近年來服務業占產業比重不斷攀升,然而服務過程隱藏許多不易察覺的流程問題;此外科技技術日新月異,各種服務方式因應科技變遷而生,相對地企業在與顧客的互動與維繫上也日漸困難。顧客是為企業帶來價值的重要要素,因此縮短服務流程與顧客等待時間,藉由改善生產流程以減少各項浪費,才能與顧客共同創造價值,提升顧客滿意度,並為企業帶來實質獲利。過去有關流程改善的方法多用於製造生產上,在服務業上的討論屬於少數,本研究利用Womack et. al.提出的「精實」概念進行服務業消費部分的流程改善研究,探討合併消費溪流與供給溪流的服務流程架構,與精實後的溪流圖之建立,同時以保健型機能性食品產業為例,訪談的方式與實務做驗證,於文章中提出適用於服務業之精實溪流,並以不同角度與指標檢視精實溪流,以求模式之完整,期望能同時為顧客與企業帶來實際貢獻。
The proportion of service sector to all industries has been growing in recent years. Service itself has some distinct characteristics such as invisibility, difficulty to store, and timeliness, etc., which may hide a lot of problems in the processes and the problems are also difficult to be found. In addition, with fast technological changes in the methods of service, it is harder for service companies maintaining good interaction with customers. However, the customers are the key element of value to the enterprises, so shorter process time, and improved production process in order to reduce all kinds of waste create the value for both the customers by improving customer satisfaction and the enterprises by making real profit. In the past research, relevant process-improvement methods were mostly implemented in the manufacturing sectors; on the other hand, very few discussions were in the service sectors. This research utilizes the “lean” service framework that Womack et al (2005) advocated to study the process improvement in the customer-consumption processes. Since the health food industry grows very fast in recent years, the focus of the study will be upon locating the wastes in the consumption and provision processes in this industry. Current value streams of both consumption and provision processes are analyzed and identified. Further, a proposed amalgamation of consumption stream and provision stream is then designed to "lean" the value stream. The study expected that results can benefit not only the industry, but the customers as well.