Shigeo Shingo is visiting a client that has a problem in manufacturing with bubbles forming on a production assembly line, causing problems and reducing quality.
The company was trying all kinds of expensive solutions involving removing the soapy film and having no success.
So he asks the question "What is a bubble made of?".
Soapy film and air.
By asking the question, "What is a bubble made of?", Shigeo Shingo focuses on the air instead of the soapy film. He comes up with a quick way to remove the air instead of the soapy film. Problem solved.
What does this have to do with services or business processes?
Lots, as it turns out. Help desks and phone based support services are always trying to provide better customer service while reducing resources and resultant costs all the time.
Designing multi-tiered support and streamlining the process of providing the support through the use of "Triaging" (separating the truly problematic calls from simpler ones and prioritizing the calls) are some ways helpdesks are usually improved.
However, if you ask the question what is a bubble made of, you get some other ideas.
Instead of improving the process of solving customer calls, why not provide facilities so that they do not call at all?
Extensive online support is one way you can do this. There are companies that provide internet hosted solutions where you can create a full blown "Frequently Asked Questions" service on your web site. Here customers can see if their problem has already been solved.
Of course, there is always THE best way to avoid customer service calls – engineering better products and writing better documentation!
Always asking the question "what are bubbles made of", opens up new ways of thinking about problems and solving them in very innovative ways!
The function of genius is not to give new answers, but to pose new questions which time and mediocrity can resolve.
— Hugh Trevor-Roper
