vishalmudaliar

I read VK sirs article on 'Quality at Source' and I think that is indeed relevant. I have started a COE (Centre of Excellence) in the CS department at Kotak Securities... Trying to keep it simple for now - Just identified the key Voices. I am responsible for Customer Service Delivery across channels and it helps to keep the ears to the ground and hear the 4 Voices... VOC, VOP, VOB, and VOE... This has helped me to shortlist short term and medium term projects that can be further taken through the MAIC steps... CTQs and related primary and secondary metrics have been identified and we have already made some decent and structured progress... For starters, it helps to move from Intuition based approach to statistical measures. Senior mgmt. support and confidence are key... Just showed them the power of box plot to see the variations in AHT across my centers (Mumbai, AHM, Blr) and also further within New joiners and tenured agents. I have further drilled down to TL level... AHT is isolation was not giving a strong message. It was received well and that sets the ball rolling for releasing additional support for the cause.

VK Sir, I would still go for a false alarm rather than a missed alert. Alarms (manual / systemic) are set based on specific criteria. Based on some trend observed in past false alarms it can further be calibrated to improve the predictability. The end objective is that we do not end up in a situation that can lead to unwarranted consequences. A missed alert will lead to a negative outcome in most cases. If the alerts (control system) do consider adequate buffer it will help us to recover but not in all scenarios. While that's my preference, practical solution will depend on various factors like cost of deploying the mechanism, maintenance, criticality of process being monitored, etc.

Thats probably many organizations look at quick wins rather than fundamental changes to processes and work streams that can have long term impact.

Very useful inputs. "Data" when stitched appropriately using a logical tool / platform, gets transformed in to meaningful "information" to be used in the various facets of business.

Everyone at some point or the other would have been irritated by unsolicited sales calls or bombarded with SMSs regarding services / products. In India we have a National DND (Do Not Disturb) list to which one can 'Opt in'. Recently the government was toying with the idea of having a 'Opt Out' option here wherein people who genuinely want to get the messages / calls shall register. The idea was that not many people knew of the DND service especially in remote areas. Later on it was rejected and the 'Opt in' option was retained because of the adverse implication it would have on the ITeS Industry. The Outbound Call Center relies heavily on the database to call out and a option like this would severely impact their operations and corresponding leads. If any one is interested to opt in - Just SMS 'START DND' and send it to 1909. This has saved at least 15-20 minutes of my productive time daily in deleting these SMS or answer calls. This also reduces unnecessary interruptions in the thought process when we are busy with our tasks (Know Nuisance Factor).

Organizations and people have varied decision making approaches which evolves with time and more often than not becomes part of the organization culture or personality trait respectively. Lean Six Sigma gives that additional edge due to its scientific approach and time tested methodologies. If used in tandem within the constraints of the organizational culture to start off and slowly working towards managing the change (Change Management Cycle) it will definitely start delivering tangible value and garner more support over a period of time. This will definitely deliver results if practiced in spirit and lead to a more promising future due to clarity of vision and greater control in the progress towards achieving the key milestones.