Get a grip on the status quo. The most magnificent improvement scheme would be
worthless if your perception of the current situation is in error. We tend to think
that fictitious facts are real. By this we do not grasp the real facts or simply
hypothesize facts using guess work, or we ignore changes over time and assume
things are the same as they used to be.
– Shigeo Shingo
In Continuous Process Improvement, perception needs to be accurate and error free
for any effort to be meaningful!
Let’s take a Call Center process for example. Observing that the customer satisfaction
scores recently have been on a downward trend may just be the beginning of the perception
process. It could be because of a number of causes:
a. People Issues
b. Process Issues
c. Systems and Infrastructure Issues
Perceiving the right SET of issues whether they are one or more is key to improving the
whole process. Any errors in perception could lead to the wrong set of solutions.
People Issues
- In a high personnel turnover environment like Call Centers, is it people without adequate Training?
- Is it the incentive structure that’s at fault? If agents are given bonuses or promotions based on Average Talk Time and not on Customer Satisfaction, would you be surprised to learn that they want to close calls as quickly as possible, never mind customers?
- Is it a capacity issue? Are there enough agents manning the phones?
Process Issues
- Is the process set up properly? Do customers resent getting a call center from India
or elsewhere? In such cases, them getting excellent service may or may not matter! - Do the agents understand the full context of the process? Are they able to handle unforeseen exceptions and questions?
Systems and Infrastructure Issues
- Are the agents comfortable where they work?
- Do they have systems, applications, and networks that are fast enough and responsive. Are any of these holding the agents back from providing good service?
As you can see, the potential for making errors in perception is high. Unless you spend
considerable time watching the process at work or even executing the process yourself, you may
attribute poor customer satisfaction to the first thing that you look at rather than see!
It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see.
— Henry David Thoreau
