Work process standard
This appraisal is aimed at assessing the strategic competencies of delivering gifts and other services to customer’s convenient places within recommended time. The main services offered by the business include delivery of gifts to places recommended by our clients at a fee.
The gifts include flowers, jewelry among other gifts as the customers may require. Other services offered include shopping on behalf of our clients who may not have the time to do this due to time constraint as a result of their busy schedule.
Strategic competencies to be achieved
The business seeks to improve response time. Response time is defined by the business as the time between the reception of an order by our marketing department and the time that the business takes to satisfy the order. In other words, the time the supply department takes to deliver the product. It is also defined as the time between the reception of complaints by our complaints desk and the time the issue of concern is addressed.
In addition to this, the business also seeks to improve cycle time which is the time between the delivery of the services and the time the payment of those services is made. The business also seeks to improve quality of service delivered through screening of customers’ requirements and provision of services tailored to customer’s needs and requirements.
The main output that the business seeks to give priority is the response time. The response time has been identified as the main factor that is shaping the competition in the service industry. With most of the business customers mainly composed of the working class and in the executive class, the improved response time will help reduce delays for this class of people who may not have enough time to shop for the gifts and ultimately deliver to their loved ones.
Measures of the Achievements of Competencies
Response time will be measured depending on the distance between the business and the delivery point and the time taken per unit of the distance to deliver the service. Other factor that will be used to measure the response time will include the ease at which the required service can be acquired and delivered.
Also of interest to achieve is the reduction of the cycle time which will help the business to improve its working capital and consequently help in the improvement of the response time. The reduction of the cycle time will be measured by the availability of more than 50% of the required operating capital at any given time. It will also be measured through analysis of the credit statements which should indicate an improvement of debt settlement by business customers within the set time.
Improved service delivery will be measured through increased business creation and reduced customer complains. It will also be measured by the extent at which the business understands the needs and requirements of the customers and the ability to produce tailored services that meet the scale of customer’s satisfaction.
Current business position in the industry
Currently the performance of the business on the above measures is comparable to those of the other industrial players. However, to differentiate ourselves from others, there is need to establish our scale which will help to position the business above the rest by giving the business a competitive advantage. By doing so, the business will be in a better position to offer premium products; at premium prices acceptable to the customers.
Customers’ needs and requirements
A number of customer requirements have been identified. Some of these relate to the manner in which the product is delivered and the others relate to the features of the service.
The manner in which the service is delivered include the time of delivery, speed of delivery, price and any other support service concerning the product or service delivered. It has been identified that most customers require instant delivery services at a competitive price. They also require support regularly on how to consume the service.
Most of them also take a great of concern on the packaging of the product delivered. Quality packaging is taken positively as measure of how best the service is offered. In term of prices, customers have been found to be diverse. Some view high prices as a sign of a premium product and a readily willing to pay the price. However, other views this as being exploitive and therefore there is the need to understand each customer.
From these requirements, delays in the delivery of the services are highly unwanted by our customers. These delays in most cases have been as a result of inadequate operating capital which forces the business to wait until the payment is made the services offered in order to provide means of meeting the new demand. Also, it has been contributed to the failure to fully understand the specific needs of our customers as a result of poor feedback mechanisms and inadequate information gathering process.
Work process overview
The following is the overview of the work process
Overview of the On-Door Delivery Service
Stimulus:
- Service delivery needs statement
- Authorization by management
- Purpose
- To build on-door delivery service for our clients able to meet their needs effectively and timely at a competitive prices.
Target
The target for work process is the gift business and the prospective and existing customers.
Methods
This will be achievable by applying high standard of competence through utilization of effective communication systems, reduction of bureaucracy, quick response and development of effective feedback mechanisms.
Expected Results
The results of this appraisal will lead to the following:
- Redress of the areas of concern by our customers
- Acquisition of knowledge on how best the business can improve its service delivery to customers through customer’s feedback.
- Improvement in customers’ satisfaction through understanding their requirements and increased response time.
- Establishment of competitive advantage over other on-door service delivery businesses
- Increase in business success in the market.
Conditions to be met
For the expected results to be achieved the following conditions must be met.
- An effective feedback mechanism must be established to get feedback on the level of customer satisfaction and the area of their concern.
- An effective information gathering system must be in place to ensure correct information is obtained on the customer needs and market trends.
- The existence of enough resources to effectively compete our competitors
- The existence of effective mechanism to monitor our competitors’ activities to study their activities.
- Reduce delivery cost per unit by further development of the market by our business.
Measures of success
The results of this process will be measured through the following:
- Reduced customers’ complains
- Improved service delivery to customers
- Positive feedback on the improved level of customer satisfaction.
- Improved ability to meet customers’ requirements
- Reduction of cost per unit of delivery to customers
- Increased market coverage
- Overall improvement in business performance.
Start Time
Input
- Customers’ needs statement
- Current and prospective customers
- Service delivery resources
- Service delivery constraints
- Monitoring of the prospective and current customers
- Service delivery guidance materials.
Output
- Service delivery guide
- Marketing course book
- Overall customer satisfaction
- Improved business revenue above cost of operation
- Provision of other required necessary materials and resources.
Work process mapping
Work process map for building on-door delivery services
Procedural Document
The process will begin with the definition of the job by the management. This should be preceded by the identification of customers’ needs and requirements. Once this is done, the management will design the work in a way that is consistent with customer’s needs and requirements. Work will be executed to meet customer needs of quick response, support for the services rendered, and competitive prices for premium services offered.
A feedback mechanism is established to collect the concerns of the customers. This feedback information is to be used regularly to review the needs of the customers and to redesign the work as appropriate in order to meet changing needs of the customers. Positive feedback will indicate achievement of the desired competence.
Negative feedback on the other hand will indicate a failure to design the work process in a way that satisfies customer’s needs and requirements. This will lead to the review and the redesign of the work process until the need of the customers is met at a satisfactory level.
Appraisal Interview
The following interview is intended to reveal the current ability of the business to meet customer’s needs and wants
Customers’ satisfaction appraisal form
The main intention of this process is to ensure that we understand your needs and are able to meet them to your satisfaction. Please answer the following questions as honestly as possible.
- What type of service do you receive from the business?
- Why did you choose our business to provide this service to you?
- Are you currently satisfied with the way the service is delivered to you?
- If you are not satisfied, what are the main areas of your concern?
- What would you suggest the business should do to make this service meet your level of satisfaction?
- Do you have any other comment you would like to make concerning the service we offer to you currently?
- Which other service would suggest we add to those that we offer to our clients?
- How do you think the service you suggest will help the business meet the needs for customers’ satisfaction appropriately?
- Generally, how do you rate our business in the following areas:
- Service delivery
- Timely delivery
- Pricing of services
- Ability to meet customers’ needs and consequently their satisfaction.
Work process appraisal form
The following review will help improve the way we execute our work. Please answer the following question as appropriately as possible.
- Make comments on your view on how we execute the work. Does it meet the industry standards?
- What should the business do to make sure it is performing at the standards set by the industry players if this is not met?
- In which way can the business meet customer’s needs effectively at a cost that is acceptable both to the customers and the business?
- Generally, how do you rate our business in the following areas:
- Service delivery
- Timely delivery
- Pricing of services
- Ability to meet customers’ needs and consequently their satisfaction.
- What do you think the business should do to always be abreast of other industrial players?
- If you were to make changes to the way we execute the work of delivering services to our customers, which areas will you give a priority?
- Explain why you think those areas you stated above should be addressed and how they can help the business to meet customer needs satisfactorily.
- In which way do you think the business can reduce its costs of operation without affecting negatively the quality of services it offers to the clients?
- What is the effectiveness of the management to design work process?
- Do you think the feedback mechanism employed by the business is effective enough to collect the information on the level of the customer’s satisfaction?
- Does the business, according to your views, fully understand the requirements of our customers?
- If the business does not fully understand these requirements, what do you think should be done?
- Make general summary of the business’ work process.
- Make a general comment on management.
- What changes do you suggest should be done on the management to make it effective in identifying and meeting the customers’ needs through proper design of work?
- Does the business currently posses the required resources to meet customers needs?
- Which other resources should the business provide in order to meet these needs?
Conclusions
In conclusion the appraisal format proposed above has the capacity to introduce a total turning point for a new company. This can be possible is the proposed appraisal approaches are followed to the latter which makes the entire process to be fully evaluated which would improve on the overall efficiency of the company.
The appraisal also shall be able to show the relevant departments what need to be done to improve the working standards of the firm. The human resource department for instance shall be able to establish all the requirements that need to be put in place to guarantee productivity on the part of the employees.
The appraisal interviews that have been designed above shall also be of relevant help to the organization as they shall not only show the areas where the organization is doing well, but shall also show the workers who are working hard to promote the organization. The appraisal method therefore shall prove to be of great help to the entire organization as it shall help to make the entire organization realize the path towards achievement of its desired goals.