Step Three: Measure the Gap
Now that you have two points of comparison, it should be easy to measure the gap. This will help you prioritize action items and focus on high-value items.
Sample Project: Improve Response Times to Customer Inquiries
| Future State | Current State | Gap | Action Plan |
|---|---|---|---|
| Customer e-mail inquiries will be replied to within 24 hours on average | Average response time is 32 hours | 8 hours | |
| Customer telephone inquiries will be answered within 5 minutes on average | Average hold time is 8 minutes | 3 minutes |
Once you have identified the gap, you can perform additional interviews and analysis to identify causes of the gap. You can use the five whys technique, SWOT analysis, and other problem-solving tools to help you in your investigation. (See Session Four for more information.)
Continuing with our customer service example, you might gather the following information.
- Review e-mail response statistics, which show that e-mail inquiries are responded to within 15 hours on the weekdays and within 40 hours on the weekend.
- Review e-mail response team staffing levels: 15 members on weekdays, 5 members on the weekend.
- Review telephone response statistics, which show that the average hold time skyrockets to about 12 minutes during the lunch and shift changeover periods. The average hold time outside of these periods is about 4 minutes.