International Journal of Lean Six Sigma Credit card account opening excellence using six sigma methodology Samsul Islam

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Credit card account opening excellence using six sigma methodology

294

Samsul Islam The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand

Received 25 August 2015 Revised 9 December 2015 Accepted 25 December 2015

Abstract

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Purpose – This study aims to expand the current knowledge of the Six Sigma approach in a period of time when there is little direct evidence of the need to improve the credit card account opening process. This is an important but neglected area of focus in the Six Sigma literature. This study explores the extent to which process improvement practices are extended to the credit card department. Design/methodology/approach – A case study methodology is adopted in this study to facilitate an exploration of the implemented Six Sigma approach in the credit card department of a leading commercial bank. The process improvement tool used is the define, measure, analyze, improve and control (DMAIC) cycle. Findings – The study’s results confirm that the Six Sigma approach improves the quality of the credit card account opening process. So, the Six Sigma approach can account for a reduced number of keying-in errors, resulting in better data accuracy and improved customer satisfaction. Research limitations/implications – The authors, in an attempt to render the study results more feasible for data collection, have chosen to focus on the process of the new accounts unit of the credit card department. Therefore, the authors have not taken into account the other units (e.g. transaction processing) of the same department. Practical implications – The results of this study will be useful in persuading bank management to evaluate and implement the Six Sigma approach. Hence, this research will assist bank managers with replies to questions, such as: “What impact will Six Sigma have on process-centric improvement, such as the new accounts opening process of a credit card department?” Originality/value – Within the literature on the Six Sigma practice, there is little research that focuses on the implementation of this particular toolset especially for credit card departments. This indicates a gap in the field. A new contribution to bridging that gap comes from the analysis of the results for the Six Sigma concept, which addresses the new accounts opening process. Keywords Six sigma, Service quality, DMAIC, Process improvement, Credit card, Defects per million opportunities (DPMO) Paper type Case study

International Journal of Lean Six Sigma Vol. 7 No. 3, 2016 pp. 294-323 © Emerald Group Publishing Limited 2040-4166 DOI 10.1108/IJLSS-08-2015-0029

Introduction The Six Sigma approach is accepted throughout the world in many leading service and manufacturing organizations (Choi et al., 2012). Its objective is to implement a measurement-based strategy that focuses on process improvement initiatives for companies (Hahn et al., 2000, Harry and Schroeder, 2006). It should be noted that this commonly accepted Six Sigma concept was first created by Motorola in the 1980s to reduce their poor-quality costs and process variations (Gutiérrez Gutiérrez et al., 2009, Schon et al., 2010, Antony, 2011, Braunscheidel et al., 2011). Gradually, over time, many companies began to adopt the Six Sigma concept, and it became an accepted best practice, including but not limited to, the General Electric company, Ford and Texas

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Instruments (Scalise, 2003, Braunscheidel et al., 2011). Their success further justified the use of the Six Sigma approach in detecting and rectifying process-related concerns (Henderson and Evans, 2000). Following on from the success stories of leading companies, many companies have applied the Six Sigma initiative to improve their process performance, and this, in turn, has led to a number of studies being published covering the various aspects of the Six Sigma methodology. For a comprehensive review of the Six Sigma approach, and the various trends emerging in the literature, refer to Brady and Allen (2006), Chakrabarty and Tan (2007), Amar and Davis (2008) and Tjahjono et al. (2010). To contribute to the body of literature relating to Six Sigma, this empirical study adopts a case study methodology to facilitate an investigation of the Six Sigma approach implementation. With the aim of meeting the research objective, first, this study sheds light on the applicability of the Six Sigma approach to the credit card account opening process of a leading multinational bank. The application of the Six Sigma approach, as far as the authors are concerned, has not been previously presented with the view to applying it specifically to credit card data. Second, this study also contributes to the Six Sigma literature by using comparatively simple and practically oriented tools and techniques [e.g. process flowchart, requirement feature matrix and supplier, input, process, output and customer (SIPOC) diagram] to improve the credit card account opening process. This is also an important contribution, because few empirical studies focus on the application of the Six Sigma approach to the service industry (Antony et al., 2007; McAdam et al., 2009). Organization of the study The rest of the paper is structured as follows. The next section explores the relevant literature. The methodology is then described, and a case study is explored. This is followed by a section describing the managerial implications of this study, along with the “lessons learned”. The limitations of the study are then explained; this is followed by an account of the possible direction of future research. The final section of the study offers the key findings. Relevant literature Related work and research question There are few studies that have discussed the application of the Six Sigma approach as a coherent set of functionalities and analyzed how this process improvement approach has been applied in the banking organizations. For a comprehensive list of relevant Six Sigma studies on banking organizations, see Table I. As it is evident from Table I, Diana et al. (2010) conduct an empirical research and clearly discuss the important factors (e.g. pressures to reduce costs) that make Six Sigma in the financial sector a success. The study by Fu-Kwun and Kao-Shan (2010) extends the Lean Six Sigma approach to an application in the service industry and integrates TRIZ (Theoria Resheneyva Isobretatelskehuh Zadach) methodology to enhance the traditional techniques of Lean Six Sigma. Karlsson (2010) conducts a detailed case study, and the subject of the case study is the loan process at a Swedish bank. Wang and Hussain (2011) give a critical analysis of the impact of Six Sigma on the banking performance (e.g. customer services). The study also proposes a promising model for the banking sector. The study by Jumah et al. (2012) discusses the quality initiatives implemented in Hong Kong banks to

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Six Sigma studies on banks

Focus of discussion

Diana et al. (2010)

Discusses the factors that make Six Sigma in the financial sector a success Extends the Lean Six Sigma approach to an application in the service industry The subject of the case study is the loan process at a Swedish bank Gives an analysis of the impact of Six Sigma on the banking performance Discusses the quality initiatives implemented in Hong Kong banks Estimates the success of Six Sigma implementation in Latvian banks Describes how a bank used Six Sigma to improve its lending process Discusses the benefits of Six Sigma implementation in banking Recommends a process scheme for the production changes of G bank Discusses the benefits and the process of Six Sigma implementation in banking Investigates Six Sigma implementation in the Libyan banking sector Discusses the results of Six Sigma implementation at an automotive bank Presents the benefits of Lean Six Sigma implementation at a bank

Fu-Kwun and Kao-Shan (2010)

296

Karlsson (2010) Wang and Hussain (2011)

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Jumah et al. (2012) Erina and Erins (2013) Riley et al. (2013) Sharma and Chowhan (2013) Xu et al. (2013) Kumar (2014) Masoud (2014) Table I. A comprehensive list Johannsen et al. (2015) of Six Sigma studies Nichols (2015) on banking organizations

improve their competitive advantage and market position. Similarly, Erina and Erins (2013) estimate the success of Six Sigma implementation in Latvian banks to understand and identify the perceived benefits of its successful implementation. Riley et al. (2013) describe how a bank used Six Sigma to improve its lending process through practical steps to eliminating “Compliance Gaps”. Sharma and Chowhan (2013) also discuss the benefits of Six Sigma implementation in banking. Xu et al. (2013) recommend a process optimization scheme for the production changes of G bank’s information technology service management by means of the define, measure, analyze, improve and control (DMAIC) method. Kumar (2014) discusses the benefits and the process of Six Sigma implementation in the banking industry. Masoud (2014) investigates Six Sigma implementation to extend the existing work in the literature. The research is conducted using a questionnaire survey in the Libyan banking sector. Johannsen et al. (2015) discusses the results of Six Sigma implementation at an automotive bank (a financial service provider). In line with all the discussions on Six Sigma, Nichols (2015) also presents and summarises the important benefits of Lean Six Sigma implementation at a bank. The findings of the study further support the existing literature. However, to date, as far as I am aware, there are few published studies that review the application of the Six Sigma approach in credit card departments; the researchers found only one study that has attempted to review part of the literature. The work that is most closely related to the focus of this study is that of Kumar et al. (2008), and the purpose of

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that particular case study was to analyze the credit initiation process for credit card customers. For example, the credit initiation process takes an average of 19.744 days, and the objective of that study was to make recommendations that will reduce the credit initiation process to 15 days. Conversely, the attention in the analysis for the current case study is more focused on improving the number of processing errors (e.g. key-in errors; Table II) in filling in the required database fields. The database fields are updated from credit card application forms by the new account team of the card operation department. Therefore, the research question to be answered by this case study is as follows:

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RQ1. How does a bank implement the Six Sigma approach in its card operation department, especially for its new account opening process? Major contributions of this study The major contributions of this study to the Six Sigma literature are two-fold (Figure 1): (1) As shown in Table I, although comparatively few studies have been conducted documenting the successful application of the Six Sigma approach on diverse aspects of different banking organizations, there are limited empirical studies that examine the possibilities for the prevention and minimization of defects among service-oriented banking firms. Nonthaleerak and Hendry (2008) confirmed this conclusion. Therefore, as far as the author is aware, none have dealt with the credit card account (e.g. keying-in errors in updating customer records) and, in particular, in the credit card department. This indicates that there is a gap in the field of Six Sigma studies. To bridge that gap in the Six Sigma literature, this research adopts a case study approach to measure and improve the credit card account opening process towards achieving a positive impact on banking performance; this is the major contribution of this study. (2) Another contribution of the study is the exploration of an important viewpoint in regards to the application of the Six Sigma approach in service organizations. Traditionally, this methodology has been applied by manufacturing companies (McAdam and Lafferty, 2004; Antony, 2006); this is because it is challenging to implement the Six Sigma approach in service organizations. One of the reasons for this is the difficulty in developing statistics for the service sector (Patton, 2005; Harrison, 2006; Chakrabarty and Tan, 2007; Kumar et al., 2008). Hence, this study suggests a Six Sigma approach to increase process efficiency in service

Type of service function

Potential areas where the Six Sigma approach may be used

Banking

Wire transfer processing time, number of processing errors, number of customer complaints received per month, number of automated teller machine (ATM) breakdowns, duration of ATM breakdowns, etc Payment errors, invoicing errors, errors in inventories, inaccurate reports of income, inaccurate reports of cash flow, etc Baggage handling, number of mistakes in reservations, waiting time at the check-in counter, etc

Accounting and finance Airline industry Source: Antony (2006)

Table II. Potential applications of the Six Sigma approach within service processes

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Figure 1. Major contributions of this study to the literature

organizations by using simple process modelling techniques (e.g. the SIPOC diagram and process flowchart) and evaluating a process in terms of its outputs (e.g. number of defects). Considering the importance of the subject, studies in the literature on this matter are insufficient (McAdam et al., 2009). Research methodology Case study Based on the discussions of Yin (2008) and Chakravorty (2009), key reasons for choosing a case study method in this study are: • Using a case study method, it is possible to answer the basic explanatory questions – “how” and “why”. These questions are important when dealing with the explanation of particular events that are necessary to keep the research project on track (Ghauri and Grønhaug, 2005). • A case study method can also help in the investigation of a contemporary phenomenon in its “real life” context (Baxter and Jack, 2008). So, a case study methodology is deemed appropriate for this study to examine the Six Sigma implementation from a real-life perspective. • Another important benefit of adopting a case study method is that multiple data sources (documents, archival records, interviews and direct observation) can be used to gain a better understanding of a problem. Therefore, multiple data sources are used in this study. Reasons for the case study bank choice The major reasons for choosing the case study bank are outlined here, based on the arguments provided by McAdam and Lafferty (2004):

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• The selected bank is one of those few organizations that have successfully implemented the Six Sigma approach for the prevention of customer dissatisfaction. So, the bank will provide evidence to the researchers to achieve the research objectives of this study. • As the implementation of these programs has been time tested and been proved to be effective, it reflects the maturity of the implemented Six Sigma projects. Such maturity causes the bank chosen for case study to be a good candidate for research purposes on Six Sigma projects.

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Data collection The bank staff involved in the Six Sigma implementation project and its subsequent phases were identified and selected for interview in an organized manner. Accordingly, five respondents were scheduled for an interview, because after five interviews, a data saturation point was reached (for more information on specifying a data saturation point, see Auerbach and Silverstein, 2003). These interviews lasted from 1 to 2 h. The interviewees ranged from top managers to middle-level managers (see Table III) in the bank’s main branch; this branch is responsible for the production and distribution of credit cards throughout the country. Data analysis To make this data analysis process more readily comprehensible using a qualitative analysis procedure (Strauss and Corbin, 1990), the researchers identified common themes by reading and analyzing interview data. More specifically, to identify the common themes of the Six Sigma implementation experience, the “content analysis” technique was used in this study. An interesting example of conducting a content analysis can be found in Seuring and Müller (2008). A summary procedure of the data analysis steps is shown in Table IV. A brief company overview The selected case study company is a world-known multinational commercial bank with considerable market influence and operates in many different countries around the globe. This case study bank is referred to in the following text as “the bank” for brevity. Internationally, the bank provides its distinct banking services through a number of departments and divisions in several countries, including some countries in the Western world and in key emerging countries. Therefore, the bank sells different products and services to different types of customers. For example, based on their coverage levels and pricing, credit cards can be classified into two major types: local and foreign currency

Position of the interviewee Senior Manager (Consumer Banking) Senior Manager (Credit Cards) Manager (Card Operation) Manager (Black belt) Manager (Green belt) Total

Total 1 1 1 1 1 5

Table III. A profile of the interviewees

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Data analysis stage

Explanation of each stage

Stage 1: data reduction

Step 1: transcribe recorded interviews Step 2: study data and identify emerging themes Step 3: develop categories Step 4: integrate categories and their properties Step 1: transfer analyzed data into graphic form (e.g. SIPOC diagram) Step 2: draw tentative conclusions Step 1: interpret data in relation to the research question Step 2: compare data from other sources (field visits and documents)

Stage 2: data display

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Stage 3: conclusion and verification Table IV. A summary of data analysis procedure

Source: Adapted from van Heerden (2002)

credit cards. However, based on credit limits, credit cards can again be classified into three distinct types: Silver Card, MasterCard Gold and MasterCard Platinum. A full description of the bank and its products is out of the scope of this study. However, following the example of Miguel and Carvalho (2014), a brief introduction to the quality criteria established by the bank and their implications are given in Table V. Case study: findings and discussion This section summarises the major findings from the implementation of the Six Sigma project in the case study bank. It also explains the objectives of each phase of the DMAIC cycle. Define phase This is the first stage of the DMAIC cycle. This is also the project selection phase, because the right project has to be selected before resources are allocated for the Six Sigma program implementation (Eckes, 2001). Therefore, this define phase also involves the creation of a project charter (Hambleton, 2007). The project charter has two primary

Quality criteria Quality programs implemented Six Sigma implementation (year) Number of Six Sigma projects per year Investment in Six Sigma in three years (US$) Six Sigma return (US$) Number of people trained in Six Sigma Number of master black belts Number of black belts Number of green belts Table V. A brief introduction Number of yellow belts to the quality criteria Number of white belts established by the Tools used within Six Sigma bank

The bank Six Sigma, business process re-engineering 1995 3 Around 13,000 0.15m/year 5 1 1 3 0 0 Basic statistical tools (cause-and-effect, Histogram and Pareto)

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objectives of defining the problem statement and creating the goal statement (Brewer and Eighme, 2005). The problem statement is a description of the problem(s) with the current process. As a next sequence of the problem statement, as the name implies, the goal statement describes the purpose of the Six Sigma project to support a process that meets objectives of improving the quality. Both of these statements have been defined in the “project charter” example (Figure 2). However, to facilitate describing these statements, a brief description of the credit card account opening process and the problem associated with the process is described below. Credit card account opening process. A brief description of the credit card account opening process is depicted in Figure 3. The bank receives credit card applications from three different sources: (1) direct sales executives; (2) walk-in customers in the branch; and (3) field sales executives. Staff members in the card operation department key-in all required information of the application forms in the software. The software generates an 11-digit reference number that is unique to each customer. The generated reference numbers can be used to track individual customers and the information relevant to them. The software also generates three status signals (an approved application: a credit card application is approved, a pending application: more data are required to make a decision, and a declined application: a credit card application is declined) to help determine the state of a credit card application. All credit card applications are sent to the credit team (consumer credit unit – CCU) for an initial screening. When the screening is complete, the card operation department sends them for a contact point verification (CPV) check. A third party performs this process for the bank. Therefore, the third party cross-checks a customer’s provided information (e.g. customer’s address, phone number and e-mail address) and sends a report back to the card operation department. The credit team receives the whole package (credit card applications with CPV reports) to cross-check the reliability of the CPV reports. Once cross-checking is complete, the credit team puts additional information (e.g. credit limits) on the credit card applications with positive CPV reports (all collected customer data are correct). The card operation department runs a de-duplication check (aims to detect potential fraud activities), which compares the applicant’s information with the records in the database to ensure that the applicant is not already listed. Applications with positive de-duplication check update all necessary details in the system. The process facilitates the generation of a credit card number, which subsequently creates the plastic and leads to the creation of a personal identification number. These are sent to the customer’s postal address using a reliable courier service. Conversely, both approved and declined applications are moved to the archive for long-term preservation. Process selection. As suggested by Nonthaleerak and Hendry (2008), it is important to be aware of selecting an important Six Sigma project to evaluate its effectiveness and potential impact on the credit card account opening process and many of the valued outcomes (e.g. increased customer satisfaction) resulting from it. The importance of selecting the right project has been stressed as one of the most crucial tasks in the Six Sigma literature (Kelly, 2002; Snee, 2009; Sharma and Chetiya, 2010). Therefore, from the

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PROJECT CHARTER Project Title:

302

Improvement of the New Accounts Opening Process of the Card Operations Department.

Project Leader:

Team Members:

XXX

XXX

Business Case:

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The project is initiated to reduce the number of key-in errors caused by mistyping. This issue impacts the overall quality of a credit card. Research shows that the credit card quality has a positive relationship with customer satisfaction. Problem/Opportunity Statement:

Goal Statement:

The New Accounts Opening Process of the Card Operations Department is producing key-in errors.

The goal is to achieve Six Sigma process performance in the case of opening an account for a credit card customer.

Project Scope:

Stakeholders:

The New Accounts Opening Process of the Card Operations Department.

Credit card customers, The Central Bank, Courier Service Company, MasterCard Incorporated, and others.

TIME LINE

Figure 2. An overview of the project charter

Target Date

Actual Date

Project start:

XXX

XXX

DEFINE

XXX

XXX

MEASURE

XXX

XXX

ANALYZE

XXX

XXX

IMPROVE

XXX

XXX

CONTROL

XXX

XXX

Project complete:

XXX

XXX

steps of the credit card account opening process illustrated in Figure 3, one of the most important aspects of the process that follows is the software data entry (hereafter termed as “new account opening process”). The new account opening process aims to ensure that all customer details are captured and matched correctly using the official procedure of the card operation department. If the wrong customer information (the card holder’s name, credit card type or billing address) is captured in the software, the customer will have the right to reject the credit card product. This may also be related to customer perception of

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Figure 3. A diagrammatic representation of the credit card account opening process

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Figure 4. Requirement feature matrix for credit cards

the overall quality received from bank, thus leading to customer dissatisfaction. The positive relationship between product quality and customer satisfaction has been confirmed by many studies in recent years (Cantarello et al., 2012; Jifeng et al., 2012; Mansori, 2014; Torres, 2014; Ryding et al., 2015). Therefore, achieving customer satisfaction is the most important benefit of Six Sigma projects, and the importance of customer satisfaction has been repeatedly cited in the Six Sigma literature (Behara et al., 1995; Rylander and Provost, 2006). To achieve customer satisfaction, the importance of fulfilling the requirements of the customers has also been discussed in the Six Sigma literature; for example, Rudisill and Clary (2004) and Brewer and Eighme (2005). A further justification of the process selection. The importance of the new account opening process that should be the focus of the Six Sigma implementation project is also validated through research conducted by the bank. The analyzed results of the research conducted can be explored using a requirement feature matrix (Figure 4) for a credit card. The summary of the results of the requirement feature matrix shows the importance of obtaining and providing accurate information (e.g. name of customer) embossed on each of the produced and distributed credit cards to customers. This is one of the most important requirements for obtaining customer satisfaction. It also implies that the preliminary and detailed background information obtained about a customer should be reflected correctly in all official documents, and the details on each document

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should not differ. The bank strives to achieve this important objective through leveraging the existing core banking system and the rules for producing credit cards. For example, the importance of obtaining and managing correct and accurate information collected about a customer can be realized through its expansion into newly offered product features. A micro- and macro-level view of the new account opening process. A SIPOC diagram can help in identifying the scope of the Six Sigma project from a high-level perspective (i.e. a holistic view of all credit card units) with easy access to further details. A SIPOC diagram can also provide more information (e.g. the primary steps of the new account opening process and its relationship with other units in the credit card department and the start and the end point of the new account opening process) about the process under consideration. So, three SIPOC diagrams elucidating the new account opening process for this study are given below. (1) Figure 5 shows the SIPOC (Level 1) diagram for the entire card operation department. As is evident from the diagram (Figure 5), the suppliers (e.g. the internal branches of the bank) are the backbone of the success of the card operation department, because credit card business depends upon information (e.g. about a customer) and material (e.g. accurately completed application forms for credit cards) input from all the suppliers. Therefore, to facilitate the smooth flow of information between designated sources and destinations of the bank, the credit card department maintains four interconnected units to take input from the suppliers: new account, transaction processing, merchant payment and settlement and dispute. The aim of the bank is to ensure best possible planning for the bank’s many different service units. (2) In another SIPOC (Level 1) diagram (Figure 6), a micro-level view of the associated units of the card operation department (revealing the formation of the units according to their functions) is presented. To give an example, the usual

Suppliers

Inputs

Internal Credit card departments application forms (e.g., admin and human resource Credit card management) softwares Branches

Other supporting softwares

Courier service company MasterCard Incorporated and others

Service-level Agreements (SLAs)

Process name: Card Operations (macro-level view) Process description: A macro-level view of the principal units involved in the Credit Card Account Opening Process Process map:

Outputs

Customers

Credit cards and PIN numbers

Credit card customers

Customers' record update

Internal departments of the bank

Letters sent to the customers

Bank's audit committee

New Accounts

Transaction Processing

Internal reports

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Dispute The Central resolution and Bank customer credit management Courier service company

Enablers

Merchant Payments

Softwares People Bank's rules and regulations

Settlement and Dispute

Fund settlement between customers and the bank Many other types of reports

Other banks and their departments MasterCard Incorporated and others

Figure 5. The SIPOC diagram (Level 1) of the card operation department

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Suppliers

Inputs

Internal Credit card departments application forms (e.g., admin and human resource Credit card management) softwares Branches

Other supporting softwares

Courier service company

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MasterCard Incorporated and others

Service-level Agreements (SLAs) Internal reports

Enablers

Figure 6. The SIPOC diagram (Level 1) of the credit card operation department

Process Name: Card Operations (micro-level view) Process description: A micro-level view of the principal units involved in the Credit Card Account Opening Process Process map: New Accounts

Transaction Processing

Merchant Payments

Settlement and Dispute

New accounts opening

Cardholder payment

Sales slip processing

Copy request

Card embossing

Instructions execution

Payments

Charge back

Account maintenance

Exception update

Adding merchants

Settlement

Archiving

Instructions maintenance

Maintenance of rewards

Legal actions

And others...

And others...

And others...

And others...

Softwares

Customers

Credit cards and PIN numbers

Credit card customers

Customers' record update

Internal departments of the bank

Letters sent to the customers

Bank's audit committee

Dispute The Central resolution and Bank customer credit management Courier service company

People Bank's rules and regulations

Outputs

Fund settlement between customers and the bank Many other types of reports

Other banks and their departments MasterCard Incorporated and others

functions of the transaction processing unit include, or are likely to include, provision of a history of the credit card payments made by each customer. The function of the transaction processing unit may also include giving information on exceptions made for certain of the bank’s customers. The reason is to ensure a mechanism to safeguard the customer’s account information and to protect the confidentiality thereof. Similarly, one of the payment processing functions of the merchant payment unit may include adding merchants to ease the payments made by credit card owners (Master and Visa). So, all these functions represent different units with different priorities and operating models that are considered essential for the successful running of the card operation department. (3) Among all the processes of the card operation department, the new account opening process has become the focus of major attention. In the SIPOC (Level 2) diagram (Figure 7), the new account opening process is described in brief. As is evident from the diagram (Figure 7), the credit card applications received are dated and time-stamped prior to an initial screening test by the new account team. All credit card applications signed by the new account team will be considered for software entry. Once the software entry has been made, a team from the card operation department cross-checks the work to ensure that this has been accomplished in accordance with the required standard. Thereafter, the verified applications are forwarded to the credit team for decisions relating to credit. The decisions made are also entered into the software. The approved applications are then ready for CPV reports. Applications with positive CPV reports are bridged into the system for the production of credit cards. An overview of this new account opening process can also be found in Figure 3. Measure phase As stated before, more specifically, the new account opening process is involved with scanning new application files upon receipt and keying-in credit card customers’ data

Suppliers

Inputs

Process Name: New Accounts Opening Process

Sales team

Application forms

Process description: A micro-level view of the New Accounts Opening Process

Branches Instructions Courier service from the sources company (e.g., sales) CPV agents

Policy

Credit and collection

Reports

Process map: New Accounts Opening Process

Outputs

Customers

Processed application forms

Customers receive cards

Credit cards and PINs

Customer service team

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Branches

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HR and admin

Generated new letters for customers

Received applications

Applications to credit team

Date and stamp

Cross check

Initial screening and send back

Software entry

Enablers Softwares

Assessed applications forwarded to new accounts team

Credit decisions are updated in the software

Create the bridging file

Decisions of the credit team are updated in the software

Send back pending applications, and generate reject letters

Many types of reports Updated software database Archived reports

People Bank's rules and regulations

Rejection letters

Sales team Card Operations Department Courier company and CPV agents

Approved applications are given for CPV

into a database for the compilation, analysis and reporting of credit decisions. This phase of the DMAIC cycle should focus on collecting data pertaining to the current performance of the new account opening process identified in the define phase, as suggested by Ansari et al. (2010). Thus, this is the previously investigated and closely monitored process that affects the output of the new account team of the card operation department. As a result, to explain the performance of the new account opening process, the measure phase of the DMAIC cycle determines the current Sigma level of the process using the process features described below. Put another way, the procedure described in the measure phase calculates the current Sigma level of the process under review (Chakravorty, 2009, Kabir et al., 2013). Therefore, in brief, in this phase of the study, two important aspects are covered, namely, data collection and analysis for the process under review and determination of the current Sigma level of the process. Process effectiveness. This refers to the degree to which the new account opening process produces certain desirable outcomes, which target the provision of the right output at the right time and in the right place. This definition of process effectiveness is consistent with the study by Harrington et al. (1997). To properly provide an example of an effective process, the new account opening process can be examined in greater detail. For instance, to be an effective process for managing account opening excellence and developing solutions for best practice, the new account team is expected to key-in all customer details into the database and eliminate errors by preventing missing, unreadable or ambiguous data input (from completed credit card application forms) at the same time; this is the way in which an effective process can be measured from the perspective of opening a new account for a customer. Some other examples of measuring an effective process may include, but are not limited to the following: return on an investment, reliability of performing a particular task and the number of new customers added (Harrington et al., 1997). In general, the stakeholders and employees who receive the most benefits from an improved process outcome are expected to set the standard for process effectiveness

Figure 7. The SIPOC diagram (Level 2) of the card operation department

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Figure 8. Number of credit card applications processed per employee per month

(Harrington, 1991). Therefore, recipients of an effective process outcome include both internal (i.e. stakeholders, employees or shareholders) and external (i.e. pay for the services the bank provides) customers of a bank. More specifically, from the perspective of the new account opening process, the beneficiaries of an effective process include, but are not limited to, the following: many different branches of the bank, customers who pay for the banking services and the sales team. The scale of an effective process can vary from a low standard to a high standard from one process to another. For example, as stated before, such a criterion standard depends on the total number of processing errors for a credit card unit. In a more consistent manner, the standard level of a process can be represented and assessed by the number of defects per million opportunities (DPMO). Therefore, the DPMO provides a convenient scale for measuring the degree of process effectiveness within a broader and complex service system. The application of this scale to the new account opening process has led to interesting results. As Figure 8 shows, each member of the new account team receives and processes around 500 credit card applications per month. This is equivalent to about 30 credit card applications per employee per day. This number represents the industry average for banks in the same size category. As it is evident from Table VI, on each single day, all received and processed credit card applications are classified into three mutually exclusive categories with respect to their status in the system: authorized, pending and rejected. This is an important activity, because all credit card applications received are thoroughly checked for the integrity, quality and consistency of submitted documents and the background information of the applicants. Therefore, applications with missing documents are rejected in the system, whereas applicants supplying incomplete information are requested to supply the remainder of the documentation. Finally, the information contained in authorized applications (in which all documentation is correct) is processed into the system by the new account team. Therefore, application forms that have been duly completed, and submitted with all required documentation, pass through to the online platform, and any errors made in the applications are recorded for monthly Sigma level calculation. This is clearly evident from the last column (“accuracy defect”) of Table VII, which indicates how many keying-in errors have been generated in each day out of the total number of processed applications. It is also evident from the same table

July 1 July 2 July 3 July 15 July 16 July 17 August 1 August 2 August 3 August 20 August 25 September 1 September 2 September 3 September 15 September 20 October 1 October 2 October 3 October 11 October 12 October 13

Date

Received Pending 56 0 42 0 40 30 34 36 37 37 36 34 36 37 37 36 53 41 53 52 65 53

Authorized

4 0 56 0 52 54 89 59 86 72 70 89 59 86 72 70 88 103 113 94 87 99

40 54 31 16 0 52 77 46 109 37 74 77 46 109 37 74 41 30 0 54 31 0

Rejected 100 54 129 16 92 136 200 141 232 146 180 200 141 232 146 180 182 174 166 200 183 152

Total received 4 0 56 0 52 54 89 59 86 72 70 89 59 86 72 70 88 103 113 94 87 99

Authorized 56 0 42 0 40 30 34 36 37 37 36 34 36 37 37 36 53 41 53 52 65 53

Processed Pending 40 54 31 16 0 52 77 46 109 37 74 77 46 109 37 74 41 30 0 54 31 0

Rejected

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100 54 129 16 92 136 200 141 232 146 180 200 141 232 146 180 182 174 166 200 183 152

Total processed 1 1 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 2

Accuracy defect

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Table VI. The number of received and processed credit card applications in each day and their status in the system

Table VII. The number of errors made in each day in keying-in credit card applications

July 01 July 02 July 03 –––– –––– July 15 July 16 July 17 –––– August 01 August 02 August 03 –––– August 20 –––– August 25 –––– –––– September 01 September 02 September 03 –––– –––– September 15 –––– September 20

Date

102030401 102030402 102030403 –––– –––– 102030411 102030412 102030413 –––– 112030401 112030402 112030403 –––– 112030420 –––– 112030425 –––– –––– 122030401 122030402 122030403 –––– –––– 122030430 –––– 122030440

Application no. Employee ID 01 Employee ID 02 Employee ID 03 –––– –––– Employee ID 04 Employee ID 05 Employee ID 02 –––– Employee ID 01 Employee ID 03 Employee ID 05 –––– –––– –––– Employee ID 02 –––– –––– Employee ID 01 Employee ID 02 Employee ID 03 –––– –––– Employee ID 02 –––– Employee ID 05

Maker Credit card type Date of birth Customer name –––– –––– Mother’s name Credit card type Date of birth –––– Telephone number Office address Residential address –––– –––– –––– Office address –––– –––– Office address Residential address Telephone number –––– –––– Credit card type –––– Telephone number

Error type –––– –––– Employee ID 01 –––– –––– Employee ID 05 –––– –––– –––– –––– –––– –––– –––– Employee ID 05 –––– –––– –––– –––– –––– –––– –––– –––– –––– –––– –––– ––––

Checker

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–––– –––– Fee ID –––– –––– Service ID –––– –––– –––– –––– –––– –––– –––– Credit card limit –––– –––– –––– –––– –––– –––– –––– –––– –––– –––– –––– –––– (continued)

Error type

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Application no.

–––– 132030401 132030402 132030403 –––– –––– 132030413 132030414 132030415 ––––

Date

–––– October 01 October 02 October 03 –––– –––– October 11 October 12 October 13 ––––

–––– Employee ID 02 Employee ID 03 Employee ID 05 –––– –––– Employee ID 01 Employee ID 02 Employee ID 03 ––––

Maker –––– Telephone number Residential address Office address –––– –––– Credit card type Date of birth Customer name ––––

Error type –––– –––– –––– –––– –––– –––– –––– Employee ID 04 Employee ID 06 ––––

Checker

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–––– –––– –––– –––– –––– –––– –––– Telephone no. Credit card type ––––

Error type

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Table VII.

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that the employees, who are responsible for data input and data accuracy review process, are categorized into two major groups: makers and checkers. Makers input data from credit card application forms into the database, whereas checkers add additional customer data into the same database along with the careful checking for errors in the makers’ existing input data. As keying-in errors are expected to occur in both groups in a similar fashion at approximately the same time, both the makers and the checkers contribute to the key steps in calculating the Sigma level for the new account opening process. As is also evident in Table VIII, on average, the given months (July, August, September and October) represent an accuracy Sigma level of 4.30. This number is below the recommended target of an accuracy Sigma level of 6.00. Therefore, the acknowledged poor performance represents an opportunity for further improvement in the new account opening process of the card operation department. In other words, the current performance of the new account opening process is not of a sufficiently high standard to process credit card applications in an efficient manner. In this context, it might be appropriate to state that the Six Sigma means 3.4 (99.99 per cent accuracy where the cost of poor quality is ⬍1 per cent of revenue) DPMO. The Sigma levels explained here are consistent with the study of Islam and Ahmed (2012). Analysis phase The earlier phase of the DMAIC cycle explored and confirmed the poor performance level of the new account opening process. The process is not running at a Six Sigma level. Therefore, the purpose of the third phase of the DMAIC cycle is to better understand and investigate the improvement opportunities inherent in the new account opening process for providing the customers with a high level of satisfaction. This proposition has been emphasized by Ansari et al. (2010). The objective of determining the root causes of the identified process problem can be achieved by analyzing and minimizing the typical keying-in errors involved in opening a new account for a potential customer. In other words, as suggested by Chakravorty (2009), the analysis phase summarizes the major keying-in problems occurring repeatedly in the new account opening process. The same conclusion was also been reached by Antony (2006), Henderson and Evans (2000) and Brewer and Eighme (2005). Thus, in brief, the analysis phase identifies the most important causes of keying-in errors in the new account opening process. It is common practice to use a Pareto chart in the analysis phase of the DMAIC cycle (Brewer and Eighme, 2005; Gholap and Desai, 2012). A Pareto chart has many useful properties. One of such properties is the ability of showing the causes of poor performance; therefore, it helps to decide on a corrective action that can be taken to improve the process under review (Andersen, 1999). Most importantly, a Pareto chart can assist in the exploration of the top causes of negative performance outcomes to Month

Table VIII. Accuracy sigma for the new account opening process

July August September October

Total received

Total processed

Accuracy defects

Accuracy Sigma

3,250 3,000 4,000 4,230

3,250 3,000 4,000 4,230

8 5 5 8

4.43 4.49 4.57 4.39

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define the key areas of process improvement opportunity. Hence, a Pareto chart has important applications in the analysis, improvement and management of the new account opening process, as suggested in the study of Brue (2002). As it is evident in Figure 9, a few of the most important reasons for keying-in errors, omissions and repetitions of inserted text into the database made for credit card customers are: telephone number, office address, date of birth, mother’s name and residential address. So, there is a possibility of incorrect data input, because upon opening a customer account, customers consent to the storage of important data (e.g. name, address, e-mail address and phone number) to a customer database. In the case of keying-in errors, these important customer data are not properly updated into the database table. All these types of keying-in errors are represented by different symbols (Figure 9) that serve to visually distinguish them from one another. An explanation of the symbols used in developing the Pareto chart is provided in Figure 10.

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Improve phase The analysis phase of the DMAIC cycle explores the most important causes of keying-in errors in the new account opening process. Based on those findings, the improve phase provides optimal solutions of these potential problems (Chakravorty, 2009; Ansari et al., 2010; Kabir et al., 2013). Therefore, the improve phase involves the application of certain solutions to the problems identified for making improvements in the profitability and customer satisfaction (Antony, 2006; Gholap and Desai, 2012). These solutions are feasible, because if the top causes (as previously explored in the analysis phase) can be taken care of, then the number of keying-in errors made by the new account team can be significantly minimized. Such a positive result is expected because of the promising applications of the ABC analysis (80 per cent of the problems can be solved by taking care of 20 per cent of the causes). The same conclusion has been reached by Howell (2006). For more information on the improve phase, see Antony (2006). As stated before, around 80 per cent of the causes of the poor performance of the new account opening process can be treated by taking into account approximately 20 per cent of the factors causing them. Therefore, as a preventative measure, to further investigate the opportunities to treat these underlying factors, it is important to understand the circumstances that trigger these changes that lead to

Figure 9. Keying-in errors of the new account opening process

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Figure 10. An explanation of the key-in errors used in the Pareto chart

Figure 11. A cause-and-effect diagram showing the causes of keying-in errors

the poor performance of the new account opening process. These unique circumstances have been identified by a research program launched by the bank. A cause-and-effect diagram shows the particular circumstances in Figure 11. A cause-and-effect diagram is potentially useful to show the level of detail that has to be addressed to create effective solutions for successful process management (Longest, 2004). To achieve this important objective, a cause-and-effect diagram breaks down the main problem into manageable sub-problems and provides encouragement to take one step towards a solution (Cook, 2004). All the sub-problems are categorized and connected in a way that looks like the structure of a fish, and this is the reason another name of the cause-and-effect diagram is the Fishbone diagram. As it is evident from Figure 11, the problem of “keying-in errors” can be generally broken into four sub-problems:

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(1) (2) (3) (4)

problems facing the new account team in their daily activities; underlying problems with the new account opening process itself; problems with the existing computer system; and issues due to the surrounding environment.

In the subsequent part of the cause-and-effect diagram, the solutions to these sub-problems are then explored. For an instance, employee boredom can lead to keying-in errors and inefficiencies in processing credit card application forms. In another instance, as the same diagram shows, an automated keying-in software (an updated version of the software) can issue a notification whenever an error is detected by the computerized system. In a similar fashion to the two given examples, all these possible solutions to the sub-problems are then combined to form a complete solution to the main keying-in problem, which is the primary focus in this study.

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Control phase As is evident from Figure 12, the bank has prioritized the most promising solutions. The prioritization is based on three key criteria: (1) the feasibility of the solutions to be implemented in real life; (2) implementation cost of the proposed solutions; and (3) the potential impact of the solutions on the new account opening process. The key to success, as the bank management agrees, lies on the question of resolving specific problems arising with the employees. Therefore, if all these problems falling under the category of “issues with the employees” can be solved, keying-in errors are expected to reduce significantly. Another promising solution includes solving the environmental problems surrounding the new account opening team. This is also promising, because the feasibility of the solution is almost guaranteed, and the cost involved is minimal. The latter conclusion is also evident to the bank from the same diagram in Figure 12. The control phase also quantifies the benefits expected from addressing the problems and reaching solutions (Antony, 2006). So, after taking into account the

Figure 12. An improvement selection matrix to choose the best solution(s)

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most promising solutions (e.g. solving issues with regards to the employees), a few months later, the bank reported improvements in terms of the keying-in errors. As a result, as it is evident in Table IX, there was a slight improvement in the Sigma levels. On an average, the given months (January, February, March and April) represent an accuracy Sigma level of 4.93. This is slightly above the Sigma levels recorded in the previous four months (in Table VI). A lower level of accuracy defects is also evident, according to the same table. There is the expectation from the bank management that improvements would continue to have significant value beyond the accuracy Sigma Level 5. The Bank’s management team also develops the goals, future action plans and the draft policies for the bank. These high-quality initiatives are similar to those described in the findings of Taner and Sezen (2009) (who applied a Six Sigma approach for improving the management practices). The major initiatives are: • to make a proper documentation of the lessons learned and good practices developed mainly from the implementation of the Six Sigma approach in the new account opening process; • to ensure that the quality consciousness and culture is widely spread across all credit card units of the bank; • to develop an integrated communication plan to enable collaborative discussions among team members about improving efficiency throughout the bank; and • to address quality concerns associated with customer requests for new credit cards, and, therefore, the bank plans to increase the number of quality support staff in its credit card units. Managerial implications and lessons learned An illustrative example of the adopted Six Sigma approach in the credit card account opening process of this study shows how easily an effective decision support tool can be developed to measure the number of keying-in errors of the process. The same Six Sigma approach can be used to solve process-based keying-in errors in other departments and/or units of banking organizations. Not only service industries but also manufacturing companies (e.g. textiles, leather and chemical products) may benefit from this research study to reduce their keying-in errors. Overall, the important lessons learned from this study are as follows: • Credit card account opening process is an important part of the credit card customers’ overall service experience received from the bank. The keying-in errors generated in data entries from the credit card application forms negatively impact the account opening process.

Month Table IX. Accuracy sigma of the new account opening process

January February March April

Total received

Total processed

Accuracy defects

Accuracy Sigma

3,000 3,000 3,500 4,000

3,000 3,000 3,500 4,000

1 1 1 1

4.90 4.90 4.94 4.98

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• For banks that provide a credit card service, it is clear that it is not only the service but also fulfilment of customer expectations (e.g. all customer information is updated correctly in the system) that are the crucial factors for increasing profitability and commercial success. • The number of keying-in errors generated by the new account opening process can depend on many factors, such as issues concerning employees, the surrounding environment of the workplace, problems with the computer system and the problems resulting from the new account opening process. All these factors contribute to the problem of keying-in errors. • Among all the factors contributing to the keying-in errors in the new account opening process, the resolution of the inherent problems for workplace employees has noticeably enabled the reduction of keying-in errors.

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Limitations and future study A qualitative study is used to critically explore the steps taken during implementation of the Six Sigma approach in the case being studied in this research. Because of the qualitative nature of the study, the adopted methodology provides new, rich and deep insight in regards to the participants. Although the research results are not directly generalizable to other settings, the work encourages further quantitative study in the field. Therefore, Feng and Manuel (2008) suggested the opportunity to continue to work with both types of research methodology (qualitative and quantitative) to maximize the advantages of each of the methodologies (e.g. generalizability of the research results and deep insights of the participants). Moreover, in this study, the author, in an attempt to render the study results more feasible for data collection, chose to focus on the process of the new account unit of the credit card department. Therefore, the author did not take into account the other units (e.g. transaction processing, merchant payment and settlement and dispute) of the same department. These are the potential areas where Six Sigma can play a major role in improving service excellence. Findings and conclusion Few service companies have begun to implement the Six Sigma approach for their process improvement initiatives, during which time only a small number of studies

Figure 13. A reduced number of accuracy defects after Six Sigma implementation

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have examined and reported an actual implementation of the Six Sigma project. The magnitude of the problem is be clearly outlined in the statement provided by Chakrabarty and Tan (2007), “Almost two decades after its introduction, Six Sigma cannot be said to be well applied in services”. In acknowledging this gap in the literature, this study adopts a case study methodology to examine the practical implementation of the Six Sigma approach in a leading multinational bank. This is a major contribution of this study. Another key contribution of the study comes from the introduction of a new Six Sigma application and perspective for service companies to the literature. To elaborate, for example, from the perspective of banking organizations in particular, a review of the literature reveals very limited instances of the adoption of the Six Sigma approach in the credit card account opening process. So, this study seeks to also cover that research gap. A brief review of all the results presented in this study shows that the new account team of the credit card department of the case study bank is accountable for updating all customer data stored in the database. The database is updated from data received from the filled-in credit card application forms. During the database updating process, some valuable customer data may be negligently or mistakenly falsified. Therefore, the process appears to generate different kinds of keying-in errors and causes a customer to reject a credit card. To solve all the customer complaints with the highest degree of satisfaction possible, the bank has implemented a Six Sigma approach to yield improvements in the process under study. The successful implementation of the Six Sigma approach has resulted in better data accuracy and a more robust new account opening process for credit card customers. A summary of the results can be found in Figure 13, which shows that the number of accuracy defects (keying-in errors) reduced significantly because of the implementation of the Six Sigma program in the new account opening process of the credit card department. In brief, the overall benefits received from Six Sigma project implementation are: • improved new account opening process; • reduced keying-in errors; • reduced process variability, resulting in increased operating efficiency; and • increased customer satisfaction (therefore, increased profitability). Thus, despite the difficulty in developing a Six Sigma approach for a service process, the Six Sigma approach has the potential to gain operational efficiencies and provide improvements in processing, particularly in the banking sector to increase the level of its account opening excellence. References Amar, K. and Davis, D. (2008), “A review of Six Sigma implementation frameworks and related literature”, Proceedings of the International MultiConference of Engineers and Computer Scientists, Hong Kong. Andersen, B. (1999), Business Process Improvement Toolbox, ASQ Quality Press, Milwaukee. Ansari, A., Lockwood, D., Thies, E., Modarress, B. and Nino, J. (2010), “Application of Six-Sigma in finance: a case study”, Journal of Case Research in Business and Economics, Vol. 3, pp. 1-9.

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Longest, J.B. (2004), Managing Health Programs and Projects, Jossey-Bass, San Francisco, CA. McAdam, R. and Lafferty, B. (2004), “A multilevel case study critique of Six Sigma: statistical control or strategic change?”, International Journal of Operations & Production Management, Vol. 24, pp. 530-549. McAdam, R., Davies, J., Keogh, B. and Finnegan, A. (2009), “Customer-orientated Six Sigma in call centre performance measurement”, International Journal of Quality & Reliability Management, Vol. 26, pp. 516-545. Mansori, C. (2014), “The associations between service quality, corporate image, customer satisfaction, and loyalty: evidence from the Malaysian hotel industry”, Journal of hospitality marketing & management, Vol. 23 No. 3, pp. 314-326. Masoud, N. (2014), “Banking sector in Libya: can the Six Sigma concept be a solution?”, The Journal of Private Equity, Vol. 17, pp. 69-80. Miguel, P.A.C. and Carvalho, M.M.D. (2014), “Benchmarking Six Sigma implementation in services companies operating in an emerging economy”, Benchmarking: An International Journal, Vol. 21, pp. 62-76. Nichols, C. (2015), “Banking with lean Six Sigma”, Industrial Engineer, Vol. 47, pp. 15-15. Nonthaleerak, P. and Hendry, L. (2008), “Exploring the Six Sigma phenomenon using multiple case study evidence”, International Journal of Operations & Production Management, Vol. 28 No. 3, pp. 279-303. Patton, F. (2005), “Does Six Sigma work in service industries?”, Quality Progress, Vol. 38 No. 9, pp. 55-60. Riley, B.W., Kovach, J.V. and Carden, L. (2013), “Developing a policies and procedures manual for a consumer lending department: a design for Six Sigma case study”, Engineering Management Journal, Vol. 25, pp. 3-15. Rudisill, F. and Clary, D. (2004), “The management accountant’s role in Six Sigma”, Strategic Finance, Vol. 85, pp. 35-39. Ryding, D., Vignali, G., Carey, R. and Wu, M. (2015), “The relative significance of product quality attributes driving customer satisfaction within the fast fashion market: a UK perspective”, International Journal of Business Performance Management, Vol. 16, pp. 280-303. Rylander, D. and Provost, T. (2006), “Improving the odds: combining six sigma and online market research for better customer service”, SAM Advanced Management Journal, Vol. 71, pp. 15-19. Scalise, D. (2003), “Six Sigma in action”, Hospitals & Health Networks, Vol. 77 No. 1, pp. 57-60. Schon, K., Bergquist, B. and Klefsjo, B. (2010), “The consequences of Six Sigma on job satisfaction: a study at three companies in Sweden”, International Journal of Lean Six Sigma, Vol. 1, pp. 99-118. Seuring, S. and Müller, M. (2008), “From a literature review to a conceptual framework for sustainable supply chain management”, Journal of Cleaner Production, Vol. 16, pp. 1699-1710. Sharma, A. and Chowhan, S.S. (2013), “Concept of Six Sigma and its application in banking”, Indian Journal of Applied Research, Vol. 3 No. 7, pp. 433-436. Sharma, S. and Chetiya, A.R. (2010), “Six Sigma project selection: an analysis of responsible factors”, International Journal of Lean Six Sigma, Vol. 1, pp. 280-292. Snee, R.D. (2009), “Get moo-ving”, ASQ Six Sigma Forum Magazine, Vol. 8, pp. 30-37. Strauss, A. and Corbin, J.M. (1990), Basics of Qualitative Research: Grounded Theory Procedures and Techniques, Sage Publications, Thousand Oaks, CA.

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Taner, M.T. and Sezen, B. (2009), “An application of Six Sigma methodology to turnover intentions in health care”, International Journal of Health Care Quality Assurance, Vol. 22 No. 3, pp. 252-265. Tjahjono, B., Ball, P., Vitanov, V.I., Scorzafave, C., Nogueira, J., Calleja, J., Minguet, M., Narasimha, L., Rivas, A., Srivastava, A., Srivastava, S. and Yadav, A. (2010), “Six Sigma: a literature review”, International Journal of Lean Six Sigma, Vol. 1, pp. 216-233. Torres, E. (2014), “Deconstructing service quality and customer satisfaction: challenges and directions for future research”, Journal of Hospitality Marketing & Management, Vol. 23 No. 6, pp. 652-677. Wang, L. and Hussain, I. (2011), “Banking sector growth in China: can Six-Sigma be a solution?”, International Journal of Business and Management, Vol. 6 No. 2, pp. 169-176. Xu, Y., Zhang, F. and Ye, X. (2013), “Case study on the Lean Six Sigma management for information technology service management project of G commercial bank”, Technology and Investment, Vol. 4, pp. 76-84. Yin, R. (2008), Case Study Research: Design and Methods, Sage Publications, Thousand Oaks, CA. Further reading Balbontin, A.A. (2006), “Application of Six Sigma in the banking industry”, in Antony, J., Bañuelas, R. and Kumar, A. (Eds), World Class Applications of Six Sigma, Butterworth-Heinemann, Oxford. Bowling, A. (2002), Research Methods in Health, Open University Press, Philadelphia, PA. Carlivati, P. (2007), “Six Sigma: a new path to perfection”, ABA Bank Marketing, Vol. 39 No. 3, pp. 24-29. Carson, D. and Coviello, N. (1996), “Qualitative research issues at the marketing/entrepreneurship interface”, Marketing Intelligence & Planning, Vol. 14 No. 6, pp. 51-58. Cohen, L., Manion, L. and Morrison, K. (2007), Research Methods in Education, Routledge, London. Corbin, J. and Strauss, A. (1998), Basics of Qualitative Research: Techniques and Procedures for Developing Grounded Theory, Sage, Thousand Oaks, CA. Cox, D. and Bossert, J. (2005), “Driving organic growth at Bank of America”, Quality Progress, Vol. 38, pp. 23-26. de Koning, H., de Mast, J., Does, R.J.M.M., Vermaat, T. and Simons, S. (2008), “Generic lean Six Sigma project definitions in financial services”, Quality Management Journal, Vol. 15, pp. 32-45. Delgado, C., Ferreira, M. and Branco, M.C. (2010), “The implementation of lean Six Sigma in financial services organizations”, Journal of Manufacturing Technology Management, Vol. 21, pp. 512-523. Denzin, N.K. and Lincoln, Y.S. (2013), The Landscape of Qualitative Research, Sage Publications, London. Fugate, B.S., Davis Sramek, B. and Goldsby, T.J. (2009), “Operational collaboration between shippers and carriers in the transportation industry”, The International Journal of Logistics Management, Vol. 20, pp. 425-447. Hoffman, T. (2006), “Investing in Six Sigma”, Computerworld, Vol. 40, pp. 24-28. Immaneni, A., McCombs, A., Cheatham, G. and Andrews, R. (2007), “Capital one banks on Six Sigma for strategy execution and culture transformation”, Global Business & Organizational Excellence, Vol. 26, pp. 43-54.

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Islam, S. and Olsen, T. (2014), “Truck-sharing challenges for hinterland trucking companies: a case of the empty container truck trips problem”, Business Process Management Journal, Vol. 20, pp. 290-334. Rucker, R. (2000), “Citibank increased customer loyalty with defect-free processes”, Journal of Quality and Participation, Vol. 23, pp. 32-36. Salaheldin, S.I. and Abdelwahab, I.S. (2009), “Six Sigma practices in the banking sector in Qatar”, Global Business & Management Research, Vol. 1, pp. 23-35. Strang, D. &JUNG, D. (2009), “Participatory improvement at a global bank: the diffusion of quality teams and the demise of a Six Sigma initiative”, Organization Studies, Vol. 30, pp. 31-53. Taghaboni-Dutta, F. and Moreland, K. (2004), “Using Six-Sigma to improve loan portfolio performance”, Journal of American Academy of Business, Vol. 5, pp. 15-20. van Heerden, M. (2002), Experiences of Parents with Children with Disabilities in Mainstream Schools, Magister Educationis, Rand Afrikaans University. White, M., García, J.L., Hernández, J.A. and Meza, J. (2009), “Cycle time improvement by a Six Sigma project for the increase of new business accounts”, International Journal of Industrial Engineering, Vol. 16, pp. 191-205. Yin, R. (2003), Case Study Research: Design and Methods, Sage Publications, Thousand Oaks, CA. Zhang, J. and Liu, W. (2007), “A study on implementing Six-Sigma in banking service”, International Conference on Wireless Communications, Networking and Mobile Computing, 21-25 September, IEEE, Shanghai, pp. 3251-3254.

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Credit card account opening excellence using six ...

Aug 4, 2016 - Article information: To cite this document: Samsul Islam , (2016),"Credit card account opening excellence using six sigma methodology",. International Journal of Lean Six Sigma, Vol. 7 Iss 3 pp. 294 - 323. Permanent link to this document: http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/IJLSS-08-2015-0029. Downloaded on: 04 ...

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