Operations Management is over.  We haven’t received our final grades yet, but I am anxiously waiting.  They should be in sometime this week.  I am shooting for a mid-level “B”.  This was a very difficult class.  Not only was the material challenging, but the workload was like no other I’ve seen in my nearly six years of distance education.

I would like to mention that I did get a 100 on the final individual project.  This is the highest grade I’ve received on an individual project at Norwich University if my memory serves me.  The paper was about our individual workplace.  Since I manage a large call center, operations management was a great template in which to convey some of the things we’re doing where I work.

Being a very customer-centric organization, the primary strategic focus in my company is on the call center.  We have expended massive resources in terms of financial capital, human capital and operations capital to ensure constant growth in this segment of the business.  The end result is that the organization has become proficient in some areas while mastering none.  

With continued focus on customer service, customer retention, maximizing revenue growth opportunities, a revamped hiring strategy, and the embracing the lifetime value of the customer, the company can expect contact center operations continue to increase in importance and value as the cornerstone of the customer’s experience.  This will require us to take a very measured approach in every decision we make.

How a customer perceives the value of our products and services can be described as our value proposition. A value proposition goes beyond just a description of the product or service. It will encompass the true usefulness or specific benefits the product or service provides.

I pointed out that in order to achieve some of these goals, we will need to focus the following items

○ Standardize tools so every customer gets consistent and accurate solutions
○ Narrow management focus on 3-4 core responsibilities
○ Stress value disciplines at every level of the organization
○ Leverage diversity in human capital to maximize opportunity
○ Instill cultural change that will help to increase revenue and sustain growth
○ Transition cost center operations into a sustainable revenue stream

I can attribute my good grade to two things.  First, I work in an environment where ALL of the topics we covered in the class can be applied.  Second, I didn’t wait until the last minute to complete the assignment.  I started on it two weeks before it was due because I wanted to get it right.

I have found that even in distance learning where schools promote ideas like “do school work on your own time”, it’s not wise to wait until the last minute.  Even if you are an expert in the material, putting together a project that shows that expertise takes time.

You can also check out his photo blog or his LinkedIn profile.  

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