Customer service definition

A more recent variant of the value chain is the services value chain. Definitions vary, but in general they refer to optimizing after-sales service situations—right across the service supply chain. The service supply chain was seen as one that, over time, delivered the fully collaborative state of low inventories, efficient planning, and high customer service levels. This may have included all planning, movement, and repair of materials activities to enable after-sales support of products (de Waart Kemper, 2004 de Waart, 2003 Poole, 2003). 

Flexibility specifications are imperative because they drive the design of supply chain processes and shape collaboration with supply chain partners. Static specifications are not acceptable the Upton method makes possible definition of ranges of operations and expectations for customer service. Also, many CEOs seek some kind of visual cockpit for their operations. One based on defined flexibility parameters such as those in the example is an excellent start. 

Companies deliver products and services in response to the customer demand. In order to produce and deliver products, companies procure services and materials from their partners. As a result, a partnership network of the companies is established. The main characteristics of the network are (1) the flow of products starting with materials used in production to the ready to use end-products, (2) the flow of information about customer demand and coordination of production and delivery activities, and (3) dependence of all companies involved in the network on satisfaction of the end-customers. The definition below captures all three aforementioned facets of supply chains ... 

To be effective these standards must be defined by the customers themselves. This requires customer research and competitive benchmarking studies to be conducted so that an objective definition of customer service for each market segment may be identified. 

The introduced fuzzy model computes the required components for the definition of the logistics customer service-revenue curve. The calculation includes a standardization of logistics customer service, by operationalizing into the four service factors lead time, delivery quality, reliability and flexibility. This ensures comparability due to widely different comprehensions of logistics customer service widely in practice and theory. Furthermore, the model considers external factors ftom a company s perspective in terms of industry characteristics, as well as customer s and competitor s reactions to alterations in logistics customer service. 

From these simple statements of need you need to gather more information and turn the requirement into a definitive specification. Sometimes you can satisfy your customer with an existing product or service, but when this is not possible you need to resort to designing one to meet the customer s particular needs, whether the customer be a specific customer or the market in general. 

The definition of nonconformity in ISO 8402 states that it is the nonfulfillment of specified requirements therefore a nonconforming product is one that does not conform to the specified requirements. Specified requirements are either requirements prescribed by the customer and agreed by the supplier in a contract for products or services, or are requirements prescribed by the supplier which are perceived as satisfying a market need. This limits the term nonconformity to situations where you have failed to meet customer requirements. However, ISO 8402 1987 suggests that nonconformity also applies to the absence of one or more quality system elements, but clearly the requirements of clause 4.13 cannot be applied to nonconformity with quality s /stem requirements. Both ISO 9001 and ISO 9004 only address nonconformity in the context of products, processes, and services and when addressing quality system elements the term deficiencies is used. Some auditors use the term nonconformity to describe a departure from the requirements of ISO 9001 but it would be preferable if they chose the term noncompliance to avoid any confusion. The requirements of clause 4.13 therefore only apply to products, processes, and services and not to activities, quality system elements, or procedures. 

The corrective action requirements fail to stipulate when corrective action should be taken except to say that they shall be to a degree appropriate to the risks encountered. There is no compulsion for the supplier to correct nonconformities before repeat production or shipment of subsequent product. However, immediate correction is not always practical. You should base the timing of your corrective action on the severity of the nonconformities. All nonconformities are costly to the business, but correction also adds to the cost and should be matched to the benefits it will accrue (see later under Risks). Any action taken to eliminate a nonconformity before the customer receives the product or service could be considered a preventive action. By this definition, final inspection is a preventive action because it should prevent the supply of nonconforming product to the customer. However, an error becomes a nonconformity when detected at any acceptance stage in the process, as indicated in clause 4.12 of the standard. Therefore an action taken to eliminate a potential nonconformity prior to an acceptance stage is a preventive action. This rules out any inspection stages as being preventive action measures - they are detection measures only. 

Commercial Testing. The commercial test lab is by definition, in the business of testing. The satisfaction of its customers is paramount. Quality service and responsiveness holds old customers and attracts new ones. Getting dependable data fast is important, but here cost is critical. In a competitive market, the ability of LIMS to bring down the effective cost per test means more profit and/or the ability to keep or increase one s market share by lowering prices. 

The definition starts by pointing out the service-oriented character of the ChL business model. This is linked to the innovative shift in payment basis from product based payments to payments based on functional units. The extended producer responsibility referred to in the definition results from the ownership of the chemical not being transferred from the supplier to its customer. Remaining the owner of the chemical, the supplier is responsible for... 

When an excipient distributor is sourcing a material for a user for the first time or even for subsequent orders on a nonstock item, a key element of information that must be communicated to the user is the availability of the excipient and the time it will take between when an order is placed and when the excipient is actually delivered to the user site. The definition of availability can be variable, especially if the distributor happens to represent international excipient makers, who may have the material in stock overseas, requiring additional lead times of anywhere from two to eight weeks, depending on the service of the supplier and customs, and, now as a result of the Bioterrorism Act, FDA intervention with entry into the United States. 

The official definition of quality is, the totality of features and characteristics of a product or service that bear upon its ability to satisfy stated or implied needs (ISO 8402). Well-planned design is one of the major contributing factors to achieving quality within a product or service. It is therefore necessary to carefully control critical elements of a company s documentation system with particular reference to each phase of design in order to ensure that the effects on the end products or services are not disastrous and are based on customer requirements. 

The only way to avoid this is by strict analysis of the supply chain from the customer order to final product delivery. Definition of the optimized (theoretical) process and sequential work towards a high service level approach allow the identification of gaps, and of opportunities which might not always be the cheapest (ship versus train versus plane) but could be the most effective way to reduce capital costs and shorten planning scope - an important aspect, especially in volatile customer markets with long production processes on the (chemical) supplier side. As in the case of CIP, this needs clear parameters, KPIs, commitment from all players, and regular tracking. The most important parameters are the lead time for all products, optimal lot sizes, replenishment points, and safety inventories. 

The fourth major section of the business plan is the operational structure and processes. In brief, this section describes how the program will be run. This section of the document should provide details on how the service will be provided and by whom—in other words, the work processes that will occur. It should include information on how customers will interface with the program. The organizational structure, number and types of employees, and equipment and other resources used in operation of the program should be described. This section should also include definitions of the regulatory, clinical, and quality requirements that may be applicable to the business and a description of how these requirements will be met. 

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