Damian Delekta[1]
QUALITY AS THE MAIN FACTOR OF COMPETITIVENESS IN SECTOR OF BANK SERVICES
,,
Quality is not all, but all
is becoming nothing without
quality”.
T.J. Peters,
R.H. Waterman
The
dynamic developing sector of financial services requires the applying through
bank enterprises the larger degree of the rules and tools of marketing more and
more, and also the whole achievement of quality methodology to manage the
growing competition. The
satisfaction needs and the expectations of
customers can be only done by guaranteeing, that the quality of working
as well as the achieved financial results are almost the same or better than in
competitive enterprises. The bank which desires to play the important part on
market of services bank, marking the main aims of its activity, cannot miss the
problem of qualitative customer's service.
Particularly, the measuring of satisfaction
level of delivered bank services is becoming a requirement.
W. H. Davidow and B. Uttala claim, that "customer's service at bank
is anything, what enlarges his/her satisfaction” [1]. S. Walukiewicz, defining the
quality in sphere of bank services, defines it as a contact between client and
contractor imported to service quality, which is the quality of service
contact. The presenting measure, if the perception, after obtainment the service
is covering itself with the customer's expectation before receipt of given
service [12]. It can be defined as
follows:
q = f (e – p)
q – quality of service
e – client expectation of suitable service
p – impression
(perception) of delivered service
f – this is
the sure made function,
assumption: where q = 1 (1 – 100%)
The quality of bank services (q) is the sure function of difference
between expectations (e) and the perception (p) of this service by client. The
drawing 1 represents the graphic interpretation of above mentioned formula.
Served customer and his/her impression (p) of service
Drawing
1 Graphic interpretation of formula q = f (e – p)
Source:
Na podstawie: S. Walukiewicz, Zarządzanie przez jakość w
bankach, materiały seminaryjne, Serock 1999
The quality in bank sector consists of four main areas of its occurrence
i.e.: [2]
-
internal
perfection of bank,
-
the effectiveness and the efficiency of bank,
-
the highest level of the customer's service at bank,
-
organizational structure of bank oriented on quality.
Every bank enterprise introducing in its organization qualitative
orientation (i.e. the received strategy of quality, the plans of quality,
circle of quality etc.),can in no case belittle human factor, remembering about
it as fundamental element in process building the full success of orientation
on quality. R. D. Buzell and B. T. Gale on basis of conducted investigations
affirmed, that the quality of bank service has direct influence on profits of
bank, and also it is an important element in the remunerativeness strategy of
bank [3]. Therefore, the quality of
service is the key element of strategy of profit bank enterprise [7]. The main
criteria of bank customers, which are
used in the aim of qualification of level quality bank services, are first of all i.e.: [5].
–
tangibles, that is the assurance of features of
reality for the given service ( eg. as
a computer equipment), the personnel and the material centres of communication
– responsiveness, it is
understood as a will of help to the customers and the readiness to serving them
in a fast and effective way
– reliability, it is an
ability to unfailing and exact realization of promised service („Never promise
it, what you cannot keep”. „Do not sell empty slogans” – E .W. Deming)
– assurance, it is
comprehended as an expertness and a politeness of personnel as well as its
ability to awakening of the customer's confidence
– empathy, the need of showing a concern for customer , the skill
of individual approach to every customer.
Bank enterprises, taking into account in their strategy working
pro-client policy, should consider in
it the conception of TQM, use the
qualitative engineering of value and initiate the standards of services quality [11]. It is worthy of note the fact
of functioning of the ISO 9004:2000 norm, which is closely
connected with financial services. It defines the management of the quality and
the elements of quality system - the guidelines for services. As a part of the
norm, once can show, that the bank is in full control of service offered for
customers. The ISO 9004:2000 also gives the possibility of controlling and
improving procedures, which in reality are distracted. Once can
notice here the sure similarity of norm ISO 9004:2000 to TQM in a behavioural area, with regard to
perception of the man's part in building process and the initiation of process of quality as well
as to satisfying the customer's needs and his expectations [6].
The quality service, which worker serves his
customers, is the one of the most important instruments beside advantages of
products , capable of attracting
new customer and encourage him to co-operation. Because just not someone else,
as only the ,, good'' personnel of bank
determine the success of
the whole organization, without it will not survive even the best
organizational structure in conditions
of free competition, therefore, it is a
key to success [9]. The workers are the platform joining the plans and the firm
assumption with their implementation and realization. An image of bank is
depended on them, which is builded for years. They with their attitude,
professionalism and determination have been making the plans of sale and
making, from among many banks, the customers are choosing only this bank at
which they work.
The implementation of quality system in bank enterprises is always associated with economic results, the structural changes as well
as with changes of the workers' attitudes [13]. Benefits resulting from structural changes during the implementation, once can submitted
the several examples of bank enterprises. And e.g.: the implementation
the improvement programme of quality in the Lloyds Bank in Great Britain was
concerning with the delegating the headquarters authorizations to branches,
which in effect was caused the quicker workers decisiveness [10]. Similar
changes were implemented in the First Bank in northern Karolina, which caused,
that the managers can reward the workers of direct service (font the office)
with the immediate financial bonuses for "good quality” of the customer's
service.[4] Economic-financial advantages from implementation of qualitative policy
caused e.g. in the American
Express Bank the fall of
coefficient of mistakes appearing in international money transfers in first six
months till 35%, the reduction of number of mistakes in the interbank
transactions about 50% and overtime of
work in the department of Treasury Operations fells about 53%. The costs
of economy in scale of year were in $ 4 million, however in the First Chicago
NBD Corporation in the result of implementation programme of quality
improvement, savings are from 7
to $ 10 million. It is worth to notice, that the next helping element in the
implementation process of improvement of quality after TQM and the norms of
ISO, it can be the also qualitative engineering of value. It is then the "open" method, which deals with
the constructing or building of the
bank value , applying the strategy of quality. To the most important elements
of this method we can rate: [5]
- the costs of quality which identify the factors having influence
on costs of quality , and not their reduction
- organizational changes which are understood as one of components
enabling the efficient implementation
of improvement quality system
- customer's service is treated as
one continuous process depends
on the continuous improvements as a
result of pro-qualitative actions, but not
only as an aim itself.
The qualitative engineering of value is directed on long-term operations
similarly as the TQM, which are aimed at the improvement of financial results
of bank enterprise. This method is combining with enlightening on customer,
which extorts the services of high quality in relation to him, and also
applying flattened and turned organizational structure, which improvement or
change will results quicker and more efficient implication of the works aiming
in direction of quality [2]. Noraki Akao, compared the process of formation of
quality and its methodology to the
building – House of Quality (this method is well-known as the " Quality
Function Deployment” – QFD) [14], which can
come to nothing, when it will be a lack of one element. The most
important element of every conception of level quality improvement, it is
and will be the human factor, which is
the main if not the most important factor in processes of quality formation
initiated through bank enterprises. It
worth to point out that manageress does not treat personnel as a fundamental
factor conditioning the success of orientation implementation to quality, but
exclusively as performers settled and confirmed process operations. The
manageress in bank enterprises personnel should be aware, that this on their
rests task, and every worker could think and do as if the whole bank would
belong to him, in accordance with the statement
of Peter Drucker that "every organization is the shadow of its leader” [8]. In the aim of achievement of certain
„perfection" degree , which determine the TQM philosophy, in the
management is possible to use the different ways of implementation process of
quality improvement, which in their operations have to consider the human
factor, to reach appointed aim which is the improvement of quality. Once can introduce in graphic form (drawing 2).
TQM
Drawing 2 The human factor in the process of
quality improvement in bank enterprise
Source: Own study.
The whole process
of the complex implementation of
quality system in bank enterprise will
not be effective, if participating people in this process will not begin to
feel on themselves effects of the quality improvement (e.g.: the better
rewards, better conditions of work etc.) and the personnel location in activity
of enterprise in the first place in notable way would can contribute to the
effective improvement of bank services quality .
Summary
The
sector of financial services requires the applying through bank enterprises the
rules and tools of marketing more and more, and also the whole property of
quality methodology to manage a growing competition. The satisfaction needs
and the expectations of customers can
be made only by guaranteeing that the quality of operation and the
achieved financial results are almost the same or better, than in competitive
enterprises. The bank enterprise, which desires to play the important part on
the market of bank services, cannot skip the problem of qualitative customer's
service. Particularly, when the measuring
the degree of satisfaction from the level of delivered services becomes
the requirement, being the main factor in the fight against the competition.
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