Measuring Quality

Quality Indicators

Let's take a look at the types of indicators measuring quality.

Measuring product quality in business

Quality is a term commonly used by consumers, producers and supervisors. However, it is very general and denotes different things to different people. If two individuals describe a product as 'good quality', they might mean different things.

The quality of any product can be catalogued into distinctive groups:

• Performance: the operating characteristics of any product are generally quantifiable. For example, a car's fuel consumption or the capacity of a hard disk drive in a computer.

• Features: extra characteristics that will boost the product/service attraction to the user. For example, internet services on a phone.

• Dependability: the expectation that a product will not crash within a particular time period. For example, the number of defects happening in a car within one year of use.

• Conformity: the accuracy with which the product fulfils the defined standards.

• Durability: quantifies the duration of any product’s life, for example, 15-25 years of the useful life of a vehicle.

• Serviceable: pace with which the product can be serviced when there is a breakdown.

• Appearance: this signifies an individual’s liking of the product aesthetically. For instance, the way an individual reacts to the look, feel, etc of a vehicle.

• Conceived quality: it is the quality attached to a product/service on the basis of intangible measures, for example, brand reputation.

With the help of these categories, it becomes easier to identify and measure product quality.

Measuring service quality in business

Services are typically intangible and hard to measure. Service organisations measure quality using the categories:

• Dependability: the capability to deliver a promised service reliably and accurately. For example, the actual availability of a seat after you have booked an airline ticket.

• Receptiveness: readiness to assist customers to deliver quick service, the time taken to respond to a complaint and overall efficiency.

• Competence: having the required skills and knowledge to deliver a service.

• Courteousness: respect, friendliness, and civility of the person dealing with customers.

• Integrity: the trustworthiness, reliability, and sincerity of the service provider.

• Accessibility: availability and ease with which a customer can contact the service provider.

• Communication: the ability to listen and acknowledge comments that are given by customers and the willingness to keep customers sufficiently informed.

These areas allow organisations to determine what should be measured in service departments. Every service organisation has to implement these features into their definite service dimensions and then choose the most suitable ones linked to their particular services, then develop a method to measure itself against its rivals.

­­How should quality be measured? Measurement of quality, Pixabay.com

Once the company understands what its customers want and how they perceive quality, it can learn the best approach for measuring quality and increasing customer satisfaction. Organisations can measure quality components such as the number of products being returned, the failure rate, complaints by customers, customer loyalty, and retention.

Measuring the quality of inputs, procedures, the finished product/service, and the opinions of customers, can be done by using the following steps:

Step 1: Outline the significant characteristics and their measurement

The organisation should emphasise those characteristics most associated with customer quality, and include the main problem items.

Step 2: Establish criteria for those characteristics

The standards established should correlate to the quality threshold that drives change. Standards are ineffective if they are set higher than required without improving quality.

Step 3: Control and regulate the process in order to meet the criteria

Testing each product can be costly in comparison to testing samples. Examining samples can be a useful and efficient way of finding problems in the product.

Step 4: Spotting errors at the correct time

If there are errors at the initial stages in a process that are not noticed until a more advanced stage, the work done between these stages is wasted.

Step 5: Monitoring procedures in order to deliver quality

Everyday control of the processes will be useful for avoiding issues and can be caught when they occur. This will lower risk and increase profits. Once the organisation has selected quality metrics it can then plan the processes in order to fulfil the standards while being efficient at the same time.