TQM stands for Total Quality Management. Quality usually makes sure that focus is totally on
fulfilling customer needs and preferences. Products that are customer-driven ensures that
the product is beyond the customer requirement.
As soon as organizations improve their quality, new expectations have grown in the mind of
customers. Understanding this scenario, small and big the organization anticipates these changes
required to satisfy the customers.
Total Quality Management acts as powerful management that brings internal and external
customers to give the best product with limited resources.
Now that we have talked about what TQM stands for and its benefits let me say something
about field services before jumping on the topic of how TQM is advantageous in field services.
Field service was referred to as military jargon in the 16th century. Though this century
technicians are not very well versed and workaholic, field services carry a lot of importance in
the present decade. But it brings a lot more value than just jargon. To understand what field
service is, let me take you through the common working points of the field services.
a. Maintenance
b. Repair
c. Installation
d. Business Consultation
Let us take one by one and understand how TQM helps in improving the quality of the services
in each segment of the field services.
Repair: With TQM, it is made sure that the repair work that was done is feasible and workable.
For example, if a machine used in the fieldwork is broking, then a service technician will make a
field visit and try and resolve the issues that persist.
Maintenance: Maintenance comes under the preventive measure of field services. To avoid the
regular wear and tear of the devices, steps that are taken with TQM in mind which ensures that
devices are long-lived.
Talking about Maintenance, it is of 3 types of:
a. Preventive
b. Predictive
c. Corrective
Installation: To understand this, let me help you with an example. For example, you purchased
a washing machine and asked for a salesperson to come and install it. Now, considering the
principles of TQM, after the installation work, the salesperson will do some testing, which
ensures that the device has a long life.
Business Consultation: A field service visit at the time of failure is not just enough to solve the
issue. It can also involve analysis of your business and, accordingly, what are the customer
demands. How can those demands be fulfilled without any additional resources utilization is
what TQM does at the time of consultation.
It was expected that by 2022, there would be an exponential growth in the field services. It will
account for more than 3 Billion Euros. Therefore, it should not be surprising that there is a lot of
changes and improvisations that we see day by day in the field services. TQM works as a
management consultant in the field services and makes sure that no additional funds were
utilized, and there is an effective system driven for the betterment.
