Assessing the Readiness of the Call Center to Implement TQM - Essay Example

ASSESSING THE READINESS OF THE CALL CENTER TO IMPLEMENT TQM Introduction The Call- Centre in question is a non-profit organization that aims to assist the community to maneuver through daily difficulties occasioned by changes both in technological and economical. The analysis will factor EFQM. EFQM also referred to as European Foundation for Quality Model is an institution that supports and give guidelines for organizations that are non-profit making in strategic planning, and ensuring total quality management measures are implemented, thus satisfying all concerned internal and external publics of the organization (EQFM, 2010, p. 6). Moreover, it advices the non-profit making organization’s management on methods, procedures and work processes that enhances performance while incurring minimal costs. The EQFM model has developed concepts, principles, books and models to be used in business strategies, and work processes that will help propel the organization to realize their set goals and objectives. The eight concepts of EQFM include adding value to customers, building partnerships, leading with a vision, succeeding through people, achieving balanced results, inspiration and integrity in managing the processes, nurturing and encouraging creativity and innovation and taking responsibility for a sustainable future (EQFM, 2010, p. 7). Therefore, the aim of this paper is to analyze the readiness of a Call Centre to embrace these eight concepts. 1. Leading with a vision, integrity and inspiration Leadership is an important requirement for any organization, and especially leadership that incorporates vision, integrity and inspiration. Leadership that entails these different concepts is defined as a leadership that aims for the future with consideration to its implementation plus influence of role model (EQFM, 2010, p. 13). Numerous leaderships exists and in the case of performance-maintenance (PM) that tries to balance requirements of both employees and products or services offered (Ehigie and Akpan, 2004). Ehigie and Akpan (2004, p. 26) defines PM leadership style as one in which the leader exhibits both performance and maintenance leadership styles in varying dimensions. Leadership in Call Center is structured meaning that each section has specific leaders answering to top management. The shortcoming on team leaders is the difference in their capacities to deal with Call Center employees. The aim of leaders is to champion quality work and inclusiveness of employees (Prajogo and Sohal, 2004, p. 872). However, some of the leaders within the Call Centre do not support this fundamental contributing negative influence on work (Hides et al., 2000, pp. 416-417). Effective leader who knows aspects that affect the employees and strategic strategies that leads the Call Centre to success is important (Rad, 2006, p. 609). Thus, the Call Centre can embrace the ideas that are championed by EFQM into ensuring the negative attitudes and incorrect behaviors evident by the current leaders are negated. Hides et al., 2000, p. 411 categorically states that total quality is the philosophy of natural leaders, and thus the Call Centre should embrace appropriate leadership that translates to optimum quality. 2. Succeeding through people EFQM defines succeeding through people as in an organization that creates empowerment culture and employees’ value resulting in a situation where both the organizational and employee’s goals and aspirations are achieved (EQFM, 2010, p. 15). Empowerment is an important requirement for any organization and Tari (2005 p. 186) stresses this point by stating that empowerment contributes immensely to output of an employee. The relationship between the views of EQFM and Tari (2005) concurs in that empowerment contributes towards achieving goals, with each side benefiting from the contributions associated with empowerment. Empowerment plays an important role in different organizations, and a Call Centre can be used as an example. For a Call Center therefore, the task is to strike a sense of balance about what they seek to achieve as an organization and what the stakeholders require and expect from them. This means that strategies should be embraced by the Call Centre to ensure that the employees’ contributions are optimized. The reluctance of some staff to use empowerment attributed to a combination of personal staff misunderstandings and the fear of liability makes the employee unable to use perform the procedure and thus a negative impact on external customer. To deal with the issues, it is paramount for an organization to motivate and train its employees as provided for by EFQM cocepts. Hides et al., 2000, p. 411 states that the important factor in the quest for successful TQM implementation … is the development of employee potential. Maslow motivation strategy can be used in this situation to solve the difficulties and encourage employees to work towards achieving organizational goals. Joines, 2006, p. 618 states that firms that focus on continuous improvement, involve and motivate employees to achieve quality output and focus on satisfying customer’s needs are more likely to out perform firms that do not have this focus. Moreover, the employees should be trained to optimize their contributions towards success of the organization through changing their behaviors and attitudes towards team and togetherness towards success. 3. Achieving Value for Customers (Customer Focus) techniques Customers are stakeholders who guide an organization, and the organization should ensure that it fulfills the requirements of consumers. EQFM (2010, p. 12) defines customers in regard to organizations as the primary reason why the organization exits, why an organization is innovative and champions creation of value to customers through ensuring the product or service is of high quality. This means that an organization should be responsive to consumers’ needs and expectations. Thus, an organization is supposed to engage customers during design process and hence ensuring that the requirements and taste of customers are considered. These views are supported by (Prajogo & Sohal, 2003, pp. 862-863) who introduces different strategies that are used to collect information to understand the requirements of consumers. Customers requirements and needs differ and in the case of the Call Center, the needs of customers are placed into consideration. The Call Centre is governmental department that deal with different society classes of people originating from different background in which traditions and culture differ. Moreover, lack of enough information is evident because of issues associated to proxies; this means that the consumers should be informed on the benefits and contribution of organization to their personal lives. Moreover, utilization of electronic records of communication, carry out survey to analyze the impact of Call Centre to the society, and utilize information received from the survey to improve on customer value (Prajogo & Sohal, 2003, pp. 862-863) 4. Building Partnerships (Partnership Development) Partners provide a means in which organization achieves its goals and aims as defined by EQFM (2010, p. 17) when it states, “excellent organizations seek, develop and maintain trusting relationship with various partners to ensure mutual success. These partnerships may be formed with customers, society, key supplies, educational bodies, or non-government organizations (NGO)”. Regarding partnership, Hopkins (2007, p. 706) convergence of the interests of employees, shareholders, customers, suppliers, and the wider society is an implicit aim. This means that sustaining a symbiotic type of relationship ensures that an organization strives to achieve organizational goals, an aspect that is applicable to a Call Centre. Call center where the center's interest evolves with the evolution of the performance of these partners. Call Center implement strategic partners that is similar to the model provided by Goetsch and Davis (2010, p. 147). The model contain eleven steps that include partnering briefing, identification of potential partners, identify key decision makers, conduct a partnering briefing, determine the level of commitment, decide whether there is sufficient commitment, identify key operational personnel, form the partnership team, develop a mission statement, develop objectives, prioritize objectives. These are the steps that can be maximized by the Call Centre to ensure that their bringing into their fold optimal partners. Choosing the right partners will go a long in ensuring the success of the organization (Montes, Jover and Fernandez, 2003, p. 193). However, in certain circumstances difficulties such as differing vision and mission, conflict of structural and culture of organizations and level of commitments may inhibit success of collaborating (Naronha, 2003, pp. 352-353). 5. Managing by Processes (Management by Processes and Facts), or process control Processes are the underlying cause for any organization to succeed and an organization should ensure that they lay grounds for effective processes as defined by EQFM (2010, p. 14) when it states that organizations are management in a manner that is structured and strategically aligned processes using fact-based decision making to create balanced and sustained results. This means that the organization process should be strategically structured in a manner that is supported by Prajogo and McDermott (2005, p. 1114) when they argue that process management is important since it aids an organization towards success because it brings and correlates tools, skills, knowledge, to name some, towards achieving an optimal team. The Call Centre has numerous difficulties that inhibit effectiveness of operations. One of these difficulties is time schedule of operations, for example, the call centre recording the order on paper and convert it to digital form resulting in creation of double performance of operations. This issue can be solved by employing the use of technology such as the use of computers to record the data from the consumers. Moreover, technology can summarize some of the repetitive processes which contribute to the sequencing the processes. This means that when one process is completed, the system automatically moves to another process, and this will contribute towards efficiency and hence customer satisfaction (Montes, Jover and Fernandez, 2003, p. 196). In addition, the system that is proposed should be tested to determine whether it meets the requirements of the Call Centre or improvements should be encouraged to ensure its effectiveness (Brian and Steven, 2007, pp. 373). This can be achieved through measurement and analysis of results. 6. Taking Responsibility for a Sustainable Future (Corporate Social Responsibility) Corporate social responsibility is an important consideration when analyzing total quality management. In fact, EQFM (2010, p. 18) view social responsibility as embedding an organization within a culture of ethics ensuring highest standards for organizational behavior, and directing an organization towards economic, social and ecological sustainability. This means that corporate social responsibility creates a good picture of an organization and corporate social responsibility is directly linked to total quality management as viewed by Hopkins (2007). Hopkins (2007, p. 712) continue to state that TQM and corporate social responsibility shares similar fundamentals but TQM is more of economic while CSR is more of ethics Some of the values that are associated with CSR include meeting the needs of stakeholders, fairness, honor, participation, collectivism and integrity. The Call Centre management understands the importance of including the community in decision-making and highlighting the importance of the organization to the society. This is an example of social responsibility that is championed by the Call Centre towards appreciating its surroundings ranging from consumers to its environment. However, the difficulty that is faced by the organization is that it is a non-profit making organization and a department in the government. To ensure that the organization champions corporate social responsibility, it is appropriate for the senior management to cultivate supportive leadership strategy (Bryde and Robinson, 2007 p. 51-52). This will also improve on continuity of the society, and hence benefiting both the suppliers and the partners (Prajogo and McDermott, 2005, 1112). 7. Achieving Balanced Results (Results Orientation) Any organization determines the success of its operations based on results that ensure organization and environmental conditions are met. EQFM (2010, p. 11) defines results orientation as organizations moves towards success through planning and implementing strategies into ensuring the goals and needs of stakeholders are meet. This view is supported by Brian and Steven (2007, pp. 370-371) by stating that a Apart from gathering information on what stakeholders want and expect, an organization can trend stakeholder’s reviews, measure to what level the organization has met the needs and expectations and thereby set benchmarks, which are aligned to organization’s mission statements, goals and objectives. The Call Centre should be result oriented in that what they plan should be achieved. This means that the formulation and implementation of strategies should be effective to ensure that the aspirations of the Call Centre are harvested. At the end of specific time, the Call Centre should audit their achievements and relate it with its original plans (Ulrika, & Bengt, 2000, p. 240). 8. Nurturing Creativity & Innovation (Continuous Learning, Innovation and Improvement) Continuous learning, innovation, and improvement is an important requirement for a successful organization, a factor that EFQM champions through its definition by stating that organizations generate increased value and levels of performance through continual and systematic innovation by harnessing the creativity of their stakeholders. Numerous authors including White et al. when they state that continuous learning, innovation, and improvement leads to increased quality production, efficiency, and effectiveness of work processes and operations, allow the organization to exist competitively (White, et al., 2009, p. 275) support this view. This means that a Call Centre can embrace innovation in sustaining its operations. The call center has realized the need for nurturing innovations to improve quality of its services. This is anticipated to be realized by facilitating open lines of communication between internal and external publics, training workers, routinely reviewing the expectations and needs of stakeholders, analyzing feedback received from analyses done (Sahney, Banwt, Karunes, 2004, p. 156). Conclusion From this analysis, it is evident that the Call Centre should embrace and implement effectively total quality measures contribute towards optimizing their services. This means that the Call Centre is ready to embrace the eight concepts provided by EFQM with some development in some areas. References Brian, J., and Steven, S. 2007. Assessing customer focus using the EFQM Excellence Model: a local government case. The TQM Magazine, vol. 19, no. 4, pp. 368 – 378 Bryde, D. and Robinson, L. 2007. The relationship between total quality management and the focus of project management practices. 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