APR project leads to more efficient ice-cream service
So here’s the scoop: The lines were too long at the Memorial Union’s ice-cream shop, and there was a feeling that there had to be a better way to get Babcock ice cream in customers’ hands.
Members of an Administrative Process Redesign team take notes as the group uses kaizen — a highly focused process-improvement approach first developed in Japan that is aimed at resolving an observable, repeatable problem in a short time. Here they studied the Daily Scoop ice cream-serving operation at the Memorial Union.
Photo: Jeff Miller
So officials turned to a Japanese problem-solving technique called kaizen to help improve customer service and ensure that Mad Grad Medley and Badger Blast moved efficiently into cones and dishes at The Daily Scoop.
A team of seven individuals recently deployed the technique — they believe for the first time on campus — as part of an Administrative Process Redesign (APR) project and came up with what they hope are some sweet results.
“Babcock ice cream is a beloved institution for our customers, and we want people to have better access to it,” says Carl Korz, the Union’s dining services director. “Kaizen is providing us the tools to make things work better.”
Wisconsin Union staff recognized that, due to the historical nature of the Union, reconfiguring the space is not an option. Earlier, they tried a number of changes, but none resulted in the kind of customer improvement they were seeking.
Kaizen is a highly focused tool for improving processes. Loosely translated, kaizen means “small change for the better.” It is often used in processes that are narrow in scope and that involve easily observed and repeatable actions — like serving customers at an ice-cream shop.
Kaizen is a quick-strike tool, where observation leads to speedy analysis and solutions. The team observed the scoopers, the customer and the process of lining up in a somewhat cramped counter in the Union.
“Team members must make a decision on the spot about what actions we’ll take immediately, so the makeup of the team is critical,” says Dan Koetke, a training officer with the APR project. “We want to think with the mindset of action, instead of planning. The goal is to figure out what we can implement in 24 hours.”
A day’s observation and quick interviews with cone-eating customers and scooping employees led to a report that outlined a number of improvements that could be made during the next 90 days.
Some immediate changes involved using signage to better direct confused customers from the ice-cream line to the adjacent deli line, make trays available for large orders and better communicating waiting times to customers.
Some new signage has been installed, and the cash register was moved from the tight quarters near where the ice cream was served to a few steps away and out of the flow of customers.
In the longer run, the team also suggested revisiting ice-cream pricing to charge one price for all ice cream, instead of a premium and regular price; standardizing employee apparel; working with recurring large groups to make busy times more predictable; relocating two nearby automated-teller machines; and installing fans and a television monitor to better display customer choices and allow them to make decisions earlier.
The team hopes the results will get those frosty treats into customers’ hands sooner, improve sales and leave both employees and customers happy.
“I hope it will provide us with the momentum to make changes that result in better customer satisfaction,” says Korz. “I like this technique from a lot of levels. I’m a customer service geek.”
APR, which began in the spring of 2007, has brought the expertise of people closest to the daily tasks together to find ways to improve work processes. For more information about the project, visit the Admistrative Process Redesign website.