Apply 5 in a transactional service or process
In a service process, the client is usually waiting at a counter, on the other side of the phone call, walking around their islands, observing their business. In a transaction process, the customer usually visits your website, browse your products and services, and interact with technology. Services and transactions interact in today’s world with increasing complexity. A low customer wait time can be a competitive advantage, greater usability with simple graphical user interfaces can be the difference between browsing and a sale.
5s is a method used in Lean Six Sigma that has been shown to add value time and time again. I will demonstrate each Step of 5 with a Service and Transaction process.
Sort – Sort an area by what’s needed, when it’s needed, in just the right amount. In a Service process, we can sort products on a shelf in just the right amount to meet customer demand for 1 week, 1 day or less, while others can be moved to lower demand areas. In a transaction process, we could order the most demanded products in the user’s main view, without distractions to take anywhere other than the checkout line.
Tidying up or straightening is setting up an area with just the right amount of items needed to perform tasks in that area. For example, in a service process, where coffee and donuts are sold, a customer can use an installation area for cream, milk, sugar, chocolate, napkins, stirrers, covers, coffee binders, straws, etc. In a Transaction process, where a request or form is completed, the fields would be structured in the order in which the information would be entered.
Brightness or Sweep: Now that the service or transaction area has moved all the low-demand or low-frequency items so that only the high-demand items are located, then we clean the area. In a Service process, we could paint, wash the area, add lighting, clean the floors, and fix anything broken. In a transaction process, we could highlight the area that the user’s eyes should focus on, offer helpful examples or references, eliminate any clutter that may confuse the user when completing the transaction, and reduce the number of steps a transaction can take. .
To standardize is to stabilize with process controls. The visual controls work very well, but the best approach is Poke-Yoke, also called fail-safe, where the opportunity for a defect to occur has been eliminated. In a service process, we could add labels, add wheels for easy movement, set up a refueling signal to replenish supplies, set up a daily checklist to ensure the area is standard. In a transaction process, we could add input masks to fields, use search fields for standard input options, use colors and visual cues to increase usability.
Keeping profit is all about controlling processes so continuous improvement progresses rather than rambling on financial and operational metrics. In a Service process, a schedule and checklist is often assigned to the entire team, standard operating procedures are sometimes used for training, and metrics are often used with simple performance scores in red, yellow, and green. Metrics, usability tests with post-maintenance checks or updates that would affect a change in a transaction, and performance tests are also used in a transaction process.
Safety, service, and protection are often verified in all five phases. The 5 in service and transaction process save time, rework, reduce defects, less waiting, less searches and increase sales.