Managing Service Operations

Operational efficiency is seen as a key factor in solid, profitable and responsible corporate growth. The link between operational and financial performance is widely emphasized to justify the focus on operational efficiency strategies and approaches. The implementation of an operational efficiency approach starts with the analysis and knowledge of the processes that the company deploys to deliver its product or service. The Six Sigma method starts from the measurement of the customer's expectations and then moves on to the identification and resolution of production problems. Service production models distinguish between back office and front office operations. This distinction leads to different approaches to operational excellence. The service experience appears to be a combination of the customer experience and the employee experience. Operational excellence cannot be pursued without the collaboration of managers. Managers must, therefore, ensure that operational efficiency within their scope remains in harmony with their customer orientation.