Operations management. The role of the service sector in the economy What are the main developments in the service sector
(service) - the sphere of the economy where goods are produced, the beneficial effect of which is manifested in the very process of their creation.
The production of economic (limited) goods is divided into two spheres - the sphere of material production and the sphere of services. In the first sphere, the consumption of the created good is separated from its production, in the second, it is combined.
For example, the labor of producing a loaf of bread by itself does not satisfy any human needs (with the exception of the need for labor), the consumption of bread will occur later and elsewhere; on the other hand, the lecture by the teacher immediately satisfies the students' need for knowledge.
Up to the 20th century. the service sector was generally excluded from production. Thus, the famous English economist Adam Smith directly pointed out that the wealth of society depends only on productive labor - work to create material wealth. He attributed the services of such professions as "priests, lawyers, doctors, writers ... actors, clowns, musicians, opera singers, dancers, etc." to unproductive occupations, when nothing is produced, but only the previously created public wealth is consumed. (Smith A. Research on the nature and causes of the wealth of nations... T. 1.M., 1935.S. 279). This view of the unproductiveness of the service sector was adopted by Marxist political economy, and then by Soviet statistics.
In developed countries already in the 19th century. began to understand that the service sector, although it does not directly produce material goods, nevertheless creates the fundamental conditions for this production. Therefore, in modern statistics (including Russian), the service sector (tertiary sector) is considered as a full-fledged part of production, equivalent to agriculture (primary sector) and industry (secondary sector).
Zhiltsov E.N., Kazakov V.N., Voskolovich N.A. Economy of the paid services sector... Kazan, 1996
Demidova L.S. The service sector in the post-industrial economy... - World economy and international relations. 1999, no. 2
Service sector: problems and development prospects... TT. 1-3. Ed. YV Sviridenko. M., 2001
Klikich L.M. Service economy: problems of methodology and analysis... Ufa: BPAU, 2004
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The concept of technology in the service sector .. Areas of application of new technologies in the service sector
Information technology (IT) consists of computer and telecommunication technology. Computer technology is based on hardware and software and is necessary for storing and processing data and information. Telecommunication technologies also consist of related hardware and software and are used to transfer data and information. At the same time, at present, there is still such a concept as new information technologies based on new infological and computer means of obtaining, storing, updating information and knowledge.
It is safe to say that all service firms use new technologies. However, the level of complexity of technologies and the degree of their application are different for different industries. This is largely due to the nature of the activity. Some organizations, such as telephone companies, software companies, and Internet service providers, are in the evolving information technology arena. Other firms invest in technology, mainly to stay competitive.
The main reasons for investing in new technologies:
1. Maintaining or expanding market share. Some companies often use market share as a key measure of their performance, although it can sometimes be an inappropriate, misleading indicator. Some service firms may feel compelled to invest heavily in technology to maintain market share, even if there is no need to increase output or productivity.
2. Avoiding risks or opportunity costs. Some organizations invest in technology to reduce or completely avoid potential risks. For example, hospitals are investing in modern technology to avoid negligent litigation and benefit from improved diagnostics and treatment options brought about by new technologies. Airports are installing devices - detectors of explosives to prevent terrorist attacks. Likewise, many airports are installing sophisticated radar systems to detect changes in wind speed, which are often the cause of accidents near or within an airport.
3. Creation of flexibility to respond to changes in the economic environment of the company. The economic situation in the market is constantly changing. Changes in the degree of government intervention (as well as non-intervention) in a country's economy, increased competition, more complex processes, and changes in consumer tastes all contribute to the uncertainty and complexity of the environment in which service firms operate. Flexible information technology systems often help to cope with a rapidly changing environment.
4. Improving the internal environment of the company. Many firms invest in technology to simplify the work of their employees and create a supportive work environment, eliminating tedious tasks and making work more fun.
5. Improving the quality of services and customer interaction. Quality and customer satisfaction are at the center of many service firms today. Some of the dimensions of customer satisfaction and quality of service include reliability, stability, accuracy, and speed of service delivery. When information technology is used effectively and competently, it can enable a company to bring all of these elements to market in order to achieve long-term customer loyalty.
Technology as a competitive advantage
Despite the discouraging lack of a positive relationship between investment in information technology and productivity, there is no denying the tremendous impact that technology has had and continues to have on our lives through its many products and services.
If a company is a pioneer in the use of technology and uses it competently, then it gains an important strategic advantage over its competitors. Competitive advantage is what sets a company apart from its competitors. Competitive advantage can be speed of service delivery, increased package size, lower price for the same quality or better “fit” with customer needs, and technology is what can help achieve these goals.
By tracking all changes in technological progress, or by conducting research on their own, companies today are aggressively looking for competitive advantages.
more often than not, advertisements claim that the products of the advertised firm are “new,” “brand new,” or “new and improved.” Therefore, it is pertinent to shed light on what opportunities an organization has in planning for the development of new services.
1. Significant innovations. These are “new services all over the world”, the markets for which are not yet precisely defined and do not have dimensions. They involve a high degree of uncertainty and risk. A striking example of this type of innovation is: the night delivery of small parcels introduced by Federal Exp ress, space tourism, the provision of the ability to use Internet services during a flight on an airliner.
2. Launching new activities. Using existing services already recognized by consumers, they offer their application in new conditions. For example, healthcare organizations offering services from general practitioners, laboratories and x-ray rooms may also offer pharmacies under one roof so that patients can get all the services they need in one place. Car burglar alarm installation services can be offered at car repair centers.
3. Development of new products for the existing service market. This category offers new services to existing customers that were not previously offered by a service company. Examples include banks that introduce their own card (Visa or MasterCard) or offer investment funds, insurance services for bank depositors, and museums that open gift and souvenir shops, restaurants for visitors.
4. Expansion of the product range. Additions to an existing service line that increase the current offering is called product line expansion. This could be due to increased technical capabilities or service requirements. Examples are services offered by the telephone company, such as caller ID, redial (when the desired caller is busy). This category also includes new airline routes and new lecture courses at the university.
5. Product improvement. Product improvement consists of changing certain characteristics of a service in order to provide consumers with better quality or increased value of the service. This can be done in the form of faster service or embellishment, i.e. adding various properties to improve the appearance of the service. For example, many ATMs print out the account balance after each deposit or withdrawal. Another example is a free car wash, which some agents provide during the sale of cars for routine services such as changing engine oil.
6. Changing the style of the product. This is a more modest means than highly visual product improvement. This category includes the renovation and restoration of the building or premises where the service is provided, as well as a new uniform for employees, a new company logo. An important place in this case belongs to the aesthetic properties of services, which is determined by style, fashion and design.
When discussing the development and creation of a service, we will assume that the new service falls into one of the first three categories.
Factors driving the creation of new services
The main reason for developing and creating a new service is to meet new and changing consumer needs. There are also other reasons, the most important of which are:
Financial goals. The management of many service firms is under constant pressure from financial goals in terms of profit, market and income. These goals can be achieved by improving quality and customer satisfaction for existing services. Another way is to introduce new services. It has been shown that there are several degrees of “novelty” for services. However, only the first three of these categories are most likely to result in increased market share and revenue and help the organization achieve its financial goals.
Competitors' actions. One of the strongest motivations for creating a new service arises when competitors introduce new services that are recognized by consumers. Downtime and inaction usually leads to a decrease in market share and profits.
Globalization The growth of global trade and foreign direct investment has created new markets and opened up new opportunities for service firms. This creates the need to develop new services or modify existing ones in order to meet the needs of different countries and cultures.
Technical and technological progress. Along with new products, new needs are created, which, in turn, require the creation of new services.
New consumer products. New consumer products such as VCRs and personal computers have created a need for related services: video cassette rental, tape and computer maintenance, and training services for developed accounting software.
New equipment. Advances in engineering technology help manufacturers introduce new equipment and improve existing ones. This, in turn, leads to the introduction of new services. For example, faster computers increase the storage capacity and computation speed for all kinds of data processing, hence making it possible to create new and complex software. The invention of the ATM made banking services available around the clock.
Electronic networks. Electronic networks such as the Internet and the World Wide Web are among the most important technological developments of the late 20th century, and they made it possible to create and deliver many new services.
An increase or decrease in the amount of government intervention in the economy. Some important industries have been removed from government regulation: road transport, telecommunications, banking, financial, educational services. This allowed many companies to enter markets that were previously closed to them and offer new services. While in some areas legal restrictions were removed, in others they were created, examples are environmental legislation and consumer protection law. Such laws usually create a need for new legal, engineering and consulting services specialized in environmental and consumer issues.
The growth of franchising. Franchising is a type of licensing when a company that owns a well-known trademark allows another company to put this trademark on its products, but at the same time gets the right to control product quality, an initial fee and a percentage of gross profit. This system makes it possible to expand new services to other markets while maintaining the high quality of the product.
Supply and demand balance. Many service firms face large fluctuations in the demand for their services. Producers of goods can deal with this problem by building up inventory when demand is below supply and using inventory when demand exceeds supply. The temporary nature of most services precludes this opportunity for service firms. Therefore, when demand is lower than supply, expensive equipment and personnel are thawed without work. A more realistic alternative is to offer services that have the opposite cyclicality compared to the existing set of services. In other words, service firms facing fluctuations in demand may try to design new services that will be in higher demand when demand for existing services is low, and vice versa.
Development of new products and services: similarities and differences
The first similarity between goods and services is that they are designed to provide a solution to a customer's problem, satisfaction, or benefit: "Kodak sells memories," "Revlon sells hopes."
The second similarity is that the development of both goods and services is a product of human activity. First, the human mind generates some new idea, and then calculates how it can be implemented.
A third similarity is that consumers rarely demand the creation of a particular product or service. Consumers can express some needs, but usually cannot clearly identify them in terms of goods and services, but willingly respond to what is offered to them.
Let's now point out some important differences.
1. Demand for raw materials and resources. Manufacturing a product requires many resources such as raw materials, semi-finished products, labor, and energy. In the service sector, raw materials are rarely used, tools and equipment are used, but they are not always necessary for the provision of services, especially intellectual ones. Aircraft are required to service air travel, but a couch is not required for mental health services.
2. Compliance with standards. Compliance with technical conditions and standards (type, quality and quantity of materials for use, sizes of various parts and tolerances) in the production of goods is very important, since deviations exceeding the tolerances will lead to the manufacture of defective, and sometimes even dangerous goods. When the development is complete and the production of the product has begun, all products must be identical to the prototype and to each other.
The result of the development of services is a concept and description of the process of implementing this concept. Service development can create standards, but there are usually very few of them, and deviations from these standards do not necessarily make a service “defective” or lead to undesirable consequences. The service can be tested in a benchmarking experiment, but each subsequent execution will be different, as the process involves different consumers and service providers. When the development is completed and the service is offered to the consumer, there are no two absolutely identical performances of the service, just as the experience of each consumer is unique.
3. The complexity of making changes. Changing a product is becoming more and more expensive. This is usually expressed by the 85/15 percentage rule, which means that approximately 85% of the cost of an item is determined by decisions made during the first 15% of its development period. Once the product development is complete and committed, it is not easy to change it, as the manufacturing will have to do the exact same development again for all components. The development of a service, on the contrary, is not a static and not a rigid documentary source; modification and adaptation is possible in the course of implementation, moreover, sometimes it is even necessary to meet the various needs of consumers. In addition, changing the design of a service does not entail as much costs as changing the appearance of a product.
Service development tools
Many service quality problems can be resolved by incorporating quality issues into the service design and delivery system.
Use of integrated design. Product design and creation consists of many steps, such as generating an idea, identifying technical and financial capabilities, developing a process and prototype, designing a packaging and a product distribution system. The traditional approach establishes the sequential execution of all these actions. One problem with the traditional approach is that the entire development process takes too long. For example, American car manufacturers used to spend about five years developing and assembling a model of a new car, while the Japanese did it in three years. This means that developers and process engineers did not communicate with each other. Usually, technologists find many weak points in the project, for example, parts that cannot be produced in the way that the developer intended, and in these cases the project is returned for revision. This procedure could be repeated several times during the development process. When the problems between the developer and the technologist are completely resolved, they move on to material supply issues to determine which components need to be purchased. Inevitably, project problems arise again, as some parts are too expensive or take a long time from the supplier to manufacture. The project is returned to the developer again.
Japanese manufacturers take an approach that involves teamwork with overlapping functions (integrated or simultaneous design). One of its main advantages is that all functions (development, production, procurement, distribution, marketing, etc.) are represented in the project team and their representatives interact with each other.
To develop and create a service, this is not only a mandatory approach, but, as a rule, requires the participation of service employees:
· Service personnel are psychologically and physically closer to consumers, and, therefore, can determine their preferences;
· Employee involvement increases the likelihood of their acceptance and understanding of new services;
· They warn developers against organizing a structure that will suppress consumer interests;
· Service employees are an important source of useful ideas for improving the quality of services.
Reliable design. The core idea of \u200b\u200breliable design is to create a product that is not affected by adverse environmental conditions outside normal operating conditions. For example, the pocket calculator should not be dropped or used in hot or steamy environments. However, if a calculator can withstand the harsh conditions listed, it is said to be a sustainable product.
Service providers and consumers are people with their own strengths and weaknesses. The differences in personality and demographic characteristics they find can create situations that go beyond normal operating conditions. However, it is possible to calculate service situations under possible emergency conditions and evaluate the ways in which these situations can be prevented.
Po k a -Yo k e, or methods of fault tolerance. Poka-Uoke (Japanese for "avoid mistakes") are devices and procedures that signal when errors may be made. A Poka-Uoke alert indicates a problem exists, and the Poka-Uoke control system stops production when an error occurs and forces the operator to correct it before proceeding. However, error prevention actions need to be designed not only for employees, but also for consumers when they are involved in the service. There are many ways in which Roka-Uoke can be tailored for the service industry:
In banking, for example, managers believe eye contact with customers is very important, and to ensure that contact is made, they require cashiers to mark the color of the customer's eyes on a check sheet before proceeding.
If the set of surgical instruments is placed in special recesses on the trays, and at the end of the operation, make sure that the set is complete, you can avoid the oversight of leaving the instrument in the cavity of the operated person.
Amusement park stands will protect travelers from moving machinery.
Setting up a chain to order the queue will prevent conflicts from occurring.
Sound signals in vending machines will remind the subscriber to pick up the card.
Placing a bell on the door of a car service station will prevent a customer from going unnoticed.
Attaching a serial number to each arriving car will allow customers to be served in the order they arrive at the station.
Benchmarking. Benchmarking was developed by the Xerox Corporation in the late 1970s. as a result of one of the many quality improvement programs. Benchmarking is a type of business process optimization in which the “ideal” business process is not built speculatively, but is borrowed from the outside or inside (say, in another department). Benchmarking is not just about copying ideas from other organizations. Its main goal is to understand what levels of performance are possible for various processes, as well as to gain knowledge from the best performers, including those from other areas of business. Service firms are already using benchmarking for existing services. For example, Marriott has applied benchmarking by borrowing from fast food companies the processes of hiring, training and paying employees, and Disney World practices parking cars and working with employees on quality improvement programs.
Service design principles
The sheer variety of services raises an important question: are there uniform principles that apply to service design, or is each service so unique that there are very few principles that apply to all sectors and services? Despite the uniqueness of each service, there are basic principles that can and should be applied to the design of services if the purpose of their design is to create value and customer satisfaction. The main principles for the development and creation of services:
1. Get to know your consumer (market segment definition). Consumer knowledge involves examining all possible and necessary information about the target market at an acceptable cost, including demographic information - age, gender, income, geographical distribution of the population and lifestyle. This information helps the organization identify the needs of potential customers. Whenever possible and economically feasible, consumer information can be obtained from them directly.
2. Determine which of the customer needs must be met. Obviously, consumers have a lot of needs. It should also be clear that the organization cannot meet all the needs of all customers. The service that will satisfy the basic need will be the basic service. There are usually other services that provide additional benefits to consumers. They are called additional services. Complementary services are designed and offered to meet needs that may not be common to all consumers. They are often optional and may incur additional costs (information, consultation, order acceptance, storage, exceptions, hospitality, invoicing and payment transactions, easy-to-understand service price document).
Not all value-added services are suitable for all types of service. Some of these are required for the delivery of a basic service. Service becomes impossible without them. The relative importance of ancillary services depends on the nature of the service. Obviously, a service firm that is unable to deliver a basic service is relatively short lived; therefore, providing a core service without failure, at the level expected by consumers, is the first and foremost step in creating value. The system must be designed to deliver the essential service flawlessly. Basic service failures mean failure of service and organization in the eyes of the customer, regardless of how well the additional services are designed or delivered. However, good provision of a basic service is almost never enough to compete successfully in the marketplace, as there are competing companies that can also deliver the same services without failure. Consequently, a service firm can create more value for consumers by increasing the variety of value-added services highly valued by the consumer and delivering them in the way the consumer expects. The definition of basic and additional services leads to the creation of a “service concept”.
3. Develop a service strategy and position the service for a competitive advantage. The main question that needs to be answered here is: "How do you differentiate your service from those of your competitors and what is the basis on which you offer value to consumers for the price of the service?" The first part of this question is related to the "strategic vision of the service", the second - to the "positioning". Differentiation is the main driver of competition. An organization can differentiate its services based on various benefits, including cost, reliability, uniqueness of benefits, speed, service personalization, convenience, affordability, prestige, or longevity effects. The service must be ideally positioned, that is, create a unique place for it in the eyes of consumers in relation to the services of competitors.
4. Develop service, supply chain, human resource requirements and tangible assets at the same time. This principle can be thought of as: “Use integrated planning”. With regard to the development of services, integrated planning includes the simultaneity or parallelism of the development and creation of the service and its delivery system, the creation of criteria for the selection of personnel and the selection of the location. In other words, development should be a team effort with representatives from all parties involved in creating and delivering the service. If possible and economically viable, customers should also be included in the project team.
5. Design a service process from a customer / employee perspective. Once the correct service concept is in place, the most important aspect of development is the design and creation of processes. Since almost all services are mainly processes, the service process needs to be given special attention.
If the recipient of the service is the consumer's body (medical examination in a hospital) or his mind (for example, a concert), then the process must be designed from the consumer's perspective. This should be emphasized, as often the interests of different departments such as accounting, HR and transportation dictate the parameters and nature of the process. As a result, it turns out that the waiting time of consumers increases, unnecessary tasks arise that he must solve, a lot of time can be wasted in vain.
If the recipient of the service is the property of the consumer or information, and during the execution the presence of the consumer is not necessary, then the development of the process should take place from the perspective of the service provider. That is, you need to make sure that the service provider can provide it with the least amount of effort, and the process of providing the service is as pleasant for him as possible without prejudice to the consumer.
6. Minimize oversight. The process of providing many services involves involving clients or their assets in the process. This usually increases the likelihood that something might not be working properly. Usually the problem is caused by a lack or lack of communication. To reduce such problems, the service should be delivered by one service person from start to finish. If such a system is not possible, then a team approach can be followed: team members work together and are responsible for specific customers from the beginning to the end of the process.
7. Develop covert regulatory operations to support overt operations. Open or office operations are those faced by service buyers and those that form opinion about the service and organization. However, virtually all transactions invisible to the consumer affect open transactions and therefore customer satisfaction. That is why it is so important to consider this dependence when designing a service system. For most services, hidden processes are very similar to manufacturing processes, and the premises in which these processes take place can resemble a factory. Above all, hidden processes must be designed so that offices that serve directly to consumers can operate flawlessly.
8. Include data collection in process design. Service firms need data to monitor and measure customer satisfaction, to make measurements and to improve quality, moreover, data are needed for accounting and management decision making. The data collection mechanism established after the service was delivered to consumers creates problems and makes it difficult for the service provider. The data needed to control the delivery of the service should be determined during service development and included in the service system to minimize any additional work required from the employee or customer.
9. Determine the extent of customer contact and involvement. The involvement of consumers in the service process creates many difficulties for management, since the consumer must have a certain set of skills. Increased engagement often implies higher risks of error and hence higher costs. For most services, it is their nature that determines the degree of contact with consumers.
However, these parameters can usually be changed. For example, if an organization seeks to reduce customer involvement in the delivery of services, it may automate certain aspects of the service.
10. Create flexibility and reliability in the system. There will always be consumers whose needs create situations that were not anticipated by the developers. There are also system failures caused by external factors such as natural disasters, power outages and vendor errors. The service system must be able to respond to these unplanned situations and continue to service. A very important step in this direction is the creation of flexible rules and processes. Rigid rules and processes make it difficult for employees and frustrate consumers. It is critical that employees respond quickly and decisively to the situation and ensure customer satisfaction.
It should be borne in mind that processes hidden from consumers, which can be characterized as "production" type of processes, have less flexibility than open ones.
11. Build a commitment to customer and employee service. The model for generating income in the service sector can be represented as the following chain:
Profit and growth of a firm are linked to customer loyalty,
Customer loyalty is related to customer satisfaction,
Consumer satisfaction is related to the value of the service,
The value of the service is related to the productivity of employees,
Employee performance is related to commitment,
Employee commitment is related to their satisfaction,
· Employee satisfaction is related to the internal quality of working life.
A variety of mechanisms can be used to encourage customer loyalty, such as frequent flyer programs or hotel patrons.
Fair remuneration, bonuses, respect and a pleasant place of work are the main ingredients of employee satisfaction. Employee satisfaction is contingent on promotion opportunities, rewards for work outside of standard requirements and empowerment
12. Continuously improve service. Manufacturing development is usually difficult and costly. Service design changes are relatively easier to implement and usually cost much less. This gives most services a significant advantage. They are easier to change and improve both when receiving data from consumers about their changing needs and when competitive conditions change. In other words, services are subject to continuous improvement more than goods. The continuous improvement process should accompany the service process.
Service development process
The idea of \u200b\u200bcreating a new service is the result of human creativity. While creativity cannot be programmed, the design and creation of a service must be a well thought out and organized event. Since the development and creation of services does not have a long history of its own, most of the models offered for the service industry are modifications of the processes originally developed for goods. Consider the model proposed by Scheuing and Johnson, which goes beyond simply modifying the production model and takes into account the complexity of service design. It consists of 15 steps and can be broken down into 4 stages: direction, development, testing and market penetration.
Direction
1. Formulation of goals and strategies for the new service. The service strategy should support the overall strategy of the firm and be aimed at meeting the selected needs of the consumers in the target market. The strategy must be a decision on how to ensure that the value of the service exceeds the cost, and a service has been created that will create such value for the consumer that he will buy it for a set price.
2. Generating an idea. Ideas for creating new services come from a variety of sources, including customers, their complaints, service employees, competitors, and suppliers.
3. Thorough verification of the idea. This step involves a rough selection process, highlighting promising ideas from all others. Naturally, not every idea for creating a new service has value, and only a few will be successful in the market as new services. Feasibility and potential profitability are the main criteria in this process. Care should be taken to ensure that ideas are not put off just because they seem out of the ordinary.
Development of
4. Creation of the concept. The selected ideas are developed into a service concept. A service concept is a description of the set of benefits, solutions, and value of a service that is offered to deliver to consumers.
5. Testing the concept. The purpose of concept testing is to exclude from further consideration those service ideas that are unattractive to consumers. New Service Concept Testing is a research method designed to evaluate:
Whether the user understands the idea of \u200b\u200bthe offered service;
Does the service respond favorably;
Does he understand that the proposed service will resolve his unmet needs.
The need for management in the service sector. Management concept. The main stages of the evolution of management. Marketing management concept. Specific features of the service sector. Service management model. Service characteristics and their impact on the management system. The main problems of management in the service sector and ways to solve them.
A radical reform of economic management is the basis of the market reforms carried out in Russian society. The reform fundamentally affects the service sector, which, like any other field of activity, objectively needs management. Governance is a targeted impact on the service sector in order to focus it on meeting the needs of people, increasing operational efficiency and ensuring an acceptable level of profitability.
The quality of management predetermines both the performance of the service sector and the choice of ways and means of achieving them. The role of the management of the service sector is also important in promoting the growth of the efficiency of social production by creating conditions that free up the time of the population and favor highly productive work.
In connection with the implementation of the policy of ensuring social priorities, when a person moves from the periphery of the economic interests of society to their center, the role of the service sector increases significantly, and at the same time the requirements for the organization of its management.
The twentieth century has experienced a powerful influence of management on all aspects of the life of society, organizations and people. It was during this period that management emerged as a science that was able to generalize the rich practice of management and developed sound recommendations for its improvement. Numerous and diverse in their approaches and content, theories and schools have significantly expanded the concept of management as an independent area of \u200b\u200bknowledge and the possibilities of its application. Therefore, the principles, forms and methods of management have spread from the sphere of business organizations to institutions of science, education, healthcare, religion, they are actively used in art and politics, which was considered almost impossible quite recently.
Management, as a practical activity, originated about seven thousand years ago. As a science, management began to form at the end of the 19th century and went through several stages in its development.
First step (end of the nineteenth century - 30s of the twentieth century) - individual fragmentary studies in the field of enterprise management become the basis for the formation of scientific schools and directions; management is becoming an independent science and a separate type of business activity, as well as the separation of management from property.
Second phase (30s - 60s) - management relies on the economic foundations of a rigid vertically integrated management system with a clear distribution of responsibilities between departments and performers. The study of the problems of labor motivation, the human factor, the influence of groups on the behavior of workers has acquired particular importance.
Last, third stage (from the 60s to the present) is characterized by the fact that an informal, flexible management system prevailed, based on a horizontally integrated motivational model using mainly divisional departmentalization. Much attention began to be paid to the study of ways to enhance the behavior of people in the organization.
In addition, in the mid-50s, signs of chronic overproduction began to appear in developed countries, the market was oversaturated with goods. In such conditions, production could no longer develop in the direction of unlimited self-growth. It became necessary to develop a different strategy. Economics, which previously traditionally focused on the sphere of production and solved the problems of increasing the efficiency and modernization of this sphere, reacted adequately to these changes, regardless of the influence of the sphere of consumption on it.
The theory of marketing received wide practical application during this period. Marketing development had a direct impact on the management of the firm. The close interaction of marketing and management has led to the emergence of a new term "marketing management". The most important principle of the marketing approach to company management is the target orientation of all elements of the production system, as well as the production and social infrastructure serving this system, to solve problems arising from a potential consumer of goods and services brought by the company to the market.
The marketing concept of management is of particular importance for enterprises and organizations in the service sector, whose activities are directly focused on customers (consumers) and significantly depend on their requests.
The marketing focus of management is the main, but not the only distinguishing feature of modern management. In order to find out other features and problems of service sector management, it is necessary to briefly dwell on the specifics of this area of \u200b\u200bactivity and its difference from the sphere of material production.
The service delivery system, according to B. Karlof, is similar to the production and distribution system in an industrial company, although it is often presented in a completely different form. And the service management system, according to Assal, is similar to the goods management system.
At the same time, there are a number of specific features of the service sector that distinguish it from the sphere of material production:
1), as you know, the services themselves have characteristic features (intangibility, heterogeneity, non-persistence, inseparability of the provision of services from consumption). Services are often opposed to products, although, according to P. Doyle, “pure goods and services are rather a scientific abstraction. Most of the sales proposals are various combinations of tangible and intangible elements. " As Professor T. Levitt writes: “There are no service industries as such. It's just that some industries have a higher share of services offered than others. Everybody provides services. " Thus, the majority of manufacturers provide customers, along with the goods, with services for delivery, repair and maintenance, insurance, consulting and personnel training. The airline, along with the transportation of passengers, offers them lunch, drinks, magazines and newspapers. " This opinion is shared by B. Karlof, who points out: "The concept of a company operating in the field of intangible production should be used with some caution, since the production of many industrial products is currently accompanied by the provision of a wide range of services." To resolve this seeming contradiction, one should refer to the classification of services proposed by G. Asssel, according to which all services are divided into services related to goods, services based on the use of equipment and services based on human labor. The characteristic features of services increase and are most clearly manifested as the transition from the first group of services to the third;
2) not only the types of services are diverse, but also the organizations that can provide them: government agencies (education, healthcare, transport, information and other services), commercial organizations (banks, insurance companies, advertising agencies, etc.), as well as non-commercial structures (provision of charitable, entertainment, educational and other services);
3) services are provided not only by specialized industries and service companies, but also by manufacturing enterprises (product delivery, repair and maintenance, insurance, personnel consulting and training, etc.). As P. Doyle points out, “many manufacturing firms are actually service businesses. About half of production costs are attributed to the purchase of services (eg advertising, transportation, financial services). More and more employees in manufacturing firms are engaged in design, marketing, finance, after-sales service, rather than in the production of goods ”;
4) services are focused both on individual consumers (for example, medical institutions, catering establishments, consumer services for the population) and on meeting the needs of firms and other organizations (for example, the provision of business services: technical, accounting, auditing, legal, etc.);
5) there is a direct relationship between the growth of incomes of the population and an increase in demand for various services, for example, allowing one to get rid of routine duties (cleaning the house, cooking, etc.) associated with leisure activities (art, sports, recreation, etc.).
The listed features influence the formation of a management system in the service sector.
Service management model, proposed by B. Karlof, looks like this (Fig. 1.1).
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Figure: 1.1. Service management model.
The service management model starts with a market niche (market segment) and then, moving counterclockwise, leads to the concepts of "service concept", "service delivery system" and "image". The image is seen here as a tool of information that management can use to influence the staff, consumers and suppliers of resources, the perception of which the company and its prospects for its development affects the firm's position in the market and cost efficiency.
The culture and philosophy of the company are of paramount importance, with their help management controls, supports and develops the social process, carried out in the form of delivery of services that benefit customers. Along with the organization of the delivery system and the development of a realistic concept of services, the culture and philosophy of the company are the most important factors for long-term efficiency. It is within the culture and philosophy of a company that the values \u200b\u200band morale that underlie its vitality and success are shaped. Therefore, the formation of the philosophy and mission of a service company will be considered in more detail when studying the functions of management.
When developing a service delivery system, and therefore a management system, a number of factors must be taken into account:
These differences in the service sector make the management of operations in the service sector, according to V.D. Markova, a more difficult task than in industry from the point of view of ensuring efficiency, and also determine the specifics of management in this area.
The main reason for the particularities of service sector management is the nature of the services themselves.
The process of providing services differs from the process of production and sale of goods in many ways, which determine the presence of features of management activities in organizations in the service sector.
So, intangibility services, which makes it difficult to demonstrate to consumers the intended result and quality of service provision before the start of their service, requires special attention of managers not only to the customer service process itself, but also to other factors that indirectly indicate the quality of the service and are significantly less important in manufacturing industries: location and the interior of the premises, the convenience and design of equipment, the appearance and behavior of employees, the mode of operation of the organization.
Heterogeneity services leads to the fact that their standardization is difficult and sometimes impossible. Therefore, the methods of planning, motivating and controlling the activities of employees, traditional for the production of goods, based on the use of norms and standards, are not always acceptable when serving consumers. The quality control of the service is becoming especially difficult and requiring special approaches, since it depends not only on the material and labor factors of the organization, but also on the specific client.
One of the main problems of service management is created by non-preservation services that do not allow you to easily and quickly respond to changes in demand by creating stocks. This problem is less noticeable for services with relatively stable demand: cleaning premises, repairing audio equipment, etc. However, for services characterized by the presence of peak demand during the day, week or season - transport, medical, spa facilities, etc. - non-persistence of services leads to a sharp decrease in the efficiency of activities due to downtime of employees and equipment during periods of decline in demand and lost income during periods of its peaks, which forces managers, when making managerial decisions, to look for ways to reduce the impact of this problem, use statistical observation methods that help determine the volume and the structure of demand for services.
Since the provision of services inseparable from their consumption , before the heads of the organization, specific tasks are set related to the participation of the consumer in the process of providing the service - training the personnel to be attentive, sensitive to consumers; creating favorable conditions not only for the directly served client, but also for others, for example, those who are waiting in line; building an effective control system that allows you to separate the results related to the work of employees from factors due to the characteristics of the client. Many services are provided in the direct presence of consumers, therefore, the chosen mode of operation of the organization should be convenient for most clients. The level of customer involvement in the service process varies in different services from high (in healthcare, education) to low (in telecommunications). This, in particular, is related to the specificity of management methods in the provision of various services.
Thus, the main characteristics of services, management problems and ways to solve them can be presented in the following form (Table 1.1).
Table 1.1
The main problems of management and ways to solve them
| Service characteristics | Management problems | Ways to solve problems |
| Intangibility | Lack of goods; a service is an act or an experience. Difficulty in providing reference materials: the provision of services involves risks for the client. The service cannot be demonstrated: it is difficult to differentiate offers. No patent system: free market entry for competitors | Encouraging satisfied customers, recommending them to friends and acquaintances, identifying opinion leaders and encouraging them to use the company's services. Development of tangible landmarks, indicating a high level of service: the appearance of the premises, equipment, employees, brand advertising. |
| Inseparability of service provision and consumption | Consumers participate in the process of providing services. Involvement of consumer groups in the service process: the problem of control. The service company is represented by its personnel: the perception of the company is determined by the attitude of the client towards its employees. Terms of Service are the hallmark of the service provider. Difficulty expanding service providers: the need for networking. | Teaching staff to communicate effectively with clients: the art of listening, understanding the emotional state of another person, and polite behavior. The presence of premises that make it possible to simultaneously serve large groups of consumers. Fast service: Basic operations need to be streamlined and nonessential work removed from service delivery. Creation of a network of branches: the company has the ability to open standard service modules, for example, using franchising. |
Continuation of table. 1.1
| Service characteristics | Management problems | Ways to solve problems |
| Heterogeneity | Standardization of services is difficult because their characteristics are largely determined by consumers. Service quality control problem: heterogeneity of service conditions. | Investment in personnel selection, motivation and training. Service optimization: automation of the service delivery process, detailed job descriptions, careful control. Service customization. |
| Non-preservation | Services cannot be stored: there is no inventory. Peak load problems: low labor efficiency. Difficulty setting prices for services: problems with pricing. | Differentiated pricing. Acceptable waiting conditions. Increased demand outside of peak periods. Using the pre-order system. Switching to part-time work. Redistribution of work. Customer assistance (encouraging customer participation). Separation of services. |
The peculiarities of management related to the main characteristics of services determine the main problems that face the leaders of service companies. Of all the variety of problems listed in table. 1.1, the most important are those related to the human factor, which plays a primary role in service enterprises, namely:
quality control;
achieving high productivity;
personnel Management.
The very concept of "quality of service" is ambiguous. This is due to the specificity of services and their main characteristics, which complicates the management of the quality of services. As a result of studies conducted by foreign authors, ten criteria for evaluating services by consumers were identified, of which the first five take into account the quality of the results of the provision of services, and the last five - the quality of the service process.
The main criterion for consumers' judgments about the quality of services is their compliance with expectations. If the perceived quality has exceeded expectations, the consumer will be satisfied with the service. If the results of the service did not meet his expectations, the client will remain dissatisfied. The main task of the company's management is to ensure the quality of services that meets the expectations of the consumer.
The gap between expected and actual quality of service can occur for various reasons. Knowing and addressing these causes will enable the management of companies to improve their performance. The main reasons can be named:
· Incorrect assessment by managers of customer expectations. The gap between expected and perceived quality of service often occurs when management does not even try to find out what consumers expect from the company's services;
· Misconception about the quality of services. Even if management correctly evaluates customer expectations, managers are often unable or unwilling to direct company resources to fix the problem. For example, many organizations for accepting utility payments, banks, shops have an unsuccessful mode of operation for customers, which has not changed for many years;
· Poor quality of service. The quality of services may not meet the standards or requirements of consumers for various reasons, but most often due to the fact that the company's employees who directly serve customers are not motivated enough or are unable to complete the task due to their low professional and qualification level. The reason for the low quality of service may also be the lack of an appropriate material and technical base, for example, diagnostic and treatment equipment in institutions providing medical services;
· Inaccurate advertising. Advertising that overstates the quality of services leads to a decrease in their perceived quality and customer disappointment. the result does not meet consumer expectations. If the level of service is deliberately exaggerated, the likelihood that even a high-quality service will receive a negative rating increases.
To solve the listed problems of quality management of services, the company's management must:
1) develop the right strategy: determine the target market and the most valuable characteristics of services for consumers;
2) always follow high standards of service;
3) conduct a thorough and detailed preparation of measures to improve the quality of services:
Establish high and measurable performance criteria for the company;
Provide training and incentives for employees;
Develop labor productivity control systems;
Conduct consumer surveys, checking the compliance of services with established criteria;
4) deliver only real promises to consumers.
One of the most significant problems in the service industry is associated with low productivity. The objective reason for the complexity, and sometimes the impossibility of measuring the volume of services and labor productivity in service activities, is due to the absence of a tangible result.
The value of labor productivity in the service sector is based on the interaction of three factors:
1) a high degree of consumer involvement in the service process makes it difficult to standardize and automate this process;
2) services, as a rule, are characterized by high labor intensity;
3) non-preservation of services often leads to the emergence of excess capacity of the company.
An important management problem is the relationship between productivity and quality. For example, the productivity of a doctor increases with a decrease in the rate of patient admission. But the inevitable consequence of this is, as a rule, a decrease in the quality, and, consequently, the efficiency of the service.
The main ways to increase labor productivity without reducing the quality of services can be:
1) division of activities according to the degree of contact with the consumer.
Different types of services imply a different degree of consumer participation in the provision of services, for example, in medical and educational services, the degree of customer involvement is very high, in the provision of postal utilities, telecommunications, etc. services - it is much lower. Many services include both high and low customer contact activities such as air passenger check-in and baggage dispatch; work of the bank operator directly with the client and processing of information on accounts; the pharmacist's work with the client and the preparation of medicines.
The manager should divide the phases of the service process depending on the degree of customer involvement in them. At those stages of the service process that do not require close contact with consumers, it is necessary to increase productivity by streamlining and speeding up the process. At the stages of direct interaction with the client - to improve labor efficiency without reducing the quality of services;
2) pipeline approach to service.
This approach involves the automation of manual labor (for example, automatic car wash, the use of vending machines, ATMs), as well as the use of systems that reduce the number of service personnel (for example, supermarkets, fast food restaurants).
Until recently, such technological solutions were applied only in relation to those services that gave a standard result, but given the constant technological progress, the growing awareness of consumers about technologies and systems, it can be concluded that the pipeline approach to service is already being applied, and in the near future will be widely used for those services that are performed in accordance with the individual requirements of customers. An encouraging example of this is the diagnosis and surgical treatment of patients at the MNTK "Eye Microsurgery";
3) increasing the degree of customer participation in the service process.
An effective way to increase productivity is to transfer customers to partial self-service: direct, unattended international and long distance phone calls; cleaning up dishes for yourself in some catering establishments; equipping hotel rooms with household appliances that allow customers to make tea or warm up breakfast, etc.
Such innovations are based on knowledge of the needs and characteristics of customer behavior. Managers need to conduct preliminary testing of innovations, explain their benefits to clients in such a way that they would gladly accept the activation of their role in the service process;
4) establishing an equilibrium between supply and demand.
The main reason for the discrepancy between the company's production capacity and the demand for services is the lack of persistence of services. The main ways to increase labor productivity are:
· Reduction in peak demand, which can be achieved by differentiated pricing, a system of pre-orders, increased attention to customers who have to wait for services in line;
· Increased supply flexibility, which can be achieved by introducing part-time work, consolidating services from multiple companies, and making more efficient use of equipment and personnel during periods of increasing demand.
Special requirements in the service sector apply to personnel management. Unlike production, where people influence the substances and forces of nature, the object of influence in the service sector is mainly a person with his needs.
In the management of services that involve a high degree of customer involvement, the highest priority should be given to the attitude of the company employees towards the customers. It is important for the management of the company to form such norms of behavior of employees that would orient them towards respecting customer requests, i.e. to use such an interesting socio-psychological phenomenon as the "clientele" type of behavior of employees in "hot spots", where their direct meetings with clients take place.
Two principles are always fighting in a person: rational and emotional, which is important to consider in the relationship between a service worker and a client. When a client enters the office, it is necessary first of all to create an atmosphere of cordiality, care and benevolence. Here professionalism, tact and politeness of employees are important, especially those who are the first to meet the client. If the client is greeted with a friendly smile, offered a cup of coffee or tea, and asked a few neutral questions, then a certain positive attitude is formed. In addition, the employee of the firm gets the time and opportunity to evaluate the partner and choose the desired direction of the conversation.
A very important role is played by what the employee says about the company and its services. The staff must understand what exactly is being sold and what benefits it can bring to the consumer, i.e. the professional training of personnel is very important. For example, in a shoe repair shop, the inspector and the foreman must explain to the client that very good glue is used in the work: waterproof, durable, versatile, as it glues leather, plastic, synthetics, etc., so the repaired shoes will last for a long time.
In other words, the employees of the company must be able to tell the client that it is here that he will receive high quality services. But the professionalism of the service personnel is not so much about convincing the client, but about the fact that this conviction itself comes to him from information about the company and from experience in using the services. It is the client's independent awareness of the uniqueness of services in terms of quality, availability, usefulness, duration, etc. - the strongest means of attracting him.
Employee behavior adequately shapes the company's image. In this case, there is no need to artificially create it.
Foreign experience, which is beginning to be actively used by Russian firms in the service sector, has developed a number of recommendations for the application of the client type of employee behavior.
In order to attract a client, you must:
· Take into account the composition and homogeneity of buyers;
· To introduce original services;
· Carefully think over the reference and information policy (instructions, descriptions, diagrams, addresses and phone numbers of warranty workshops, etc.);
· Provide the appropriate design of the retail space and offices;
· Make discounts to regular customers;
· Introduce new forms of service (for example, field service, participation in fairs, service on orders, etc.);
· Constantly expand the range by updating services;
· Require compliance with the relevant norms of behavior from the employees of the company (constant search for new ones, study of customer requests and their adjustment);
· Be "open" to clients.
The overall structure of customer-centered behavior in a firm includes a number of elements.
The given example is one of the fragments of the "clientele" behavior of the personnel of a company providing services.
The "anti-client" type of behavior of the firm's staff gives an answer to the question: "How to push away a client?" This is facilitated by:
· Keeping the range of services unchanged;
· Lack of guarantees for clients;
· Incompetence of staff;
· Unsightly appearance of service items (for example, wrinkled clothes, not ironed "tablecloth - napkins" set);
· Cramped and crowded in the trading floor and offices;
· Lack of services (furniture assembly, computer adjustment, delivery of bulky goods to the address, etc.);
· Inflexible prices, no discounts;
· Lack of consideration of consumer demands and infrastructure of the region in which the services are provided (for example, opening an atelier for tailoring exclusive models of clothing in a city microdistrict, where mainly low-income groups of the population live);
· Inconvenient for clients operating mode of the company.
The “anti-client” type of behavior can also manifest itself in the business communication of the firm's employees. The client can be put off by such situations:
· The price agreed earlier by phone changes when the client appears at the office;
· Failure to fulfill the assumed obligations;
· Branding on dirty, untidy overalls;
· Poorly executed branding;
· Lack of name and designation plates on the doors in the office.
The client can be alienated by the employees themselves in such situations:
· Instead of showing interest in the client, they try to "get rid of" him;
· Employees do not introduce themselves and do not have corporate identification marks;
· There is a rush in an oral or telephone conversation;
· The client is asked to call back without explaining the reason;
· Instead of a “living person” (a company employee), the client hears the “voice” of an answering machine, which blocks feedback;
· Employees refer to being busy;
· Employees are looking for information for a long time or do not fully possess information.
Thus, the described situations testify to the high demands placed on the personnel of the service sector. Along with professional skills, employees must have the basics of knowledge of psychology, aesthetics, morality in order to more fully meet the needs of clients, a deep understanding of their tastes and desires. And for this, they must be appropriately motivated. The importance of personnel management is also increasing due to the fact that the proportion of human labor in the service sector is much higher than in production, and the increase in the volume of services is achieved mainly by increasing the number of employees, and not by organizational and technical.
The considered features and problems of service sector management affect the process of implementing all management functions. If the laws, patterns, principles and methods of management are practically the same for production and the service sector, then the main functions of management (planning, organization, motivation, control) have the specifics of their manifestation in various fields of activity. Therefore, in the following sections of the textbook, we will dwell in more detail on the characteristics of management functions and the peculiarities of their manifestation in enterprises and organizations in the service sector.
s Control questions
1. What is the evolution of management systems and what is modern management?
2. What is the essence of the marketing management concept?
3. What, in your opinion, is common in the management of production and services?
4. What are the main reasons that determine the features of the management of enterprises and organizations in the service sector?
5. List the most important characteristics of services that distinguish them from products, and explain their impact on the characteristics of management in the service sector. Give examples.
6. Describe the main problems of the service sector.
7. Try to define the quality of the service.
8. What are the main factors influencing the quality of the service? Give examples of the influence of certain factors on the quality of the results and the service process.
9. Using the example of a specific company providing services, consider the reasons for not high (low) quality of customer service.
10. What actions should managers take to effectively manage service quality?
11. What are the main problems of labor productivity management in service enterprises?
12. Describe with specific examples the main ways to increase labor productivity in service enterprises.
13. What are the most important problems of personnel management in the service sector and ways to solve them?
Questions for discussion at the seminar
1. The service sector: state and main problems of its development: The need to manage the indication of services.
2. Characteristics of services and their impact on the management system.
3. Modern problems of management in the service sector, ways and practical experience of their solution.
Ñ Basic concepts
Service industry, service management, marketing management concept, service management model.
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Service planning
Planning: essence, purpose and building blocks. Features and tasks of planning at service enterprises. Forecasting and its purpose. Objectives in a service organization: their functions and classifications. Mission and philosophy of the service provider. Strategic, tactical, operational and operational goals. Organization goals tree. The principles of effective goal setting.
Types of service planning and their classification. Strategic and current planning. Factors affecting the composition and structure of plans in the organization. Principles, stages and methods of planning in service industries.
Planning and goal setting in service organizations
The content of management in the service sector, as in other areas, is revealed in its functions, which have arisen as a result of the division and specialization of managerial labor. The process approach to management assumes that management is not some one-time action, but a series of continuous interrelated actions called management functions. It is now generally accepted that four basic functions apply to all organizations: planning, organizing, motivating, and controlling.
Planning, being one of the main functions of management, allows to ensure the effective functioning and development of the organization in the future, to reduce uncertainty. Decisions made in the planning process form a complex system within which they influence each other, therefore, they need to be mutually linked to ensure their optimal combination in terms of the most complete use of the organization's potential and the opportunities that open before it.
Distinguish between planning in a broad and narrow sense. In a broad sense, under planning understand the decision-making process associated with setting goals and objectives, developing a strategy, allocating and reallocating resources. In a narrow sense - planning is the preparation of special documents - plans that determine the specific steps of the organization in the implementation of its goals. Plan is called an official document that reflects the final and intermediate goals of the organization and its departments, as well as the methods and timing of their achievement. In the conditions of market relations, plans are not given to enterprises from above, but are developed by them independently. The plan becomes the basis for the activities of organizations of all forms of ownership and size, since without it it is impossible to ensure the consistency of the work of departments, monitor results, determine the need for resources, and stimulate the labor activity of employees.
Planning in the service sector has a number of features that complicate the work of drawing up plans for the activities of the relevant organizations. These features are due to the specifics of the services themselves and the processes of their provision. If in material production there is a rigid fixed connection between economic factors (for example, the time norms for all work performed, the consumption rates of raw materials and materials), then in the provision of services such a connection is more flexible. At the same time, the use of norms and standards is difficult or impossible, and the relationship between economic or technological factors is largely determined by the consumer of services, his preferences, tastes, and capabilities. At the majority of enterprises in the service sector, it is difficult to accurately determine, and, consequently, to reasonably plan the total volume of services provided. Natural indicators are unacceptable for this because of the diversity and incomparability of individual services, and cost indicators are due to the lack of an objective monetary value for a number of services and work performed (in education, health care, etc.) Since the activities of service enterprises largely depend on the volume and the structure of demand for the services provided, planning in such organizations, in contrast to production, has a more probabilistic nature and solves several problems.
Ensuring the purposeful development of the organization and all its structural units.
Timely recognition of future challenges and service delivery opportunities. Development of specific measures aimed at supporting favorable trends or containing negative ones.
Coordination of the activities of structural units and employees of the organization for the provision of services.
Creation of an objective basis for effective control, which makes it possible to evaluate the activities of the organization by comparing the actual values \u200b\u200bof the parameters with the planned ones.
Motivating the labor activity of employees by presenting the degree of fulfillment of planned targets for the provision of services as the main object of incentives.
Information support for employees. The plans should contain information about the goals, timing and conditions of work to provide services to consumers.
Within the planning function, subfunctions are distinguished: forecasting, goal setting, etc.
Forecasting is called a scientifically grounded prediction of possible directions for the future development of an organization, based on available practical data and on assumptions regarding the dynamics of development of objects or processes. Forecasting is designed to solve the following tasks:
Scientific foresight of the future based on identifying trends and patterns of development;
Determination of the dynamics of economic phenomena;
Drawing up forecasts showing possible directions for the future development of the organization;
Determination in the future of the values \u200b\u200bof the final parameters of the development of the organization, as well as its behavior in various situations on the way to achieving the goals.
The importance of forecasting is increasing due to the fragility of services, the impossibility of storing them, which creates problems in responding to fluctuations in demand. In the service sector, forecasting is usually done to anticipate the dynamics of needs for specific services. For example, an increase in unemployment in the region may serve as a basis for the assumption of an increase in demand for employment services, and a decrease in the price of new cars - a decrease in demand for auto repair services. If the forecasting is performed qualitatively, then the resulting forecasts can serve as an initial basis for planning. So, the stable work of health care is facilitated by plans formed on the basis of forecasts of fertility and mortality, epidemiological and environmental conditions, forecasts of the receipt and expenditure of funds in this industry.
The basis of the plans of any enterprise is its goals. Under aim organizations understand the end state or result towards which their activities are directed. In the management system of service organizations, goals perform several important functions.
1. The goals reflect the philosophy of the organization, the concept of its activities and development, the place and significance of this organization in the service market.
2. Objectives reduce the uncertainty in current service delivery activities. They become guidelines for the organization as a whole and for individuals, help to focus on the most important actions, thereby increasing the volume and quality of services provided and reducing unnecessary costs for them.
3. Objectives form the basis of criteria for identifying problems, making decisions, monitoring and evaluating the results of service delivery.
The goals of activity, which are set at enterprises in the service sector, can be classified according to several criteria (Fig.2.1)
Figure: 2.1. Classification of goals in service organizations
In addition to the indicated classification signs, the goals can also differ in the degree of coverage, in the timeliness of setting, in rank, in the degree of attainability.
The system of goals of any organization is based on its mission, which is a fundamental, unique goal that distinguishes this organization from others of the same type and defines the scope of its activities. The laws of a market economy require each organization to formulate and disclose its main goal, which gives an idea of \u200b\u200bits necessity and usefulness for society as a whole, the environment of the organization and its employees. The theory and practice of management have not yet developed universal rules for formulating a mission. Therefore, there are many different approaches to the content of such a goal. However, at the current marketing stage of management development, especially for service organizations, the most important requirement is to focus on the interests, expectations and values \u200b\u200bof the client. The mission statement of a service sector organization may contain the following information:
The most important services provided;
Intended consumers of services;
Geographic scope of activity;
Service quality concept;
Pricing concept;
The main technologies used in the provision of services, the degree of their uniqueness and progressiveness;
Company image, desired public reputation, etc.
As a rule, the mission does not include all of these components, but the most significant of them. For example, the mission of a fast food restaurant chain might be to provide residents and visitors of the region with high quality food at affordable prices with fast service. The mission of the organization may include its philosophy, reflecting the credo of existence, the supreme principles of activity. Philosophy includes the basic economic, social, environmental, ethical values \u200b\u200bof the organization's management, its ideas about the meaning of the firm's activities and the role of specific services in the development of society. For example, the well-known firm Mary Kay Cosmetics stated that "the company's philosophy is based on the golden rule: a spirit of participation and attention where people in a good mood give their time, knowledge and experience." The CEO of McDonald's many years ago proclaimed the slogan that became the philosophy of this organization: "Quality, Service, Cleanliness and Value." One of the domestic banks formulated its mission, taking into account the philosophy of the organization: "To promote the establishment of business in Russia by providing a wide range of banking services, high quality customer service and effective development, taking into account the interests of shareholders, customers and employees."
Strategicthe organization's goals are set by senior managers and focus on critical common issues. They are aimed at solving promising large-scale problems in the provision of services that qualitatively change the activity or image of the organization. So, the strategic goal of a travel company may be the transition within a certain time from international tourism to domestic. Tactical goals are set primarily by mid-level managers and focus on the main activities required to achieve strategic goals. An example of a tactical goal within the framework of this strategic one can be the acquisition and re-equipment of two local tourist bases during the year. Operational goals are formulated by middle and lower-level managers, they are associated with the functioning of individual divisions of the organization and are aimed at the actions and work necessary to achieve tactical goals. For example, to achieve this tactical goal, an operational goal can be set: conducting a comparative analysis of local tourist bases proposed for implementation within two months. The operational goals set for specific performers are sometimes called operating .
As a result of establishing interrelationships between goals and their hierarchical subordination, a “tree of goals” of the organization is formed, in which large “branches” (main corporate goals) depart from the “trunk” corresponding to the mission. From these "branches" there are smaller ones that correspond to their goals. Thus, a "crown" is formed, which can "branch" many times. The constructed "tree" clearly demonstrates the mutual subordination of goals, shows which auxiliary goals must be implemented to achieve a specific goal (Fig. & 2. 2).
Based on the period of time required to achieve the goals, they are divided into long-term , mid-term and short term . Medium-term and especially short-term goals are characterized by greater than long-term, concretization of the results provided for in them. The period of implementation of goals of each type depends on their level. Most of the strategic goals are long-term, tactical - medium-term, operational - short-term.
Technological goals are related to improving the technologies used by the organization, that is, the way services are provided. Thus, one of the technological goals may be to increase the level of computerization of customer service. Production the goals provide for the provision of a certain volume of services, improving their quality, increasing the efficiency of activities. Marketing goals are associated with entering certain sales markets, attracting new customers, etc. . Economic the goals are focused on achieving the financial stability of the company, increasing profits and profitability. Social the goals are related to the creation of favorable working and rest conditions for employees, increasing their educational and qualification level, etc. Administrative goals focus on achieving high organizational manageability, discipline among employees, and work consistency. Other goals in terms of content may include scientific and technical guidelines, etc.
Figure: 2.2. Goal tree
Goal setting precedes the development of plans, which, in essence, are tools for achieving the set goals. The quality of plans and the results of their implementation depend on the correct setting of goals. Successful implementation of the functions of goals is possible if a number of principles are observed.
Reality of goals.
Correct formulation of goals. Goals should be short, specific, and time-bound. Whenever possible, the goal statement should include quantitative parameters.
Flexibility of goals. If necessary, goals should be amenable to adjustment.
Compatibility of goals. The goals of the organization should not be contradictory to each other, but, on the contrary, mutually supportive and ensure the provision and development of services. Consistency should be ensured both vertically, that is, between goals at different levels, and horizontally, that is, between the goals of different areas of the organization.
Verifiability and reward for achieving goals. This requirement is related to the need to assess the degree of achievement of service delivery objectives and to stimulate the corresponding activities of employees.
Types, principles and stages of planning
At enterprises in the service sector, various types of planning can be implemented, which differ in purpose, level, subject, etc. (fig.2.3)
Figure: 2. 3. Classification of types of planning in service enterprises
Strategic planning is to determine the mission of the organization, form a system of goals and strategies for activities in the service markets.
Current planning may include tactical and operational. The main task of tactical planning is the choice of means to achieve the intended general goals of the company. At the same time, the personnel policy, methods of providing basic services, the general financial policy, and the general marketing strategy are determined. Operational planning is aimed at developing specific programs of action to solve organizational problems, detailed by year, quarter, month and day. In the course of developing operational plans, decisions are made on how to operate the operating system of the enterprise depending on the changing demand for its services, how to provide the processes of providing services with resources at minimal cost, how much to attract employees, etc.
Strategic and current planning differ in many ways (Table 2.1)
Table 2.1
Comparison of strategic and current planning
| Signs | Strategic planning | Current planning |
| Management level | Mostly the highest level | All levels |
| Basic orientation | On problems | For a period of time |
| Problems | Weakly structured quality | Well structured quantitative |
| Signs | Strategic planning | Current planning |
| Uncertainty | High | Low |
| The essence of planning | Focus on innovation, strategic adaptation to the external environment | Integration orientation, coordination of the internal environment. |
| Target criterion | Building the potential for success | Realizing the potential for success |
| Planning horizon | Focus on long-term, partly on medium and short-term planning | Emphasis on short and medium term planning |
| Planning units | Strategic business units | All functional areas, divisions and employees |
| Granularity | Enlarged study | Detailed study |
| Background information | Organization policy, external environment | Organizational strategy, internal environment |
Long term planning focuses on an extended time period (from 1 year for current plans to 10 or more years for strategic ones). Time horizon for mid-term planning ranges from several months for current plans to 3-5 years for strategic ones. Short term planning is designed for a period from several days to one year, respectively.
Nomenclature-thematic planning in the service sector is the formation of plans for the development of the company, defining measures for updating the range and content of services provided, increasing the competitiveness of services, improving the technology and organization of the processes used in their provision. The main complex of work on this type of planning should be carried out by marketing specialists. At the same time, it is recommended to use a service package model that includes:
* basic service;
* support services to promote the main;
* supporting services that make the main service more attractive, valuable, and different from those offered by competitors.
Resource planning includes calculations of material, labor and financial resources required for the implementation of specific services. This type of calculation includes financial planning, budget planning, drawing up business plans, etc. An important component of planning is the development of pricing policy. The pricing process, hampered by the intangibility of services, must take into account the following factors:
the basis of the service;
the degree of individualization of the service;
the process of customer assessment of the quality of service.
Scheduling involves the determination of the scope of work, the workload of departments and performers, the construction of work schedules for individual performers, departments, specific services, equipment load schedules, the distribution of work by periods. This type of planning in the service sector is associated with greater difficulties than in the field of material production. Services, unlike goods, are provided to the consumer in real time and often require the presence and participation of the client. The duration of the service is often unknown in advance, since it depends not only on organizational factors, but also on the characteristics and needs of a particular consumer. Therefore, the schedules for many services (medical, cosmetic, restaurant, etc.), as a rule, are based on the average time workload of staff, premises, equipment and suggest possible adjustments upon receipt of individual orders. During periods of falling demand, scheduling may include changes in business hours, free or discounted services, etc. During periods of peak demand, the plans may include measures to streamline queues (pre-registration, increase the comfort of waiting for customer service) It is much easier to draw up scheduling for services with relatively stable, predictable demand (urban public transport, telephony, intra-company services) or do not require presence client (repair, cleaning, washing).
Service enterprises can implement and functional aspect planning. In accordance with the division of labor adopted in the organization, differentiated plans are drawn up for separate functional areas: operations (main activity for the provision of services), personnel, finance, supply, etc.
The planning level reflects the level of detail in the plans. Depending on the size of the organization, its organizational structure, as well as on the chosen planning concept, its independent objects can be individual employees, their groups, certain types of services or specific orders, the organization as a whole and its divisions.
Planning for repetitive activities carried out in standard situations. In the service sector, such planning takes place when developing traffic schedules or doctors' appointments. But even in such cases, it is recommended to leave “windows” in the plans for non-recurring, unforeseen situations. Planning for non-repetitive activities is carried out to solve new, specific problems. For example, this kind of planning is done in travel agencies to organize a special individual route.
The composition and structure of a service organization's plans are influenced by several factors, including
- direction of activity and composition of services provided;
- organizational structure of the enterprise;
- the composition and nature of the processes used to provide services;
- the size of the organization and the scale of its activities, etc.
Taking into account the scientific principles of planning contributes to the high quality of the plans being developed. Some of them are especially important for service enterprises.
Principle scientific validity involves the use of modern information technology, the use of methods of optimal planning, experimentation, as well as progressive procedures and methods of service delivery. Principle complexity means the systemic linkage of all plans developed at the enterprise. Principle continuity considers planning not as a single act, but as an ongoing process, in which, as a result of periodic renewal of plans, long-term calculations for the provision of services are combined with short-term plans. Principle coordination involves the coordination of plans "horizontally" between the divisions of the enterprise or various types of services provided, and the principle integration - "vertically" between its levels. Principle profitability requires that the effect of using a service delivery plan be greater than the cost of preparing it. Principle flexibility assumes the ability of plans to respond dynamically to changes in internal and external factors, as well as to maintain the necessary reserves. Principle participation requires the maximum possible participation of employees of the organization in the work on the plan, since this approach causes more activity and productivity in its implementation.
The planning process is one of the most important processes in a service company. Regardless of the type of plans, there are three main stages in the planning process.
I. Stage task setting includes identifying and analyzing the problem associated with the provision of services, while determining the initial prerequisites and target values \u200b\u200bof the planned parameters.
II. Stage development plan involves the formation of possible solutions, the assessment of identified alternatives based on their analysis and comparison of predicted consequences with target parameters, as well as the choice of the best alternative.
III. Stage implementation of the planned solution consists in communicating the planning decision to the performers in the form of specific planning tasks, norms, standards, indicators.
All planning processes are closely related to each other and form a specific planning cycle.
Service planning methods
The main planning task in service organizations is to find the optimal solution to the problems associated with the implementation of the services offered. Currently, there are several ways of making plans or planning methods for such organizations: regulatory, experienced, balance sheet, network and others.
AG THE THEORIES TECHNOLOGY SERVICE SPHERE
UDC 336.64 BBK 65.05
SPHERE OF SERVICES AND MODERN TRENDS OF ITS DEVELOPMENT
G.V. Gioev, L.A. Podolyanets
Saint Petersburg State University
service and economics (SPbGUSE 191015, St. Petersburg, st.Kavalergardskaya, 7, letter A
The study was supported by the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation, Agreement 14.B37.21.1995
One of the features of the modern Russian economy, which corresponds to global trends, is the intensive development of the service sector, which is increasingly influencing the living conditions of the population. This influence manifests itself in the most diverse areas of human and society life, from the economic to the social sphere, and affects all components that form the quality of life.
Confirmation of this thesis
the analysis of the economic development of Russia, which is characterized by the increasing importance of the service sector, serves. According to the Federal State Statistics Service of the Russian Federation, the share of all services in the formation of the structure of GDP for the period from 1990 to 2011 increased from 20% to 59.0%. Over the same period, in monetary terms, the growth in the provision of paid services to the population amounted to from 0.44 to 5424.8 billion rubles. respectively (Table 1).
Table 1. The volume of paid services to the population of the Russian Federation
Unit rev. 1990 1995 2000 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011
RUB billion (in actual prices) 0.44 113.0 602.7 2271.7 2798.9 3424.7 4079.6 4504.4 4851.0 5424.8
As a percentage of the previous year (in comparable prices) 110.2 82.3 104.7 106.3 107.6 107.7 104.3 97.5 101.5 103.0
A structural analysis of existing trends in the service sector demonstrates an important difference - the rigidity of the factors of change: about 50% of the total
on the satisfaction of services of the so-called “obligatory nature”, not “elastic” to the income of the population. These, as a rule, include all housing and communal and household services, from-
specific types of passenger transport services (tab. 2).
Table 2. Structure of paid services to the population of the Russian Federation (in% of the total)
Analysis indicators 2002 2005 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011
% of total RUB mln
All services rendered 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 4851018
including
household 11.7 10.1 9.9 9.7 9.9 9.9 9.7 470990
transport 24.2 21.5 21.2 20.9 21.6 20.3 20 969778
communications 14.8 18.5 18.6 19.9 19.7 19.5 19.2 929786
housing 4.3 5.3 5.6 5.4 5.2 5.5 5.5 265357
utilities 16.1 18.3 18 17.6 17.6 19.3 21.2 1027002
hotels and similar accommodation facilities 3 2.6 2.7 2.7 2.6 2.4 2.3 111717
cultures 2 2.3 2.2 1.7 1.6 1.7 1.7 84,744
tourist 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.6 1.8 1.7 1.7 82246
physical culture and sports 0.4 0.7 0.6 0.6 0.6 0.6 0.6 27857
medical 4.9 4.8 4.9 4.7 4.8 4.9 5 244440
health resort 2.1 1.6 1.5 1.4 1.4 1.4 1.2 60523
veterinary 0.3 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 8780
legal 3.9 2.3 2.5 2.6 2.5 1.9 1.8 88393
education systems 6.7 6.7 6.9 7.1 7 6.9 6.7 326619
other services 4.2 3.6 3.6 3.9 3.5 3.8 3.2 152765
Consequently, the service sector has a significant growth reserve for services of a "non-compulsory nature" and, thus, is capable of and makes a very significant contribution to the increase in gross domestic product at relatively lower costs and shorter payback periods, as well as contribute to the development of domestic
market as the basis for stable economic growth.
There are a number of definitions of a service as an economic category. Let us consider one of the approaches, including the identification of such characteristics as generic definition, material basis, social form, unity of form and content (Table 3).
Table 3. Characteristics of services as an economic category
Generic definition of the service Material basis of the service Public form of the service Unity of form and content
Service is a concept focused on the ability and willingness to carry out activities that ensure the satisfaction of a particular need of the client. The result of the service is the transformation of property, energy, information or other properties of objects, carried out in order to meet the qualitatively defined needs of the client, i.e. to order Service is a change in the state of a person or a product belonging to any economic unit that occurs as a result of the activities of another economic unit with the prior consent of the first Service - any activity carried out by mutual agreement of the parties that does not lead to the emergence of property rights to a material object
Thus, the above characteristics of a service as an economic category make it possible to clarify the definition of the term "service", which should be understood as one of the forms of economic relations between contracting parties, aimed at satisfying mutual needs concluded in the
useful results of their interaction as an economic product of the services market.
Analysis of the market for various types of services, their distinctive functions, tasks and features allows us to divide the properties of the service into general and specific (Fig. 1).
The specific properties of the service are the basis for the creation of additional utility service by enterprises and a way to improve service to the population.
World and domestic experience in managing social development convincingly shows that the socially-oriented service sector is the core of modern civilization.
lization, the most powerful factor in the development of the country's economy.
Traditionally, the locomotive of the economy is recognized as industry, heavy and light, as well as the military-industrial complex, which bears the main burden as a generator of innovations and a leading tax payer. However, without service activities that penetrate numerous sectors of the economy and in parallel
falling as its independent sphere, it is not possible to satisfy the constantly growing needs of the population.
In addition, the service sector contributes to the implementation of such an important social function of the state as ensuring employment of the population, increasing the employment level of a significant part of the population and providing services that do not require prior licensing of activities or the presence of a higher education as a prerequisite for an employee.
Currently, the main trends in the development of the service sector should be considered as follows:
Associated with the processes of concentration and specialization of the production of services;
Due to the need to improve the organizational and structural factors of the functioning of enterprises in the service sector;
Determined by the need to use advanced experience in the functioning of the service sector in economically developed countries, taking into account the local characteristics of their provision.
These and other facts indicate the need to expand the share of state participation in the regulation and development of the service sector market. The solution to the problem associated with the development of state regulation in the new economic conditions of Russia should be carried out in close contact with market entities in the service sector. The principles of cooperation between state bodies and subjects of the service sector market can be: scientific study and phased implementation of the developed measures; taking into account and balancing the interests of all market participants; recognition of the leading role of the state as an organizer
and the regulator of economic relations of the service sector market.
The importance and complexity of regulation of the service sector market require the development of a concept and appropriate methodological support. From this point of view, it is necessary to consider the improvement of state regulation of the economy both on a national and regional scale. In this case, the main attention should be paid to the development of specific
forms and methods, based on the geographical, ethnic and economic characteristics of the region.
Providing an organic connection between forms and methods will allow adapting traditional and pilot forms of regional development to the main methods of state regulation (direct and indirect), optimizing them, which will determine the most successful application of state regulation in managing the development of the region's services.
The main areas requiring the regulatory activities of authorities in the service sector should be considered:
Financial, tax and legislative support for small businesses, including those with a high share of venture capital, ensuring stable conditions for healthy competition, etc .;
Formation and development of state entrepreneurship in the most socially significant sectors (education, consumer services, housing and communal services, etc.);
Industry macro planning and macro programming;
Improving budgetary policy taking into account the state
support of socially significant service industries.
Taking these initial assumptions into account, the following concept for the development of the service sector is proposed (Fig. 2).
Basic provisions of the concept
Identification of prerequisites for the development of the service sector
Determination of the main trends in the development of the service sector
Justification of the need and development of goals and objectives for the development of the service sector
Decomposition of the components of the quality of life of the population
Concept development methodology
Concept assessment methods
Methods for analyzing the quality of life of the population Methods for estimating the quality of service Methods for estimating the consumption of psi dynamics: services
Directions of the concept implementation
Development and implementation of directions for the development of services and improving the quality of life
Improvement of the organization of service for consumers of services Improvement of the quality of service for consumers of services Increase in the competitiveness of service providers
Expected result of the concept implementation
Improving the quality of life of the population
Figure: 2. Model of the concept of development of the service sector
The concept is based on the idea of \u200b\u200bimproving the quality of life of the population by improving the consumption of goods in quantitative and qualitative terms, provided by the pace of development of the service sector, increasing the competitiveness of its subjects, improving the organization and improving the quality of service for consumers of services.
The prerequisites for the future development of the service sector are: development of information and communication technologies; institutional transformations of the economy;
changes in intra-industry proportions in the structure of the economy; increasing the scientific capacity of the service sector; changes in the structure of supply and demand in the service market and, of course, an increase in the effective demand of the population.
The implementation of the concept both on a national scale and at the regional level can serve as one of the options for solving two significant tasks: development of the non-production sphere of the economy and ensuring sustainable economic growth as a material basis for improving the living standards of people; higher
improving the quality of human life and enhancing his labor participation in ensuring sustainable economic growth. The service sector has an integrating role in solving these problems.
The need to improve the organization of service to consumers of services arises from the main feature of the activity of the subject of the service sector - a complementary combination of processes of production of services and customer service. At the same time, there is no link in the service sector that separates the service provider and its consumer.
In other words, in the process of receiving a service, the consumer enters into direct contact with the enterprise, the results of which determine the consumer's perception not only of the service received, but also of the enterprise as a whole.
It follows that the organization of service plays no less, if not a large role among other parameters that determine the perceptions and expectations of the consumer in relation to the service, the perception of the result of its receipt and the attitude to the activities of the service sector enterprise as a whole.
The choice of the processes of organizing service to consumers of services as a key link in the service sector allows us to identify and formulate two priority goals of their improvement:
For the consumer: ensuring satisfaction with the organization of service, which will lead to a return visit to the enterprise, an increase in the volume of consumption of services and, therefore, create conditions for an increase in the standard of living;
For the enterprise: ensuring the demand for the services provided by consumers, which will lead to an increase in income and profits by increasing the attendance of the enterprise and create conditions for increasing competitiveness.
Based on these goals, it is possible to identify the main directions for improving the organization of customer service:
In the field of improving the created product (service): improving technical, operational, economic
mental and other parameters; organization of production of new types of services; expansion of the range of related services provided; the use of new technologies for the production of services and services;
In the area of \u200b\u200bimproving the use of material resources: cost optimization; improving the efficiency of using all types of resources; use of new types of resources, especially information resources;
In the field of improving the quality of labor and the efficiency of using the labor resources of the enterprise: improving the conditions and organization of work; improvement of forms of payment and labor motivation; advanced training of employees; development of reward systems for the quality of service;
In the field of improving the organization and management of business processes: rationalization of the organizational structure, the use of new management technologies.
Particular attention needs to be paid to improving the process of organizing services based on its detailing according to the GOEP (O) methodology. In this regard, it becomes necessary to build a model of the service organization process "as is" and "as should be", dividing them into several levels of detail according to the content of the elements of the process and the conditions that ensure its improvement. The model “as it should be” according to the GOER (O) methodology (one of the levels of detail) is shown in Fig. 3.
In the proposed form, the process of organizing service acquires a pronounced focus on meeting individual customer needs and improving the quality of service processes.
Along with the task of improving the organization of customer service, another important task is to improve the quality of service as an independent direction to increase the influence of the service sector on the quality of life of the population.
For this purpose, improving the quality of service to consumers of services can be represented in the form of a model that includes the following main elements: determination of factors of quality of service to consumers of services; selection of a methodological basis for building a model; concretization of the model object; clarification of requirements for the model, formulation of the goal and objectives of its development; construction and substantiation of the structural diagram of the model; determination of the conditions for the implementation of the model.
The purpose of the development is to create an alternative management tool that allows to ensure an effective solution to the goals and objectives of sustainable development of the service sector as a whole as a system and the implementation of the main goal of the functioning of its economic entities - improving the quality of
lening as a basis for increasing the quality of life of consumers of services.
In the model, service quality factors are grouped into three groups: production (technological), labor and organizational. Labor factors are considered as the main ones, since they affect the quality of the service (from the standpoint of professionalism and skill), i.e. on production (technological) factors, as well as on the quality of the service process (from the standpoint of organizing interaction with consumers), i.e. on organizational factors. On the basis of the methodology of "total quality management", the object of the model is concretized, the requirements for it are specified, and the tasks of its development are formulated.
Figure: 3. The model “as it should be” according to the GOER (O) methodology The model is a set. The system level reflects methodologically interrelated structural levels. gical foundations of the model, target - goals
its application, legal - the regulatory requirements of the environment for using the model, object - the area of \u200b\u200buse, and the social and economic levels characterize the expected results from the application of the model in practice as
Thus, in modern Russia, the need has matured to implement three main strategies in the service sector: increasing the level and quality of life for
as a management tool. In accordance with these structural levels, the content of the elements of the model is detailed, the conditions for its implementation are highlighted and disclosed (tab.
villages, ensuring high rates of sustainable economic growth and building potential for future development.
Table 4. Structural levels, elements and conditions for the implementation of the model for improving the quality of service for consumers of services_
Structural levels of the model Elements of the model Priority conditions for the implementation of the model
Systemic Quality management system based on the "total quality management" (TQM) methodology Expanding the practice of using the total quality management methodology as a basic service quality management system
Target Quality management -\u003e improving the quality parameters of the development of the service sector -\u003e improving the quality of functioning of the service sector entity -\u003e improving the quality of services and services Choosing the quality of customer service as the main criterion for assessing the activities of a service sector enterprise
Legal Normative legal acts regulating the activities of economic entities and the service sector in a competitive environment -\u003e ■ standardization and certification of services -\u003e service standards Development of a national service quality standard, creation of a regulatory framework governing the system of remuneration for service quality
Object Marketing product (service) process (service) -\u003e technology -\u003e personnel -\u003e organization Development of an internal policy of service quality at each enterprise in the service sector
Social Improving the quality of service for consumers of services -\u003e improving the quality of consumption - "improving the quality of life Specifying the directions for the qualitative growth of consumption of services based on improving the quality of consumer services
Economic Sustainable development of the service sector -\u003e increasing the efficiency of the service sector entity -\u003e ■ increasing the competitiveness of the service sector entity and the product (service) created by it Development of directions for increasing the competitiveness of the service sector entities based on improving the quality of customer service
LITERATURE
1. FSGS. The volume of household services to the population. URL: http://cbsd.gks.ru/ (date of treatment 02.14.2013).
2. FSGS. The structure of paid services to the population. URL: http://cbsd.gks.ru/ (date of treatment 02.14.2013).
3. Karkh D.A. Theoretical Foundations of the Development of the Essence of Trade Services II Bulletin of SUSU, Series “Economics and Management”. 2010. No. 7 (183).
4. Uligov A.A. Formation of factors of intensive development of the service sector in the modernization period of the economy: Avtoref. dis. ... Cand. econom. sciences. URL: http://www.sssu.ni/Portals/0/Dis/2012/uligov.doc (date of treatment 02.14.2013).
5. Solovieva L.V. Theory and methodology of the influence of the service sector on the quality of life of the population: Monograph. Belgorod: Cooperative Education, 2007.
6. Golodova Zh.G. The main directions of stimulation and evaluation of investment activity in the regions of Russia // Regional economy: theory and practice. 2008. No. 22 (79). S. 68-72.
7. Solovieva L.V. Service: essence, characteristics // Bulletin of Belgorod University of Consumer Cooperatives (special issue). 2005.
TOPIC 4. Features of production in the service sector.
Description of services.
As mentioned above, manufacturing activity can be considered as the process of converting materials into a finished product and the possibility of supplying this product to the buyer. An important feature of this process is that the buyer does not take part in the manufacturing process of the product and the finished product can be stored in stock before consumption (shipment).
Service Is an activity, benefit or satisfaction that is sold separately or offered at the same time as the sale of goods.
The service sector, from the point of view of production management, has a number of important characteristics.
First, the consumer is usually present in the manufacturing process, i.e. there is a tougher contact or interaction with the consumer than in industrial production.
Secondly, in the service sector, a higher degree of individualization of the product is required in accordance with the requirements of the consumer.
Thirdly, work in the service sector is much more labor intensive than in industry.
These three features make the process of managing operations in the service sector more challenging in terms of efficiency.
The higher the degree of interaction with the consumer, the higher the degree of individualization of products, the more laborious the process, the more difficult it is to ensure its high economic efficiency.
It is these characteristics that distinguish services from manufacturing in terms of operating activities.
Consider the specific features of services that allow you to maneuver the quality of reducing or increasing it for various categories of consumers.
Buyer involvement.
In any activity for the provision of services, the buyer, to some extent or another, are participants in this process (for example, transport services, a supermarket, etc.)
When organizing activities, it is necessary to take into account the needs and abilities of customers. If this is not done, they immediately get the impression of poor quality of service. A customer who cannot find sugar in a supermarket or cannot make out ads at a railway station may, of course, be the fault himself, nevertheless, he will turn into a dissatisfied customer and will not hesitate to tell a dozen others about his dissatisfaction. Since the cost of acquiring a new customer can be more than 5 times the cost of retaining an old customer, the importance of customer satisfaction becomes self-evident.
In personalized services such as a retail store, hairdresser, restaurant, hospital, personal interaction and setting play a key role in customer satisfaction. Again, the most important thing is not the actual state, but the perception of them by the buyer.
The main differences introduced by the presence of the buyer: firstly, the quality of the service cannot be checked in advance, since its production and consumption occurs simultaneously; secondly, it is very likely that the buyer may be unprepared and unpredictable.
Services cannot be stored.
Since production and consumption took place simultaneously, it is impossible to store services. If a bank employee capable of serving 20 clients per hour does not have a single visitor from 10 to 11 o'clock, he will not be able to serve 40 people from 11 to 12 o'clock. The "production capacity" of a service is something not constant, volatile, because if the service does not work, it is lost.
The demand for services is volatile.
Any demand is volatile; however, demand for services is characterized by large, complex and rapid fluctuations. The demand for all services is seasonal (more or less the same changes throughout the year), in addition, there are shorter-term cycles (public transport, restaurants, entertainment).
All these fluctuations are predictable. The challenge, however, is to meet demand during peak hours or days, while avoiding inefficient capacity downtime the rest of the time. stock cannot be created.
Intangibility of the service component.
The intangibility of the service component of any transaction is characterized by the following problems:
1. It is usually difficult to come up with a clear specification, and with it, an agreement on the exact nature of the service. People have different understanding of the “correctness” of service delivery. Some shoppers want the self-service store clerk to come to them right away, while others are annoyed (obsessive). As an indicator when developing services, the maximum latency is usually used. However, it is not possible to address this issue in its entirety (eg waiting in the hospital).
2. Some people like it when they are greeted by the service staff, and some do not accept this, considering such a greeting to be artificial and unnecessarily servile. In general, reaching a complete understanding of the client's needs is important but very difficult.
3. In their feedback, customers tend to highlight the tangible elements of the transaction, which can lead to unbalanced perceptions of the quality of the service.
4. It is rather difficult to assess service activity. There is a tendency to evaluate what can be appreciated instead of what really matters.
It is relatively easy to measure customer waiting time, it is difficult to make sure that this indicator really plays an important role.
These problems cause two main difficulties in service design that are not obvious or at least much less significant in the design of material products (efficiency and quality)
Service efficiency.
As the buyer participates in production, the design of the service activity and the design of the service itself become inseparable from each other. The critical moment of any activity is the optimal utilization of capacities and, consequently, production costs. Wide and rapid fluctuations in demand, as well as the use of stocks of finished goods as shock absorbers, make the task of developing an efficient service very, very difficult.
Service quality.
It is difficult to define quality without a clear specification (standardization) of a product or service. The inherent high degree of intangibility in services makes clear standardization nearly impossible. Moreover, the perception of the same service by a supplier and a buyer can differ significantly. Additional complexity is added by the tendency of clients to criticize only the material elements of the service, regardless of whether they are in essence or in something else.
Since the buyer is part of the process, traditional QC methods are not acceptable. It is impossible to guarantee the quality of the service before it is provided. The presence of a quality inspector affects quality and disturbs both the employee and the client.
Today, service issues are addressed in the same way as quality issues: the customer is the central element of every decision and action of every service organization.
The service philosophy can be summarized as a service triangle:
Figure 4.1. Customer service philosophy
At the heart of the service system is the customer. Considering service in this way, it confirms the general truth that the service organization exists to serve the client, and the system and personnel in order to ensure the process of performing the service.
The role of operations in the service triangle is paramount. Operations define the structure of service systems (procedures, equipment, premises) and the management of the work of the service personnel.
Types of service systems
In the industrial sphere, in contrast to the service one, there are certain terms for the classification of manufacturing operations (for example, mass production, continuous production, etc.), when used in the production process, they immediately reveal the essence of the process. These definitions are also used to describe the service process, however, in order to distinguish those in the service, the consumer (client) of the service is included in the production system, additional information is needed. Such information, which distinguishes the production function of one service system from another, consists in establishing a degree of control with the customer in the process of providing the service. The definition of “contact with the customer of the service” reflects the physical presence of the customer in the system. “Service Provision” shows the workflow used to provide a particular service.
“Degree of contact” can be broadly represented as the percentage of the time that the customer has to be in the service system to the total time that the entire process of servicing him takes. The longer the duration of the contact of the service system with the consumer of the service, the higher the degree of interaction between them during the provision of this service.
Based on this concept, it can be concluded that service systems with a high level of customer contact are much more difficult to manage than systems with a low level of customer contact.
In the system of the first type, the client has a rather strong influence on the duration of service, the composition of the service and its real or expected quality.
Table 4.1.
Impact of the client's presence in the provision of services
|
Characteristics of the service company |
System with a high degree of contact with customers (bank branch) |
Low customer contact system (check center) |
|
Service point placement |
The service must be in the immediate vicinity of the consumer of the service. |
Service is mainly carried out closer to transport hubs, sources of labor. |
|
Room planning |
Should take into account the psychological and physical requirements and perceptions of clients. |
The main criterion is to ensure maximum labor productivity. |
|
Determined by the environment and the physical presence of the client. |
The client is missing. Fewer items can define a service. |
|
|
Staff skills |
In addition to professional skills, the main element of service is direct work with the client, so the staff must undergo special training. |
Only professional skills. |
|
Service quality control |
The presence of the client is monitored and subject to change. |
The quality standard can be precisely set. |
As can be seen from the table, the presence of the client during the provision of the service affects absolutely all the characteristics that must be taken into account in the presence of the work of the service company.
Service technology
There are three main technologies for service delivery:
1. Production lines (eg mail, McDonalds);
2. Self-service (this technology is widely known when using vending machines, self-service gas stations);
3. Technology of an individual approach.
Service development.
When designing service organizations, remember that it is impossible to create a stock of services.
In the service sector, with rare exceptions, it is necessary to satisfy the demand at the moment it arises. In this regard, the criterion of throughput in customer service is a matter of paramount importance (hotel, restaurant). Thus, one of the most important issues in the design of a service enterprise is: what should be the throughput (capacity)? Excessive capacity increases costs, and insufficient capacity leads to loss of customers.
Customers can be “stored” by queuing them up or using a pre-booking system. Queue models are used. These models allow for more accurate answers to questions such as how many employees should work in a bank hall.
A service strategy begins with the choice of an operational focus, i.e. with the establishment of priorities that are achieved, on the basis of which the firm will compete in the market. These priorities include:
1. respectful treatment of customers;
2. high speed and convenience of providing services;
3. the price of the service;
4. variety of services (“buy everything at one time”);
5. quality of materials used in the provision of services;
6.Unique skills that shape the level of service offering, such as developing hairstyles, performing brain surgery, etc.
Achieving a competitive advantage in the service sector requires integrating service marketing with the service delivery process.
The main directions for solving problems of service activities.
The first direction is the industrialization of the service, when the emphasis is on efficiency and contact with customers is reduced, and the maximum possible part of the work is transferred to the "workshop".
The second direction is based on the selection of those characteristics of service that make up its quality.
Industrialization in service development.
Industrialization in service development involves three approaches:
1. Separate the customer from the process for as long as possible and apply industrial process design strategies to the part of the process that does not involve the customer.
2. If the presence of the buyer is unavoidable, use him as labor.
3. Increase staffing flexibility to match capacity to demand.
Office / workshop approach. In this approach, an effort is made to identify the minimum acceptable level of buyer's involvement and to attribute the activity to the “office”. All other activities are hidden from the eyes of the client in a “workshop” where traditional (industrial) principles of production organization can be applied (for example, a meat section in a supermarket versus a regular butcher shop). The division into office and workshop improves efficiency, but the costs in terms of maintenance, degraded staff skills and reduced job satisfaction can be high.
The buyer-as-labor approach. The whole concept of self-service is based on the use of customers as a labor force. In this case, “capacity” follows demand exactly. Often, a rigid division into office and workshop is also used. Disadvantages: It is often impossible to get advice and help from an inexperienced client.
The flexible workforce approach involves the widespread use of part-time work. This allows companies to vary their capacity based on demand, rather than having a surplus of labor during off-peak times. This organization of work creates problems.
Service quality
Quality, as measured by customer satisfaction as the number of customers retained, is generally highly dependent on the intangible elements of the service. From this point of view, most of the actions taken to increase productivity through "industrialization" are at the expense of quality of service.
In the service industry, the biggest cost is the cost of quality assurance, both the cost of the service itself and the cost of error.
An important aspect in determining the quality of service perceived by customers is the degree of customer confidence. Service will be considered bad when the customer is in a state of uncertainty, either because they do not know how to behave, or because they feel uncertainty and lack of coordination from the service provider. Internal consistency of the service delivery system is essential in achieving high quality by maximizing customer trust and confidence.
Figure 4.2. Service provision system.
The figure shows 4 interconnected elements; service personnel, service management, the service itself and the duration of the process of its provision.
Consistency is achieved by matching each of these elements to the customer's needs, and by agreeing between service personnel and managers on the nature of the needs and how they are to be achieved.
In order to make sure that the service is provided in the required quality and with sufficient efficiency, it is necessary to adhere to the procedure from the following stages:
1. Make sure the concept of the service is clear and detailed.
2. Imagine the image that the service concept will project onto the market. This is necessary to understand consumer expectations of a service. No matter how good the service is, it will be considered bad if it does not meet these expectations.
It might be useful to read:
- What is an assortment matrix?;
- What does the word matrix mean in trading;
- Sales department development plan;
- Advertisements Testing promotional materials;
- What is GRP (Gross Rating Point)?;
- Marketing analysis of the market: types, stages, methods;
- What is an advertising strategy;
- Marketing research;