Service quality monitoring by performance indicators: a proposal for a structured methodology

The evaluation of service quality is usually carried out using a suitable set of Performance Indicators (PIs). In general, the development of a proper set of PIs is a fundamental prerequisite to monitor organisation or process performances. Many conceptual models have been proposed in the literature. The question is how to make these models operative. This paper aims to describe a structured methodology to identify a set of PIs for service quality monitoring. First, the service is mapped in order to identify its main activities. Then, the Quality Function Deployment (QFD) methodology is applied. Relations between the service quality determinants and the corresponding indicators are established and analysed. The monitoring of a service often implies the definition of large PI sets. To make quicker indicators analyses and process anomalies identification, a subset of the most critical PIs is selected (Performance Dashboard). This subset is used for the earliest monitoring of the system. In this paper, different selection techniques are proposed and compared. The methodology has been experimentally tested on a Help Desk (HD) service. The obtained results are proposed and discussed.