Define the terms front room and back room and describe the roles these processes play in service operations. What must operations managers take into consideration when setting up these two processes?

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Answer: The degree of customer contact determines the relative importance of front-room and back-room operations in a service process. The front room in a service organization is the point (either physical or virtual) where the customer interfaces directly with the service organization. As a rule, as the degree of customer contact increases, more of the service package is provided by front-room operations.
In designing front-room operations, managers must consider how the customer interfaces with the service. Layout, location, and convenience become key. The physical layout must be comfortable, safe, and attractive, and the location must be convenient. In addition, front-room service must be available when the customer needs it.
As the degree of customer contact decreases, more of the service package is provided by backroom operations. The back room refers to the part of a service operation that is completed without direct customer contact. The back room is often hidden from the customer's view. Such services can be located to reduce transportation costs and laid out to improve productivity.
Because back-room personnel do not deal directly with customers, the hours of operation are not as crucial as they are in front-room operations, and employees do not have to be skilled in dealing with customers. As you might expect, back-room service operations are usually easier to manage than front-room operations.