Spoornet's Braam le Roux warns that
service quality mustn't be
compromised
THERE IS a distinct danger in the use of high-speed technology now available to the business world in that it is impersonal and can lead to a downtrend in service quality unless properly managed, says Spoornet c.e.o. Braam le Roux.
Addressing senior officials of Rail and Terminal Services (R&TS) to celebrate their ISO 9002 certification for the nine container terminals throughout the country, he said:
As world markets mature and competition on an international scale quickens, the global perspective on business issues grows increasingly more critical. The process is aided and accelerated by technology, which lets firms identify customers with pinpoint accuracy, collect and analyse information about them with incredible speed, and manage contact with them with great efficiency.
This new way of utilising technology to do business opens more opportunities for suppliers to compete worldwide. This way of doing business, however, is very impersonal and service quality, after all, is based on the perception of the service consumers.
Technology will dictate business in future, but it is important to recognise that products and services must still be delivered at the point of consumption. Therefore, new demands will be placed on the efficient delivery of services on all the partners in the logistic chain.
The ISO 9000 international standard for quality is increasingly becoming the minimum requirement by more and more customers, both nationally and internationally, said Le Roux. To stay a player in the market, we have no choice but to implement and maintain this management system. Our customers demand it, and their markets believe in it.
