A QFD strategy for improving customer satisfaction: case study of telecom companies of Pakistan

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to argue that the quality function deployment (QFD) matrix that has been successfully used for developing products from customer needs can also be applied to improve the service quality of telecommunication companies.Design/methodology/approach – The paper presents a case study of the two big telecom companies (Ufone and Mobilink) of Pakistan. Data have been collected by a cross‐sectional field study of users, frontline employees and management of telecom companies. The QFD matrix has been applied to identify customer needs, to do comparative analysis of the prepaid services of these companies and to recommend the suitable measure for incorporating these requirements into their services.Findings – It has been found that through emphasizing two technical descriptors (Antennas and Base Station Controller System), a company will not only be in a competitive position to meet the customer's demand but will also gain an advantage over its competitor.Research limitations/im...

[1]  Andrew Robson,et al.  TQM enablers and business sustainability: An empirical study of the service sector in the North East of England , 2002 .

[2]  K. Bhat,et al.  An empirical study of barriers to TQM implementation in Indian industries , 2009 .

[3]  Jitendra K. Sharma,et al.  Quality Function Deployment in Business Case Studies , 2006 .

[4]  James R. Evans,et al.  Total Quality: Management, Organization, and Strategy , 1993 .

[5]  Cemal Zehir,et al.  Investigating the effects of innovation and employee performance on the relationship between total quality management practices and firm performance: An empirical study of Turkish firms , 2010 .

[6]  Danuta de Grosbois,et al.  Impact of TQM on company's performance , 2009 .

[7]  J. Dean,et al.  MANAGEMENT THEORY AND TOTAL QUALITY: IMPROVING RESEARCH AND PRACTICE THROUGH THEORY DEVELOPMENT , 1994 .

[8]  Thong Ngee Goh,et al.  Advanced Qfd Applications , 2003 .

[9]  E. Aspinwall,et al.  Quality function deployment: An empirical study in the UK , 2001 .

[10]  Evan Vlachos,et al.  The dynamics of technical controversy , 1981 .

[11]  Juan José Tarí,et al.  The relationship between quality management practices and their effects on quality outcomes , 2007, Eur. J. Oper. Res..

[12]  H. Eriksson,et al.  The impact of TQM on financial performance , 2002 .

[13]  A Ben,et al.  USING QFD TO INTEGRATE THE VOICE OF THE CUSTOMER INTO THE ACADEMIC PLANNING PROCESS , 2009 .

[14]  Suleiman K. Kassicieh,et al.  Training, performance evaluation, rewards, and TQM implementation success , 1998 .

[15]  Joseph Moses Juran.  Juran on planning for quality , 1988 .

[16]  Thomas Foster S. Thomas Foster.  Managing Quality: Integrating the Supply Chain , 2006 .

[17]  Peter E.D. Love,et al.  Sustaining TQM through self-directed work teams , 2002 .

[18]  A. K. Kochha,et al.  A Quality Function Deployment Approach to Performance Measurement and Benchmarking in Manufacturing Control Systems , 1998 .

[19]  Impact of Total Quality Management (TQM) on Profitability and Efficiency of Baldridge Award Winners , 2007 .

[20]  J. Tarí.  Components of successful total quality management , 2005 .

[21]  A. Parasuraman.  Customer service in business‐to‐business markets: an agenda for research , 1998 .

[22]  Keng-Boon Ooi,et al.  Does TQM influence employees' job satisfaction? An empirical case analysis , 2007 .

[23]  Kenneth M. York,et al.  Causation or covariation: An empirical re-examination of the link between TQM and financial performance , 2004 .

[24]  Donna C. S. Summers.  Quality Management: Creating and Sustaining Organizational Effectiveness , 2004 .

[25]  Elaine Aspinwall,et al.  Total quality management implementation frameworks: Comparison and review , 2000 .

[26]  Monica J. Parzinger.  A stage‐wise application of total quality management through the product life cycle , 1997 .

[27]  Masahiro Miyagawa,et al.  An empirical study of TQM practices in Japanese‐owned manufacturers in China , 2005 .

[28]  Fatemeh Zahedi,et al.  Quality Information Systems , 1994, Encyclopedia of Information Systems.

[29]  Satish Mehra,et al.  Implementing total quality management with a focus on enhancing customer satisfaction , 2008 .

[30]  Joseph C. Chen,et al.  QFD-based Technical Textbook Evaluation - Procedure and a Case Study , 2002 .

[31]  Yoram Reich,et al.  Improving the Rationale Capture Capability of QFD , 2000, Engineering with Computers.

[32]  Arash Shahin,et al.  Integration of CRM and QFD , 2008 .

[33]  P. Sagar Midha,et al.  A QFD based methodology for evaluating a company's PDM requirements for collaborative product development , 2001, Ind. Manag. Data Syst..

[34]  Owen Molloy,et al.  A QFD based performance measurement tool , 1997 .

[35]  Abby Ghobadian,et al.  TQM and CSR nexus , 2007 .

[36]  Victoria Konidari,et al.  From TQM to learning organisation , 2006 .

[37]  Ming-Lu Wu,et al.  Quality function deployment: A literature review , 2002, Eur. J. Oper. Res..

[38]  K. B. Hendricks,et al.  Firm characteristics, total quality management, and financial performance , 2001 .

[39]  Daniel Ferro,et al.  Design and evaluation with the human in mind , 2001 .

[40]  Zahir Irani,et al.  A framework for managing maintenance using performance measurement systems , 2001 .

[41]  Hale Kaynak,et al.  The relationship between total quality management: practices and their effects on firm performance , 2003 .

[42]  Vincent G. Duffy,et al.  Total quality management: An empirical test for mediation effect , 2001 .

[43]  Adnan Hassan,et al.  Issues in quality engineering research , 2000 .

[44]  Roger G. Schroeder,et al.  The importance of recruitment and selection process for sustainability of total quality management , 2002 .