Operational Efficiency
Efficency is derived from a relentless focus on reducing waste; particularly time. Our Business Process Improvement (BPI) & usability research methods:
- Accelerate lead times;
- Reduce costs;
- Raise quality standards;
- Inspire motivation;
- Improve online conversion;
- Maximise customer satisfaction & loyalty.
1. Business Process Improvement
Reviewing your operational activities as a “process” that passes through several departments & streamlining them reduces duplication, rework, excessive waiting & many other types of waste value. Frequently simple changes in working practice may reap substantial rewards when this perspective is first applied.
1.1 Key Performance Indicators
Where possible, identifying 1-3 indicators of process performance that link to strategic goals will focus an initiative on quantifiable improvements that prove its ROI.
1.2 Flow-charting
We “walk the process” interviewing process workers, flow-charting it & measuring timing. This identifies the decisions that cause work to rebound and the “time traps” that slow it down.
1.3 Kaizen improvement meetings
We facilitate a series of four 1 hour improvement meetings with a group of volunteers from your process. Within this we review the process flow-charts with participants encouraged to make improvement suggestions in an environment where any repercussions of change; up & downstream can be immediately considered. Between these meetings, the improvement suggestions are contributed to by department heads. Obvious “quick wins” can be implemented & other proposals prepared for a final workshop for senior management.
We may introduce Lean 6 Sigma tools as appropriate.
2. Usability research
When service processes are automated by media & websites the customer becomes a “self-service” worker in the process. A significant innovation in improving the performance of online processes is usability research. This will enable your communications & web team to:
- Understand customer behaviour using “eye tracking” & retrospective interviewing methods;
- Identify and correct usability errors that cause abandonment;
- Increase transaction completion rates & speeds;
- Improve conversion rates & average shopping basket size.
- Find out more, Our Services & Rates.