When is Six Sigma Six Sigma?

Posted by: meikah | 8 November 2007 | 10:35 pm

I’ve just finished reading an article on ICMI titled “What Does Six Sigma Really Mean for Call Centers?”

Peter Bloom, president of Customer Operations Performance Center Inc. (COPC), one of the few organizations that offers call center Six Sigma training and certification, says,“Most call centers are operating between 1 and 1.5 Sigma, and those that have adopted the Six Sigma methodology are striving to develop from 1 to 1. 5, 1.5 to 2 and 2.5 to 3 Sigma. There is no company in the call center space or in the service space that is really working toward achieving processes with a Six Sigma outcome, and that’s because we don’t have to be that good. We’re not building rocket ships where peoples’ lives are at stake, so you don’t have to have that level of performance.”

Rather what call centers do is adhere to the principles of the Six Sigma methodology, that is using metrics to measure and drive performance, the companies are able to focus on continuous improvement, very process-oriented, and very focused on the customer requirements.

That’s what Ilene Lustigman, Director of Customer Service, NCCI, is also doing for her company, which right now is benefitting the company a lot. They follow the DMAIC and incorporate it to their QMS methodology. So it’s not entirely Six Sigma, but their quality management system is DMAIC dominated.

So let me go back to my original question: When is Six Sigma Six Sigma?

*Photo from Stock.Xchng

 Filed under: Six Sigma Organizations, Software/Technology, Deployment, Call Center/BPO, DMAIC, Six Sigma | |