Reinventing service delivery requires a new way of
thinking about service and challenging basic service assumptions. A paper by
Ramdas, et. al. (2012) uses four years of information in healthcare and finance
to find four conceptual areas where improvements can be found. Managers can
look at the four areas defined below and seek to redefine them for greater
service delivery.
The
Structure of Interaction: Think of the way in which
information is transferred and combined for customers. Is there a way to raise
the value to the customer by adjusting how and what type of information they
receive? For example, do healthcare patients need more information, relevant
information, or interconnected information? Too much information will create
noise in their understanding; relevant information will help them understand
their condition; while connected information will help them receive better
services.
The
Service Boundary: Question the boundaries of services and try
and determine if there are better ways to use them. For example, if patients
with similar problems are grouped, offered additional information, and provided with guidance they may receive more effective services. If the service becomes more effective and
customers evaluate them higher, then you have a winning combination.
The
Allocation of Service Tasks: Understanding
who is fulfilling the service requirements and why they are doing so is
important. If the employees you have hired are not qualified to deliver services
or you are being wasteful with resources then the service task paradigm should
be reconsidered. For example, a doctor who spends a great of his time in
paperwork versus actual medical practice is wasting higher order skills on
lower order efforts.
The
Delivery Location: The delivery of services can be
expensive and should be rethought. Many companies have developed service
delivery around their needs versus around their customers and this has impacted sales. Sometimes moving online, allowing for home delivery, or having
better support within existing services can be beneficial. For example, a proportion
of people prefer online banking and forcing them to drive to a physical
location is frustrating. Yet this doesn’t mean physical locations should be
thrown out but they could be redesigned to focus on core services.
The four areas are only focal points for reviewing
and evaluating current service delivery. There are many places where small and
large changes can occur. To revamp service requires rethinking the entire
service process from the customer’s vantage point while not forgetting the
operational and financial constraints of service delivery.
Kamalini, R. et. al. (2012). 4 ways to reinvent
service delivery. Harvard Business Review
