Case Study: Operational Plans and Implementation

Refer to the "Jazzy Nails Salon"' Background Scenario provided in Assessment Task 1.

Additional Scenario

The business is not performing according to the business plan, so you focus on observing operations in the first few weeks of working at Jazzy Nails. It doesn't take long to notice Nail Technicians are regularly losing more client appointments than you think is reasonable. The Nail Technicians tell you clients often postpone at the last minute or simply don't turn up. This concerns you as many of those gaps could have been filled by other clients, if given some notice. Even worse, sometimes one Nail Technician is left with nothing to do and wasting time, whilst her colleague is over-booked.

On closer scrutiny, you find that the salon lacks a standard process for scheduling and confirming appointments. Appointments are still being manually entered into individual paper diaries and there is no system where they can view the entire team's schedules. You know that other successful Nail Salons use computer-driven systems to manage their appointment scheduling systems, and that these are assessable on mobile devices.

Your concern is to optimise business performance and it will be important for the entire team to embrace this change.

This process of improvement will mean setting some new operational targets, performance measures, and developing strategies for innovation. Performance will then have to be measured for improvement, and a plan established for researching new business opportunities as the salon's service quality improves.

Requirements

Part A: Business Performance Improvement and Innovation

For the purpose of this assessment, we will assume that all targets and performance measures you set will conform to the business plan.

Based on the appointment scenario described above and all the issues described, your goal is to develop an innovative new appointment scheduling system that facilitates all goals for efficiencies and new business opportunities. To do this:

1. Provide an analysis of the business problems and their implications to the business, as described in the above scenario. Develop a set of operational targets and performance measures that address all the issues and will achieve the desired outcomes. You may use the following framework in your planning:
- Describe the intended operational results; select and define how each goal will be measured; set performance targets.

2. Research the internet for a suitable technology appointment management system which the team can share and use on mobile devices. Outline your strategies for innovation that will achieve the intended results from appointment scheduling and optimize business performance. Develop these strategies into an action plan that clearly and coherently directs staff in implementation of a quality system and achieves the business goals and objectives.

3. Describe how you will go about monitoring operational performance and the achievement of targets through the new appointment management system.

4. Conduct further research into appointment management systems that offer extra features, such as a customer portal and mobile messaging. Identify new advantages these offer and therefore what new business opportunities and improvements the practice could benefit from adopting them.

5. Describe what adjustments you will make to how the team operates for this technology solution to achieve the intended outcomes.

Part B: Quality Customer Service Systems and Legislation

When customers seek professional services they have expectations for time, cost and quality. When a business goes the extra mile and provides little extras to make their experience better, it builds trust, loyalty, and can lead to new business opportunities such as referrals. Consider how providing quality service can add an extra dimension of business-development, and:

1. Develop a comprehensive Appointment Policy and Procedure to establish a quality system for meeting the expectations and requirements of customers as described in Part A, specifically through utilizing the new technology solution. Save the Policy into a Word document and label it "Appointment Policy and Procedures".

2. Research the particular legal, ethical, cultural, and technical standards relevant to a Nail Salon.
a. List at least two examples of such legal, ethical, cultural and technical standards and provide a brief explanation of their purpose and importance to the operations of the salon.

b. Explain what strategies you will use to monitor that all staff practise these standards.

3.
a. Design and produce a ‘customer survey' that is in line with industry standards, compliance requirements and cultural criteria, where customers can rate their satisfaction in all aspects of service that you designed in Assessment 2 tasks. Ensure you include every point of contact, from the initial appointment through to timeliness of appointment and any service quality issues encountered by the customer.

b. Develop an action plan for the use of the new customer surveys that addresses;
- The purpose and importance to the business to conduct customer surveys (business plan, operational targets etc.).
- How the survey is in line with industry standards, compliance requirements and cultural criteria.
- The implementation process for the surveys.
- How and when survey responses with be gathered and analysed.
- How any identified operational problems will be addressed (identifying root causes and suitable corrective actions).
- How corrective actions will be implemented and monitored. Refer to compliance with any relevant legislation.
- How any necessary changes identified from the survey results that will lift the business' performance in delivering service with regard to time, cost and quality, and customer requirements should be included into the ‘Appointment Policy and Procedures'.
- A review process to evaluate the effect the customer surveys and corrective actions have made to the business's operational targets.

4. Review the "Appointment Policy and Procedures" document and add a contingency procedure that provides for unexpected disruptions such as a Nail Technician suddenly not available. Also add into the Policy a sentence stating the reason for adding this contingency procedure, with regard to quality service and business performance.

Part C: Effective Staffing

1. There is a strong relationship between clarity of expectations and the prospect for development in a role, and a staff member's commitment and productivity. Present a detailed Job Description including compensation and benefits within budget for a Nail Technician of 1-2 years' experience in your industry sector who is being recruited into the practice described in the scenario provided. Include role, responsibilities and traits that would help fit the prospective candidates to the values and culture of the business. Use the internet to research appropriate compensation. Ensure you do not breach any anti- discrimination legislation in your description, and provide a note and reference to this effect.

2. The Salon provided describes two fulltime and two part-time Nail Technicians working in the practice. The number of staff had been achieved to meet the goal and objectives of the business.

However, two of the team live some distance from the salon and the productivity of these staff is now suffering, which is affecting revenue, and in turn the business' viability.

As operational manager, you are beginning to question the current working model, which has required all staff to operate solely from the facility. Present options to adjust the current staffing plan that will resolve the productivity problem and return the business to viability, including technology that could facilitate that, and provide your reasoning.