Control Mechanism
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Control mechanisms in the workplace will assist in the planning development for customer satisfaction and measurable milestones for improvement. Every business needs to develop and use some kind of control mechanism to operate effectively and efficiently. This paper will explore four different types of control mechanisms used by various departments at two corporations — Dixon Sanitary and WE Energies. In doing so, the authors will identify, compare, and contrast these mechanisms and determine whether these mechanisms are effective by examining the positive and negative reactions to these control mechanisms, and explain how these control mechanisms influenced the four functions of management.
Dixon Sanitary uses numerous controlled mechanisms throughout its operating business days. One control mechanism used at Dixon Sanitary is called “a bay a day.” This is a pro-active rather than reactive procedure for ensuring quality and accuracy in filling customer orders. At the start of each day the warehouse supervisor picks a bay in the warehouse racking system to count. This is normally done in succession rather than just selecting a bay at random. Every parts located in the bay comes up on a form that is printed out with the parts location and quality that each should meet. A warehouse worker would count the entire bay for the number of parts at the site and compare the actual count to what the system says it has on hand. If the counts do not match, a second person would re-count all the parts at the bay that discrepancies occurred. The workers would then check for any missing parts that may have been placed at the wrong location. If parts are still missing, the division manager may sign off for an inventory adjustment to be done, or put in an order for the needed parts to be placed on a highly urgent list.
Another control mechanism, as incentives for quality employees, Dixon Sanitary uses a “point system”. For employees who have been with the company for at least six months would automatically receive 100 points. The points are used for a number of reasons within the company. Each person can earn up to five points a month for good attendance. Two times a year, the accumulated points are converted into paid personal time by a 10-point block system. If an employee earned 30 points, he or she would receive 24 hours of paid personal time off, or have it converted into paid hours. On the other hand, employees can lose points for tardiness, leaving earlier than the regular assigned work time, or not coming in to work. When an employee loses up to 60 points, he or she is let go, or considered a voluntary quit. The points are also use to determine an employee’s share of the company’s profit sharing system. Employees are eligible for full share of the profit sharing program if they have over 100 points. If an employee’s points are lower than 100, their portion of the profit sharing program is reduced to his or her point level.
In comparison, WE Energies, the Outage Management System (OMS) is used as a tool for control mechanism. When customers call the Outage Emergency line to report problems in regard to their electricity, the consultants at the company would collect necessary information to help the Electric Distribution Contact Center (EDCC) determine the cause of the electrical problem and the exact location of the problem. The consultant then submits the report to EDCC, who then reviews the data from its Customer Outage Reporting System (CORS) and determines the problem and patterns that may reveal the overall system weaknesses. Once a problem is detected, the inspector would also check to see if the problem would be hazardous, and if the outage includes a large area where back up would be needed. Once a recurring problem source is identified, a task force is assigned to respond within 30 to 90 minutes to perform field inspection of the troubled area and find a solution. The troubleshooting department is responsible for updating status of outage in the OMS so there is information for the consultant to inform callers of the cause, status, and the estimated restoration time. By doing so, the customers will have time to make any necessary planning and make important decisions until restoration of power is completed. Once the problem has been fixed, a specialized team of consultants will make courtesy phone calls to make sure that the customers are satisfied with the services and if any other outstanding problems still exist.
A second control mechanism used at WE Energies is the Positive ID. This process is used for protecting customers from identity theft, as well as protecting the company from customers who try to avoid paying for services they have used. When customers call WE Energies for new services, the consultants are responsible for collecting customers’ personal information and identify the status of the premises such as locked for Non-Payment and Pending Active or Final. It is important that all premise contacts (notes) of previous callers are reviewed so that the consultants can make responsible decisions when handling the customer requests. WE Energies uses the Instant ID software for their consultants to verify customers’ identities. This software can identify customers’ information ranging from 0-50%. If the results are between 0-30%, more verification is needed.
A software called Verid is another verifying tool used in the next step of the control mechanism process, which conducts a more in-depth review of customers’ information.