How to Build an Effective Service Company (Coursera)

Offered by IESE Business School,
How to Build an Effective Service Company (Coursera)

Why do so many brilliant plans fail to deliver? What do you have to do to make things happen and make things right in services companies or service areas? Our teams require a new structured operational mindset that unifies improvement, promised service delivery and financial results. Just in time, Lean, Agile, Design Thinking... Are these movements familiar to you? Professor Muñoz-Seca has developed a framework that goes beyond these approaches: SPDM (Service Problem Driven Management) makes knowledge the corner stone of service efficiency and excellence.

Class Deals by MOOC List - Click here and see Coursera's Active Discounts, Deals, and Promo Codes.

This new operational service structure is created to make your team overcome constant challenges and feel deeply involved in your service delivery. SPDM introduces a "magic formula" complementing these movements. Task equals problem equals knowledge, becomes the driving force to free up time to adopt new value-added tasks that improve both service efficiency, your team fulfillment and the company financial results.
In this course, you will follow four companies, each in a different service sector (finance, gas service delivery, back office of a bank and tourism), as they implement SPDM to address the problems that do not allow them to deliver an excellent service and improve their results. Through these cases, and the application of this practical framework, you will gain a deep understanding of how to increase your efficiency and adopt a cutting-edge operations model that provides a 5 star service linked with financial improvement.

Syllabus

WEEK 1
Course Overview
In this course, you will follow four companies, each in a different industry (finance, gas, health and tourism), as they implement an efficient and cutting-edge operations model (SPDM) to address the problems that do not allow them to deliver an excellent service, and improve their results. Through these cases, and the application of this practical framework, you will gain a deep understanding of how to increase your efficiency while providing a 5 star service, as well as getting results and things done in your own company.

WEEK 2
The Operations Puzzle
During this module, the following topics will be covered: promise and its five dimensions (cost, time, range, innovation, and consistency), essence or DNA’s company, flame red or the structure holding up the essence, client archetype, service specifications and moments of truth (MMT).

WEEK 3
Unlocking Capacity to Tackle Higher Value-Added Tasks
During this module, the following topics will be covered: service and product mix, task=problem=knowledge, capacity analysis and matrix, load matrix and task benchmark.

WEEK 4
No Hire, No Fire
During this module, the following topics will be covered: operational variables, E2E process & green benches, 7 times, operational rules and types of decisions.

WEEK 5
The Problem Solving Machine
During this module, the following topics will be covered: nine questions, knowledge gaps, touch points in the costumer journey, distance to implementation and knowledge stock blockages and the knowledge extended enterprise.

WEEK 6
Conclusions
During this module, the following topics will be covered; reflections and summary and learnings of the four companies.

Go to Class
MOOC List is learner-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Related Courses

Gestión Empresarial Exitosa para Pymes (Coursera) Coursera
Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile

Gestión Empresarial Exitosa para Pymes (Coursera)

Este curso tiene como objetivo fortalecer las capacidades de gestión de pequeños y medianos empresarios, y personas interesadas en emprender. El Programa Pyme de la Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile te invita a profundizar sobre lo que se requiere para ser un empresario exitoso y a aprender buenas prácticas en dirección de empresas que permitan crear valor al cliente, a través del marketing y herramientas comerciales.

Sep 28th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Hospitality Luxury Brand Management (Coursera) Coursera
Starweaver

Hospitality Luxury Brand Management (Coursera)

Explore the world of luxury hospitality branding and learn how to manage, maintain, and innovate within this exclusive industry. This course identifies the unique challenges, trends, and opportunities of luxury brand management in the 21st century. In this course, you will develop expertise in luxury hospitality brand management through a comprehensive journey from foundational principles to cutting-edge innovations. You'll explore market dynamics, customer experiences, and the role of digital transformation. Discover how to redefine luxury for the modern era and excel in managing luxury brands.

Sep 28th 2026
4 Weeks
Organizational Analysis (Coursera) Coursera
Stanford University

Organizational Analysis (Coursera)

In this introductory, self-paced course, you will learn multiple theories of organizational behavior and apply them to actual cases of organizational change. Organizations are groups whose members coordinate their behaviors in order to accomplish a shared goal. They can be found nearly everywhere in today’s society: universities, start-ups, classrooms, hospitals, non-profits, government bureaus, corporations, restaurants, grocery stores, and professional associations are some of many examples of organizations.

Sep 28th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Inglés Empresarial: Gestión y Liderazgo (Coursera) Coursera
Arizona State University

Inglés Empresarial: Gestión y Liderazgo (Coursera)

¿Es usted un ejecutivo de negocios o gerente que utiliza inglés en su profesión? Entonces Ud. sabe que la buena comunicación empresarial en inglés exige los enfoques, el vocabulario y las estructuras lingüísticas específicas. En este curso, Ud. seguirá, a lo largo con un gerente recién promovido, como ella construye y conduce a su equipo hacia el éxito.

Sep 21st 2026
5-12 Weeks
Design and Interpretation of Clinical Trials (Coursera) Coursera
Johns Hopkins University

Design and Interpretation of Clinical Trials (Coursera)

Clinical trials are experiments designed to evaluate new interventions to prevent or treat disease in humans. The interventions evaluated can be drugs, devices (e.g., hearing aid), surgeries, behavioral interventions (e.g., smoking cessation program), community health programs (e.g. cancer screening programs) or health delivery systems (e.g., special care units for hospital admissions). We consider clinical trials experiments because the investigators rather the patients or their doctors select the treatment the patients receive.

Sep 28th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Structure: Building the Frame for Business Growth (Coursera) Coursera
Michigan State University

Structure: Building the Frame for Business Growth (Coursera)

Just like when building a house the foundation for your business provides the framework for success. A business built on weak structure will struggle to succeed. We'll address some of the most pressing issues that you as a business owner must face while constructing the proper framework for your business.

Sep 28th 2026
4 Weeks
Managing Responsibly: Practicing Sustainability, Responsibility and Ethics (Coursera) Coursera
University of Manchester

Managing Responsibly: Practicing Sustainability, Responsibility and Ethics (Coursera)

Managers are increasingly confronted with issues of sustainability, responsibility and ethics. Managing responsibly is an integrative approach to sustainability, responsibility and ethics, which allows you as a manager to deal competently with such challenges. This course will facilitate your learning process to engage in changing practices to make them more sustainable, responsible, and ethically informed.

Sep 21st 2026
5-12 Weeks
Two Speed IT: How Companies Can Surf the Digital Wave, a BCG Perspective (Coursera) Coursera
CentraleSupélec

Two Speed IT: How Companies Can Surf the Digital Wave, a BCG Perspective (Coursera)

Transform or disappear, the Darwinism of IT: In order to adapt to a digital world, a two-speed IT is needed. Despite the importance of IT in today’s digital world, Chief Information Officers (CIOs) often struggle to get their voices heard by executive committees. Faced with this challenge, IT departments are being forced to reinvent themselves to adapt their companies to the fast paced evolution of technology. The Boston Consulting Group has developed a business approach that allows IT to shed off its appearance of a heavy cost center and to adopt a new, more realistic persona as a quality service provider, partnering with users and the management.

Sep 21st 2026
5-12 Weeks
University Teaching (Coursera) Coursera
University of Hong Kong

University Teaching (Coursera)

University Teaching is an introductory course in teaching and learning in tertiary education, designed by staff at the Centre for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning at the University of Hong Kong. With input from instructors, guests and interviewees, including teaching award winners, students, and experts in the fields, you will be exposed to research evidence in relation to effective university teaching and practical instructional design strategies. You will also be exposed to multiple examples of effective teaching, and hear the views of teachers whose teaching has been judged to be excellent.

Sep 28th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Impact Measurement & Management for the SDGs (Coursera) Coursera
Duke University

Impact Measurement & Management for the SDGs (Coursera)

How can businesses and investors help fill the $2 trillion gap needed for sustainable development? Simply put, by getting better at measuring and managing impacts on people and planet. Through this course, anyone can learn to improve their organization's practice of impact management, and how to align their ESG or impact activities and reporting with emerging global standards. Impact Measurement and Management for the SDGs is sponsored by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the global development network of the United Nations which created the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that over 190 countries have signed on to achieve by 2030. But the public sector can't do this alone.

Sep 28th 2026
5-12 Weeks