As water utilities struggle to deal with tough issues of long-term drought,
increasingly stringent regulations, public concerns about water quality and a host of other
challenges, there is real value in taking the time to understand and improve the business and
service delivery processes of the organization. Creating a comfortable and safe environment for
dialogue among employees who know and perform the tasks which take the process from point
A to point B or C is critical to gathering the information needed. Unfortunately, many utility
managers find themselves too busy to undertake the mapping or they delegate the task to a
staff member and don't follow-up to monitor progress. Time passes and the mapping moves
down on the list of priorities. This tends to be the reason that a consultant and/or customer
service coach is brought in to facilitate the project.
Facilitating meetings of employees to map processes that cross department boundaries
challenges old ways of doing things and fosters dialogue to explore opportunities to improve.
Along the way, procedures are reviewed, omissions are caught and greater consistency in best
practices is achieved.
This paper includes examples of two utilities that learned the value of mapping their
business processes, which allowed them to improve operations and provide more responsive
and improved service to customers.
| Edition : | Vol. - No. |
| File Size : | 1
file
, 730 KB |
| Note : | This product is unavailable in Ukraine, Russia, Belarus |
| Number of Pages : | 3 |
| Published : | 11/01/2009 |
