Tool to Improve Customer Services

Good customers services is essential to compete in the market economy. It is an integral components of the product delivery. The interacting with a customers is made through a contact point and it is important to plan each contact point to leave a positive impression on the customers. Each industry has its own points of contacts. For an airline, the main contact points are as follows:

1. The online of phone flight booking.
2. The airport check in.
3. The boarding movement.
4. On flight services
5. Post flight services.

Service industries can learn the tools from manufacturing industry to improve the quality and delivery of their products. The manufacturers have been using both the Six Sigma and Lean methodologies in their processes.These methodologies had been used successfully to identify causes of waste and defects and the services business are eying to implement them.

The 6 sigma methods was invented by Motorola in 1980s and popularised by GE. It involves the systematic data collections and process analysis tools using hypothesis testing tools to identify the cause and effects.

Each of the Six Sigma tools follow the prescribed process of DMAIC:
a. Define the problem
b. Measure it - identify the measurement requirements and measuring methods, capture the data.
c. Analysis - using the selected statistical tools.
d. Improve the processes , measure the new process and if it is satisfactory then:
e. implement and control it.

Six sigma is a measure of deviation or error of 6 parts per million outputs, so each of the main contact points to be monitored and control to ensure compliance to standard.

It is noting that, the physical components of the airlines products, such as the aircraft amenities the food can be duplicated by the competitors. However a good customers service is harder to copy and it can become a differentiating points for the airline.

Note: Although, the article consider the customer as the external customers, you may be involved in serving the internal customers who in turn serve the paying external customers. The internal customers deserve similar quality of service.