Current Operating System Structures at the Qormi Post Office - Essay Example

Current Operating System Structures at the Qormi Post Office The one on top of the processes involved at the Qormi Post Office is the Officer-in-Charge. His job is to provide customer satisfaction within the framework of the organizations policy through the efficient use of resources. Supporting the Officer-in-Charge are five postmen totally dedicated to sorting and delivery in five beats, one reliever postman and one postman in-charge of the collection of letters from letter boxes, date-stamping of letters and dispatch and receipt of mail from the Head Office. These processes involve include: (1) collection of letters and similar postal items; (2) stamping; (3) sorting by locality; (4) sorting by beat; (5) sorting by street; then (6) delivery. The most important resource of the Qormi Post Office is labor, aside from the machinery/ tools employed such as its building, post boxes, bicycles, date-stamps, racks, chairs, mailbags, tables and uniform in order to give efficient and effective service through conduct of the abovementioned processes. This labor resource is maximized during December by withholding all staff leave and adaptation of a double shift working arrangement. Letters and other postal items sorted by locality in process (3) are send to the Head Office while letters / postal items sorted by beat in process (4) are send from the Head Office. These letters and related postal items in process (3) are processed partially, meaning date-stamped, bundled and sent to the Head Office while those from process (4) are processed wholly within the Qormi Post Office. All mail is treated first class using the all up service. In process (1), the letters / postal items are collected from the post boxes at strategic points every 7 AM and 9 PM by postmen in bicycles. The Qormi Post Office serves only as mustering room to mainly domestic consumer market, and from time to time to business and industrial community and the niche market. On the other hand, processes (2), (3), (4) and (5) are conducted in the sorting room. Process (6) is done at the receipt and dispatch depot. The third and last section of the Qormi Post Office is the transport storage room is only used for storage of delivery bicycles. With the increasing demand, the Qormi Post Office saw the need for a new service. The Operation Manager understands that for the new service to be added, efficient utilization of resources should be done. Later a counter section was added in the Qormi Post Office to provide better service to a variety of markets and to take advantage of the available resources to decrease costs. The counter section required resources such as counter furniture, weighing scales, stock of stamps and one counter assistant. This new services resulted to increased fixed cost and variable costs due to increased expenditure on overtime and employment of one counter clerk, increased demand, slight decrease in the break-even percentage capacity and 45% increased revenue. To deal with the impact on customers of this new service, an automated stamp canceling machine and motorcycles will be procured, and two-level service (first class and second class mail) and revised scheduling will be done. The provision of good quality service to clients was done by the Qormi Post Office through clearly defined procedures and individual functions; clearly visible commitment from the operations manager downwards, emphasis on work standards and specifications; supervision and internal communication and continuous on-the-job training. On the other hand, ensuring quality through a satisfied workforce is achieved by providing work variety; allowing a degree of autonomy in determining methods of work and problem-solving; job rotation; and job enrichment. Present Operations Objectives for the Subsystems in the Qormi Post Office The present operations objective for the subsystems in the Qormi Post Office is to serve the community by offering a fast, reliable and cheap postal service. Specifically, the Qormi Post Office aims to collect and deliver letters within the island of Malta and to deliver the articles intact and at the lowest possible prices. Customer service is the reason for existence of organizations. Good quality customer service would mean that the services offered by the Qormi Post Office meet the needs of the customer or the specifications required by the clients. Time and cost are another considerations. The specific time should be specified and the corresponding cost requirements determined. The Operations Manager makes these objectives materialize through introduction of some techniques. The role of the Operations Manager is critical since he/she is the decision-maker. Development of quality of postal services that correspond to the needs of the clients should be a continuous process. Techniques to be used in the achievement of the objectives should be relevant to this type of service organization. The strategies to be adopted should make the most of the operational situations in the Qormi Post Office. In order to fulfill the above objective, there is a need to evaluate the present quality of service given to clients, the present state and effectiveness of the Qormi Post Office policies, as well as demand for this Post Office services, and then take steps to promote their augmentation and enhancement. Satisfying the customer is a must in a service organization like the Qormi Post Office. Without the customer, the Qormi Post Office will cease to exist. In order to increase the transparency of the Qormi Post Office, this office may actively disclose information, and in the event of accidents, system faults or other incidents that involve the organization. The Qormi Post Office should endeavor to undertake the prompt and appropriate disclosure of information, thereby strengthening both our internal and external public relations systems. In order to continue providing improved and even more appealing services, the Qormi Post Office may enhance the channels through which it gather the diverse opinions of its customers and post office employees who have direct contact with customers and through which services can be improved by adopting a customer-focused perspective and work to enhance the level of customer satisfaction. The objectives can be achieved through improvement of the operational efficiency. Maintenance and improvement of the service level can also be done by improving client satisfaction and meeting compliance requirements through on-time delivery or services. Attainment of the objectives can also be through upgrading of management by increasing productivity through elimination of excesses, waste and irregularities, reducing management systems costs, re-evaluation of all procurement activities and re-examination of the organization Human resource is the best resource. Hence improvement of the quality of service to clients can be achieved through provision of a satisfying working environment for the constituents of the Qormi Post Office. Reforms concerning employee consciousness and corporate culture should be infused. Policies that are considered effective for improving the operation of services and administrative processes can be implemented. Capability enhancement of the workforce can be done through continuous training/seminars. Creation of a working environment that motivates employees and helps them reach their full potential is essential to ensure improved services and more efficient business management. Hence, there should be a framework that rewards hard-working employees by introducing comprehensive reforms for all of human resources systems. Such reforms may include staff evaluation system, recruitment and training system, compensation system, and others. Each of these should focus on skills and performance. Read More