Uses the example of a craftworker to illustrate high quality productionand to emphasize the essential elements in such a process of beingcustomer‐focused, having customized…
Abstract
Uses the example of a craftworker to illustrate high quality production and to emphasize the essential elements in such a process of being customer‐focused, having customized products, work conducted as an integrated whole, personalized by the individual and with the application of continuous improvement. Draws on and discusses the work of Juran and others in consideration of the transition from the skilled craftsperson to mass production and the effect on quality. Parallels factory work and the delivery of health care and concludes that poorly designed processes doom many health‐care workers to perpetual frustration. Equates health‐care workers – physicians, nurses and technicians – with craftworkers who wish to provide a quality service containing all those elements listed above.
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That someone can make you feel good is a quality in itself. There has been much talk within British government circles, for example, about “the feel‐goodfactor”, which is…
Abstract
That someone can make you feel good is a quality in itself. There has been much talk within British government circles, for example, about “the feel‐good factor”, which is constantly reminding us that it is just around the corner! Whether or not we can believe in this is another matter, but it certainly displays an awareness that making other people feel good can have positive benefits for you also. How this can be achieved will differ depending on your particular line of business. Having a good quality product does not in itself guarantee success as service quality must also be taken into account. This is where the feel‐good factor comes into play. It is all very well, for example, going to a restaurant to have a top‐class meal (in that the food was good), only to have it thrown at you. Quality, therefore, must not be seen as a separate entity, but more as a package deal.
Recent years have highlighted the emphasis placed on quality. It is a word often heard around many an organization, but can mean different things to different people.The Japanese…
Abstract
Recent years have highlighted the emphasis placed on quality. It is a word often heard around many an organization, but can mean different things to different people.The Japanese have certainly jumped on the bandwagon with vigour, and have tried to include total quality in almost everything they do, looking increasingly to improve their processes at every conceivable stage. Recent emphasis has been heavily placed on product reliability, thus ensuring that the final product does not let the customer down. Quality in this instance quite simply refers to the processes leading up to the end product itself. This can throw up even more tantalizing questions, such as trying to decide what your actual product is. Am I, for example, selling you, the reader, the actual journal or the information contained within? Does quality mean to you, therefore, the quality of the cover, the paper, and the print, or is it the quality of the information, or indeed both. This issue of IJHCQA, will hopefully go some way towards answering these types of questions, and take a closer look at a number of “strategies for service quality”.
That someone can make you feel good is a quality in itself. There has been much talk within British government circles for example, about the feel‐good factor, which is constantly…
Abstract
That someone can make you feel good is a quality in itself. There has been much talk within British government circles for example, about the feel‐good factor, which is constantly reminding us that it is just around the corner! Whether or not we can believe in this is another matter, but it certainly displays an awareness that making other people feel good can also have positive benefits for you. How this can be achieved will differ depending on your particular line of business. Having a good quality product does not in itself guarantee success as service quality must also be taken into account. This is where the feel‐good factor comes into play. It is all very well, for example, going to a restaurant to have a top class meal, in that the food was good, only to have it thrown at you. Quality, therefore, must not be seen as a separate entity, but more as a package deal.
That someone can make us feel good is a quality in itself. There has been much talk within British government circles, for example, about “the feelgood” factor, which is…
Abstract
That someone can make us feel good is a quality in itself. There has been much talk within British government circles, for example, about “the feelgood” factor, which is constantly reminding us that it is just around the corner! Whether or not we can believe in this is another matter but it certainly displays an awareness that making other people feel good can also have positive benefits for ourselves. How this can be achieved will differ depending on our particular line of business. Having a good‐quality product does not in itself guarantee success as service quality must also be taken into account. This is where the feel‐good factor comes into play. It is all very well, for example, going to a restaurant to have a top‐class meal (in that the food was good), only to have it thrown at you. Quality, therefore, must not be seen as a separate entity, but more as a package deal. Service quality is important if you wish to retain your customer base as acquiring new customers can be both time‐consuming and costly. It quite often takes very little apart from good manners to keep customer loyalty as in the case of the restaurant. Other factors can, however, start creeping into the framework such as efficiency, timeliness and good communication. Is there, for example, a time limit on how long you can reasonably be expected to wait for your meal before it arrives at the table, and if there is a delay is this communicated to you? In other words, we all have expectations as to what is acceptable and what is not. The clever part is for the organization to learn by what criteria the customer judges its service quality performance.