Processes: An Archival Science Approach to Collaborative Decision Making, Records, and Knowledge Management Hicks, M.J. (2004) 2nd edn. Problem Solving and Decision Making Thompson Learning Ingram, Thomas, LaForge, Raymond (2006). Management: Analysis and Decision Making. Oxford University Press, USA; New Edition McDonalds Corporation (2011) The McDonalds Corporation, retrieved from http://www.mcdonalds.com Read More