Six Sigma for Financial Services

The title of this book is misleading. In fact, its subtitle is more relevant. It does not focus on Six Sigma only, but rather on a variety of tools that companies offering financial services are – or should be – using to achieve what Rowland Hayler and Michael D. Nichols call "business process excellence": creating the greatest possible value for customers. The book is based on a study (described in the index) of 11 leading financial-services companies, some international and some local. The authors frequently cite useful examples from their respondents to anchor some of their theories in real life. Unfortunately, managers who are eager to benefit from this important information may find the authors' prose opaque and abstract. The charts and chapter summaries are helpful, but some readers may need perseverance to learn from this book. Nevertheless, getAbstract finds the authors' goal laudable: to show how financial-services companies can improve their often-abysmal customer service standards, and thus increase their profits and competitiveness.