A self-service fast food chain wants to improve customer satisfaction. Its manager wants to define this qualitative standard in a manner that makes its measurement easier.
In which of the following terms can he set it?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → Time a customer takes to place the order and to collect it
Option (1) Revenue earned from each customer who visits the chain — Incorrect. Revenue is a money figure. It measures sales, not how happy a customer is with the service.
Option (2) Time a customer takes to place the order and to collect it — Correct. A qualitative standard should be defined so that it is easier to measure. In a self-service fast food chain, customer satisfaction can be set in terms of the time to wait for a table, place the order and collect it. Time can be counted, and long waits show unhappy customers.
Option (3) Motivation level of the staff who serve the customers — Incorrect. Staff motivation is itself a qualitative standard. It is no easier to measure than customer satisfaction.
Option (4) Cost incurred by the chain on each meal it serves — Incorrect. Cost per meal is a cost standard of the chain. It tells nothing about the customer’s experience.
NCERT (2026-27 Edition): “Step 1: Setting Performance Standards: … At the time of setting standards, a manager should try to set standards in precise quantitative terms as this would make their comparison with actual performance much easier. For instance, reduction of defects from 10 in every 1,000 pieces produced to 5 in every 1,000 pieces produced by the end of the quarter. However, whenever qualitative standards are set, an effort must be made to define them in a manner that would make their measurement easier. For instance, for improving customer satisfaction in a fast food chain having self-service, standards can be set in terms of time taken by a customer to wait for a table, time taken by him to place the order and time taken to collect the order. …” |