Title: An integrated closed-loop model for service performance management

Authors: R. Parameshwaran, P.S.S. Srinivasan

Addresses: Department of Mechanical Engineering, Kongu Engineering College, Perundurai, Erode-638 052, Tamil Nadu, South India. ' K.S.R. College of Technology, Tiruchengodu-637 209, Tamil Nadu, South India

Abstract: With service industries sprouting at an incredible rate, measuring and improving service performance becomes an essential strategy for success and survival in today|s competitive situation. In this paper, a new closed-loop model has been proposed to measure and improve the service performance using cost, time and service quality as dimensions. The relative service performance has been measured by the Extended Brown–Gibson (EBG) model by taking cost, time and service quality dimensions into consideration. The service quality factors have been evaluated using the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP). Quality Function Deployment (QFD) has been used to redesign the existing services when performance measure falls below the satisfactory level. The developed model quantifies service performance and ensures the service process improvement. A case study using data from car repair shops illustrates the usability of the model. The case study shows that the model can be used to gain service process understanding and to identify significant factors for redesigning.

Keywords: performance management; extended Brown–Gibson model; EBG model; analytical hierarchy process; AHP; quality function deployment; QFD; service performance; services; cost; time; service quality; automotive repair shops.

DOI: 10.1504/IJSOM.2008.015939

International Journal of Services and Operations Management, 2008 Vol.4 No.1, pp.34 - 55

Published online: 02 Dec 2007 *

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