The Flow Chart Diagram showing the service at Dilemma at Indian Coffee House
In the flood chart above, we have different stages of client processing. The first thing is that the client makes a call to the firm. The customer care will receive the call and ask how he or she can be helped. This is the first contact in which the clients will expect that the entity will handle them politely. The first response that the client might influence the perceptions of the client. If the reception does not act respectfully to the client, then such customer may opt out.
Once the customer’s calls and call received, it is upon the customer care to ask clarification questions to ensure that all issues are apparent. For example, the quantity of the meals that the client requires. Generally, the customer care desk needs to record the description of the meals or the nature of services that the customer requires. This is important in ensuring that the kind of services delivered is customer specific.
The next step is for the client to make the order. It is upon the customer desk to forward the information to the relevant teams. For example, the customer desk can contact personnel in the kitchen and deliver the client’s description. This is critical in ensuring that the client’s demands are provided as required by the customers. This is part of the customer relationship strategy to serve the specific customer needs.
The customer manager must check the availability of the product or the services that are needed by the client and reply to the client. It is essential that the manager provides an update to the client about the availability of the product to ensure that they are aware of what to expect from the firm. Keeping in touch with a customer is a technique that ensures that the client is relaxed and avoid issues of jittery in the process of meal preparation. Therefore, this is paramount in satisfying customer needs.
The kitchen personnel is supposed to speed up the process to ensure that the client receives the services within the minimum time possible. In some cases, lead time could be high and thus affecting the satisfaction levels of the clients. Take, for example, if each client waits 20 minutes more before being served, this is going to raise complaints and erodes the customer confidence levels. It is then upon the management of the facility to ensure that the services delivered to the customers are timely. This is a competitive strategy used by companies to increase their customer loyalty.
Once the order is ready, then it is served to the client. However, since the service has taken too long before it is finally delivered to the customer, then this affects the quality of the services received by the customer. This explains the reason why the customers complained about the time that the personnel in the Indian Coffee House (ICH) to serve them. This is one of the service elements that is affecting the quality of services received by the customers. Consumers always seek quality services. The quality of service encompasses the speed of delivering the services to the customers in the organization.
The feedback provided by the clients is essential in improving the services delivered to clients. Companies use customer relationship management (CRM) to manage the needs of clients and ensure that the services offered are matched their needs. With high levels of competition in the market, there is a need to provide customized services. When the customers are able to receive the services that they are in requirements, then they will be happy. This approach shall promote customer loyalty. In the long, Indian Coffee House (ICH) will then increase the company’s market share.
a). Define the term “Bottleneck” in terms of operations management.
In operations management, different processes are involved in manufacturing and service delivery processes. However, these processes can be affected by a limited capacity known as a bottleneck. A bottleneck is limiting factor which reduces the production capacity in a whole production system (Rohani & Zahraee, 2015). This is going to ensure that there is limited production in the organisation or the production process. This is the reason why managers strive to eliminate bottlenecks that constraints the production systems.
The bottleneck is one of the critical factor or elements that affects the value of services delivered. Take for example, if the kitchen produces 30 units of products per 15 minutes while the waiters take only 25 units per every 15 units. Then there will be a difference of 5 units between the service delivery and production. This is a bottleneck as the company is unable to deliver all of the 30 units that are produced at that time. This is a constraint that must be improved by the management to ensure that the production is efficient. In that case, the administration must work out to ensure that these constraints are eliminated in the firm otherwise the output will decrease.
Inventory shortages
The Indian Coffee House organisation also depends on the demand forecasting to procure products for production. In case of emergencies, the firm does not have the inventory that can serve the needs of all of the clients. Due to customer surge, the Indian Coffee House could not have enough inventories that can match the increasing customer demands (Schuster Puga, Minner, & Tancrez, 2017). It is essential that an organisation have enough safety stock to cushion the firm against the demand fluctuation. The shortages in the organisation will affect the way the company can match the unexpected demands (Poisson, Tuma, & Shulman, 2016). Therefore, this is a critical issue that affects the overall success of the firm.
The Facility Layout
The facility layout of Indian Coffee House (ICH) affected the way the services are delivered to the clients. Even though the delivery of services was systematic, there is a high level of congestion. One of the stairways interconnects the kitchen and service area or table. Since both the clients and the waiters use the stairs, then there will be a jam along the way which will limit the speed in which the services are delivered to the clients in the organisation.
Moreover, Indian Coffee House tables do not have numbering. This affects the convenience in which they can quickly identify the tables that require to be served at any given point in time (Ojaghi, Khademi, Yusof, Renani, & bin Syed Hassan, 2015). This limits the optimisation of the space available.
Lack of skill development
The approach that has been taken by the management in developing its employees is based on a practical approach. The employees then lack skills development on how to address some of the challenges that are faced in the organisation. It is crucial that the management in the organisation train its staff and develop skills that can match some of the various challenges they face in their daily work environment (Dipboye, 2018). This is a process that promotes a better understanding of the employees in the organisation.
Poor planning and communication
The communication between the employees affects the levels of service quality in the organisation. This is based on the fact that the employees do not have a high training system that coordinates their communication. There is a disjoint between the kitchen process of communication and the waiters. For this reason, the service delays are frequently reported in the organisation. Whenever the client places an order, then he or she will expect timely service. Communication is paramount in the quick service delivery (Lee & Steers, 2017). However, with poor communication, there is a message break down.
The region is located in a strategic position which attracts many clients in the firm. This stretched the employees in the organisation. When the employees are overstretched, then it delays the services rendered to the customers. There is a need to ensure that the employee capacity is increased. However, the study above indicates that there are instances when the client’s capacity does not match the demand of the clients (Song, Chopra, & McMahon, 2015). This led to another bottleneck in the organisation as the speed of services delivered in the firm slows down. This is the reason why companies always seek ways to promote better customer to employee ratios.
The age employees
The report in this study indicates that there is no retirement age. This makes some of the employees to be old and may not have the ability to act quickly and in accordance with the pressure in the firm. During peak hours, there is lots of work that require that the staff act soon. However, with old employees, they may not have the tenacity to manage or sustain the pressure in the company (Ellwardt, Van Tilburg, & Aartsen, 2015). This is an approach that will reduce the levels of productivity in the organisation.
Inventory shortages
The Indian Coffee House (ICH) needs to develop an effective and accurate demand forecasting. This is going to ensure that the firm is able to match the needs of the clients. In this case, the company must ensure that forecasting tools used provide some accurate information (Feng, Li, McVay, & Skaife, 2014). Moreover, the management of Indian Coffee House (ICH) also has to adopt Just in Time (JIT) as a way of ensuring that the inventories are made available whenever they are needed (Wild, 2017). This is going to increase the response to customer demands. The main focus of the company is to increase the service delivery of services to the clients. A quality service will improve the loyalty and satisfaction will increase.
The Facility Layout
The Indian Coffee House (ICH) has the opportunity of developing the facility such that there is no congestion in the movement of the clients and the waiters in the firm (Flessas, Rizzardi, Tortorella, Fettermann, & Marodin, 2015). This is a process that shall improve the flow of activities in the organisation. This may require that the organisation can develop another stairway to ease the levels of congestion in the organisation. It is critical that the company provides better management of the services in the market. The organisation has enough space that it can deliver services to the customers in the best way possible. Hence, the management, in this case, must change the layout of the hotel and in the end serve the demands of the clients.
Lack of skill development
The levels if employee training and development needs to be aligned with the demands of the environment. The employees must be trained in a way that shall ensure that they have the capacity and the capability of managing the services delivered to the customers (Fatima, & Anwar, 2015). Whenever the company trains its employees, then they must be equipped with the skills and the abilities to manage their work demands.
From the flow chart above, it shows that the employees training helps the staff to manage the demands in the organisation. The management of Indian Coffee House (ICH) must identify these key areas and improve their capacity to ensure that they are able to match the demand of the clients. One of the ways that the management may need to do is by developing a workflow chart that indicates how activities are completed in the organisation. The employee motivation can be sustained through training of the staff.
The flow chart showing the bottlenecks and recommendations to eliminate them
In the flow chart above, we have introduced the aspect of employee training at the top of the map. This will help in developing the skills of the employees. When employees are hired, the first thing that is needed is to train them on how to handle and complete their daily tasks. The work environment keeps changing, and the employees must have the capacity and the abilities to match these changes. Therefore, it is vital that the employees are trained on a periodic basis.
However, the management must adopt a training process that helps in skill development. When the staff is trained in the Indian Coffee House (ICH), then they will have the capacity and capabilities to handle the demands of their clients. This is an aspect that improves productivity in an organization. Organizations can train their employees as a strategy of raising the productivity standards of their employees. We have learned that the employees lack the skills that match the demands of their environment. The net effect is their productivity is hampered.
Another strategy to eliminate these bottlenecks is to use continuous improvement. This is a strategy that shall help the Indian Coffee House (ICH) to remove these bottlenecks. Continuous improvement is essential in improving the quality of services in the company. The focus of continuous improvement is processes, products, and services in the company. Hence, if the firm leverages on this strategy, then it will develop the capacity to meet the demands of the clients.
Moreover, increasing the capacity of the process is critical in addressing the challenges faced in the production. For example, the equipment that is used in the kitchen needs to be improved. There are instances when the tools used by the personnel working in the kitchen could be at fault and thus affecting the speed of the service delivery. Giving the employees the right tools means empowering the staff. When the employees are empowered, then they will improve their service delivery. The work environment plays a vital role in employee performance. Therefore, the Indian Coffee House (ICH) needs to ensure that the staff is working in an environment that improves the needs of the customers.
Additionally, introduce the total quality management in the production. The TQM is a technique improves the kind of services that clients receive in the organization. When TQM is introduced in the firm, it means that all of the employees working in the firm will realize high-quality products and eliminate waste in the production process. This is an approach that will provide a better control of the production and service delivery in the organization and boost the quality of products used.
Furthermore, communication in the organization needs to be streamlined. This will speed up the communication between the clients, employees and the management of the firm. This is an approach that supports complete information flow. Communication boosts the production and increases the value of service delivery. Whenever there is communication breakdown, the services are delayed and thus affecting the speed of customer services in the company.
The management of Indian Coffee House (ICH) must offer support to the employees whenever there is a need. When the administration supports the employees, it will boost the morale of the employees. A motivated staff is critical in improving the productivity in the firm. It is essential that the workers feel the support of the managers in the firm in their daily assignments. Employees may face numerous challenges which can be addressed by the management.
Finally, the management of Indian Coffee House (ICH) must implement six sigma as a way of improving its production processes and service delivery (Pyzdek, and Keller, 2014). This is the technique of eliminating waste in the production. When the employees in Indian Coffee House (ICH) embrace six sigma, errors will be disposed of in the firm. Successful implementation of six sigma in the company will reduce the mistakes and defects. In the long run, the productivity in the organization will be a thing of the past.
In addition to removing bottlenecks operations, managers have a number of “base options” available to them with which to handle demand issues. Briefly discuss these and identify any that may be relevant to the problem at ICH how these could be used to improve the customer experience? (9 Marks).
Implement TQM: The management of Indian Coffee House (ICH) needs to implement the TQM in all of its production processes. This is going to speed up the service delivery in the company. When quality culture is adopted in the firm, then this is going to ensure that the employees are able to work within the required timelines and match the demands of the customers (Goetsch & Davis, 2014). This is an approach that supports better control of the company’s production processes and increases its capacity to match the needs of the customers.
Train the employees periodically: This is another strategy that will also ensure that the staff are able to match the changing trends in the market. Whenever the staff are trained periodically, they will then develop effective capacity in the company (Ahmad, Iqbal, Mir, Haider, & Hamad, 2014). It is essential for the firm to ensure that the workers are trained to offer time.
Streamline service processes: The processes in the company needs to streamline its service processes. It is clear that the firm does not have clear processes which must be followed in the firm to ensure that the employees speed up the service delivery. For example, the maximum time that an order can take must be set. When this is done, the company will eliminate the factors that limit the speed of services in the firm.
Invest in new equipment: The Indian Coffee House (ICH) must develop the best technology that will eliminate the lead time in the company (Czajkowska & Stasiak-Betlejewska, 2015). If the firm is able to create new or implement new technology, this is going to ensure that the production processes are maximised. In the long run, the production processes will be increased and improved. There are new technologies that keep developing, and thus it is essential that the company develop such technologies to speed up their production processes
Communication is vital: The method of communication in the Indian Coffee House (ICH) is paramount towards the successful service delivery (Blaschke & Schoeneborn, 2016). If the staff are able to communicate effectively, they will then be able to speed up the service delivered to the customers. This is a process that improves the way the kitchen services and the waiters will operate from a common understanding.
Keep customers informed: The company’s management also needs to communicate and inform their clients about the processes and the times that they will wait before the company’s services are delivered. This is going to ensure that the clients are relaxed and they aren’t anxious. The overall outcome and satisfaction of the clients are dependent on the information that they receive about their products.
Take a review of the production process: There is a need for Indian Coffee House (ICH) to ensure that it reviews its production process. This is because it will help in ensuring that the areas of limitations can be increased to improve the capacity of the personnel working in the kitchen and the waiters. Even though the client’s demands keep changing, changing the production process will be vital in increasing the efficiency of services delivered in the long run. This is to mean that the overall productivity will be improved in the company.
Conclusion
The Indian Coffee House (ICH) case is one of the real examples of how bottlenecks are affecting organization’s service delivery. The bottlenecks have reduced the company’s service capacity and ability to meet the demands of the clients. The Indian Coffee House (ICH) do not have appropriate processes that are developed effectively to match the unexpected requirements of the customers in the market. The overall issues addressed in this case points out how a company can struggle to match the needs of the clients in the market. This is an approach that will demand a review of how the organisation operates in the long run. Training of the employees and communication is critical in ensuring that the demands of the customers are managed effectively.
References
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