Week 4 Discussion 2: Alicia Jones, Sep 1, 2020, 7:58 AM

Week 4 Discussion 2alicia Jonessep 1 2020 758 Amabout 10 Months Ago

Analyze the experiences described by Alicia Jones, Shira Hudson, Julie Schreiner, and others regarding customer service, operations management, and self-service technology. Evaluate how these experiences reflect principles of operations management, quality management, and customer experience. Discuss the potential reasons for the positive or negative outcomes and propose strategies for organizations to improve customer satisfaction through operations and service delivery.

Paper For Above instruction

The modern landscape of customer service and operations management is complex and multifaceted, often revealing significant insights through real-world experiences as illustrated by Alicia Jones, Shira Hudson, and Julie Schreiner. These narratives highlight the critical importance of quality management, effective communication, and technological reliability in shaping customer satisfaction and perceptions of organizational efficiency. Analyzing these experiences reveals essential principles in operations management that organizations must understand and implement to foster positive customer outcomes.

Alicia Jones recounts her daughter’s stressful experience with an auto insurance claim after a head-on collision. The primary issues stemmed from poor communication, lack of timely responses, and inadequate resource management by the insurance company. Despite ultimately establishing fault and facilitating resolution, the prolonged process and inefficiencies, such as delayed retrieval of police photographs and apparent neglect of customer needs, reflect deficiencies in quality management and employee motivation. According to Collier and Evans (2019), quality management involves ensuring that services meet customer expectations, emphasizing that organizations should proactively address service gaps through continuous improvement. In this context, the insurance company's failure to promptly and effectively manage the claim process demonstrates how inadequate service delivery can damage customer perceptions, regardless of the eventual positive outcome.

Similarly, Shira Hudson shares her dissatisfaction with the product delivery process of an automated cat litter box, which was shipped incomplete and not as advertised. Her experience underscores the importance of supply chain reliability and quality control to meet customer expectations. When the product arrived disassembled and lacked proper follow-up from customer service, it resulted in frustration and loss of trust. Effective operations management necessitates robust quality control processes and continuous improvement initiatives, as highlighted by Collier and Evans (2019). Companies should implement systematic follow-up procedures, ensuring that post-sale customer feedback is incorporated to preempt issues and enhance service quality. Moreover, Hudson’s suggestion of adopting a continuous improvement mindset certified the necessity for organizations to reassess processes regularly and foster accountability for customer satisfaction.

Julie Schreiner provides an insight into self-service technology through the example of a micro-market at her workplace. While this system offers convenience and potentially reduces operational costs for the organization, it also introduces risks such as technological failures and user errors. The dependence on third-party service providers for maintenance and support complicates issue resolution during peak usage times. This discussion reflects fundamental operations management concerns related to technology reliability and process efficiency. Implementing anticipatory maintenance, providing staff training, and integrating backup procedures can mitigate such risks. Additionally, understanding that self-service interfaces require user-friendly design and real-time support can improve overall customer experience (Collier & Evans, 2019).

In contrast, Lisa Schreiner discusses Amazon Go, an innovative application of self-service and advanced technologies like computer vision and sensor fusion to revolutionize retail shopping. While the system offers unprecedented convenience, it faces challenges including inventory shortages, technical errors, and potential inaccuracies in automated billing. These issues demonstrate that technological innovation must be balanced with operational robustness and contingency planning to prevent service interruptions and preserve customer confidence. As Cheng (2019) notes, continuous refinement of these systems is vital to address operational defects, such as misidentification of items or system outages, which can tarnish the customer experience. Therefore, organizations adopting high-tech solutions must invest in ongoing system testing, data accuracy, and backup plans to ensure seamless service delivery.

From these varied experiences, it is clear that quality management plays a pivotal role in customer satisfaction. Ensuring that services and products meet or exceed expectations requires integrating customer feedback, maintaining supply chain reliability, and investing in employee motivation and training. Furthermore, the deployment of technology must be accompanied by rigorous testing, continuous improvement, and responsive customer support. Operations management principles such as resource allocation, process reengineering, and proactive problem resolution are essential to adapt to evolving customer needs and technological advancements.

Organizations aiming to enhance customer experiences should adopt a holistic approach that emphasizes quality management, process optimization, and employee engagement. Systematic training can motivate staff to perform better, while feedback loops contribute to continuous improvement. Investments in technology should focus not only on innovation but also on system robustness and error handling. As Collier and Evans (2019) advocate, a customer-centric culture supported by well-designed operational processes can significantly improve customer satisfaction, loyalty, and overall organizational performance. Properly managed, these elements create a seamless and fulfilling customer experience, even amid operational complexities.

References

  • Cheng, A. (2019, January 13). Why Amazon Go May Soon Change the Way We Shop. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/13/technology/amazon-go.html
  • Collier, D. A., & Evans, J. R. (2019). Operations and supply chain management. Cengage Learning.
  • Magers, S. (2014, April 29). What is operations management? [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXXXX
  • Hudson, S. (2020). Personal communication regarding online shopping experiences.
  • Schreiner, L. (2020). Personal anecdote on Amazon Go shopping experience.
  • AVIFoodSystems. (2016, August 30). Market C Micro Market by AVI Foodsystems [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXXXX
  • Council, F. B. (2020, May 27). Review And Improve Business Processes With These 13 Strategies. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesbusinesscouncil/2020/05/27/review-and-improve-business-processes-with-these-13-strategies/
  • Author, N. (Year). Title of related scholarly article. Journal Name, Volume(Issue), pages. DOI
  • Author, N. (Year). Title of another relevant source. Publication details.
  • Additional credible sources supporting operations management and customer experience principles.

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