OPER 3100 Chapter 9 Qestions

Which of the following refers to the physical presence of the customer in a service system ? . None of these choices are correct

None of these choices are correct . Customer contact Intermittent production Continuous production Creation of the service Explanation- Customer contact refers to the physical presence of the customer in the system.

Which of the following is considered a high - contact service operation ?

Internet sales for a department store Physician practice On - line brokerage house Telephone life insurance sales and service Automobile repair Explanation- Face-to-face total customization refers to service encounters whose specifications must be developed through some interaction between the customer and server. Legal and medical services are of this type. See also Exhibit 9.3.

This is the key feature that distinguishes a service blueprint from a normal flowchart.

Line of visibility

In the service - system design matrix , a mail contact service encounter is expected to have which of the following ?

Low sales opportunity None of these choices are correct . High sales opportunity High degree of customer / server contact High production efficiency Explanation- See Exhibit 9.3.

Which of the following is an alternative possible service encounter included in the service system design

Questionnaire response Automated teller ( ATM ) Internet Response card encounter Face - to - face distance Explanation- See Exhibit 9.3.

Which of the following approaches to service design is characterized by having the customer take a greater role in the production of the service ?

Self service approach Personal - attention approach Quality approach Do - it - yourself approach Production - line approach Explanation- In contrast to the production-line approach, the service process can be enhanced by having the customer take a greater role in the production of the service. This is the self-service approach.

The front end and the back end of a service encounter are referred to as what?

Service bookends

Which of the following is a characteristic that can be used to guide design of service systems ?

Services are all similar Services cannot be inventoried Even service businesses have internal services Quality work means quality service Services businesses are inherently entrepreneurial Explanation- In designing service organizations, we must remember one distinctive characteristic of services: We cannot inventory services.

These procedures are done to make a system mistake-proof. (Pokayokes) These are the three steps of service at Nordstrom. (

Warm Welcome, Anticipation and Compliance, Fond Farewell)

What are the four strategies for managing customer-induced variability?

(Classic Accommodation, low-cost accommodation, classic reduction, uncompromised reduction

This framework relates to the customer service system encounter.

(Service system design matrix

Uber would be this type of service

. Web Platform Business

Service systems can generally be categorized according to this characteristic that relates to the customer .

Customer Service

A service triangle consists of these four features.

Service Strategy , Support Systems , Employees

Which of the following major factor that distinguishes service design and development from manufacturing design and development ?

The service package is the major output of the development process Capacity decisions are much more critical in manufacturing operations The service package has the same legal protection available to manufactured goods Manufacturing is far more capital intensive than services . The service process and service product can be developed independently . Explanation- The service package, rather than a definable good, constitutes the major output of the development process.

A ride at an amusement park is an example of a service operation where there is direct contact between the customer and server, but little variation in the service process-neither the customer nor server has much discretion in how the service will be provided. As shown on the service-system design matrix, which type of service is being delivered?

Buffered core • On-site technology • Face-to-face, tight specs • Face-to-face, loose specs • Face-to-face, total customization Explanation- A ride at an amusement park is definitely a face-to-face encounter. The lack of discretion in how to provide the service makes this process a good example of a face-to-face, tight specs service system.

Which of the following are characteristics of a well-designed service system?

Each element of the system is consistent with the operating focus of the firm • It provides an impenetrable barrier between front- and back-office parts of the system ? It is rigid and inflexible? cost effective user friendly Explanation- The text lists seven characteristics of a well-designed service system: Each element of the system is consistent with the operating focus of the firm. It is user-friendly. It is robust. It is structured so that consistent performance by its people and system is easily maintained. It provides effective links between the front-office and back-office parts of the system. It manages the evidence of service quality so that customers see the value of the service. It is cost-effective.

Which of the following is not part of " the service triangle " ? "

Employees Support systems Service strategy Customers Service encounter Explanation- See Exhibit 9.1.

Every service has a service package , which is defined as a bundle of goods and services that is provided in some environment . The bundle consist of five features. Which of the following is not one of those.

Explicit goods Explicit services Information . Implicit services Supporting facility Explanation- Every service has a service package, which is defined as a bundle of goods and services that is provided in some environment. This bundle consists of five features: supporting facility, facilitating goods, information, explicit services, and implicit services.

Having your luggage arrive on time when you land at an airport is what type of service in the service package?

Implicit service

Examples of this include golf clubs , skis , beverages , auto parts , and services sold by the firm

Implicit services Facilitating goods Explicit services Supporting facility Information Explanation- Facilitating goods: The material purchased or consumed by the buyer or the items provided to the customer. Examples are golf clubs, skis, beverages, auto parts, and services sold by the firm.

Examples of this include an internet website, a golf course,a ski lift, an airline, and an auto repair

Implicit services Facilitating goods Explicit services Supporting facility Information Explanation- Supporting facility: The physical resources that must be in place before a service can be offered. Examples are an Internet website, a golf course, a ski lift, an airline, and an auto repair facility.

In designing service systems , as you go from mail contact to phone contact to face - to - face total customization , which of the following is most appropriate ?

None of these choices are correct Sales opportunity increases while degree of customer / server contact decreases Sales opportunity decreases while degree of customer / server contact decreases sales opportunity decreases while degree of customer / server contact increases sales opportunity increases while degree of customer / server contact increases Explanation- As you move in that continuum from mail to face-to-face total customization, sales opportunity increases and customer/server contact also increases. See also Exhibit 9.3.

There are many applications of poka yokes in service organizations . Which of the following is one of the three - T's used to classify poka - yokes ?

Teamwork Task Time Talent Trust Explanation- These can be classified into warning methods, physical or visual contact methods, and by what we call the three T's—the task to be done (Was the car fixed right?), the treatment accorded to the customer (Was the service manager courteous?), and the tangible or environmental features of the service facility (Was the waiting area clean and comfortable?).

An important difference between service and manufacturing operations is that customers introduce far more variability into the operations in a service system. Which of the following is not one of the basic types of variation that customers bring to a service system?

• Arrival variability • Capability variability • Environmental variation • Request variability • Effort variability Explanation- There are a number of types of variation that a customer brings into a service system: arrival variability, request variability, capability variability, effort variability, and subjective preference variability. Customers would not have an impact on the environment of the system.

What is the term used for the bundle of goods and services that are provided in some environment by every service operation?

• Service system • Service patchwork • Service bundle • Service package • Service environment Explanation- All service systems provide some combination of service and goods in a certain environment that the customer interacts with to some degree. This total combination is referred to as the service package.

Poka - yoke is roughly translated from Japanese as " quality management . "

False it means avoid mistakes Explanation- Poka-yokes (roughly translated from the Japanese as "avoid mistakes") are common in factories.

Which company is mentioned in the text as a pioneering of the production - line approach to delivering on - site service ?

McDonald's Corporation Ritz - Carlton Hotel Company Southwest Airlines Prudential Insurance Company Citibank Explanation- The production-line approach pioneered by McDonald's refers to more than just the steps required to assemble a Big Mac. Rather, as Theodore Levitt notes, it treats the delivery of fast food as a manufacturing process rather than a service process.

A psychological therapist treats patients according to their individual needs. Patients are all treated in the same office on a scheduled basis. Each patient's treatment is developed and customized for the individual according to the therapist's professional training. Which of the contrasting service designs in the chapter would best describe the therapist's service operation?

Personal attention approach Hybrid approach Production line approach Custom instruction approach Self-service approach Explanation- This type of customized service focusing on the individual customer's needs is a good example of the personal attention service design.

What are the "Three Ts" relevant to poka-yokes in service systems?

Tasks to be done, Treatment of the customer, Testing the results Task to be done, Treatment of the customer, Tangible features of the service facility Taste of the product, Treatment of the customer, Tasks to be done O Tasks to be done, Timing of task performance, Testing the results Tasks to be done, Timing of task performance, Treatment of the customer Explanation - In working to fail-safe a service process, you need to consider the task to be done, how the customer is treated, and the tangible or environmental features of the service facility.

Which of the following are significant ways in which service systems differ from manufacturing systems? (You may select more than one answer. Single click the box with the question mark to produce a check mark for a correct answer and double click the box with the question mark to empty the box for a wrong answer.)

You cannot inventory service~ The service itself cannot be patented The process is part of the product Employees do not require any technical training Service is tangible Explanation- The textbook lists several ways in which service operations are different from manufacturing systems. You cannot inventory service, the process is part of the product, a service cannot be patented, service is not tangible, providing a service requires some degree of interaction with the customer.

As the degree of customer contact increases in a service system, what worker skills would be more important, clerical skills or diagnostic skills?

• Diagnostic skills • Clerical skills • It could be either depending on the industry • No such conclusion can be reasonably drawn Explanation- Exhibit 9.2 demonstrates the relationship between the level of customer contact in a service system and the required employee skills. As the level of customer contact increases, the variability in the process increases, requiring employees to be able to diagnose and react to different customer needs and expectations. Thus, diagnostic skills become more important as the level of customer contact increases.

As the degree of customer contact increases in a service operation, what generally happens to the efficiency of the operation?

• It decreases • It increases • It remains steady • It may increase or decrease depending on the particular service industry • No such conclusion can be reasonably drawn Explanation- Customers bring increased uncertainty and variation into the service system through their direct interaction with the system. The greater the level of interaction, the higher the level of uncertainty and variation, which decreases efficiency. Therefore, as the level of customer contact increases, efficiency decreases.

Flowcharts are a common process design and analysis tool used in both manufacturing and services. What is a key feature on flowcharts used in service operations that differentiates between the front-office and back-office aspects of the system?

• Line of visibility • Service separator • Office barrier • Responsibility discriminator • Virtual wall Explanation - A characteristic of good service design is to keep back-office operations out of sight of the customer. On a flowchart, the separation between front- and back-office operations is shown with the line of visibility.