Developing a customer-focused approach (DaCfA)

• Main Author: Dack, Peter Robert
• Other Authors: Reed, Deborah Margaret ; Kaye, Michael Marshall
• Published: University of Portsmouth 2014
• Subjects: 658.8; Business and Management
• Online Access: http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.658648

The themes of poor communication, lack of measurement and erratic supply-chain performance are common issues that we either encounter in our every-day working life, or have read about in our professional journals. In 2001 a large business within Case X initiated a programme to tackle a number of these issues by embarking on a mission to improve internal service quality which eventually led to a sizeable number of ServQual activities across a wide-range of services engaging in excess of 2,000 individuals. A common theme seen during this programme were that departments had difficulty describing who their customers were, the services they provided to those customers, coupled with this was a lack of measurement of the attributes that were or thought to be import to the customer. This eventually led to the research into a toolset that can assist organisations to understand the supply-chain that they operate within. The toolset is styled, Developing a Customer-focused Approach (DaCfA) a Model and Toolset (suite of matrices and templates) designed to capture and facilitate the review supply-chain information. This Research takes the DaCfA Model, and Toolset developed within Case X, and through a suite of case studies applies both to inside and outside the Case X environment as well as in the internal and external supply-chain. This Research shows that the DaCfA Model and Toolset have made a valuable contribution to knowledge. Research, enhanced by literature identified a number of themes (referred to as Theoretical Themes) that were observed within business units undertaking DaCfA activities, these themes were independently observed within the write-ups of the case studies that participated in this Research. The Research concludes that the research aim and objectives were fully achieved and the following contribution to knowledge concerning:  The DaCfA Model  The DaCfA Toolset, specifically around the: o Customer/supplier interfaces and relationships o Measurement definition  A set of themes (styled Theoretical Themes) that are readily observed within organisations undertaking a Customer-focused activity.