Current Quality Control System and Changes That Are Needed
The field of management of operations that deals with ensuring that production and services are at the necessary specifications is known as quality control. Quality control is a very essential component of every organization that wants to develop a brand name that will be able to position itself in the market.
Sunshine operates in a highly competitive and sensitive food service industry and their final product can influence the way customers will react. It is essential to note that quality is concerned with putting the needs of the final consumer first always. Its current control system has several flaws which need to be checked or the enterprise will lose its customers in the long run. The areas of focus include the following:
Customer Satisfaction
It is notable that the owner of the restaurant chains has given some attention to customer satisfaction by making enquiries to customers so that she obtains feedback. This is very good in terms of making future improvements to her enterprise’s service to its clients.
However, she needs to improve on this area because her visits to the restaurants once in a while can not ensure that she has a clear picture of what should be corrected. Due to her busy schedule, she could employ better methods of ensuring quality always and not in her random.
Percentage of Defects
It is also good that the chains have a target of one plate per a hundred. However, this level of defect is rather theoretical than realistic. There are no means of evaluating this and maybe Abby thinks that by asking for customer responses she will be able to ensure that she attains this. First, her once in a while checks are not likely to ensure that this is followed.
Secondly, some customers probably would not talk but eat what has been served and walk out slowly and never come back. Lastly, the defect level of 10% that is their target is too high when taken into practice.
It means that for every 10 plates served in the restaurants, one has a potential of being defective which may mean not well cooked or having some extra seasoning among other things. Suppose a customer comes to one of the hotels and haves this meal, it will be very destructive on the image of the enterprise as there is bound to be some negative publicity arising from the customer.
Randomized Inspection and Supervision
Abby, according to the case, only visits after a couple of days to get the customer complaints and act on them. Her style of quality control is centered on responses after the customers already have the food on their table.
This is not the best means of establishing quality because she can not guarantee that when she is not around there will be a better service. Her method of using negative responses to gauge quality in her enterprise is very inaccurate.
Instead, she should be aiming at checking the food at the preparation stage rather than waiting for customer response. By assuming that she will eliminate such incidences through randomized supervision or checks that are one sided, she risks loosing customers since by the time the complaint is forwarded to her, the damage will be already done.
Unclear Channels of Control
Looking at the case where the customer has claimed he was over tipped, there is clear evidence that the enterprise lacks a clear framework when it comes to quality control. The billing system of the hotel is one that does not hold anyone responsible as seen by the number of possible scenarios generated by the manager.
The use of a third party credit card company that is not working closely with the enterprise is surprising. There needs to be a change in the way the hotel chains bill their customers so that complaints such as the one cited are not encountered by the management team.
The management of the enterprise should develop a billing system that is efficient in generating reports accurately and timely. The credit card company contracted should be of a high standard in terms of accounting for payments in a more conclusive manner.
Short and Long-Term Recommendations
The enterprise has not totally embraced the essence of quality control. This is despite Abby’s appreciation of the fact that there is a great challenge in the hospitality sector because of its competitiveness and customer sensitivity. The following are some of the long-term and short term recommendations they need to take into account even as they are on a plan to expand:
Getting Things Right at Initial Stages
The hotel management should ensure that the chefs are well trained to get quality meals always and not to wait for complaints at the table. Even as the food is already prepared, the waiter should never serve meals that do not meet required standards. The purchasing department should ascertain that the ingredients sourced from the suppliers are of good quality to eliminate wastage.
Quality Assurance Rather Than Control
The owners’ style of ensuring quality is not commendable. She should be centered on assuring quality for every plate served to customers rather than controlling quality as a reaction to the various complaints that may sometimes not have been heard. She should ensure that the hotel has a quality team put in place so that customers get value for every penny spent on the restaurants.
Collective Responsibility Rather Than Personal Responsibility
What management should recognize is that the issue of quality is about being collectively responsible. The owner should not think that by trying to enquire from customers on food quality, she is only partly responsible. The management should ensure that everyone understands that they are responsible for every single defective meal served.
Benchmarking
The restaurant should be able to compare their service with the other industry leaders so that they find the best means of tackling quality issues in their own organization.
There should be constant research on the areas of billing, handling customer complaints, service methods and other areas that the enterprise seem to be lagging behind. By identifying with and integrating best practice methods in the hotel chains, defect and subsequently, complaints are likely to be eliminated.
Continuous Improvement
Sunshine chefs meet weekly with the owner according to the case. There is nothing on meeting with the whole team that comprises of waiters, supervisors and other staff. There ought to be regular meetings to chat the way forward on constantly improving service.
Through such meetings, teamwork and responsibility is cultivated besides the management getting to know what different sections of the enterprise would like to be improved so the there is a continuous quest to improve quality. Through this, the enterprise will go a long way in eliminating negative customer feedback.
Encouraging Customer Feedback
Quality is focused on customer satisfaction and, therefore, the customer should always be given priority. It is encouraging to note that the management of this organization has based their judgment on customer response.
However, there should be an elaborate way of ensuring that customers are giving responses even without being prompted to do so by the owner or supervisors. Communication channels of such negative or positive responses should be availed so that there is a constant improvement and also issues are addressed before they become more harmful to the organization.