Quality means different things to guests and operations managers. Guests are concerned with service, reliability, and performance, while operations managers are focused on meeting product and service specifications. An organization's quality levels can significantly impact areas like costs, liability, productivity, and business. Implementing a total guest response program that develops new guest-focused attitudes, integrates quality and information systems around guest needs, and trains employees in responsiveness can help address these issues. Modern quality management emphasizes preventing defects through building in quality at all stages rather than inspecting for mistakes after the fact.
1. QUALITY IS A RELATIVE TERM THAT MEANS
DIFFERENT THINGS TO DIFFERENT PEOPLE
2. THE GUEST WHO DEMANDS QUALITY MAY
HAVE A DIFFERENT CONCEPT THAN THE
OPERATIONS MANAGER WHO DEMANDS
QUALITY
THE GUEST IS CONCERN WITH:
SERVICE
RELIABILITY
PERFORMANCE, APPERANCE AND SO FORTH
3. THE OPERATIONS MANAGER’S PRIMARY
CONCERN IS THAT THE PRODUCT OR SERVICE
SPECIFICATIONS BE ACHIEVED, WHATEVER
THEY MAY BE
FOR THE OPERATION MANAGER, QUALITY IS
DETERMINED IN RELATION TO THE
SPECIFICATIONS OR STANDARDS SET IN THE
DESIGN STAGES
4. THE QUALITY OF AN ORGANISATION’S
GOODS AND SERVICES CAN EFFECT THE
ORGANISATION IN MANY WAYS
SOME OF THE MOST IMPORTANT AREAS ARE
LOSS OF BUSINESS
LIABILITY
COSTS
PRODUCTIVITY
5. HIGHER- QUALITY GOODS AND SERVICES
GENERALLY HAVE LESS LIABILITY EXPOSURE
AND LOWER-QUALITY GOODS AND SERVICES
IN ADDITION TO LIABILITY COST, QUALITY
CAN AFFECT OTHER COSTS, INCLUDING,
REWORK, WARRANTY, REPAIR, REPLACEMENT,
AND OTHER SIMILAR COSTS
6. PRODUCTIVITY AND QUALITY ARE OFTEN
CLOSELY RELATED
POOR- QUALITY EQUIPMENT, TOOLS CAN
CAUSE DEFECTS THAT HURT PRODUCTIVITY
SIMILARLY, HIGH-QUALITY EQUIPMENT,
TOOLS CAN BOOST PRODUCTIVITY
7. BECAUSE OF MANY DIFFERENT WAYS QUALITY
CAN AFFECT AN ORGANISATION, IT IS OFTEN
DIFFICULT TO DETRMINE PRECISELY THE
COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH DIFFERENT
QUALITY LEVELS
ALSO, IT MUST BE REALIZED THAT GUEST ARE
WILLING TO PAY FOR QUALITY UP TO A POINT
8. IN RESPONSE, MANY HOTELS AND RESORTS
HAVE INSTITUTED A TOTAL GUEST RESONSE
PROGRAM IN WHICH QUALITY IN THE
WORKPLACE IS TRANSFERED TO DEALINGS
WITH THE GUEST
TO IMPLEMENT THE PROGRAM, HOTELS AND
RESORTS MUST
DEVELOP A NEW ATTITUDE TOWARDS GUEST
9. REDUCE MANAGEMENT LAYERS SO THAT
MANAGERS ARE IN CONTACT WITH GUESTS
LINK QUALITY AND INFORMATION SYSTEMS
TO GUESTS NEEDS AND PROBLEMS
TRAIN EMPLOYEES IN GUESTS
RESPONSIVENESS
INTEGRATE GUEST RESPONSIVENESS
THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE DISTRIBUTION
CHANNEL
USE CUSTOMER RESPONSIVENESS AS A
MARKETING TOOL
10. TODAY’S QUALITY MANAGEMENT EMPHASIZES
THE PREVENTION OF DEFECTS AND MISTAKE
RATHER THAN FINDING AND CORRECTING THEM
THE IDEA OF “BUILDING IN” QUALITY AS OPPOSED
TO “INSPECTING IT IN” IS ALSO KNOWN AS
QUALITY ASSURANCE
THIS APPROACH VIEWS QUALITY AS THE
RESPONSIBILITY OF ALL EMPLOYEES RATHER
THAN THE EXCLUSIVE DOMAIN OF A QUALITY
CONTROL DEPARTMENT, FURTHER MORE
SUPPLIERS ARE TREATED AS PARTNERS
11. THE REPUTATION OF AN ORGANISATION IS
OFTEN A DIRECT REFLECTION OF THE
PERCEIVED QUALITY OF ITS GOODS AND
SERVICES
IN TODAY’S LEGALISTIC ENVIRONMENT, AN
ORGANISATION’S LIABILITY EXPOSE CAN BE
SIGNIFICANT AND THE ASSOCIATED COSTS
CAN BE HIGH
12. TOTAL QUALITY MANAGEMENT (TQM) IS A
MANAGEMENT PHILOSOPHY THAT EMPHASIZE:
“MANAGING THE ENTIRE ORGANISATION SO
THAT IT EXCEL IN ALL DIMENSIONS OF THE
PRODUCTS AND SERVICES THAT ARE IMPORTANT
TO THE CUSTOMER”
TQM, IN ESSENCE, IS AN ORGANISATIONWIDE
EMPHASIS ON QUALITY AS DEFINED BY THE
CUSTOMER. UNDER TQM, EVERYONE FROM THE
CEO ON THE LOWEST- LEVEL EMPLOYEE MUST BE
INVOLVED
13. FIND OUT WHAT CUSTOMER WANT. THIS
MIGHT INVOLVE THE USE OF SURVEYS, FOCUS
GROUPS, INTERVIEWS, OR SOME OTHER
TECHNIQUE THAT INTEGRATES THE
CUSTOMER’S VOICE IN THE DECISION-
MAKING PROCESS
DESIGN A PRODUCT OR SERVICE THAT WILL
MEET (OR EXCEED) WHAT THE CUSTOMERS
WANT. MAKE IT EASY TO USE AND EASY TO
PRODUCE
14. DESIGN A PRODUCTION PROCESS THAT
FACILITATES DOING THE JOB RIGHT THE FIRST
TIME. DETERMINE WHERE MISTAKES ARE
LIKELY TO OCCUR,AND TRY TO PREVENT
THEM. WHEN MISTAKES DO OCCUR, FIND OUT
WHY SO THAT THEY ARE LESS LIKELY TO
OCCUR AGAIN. STRIVE “MISTAKE-PROOF” THE
PROCESS
15. KEEP TRACK OF RESULTS, AND USE THOSE
RESULTS TO GUIDE IMPROVEMENT IN THE
SYSTEM. NEVER STOP TRYING TO IMPROVE
EXTEND THESE CONCEPTS TO SUPPLIERS AND
TO DISTRIBUTION