In order to improve organizational performance, four main improvement strategies may be employed; these are repair, refinement, renovation, and reinvention (Besterfield et al, 2003, pp.131-33). Each of these strategies is unique and is applied depending on the desired outcome. The telecommunications industry is faced with the growing need for improvement in order to keep up with the ever-growing competition among service providers.
New and existing service providers have to come up with ways of improving their products and services and at the same time meet budgetary requirements (Stamatis, 2004, p. 67). Communication service providers refine their business processes in order to make them more efficient and economical. A telecommunication service provider may improve the quality of customer care by training customer care executives on how to deliver services in a polite and efficient manner. Improving the customer feedback process is another way of business refinement in this industry.
The company may also improve the business by repairing the existing product. This short-term approach does not necessarily improve the business process but is nonetheless important especially in the telecommunications industry. For example, if the call billing system is faulty then it should be fixed urgently otherwise it may cost the company a lot of money or customers. Occasionally it is important to renovate products and services to stay ahead of the competition.
This may be done by establishing new calling tariffs that are cheaper to the consumer but profitable for the organization in the long run. Renovation is primarily achieved through the improvement of technology and infrastructure, like installing boosters that have more capability. Reinvention took on the telecommunication industry with the advent of cellular phones, the industry is dynamic such that it has become possible to browse, send money and even pay bills on the phone. We are yet to see even greater reinventions (Hamilton, 2004, p.67).
The retail sector of the telecommunication industry is always faced with product design problems where the retail team needs to improve the existing products or to come up with new products that will satisfy the consumer needs and enable the organization to stay ahead of the competition (Cleland & Roland, 2006, P.45). We face the problem of identifying the consumer need and tailoring a product that will suit this consumer and at the same time bring in profit for the company.
The first phase of solving this problem is to identify the opportunity from a field study and customer survey, we may establish that customers do not prefer a certain tariff compared to other tariffs at a statistical rate of 26% for unknown reasons. We then analyze data that we have gathered about the tariff from customers as well as management to establish why it is not popular (Chrissis, Konrad & Shrum, 2003, p.34).
Using the data we then come up with an optimal solution, we may discover that the reason the tariff is not popular is that it is expensive for the average customer. We may resolve this problem by lowering calling rates at peak periods of the day as well as having promotions that will attract the consumer. We then implement these changes with the help of our technical support team; the statistical department then takes measurements of the results. If the results are satisfactory then we proceed to certify the solution (standardize the solution) if it is not satisfactory, we go back to the drawing board and try to discover why our solutions did not work. Using our results, we can establish which areas need improvement and then plan future courses of action (Bjarne, 2007, p. 43).
References
Besterfield, D. H., Besterfield-Michna, C., Besterfield, G. H., & Besterfield-Sacre, M. (2003). Total quality management. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Pearson Education.
Bjarne, K. (2007). Project Management: Theory and practice. New York: Teknisk Forlag.
Chrissis, M., Konrad, M. & Shrum, S. ( 2003). Guidelines for Process Integration and Product Improvement. New York: Addison-Wesley Professional.
Cleland, D. I. & Roland G. (2006). Global project management handbook. Washington: McGraw-Hill Professional.
Hamilton, A. (2004). Handbook of Project Management Procedures. Henderson:TTL Publishing.
Stamatis, D. H. (2004). Six Sigma Fundamentals: A Complete Guide to the System, Methods and Tools. New York: Productivity Press.