Proceedings of the 7 th Asia Pacific Industrial Engineering and Management Systems Conference 2006 17-20 December 2006, Bangkok, Thailand ________________________________________ † : Corresponding Author An Intranet-Based Integrated Information System Based on Service Quality Characteristics Chuvej Chansa-ngavej † Shinawatra University, Bangkok 10900, THAILAND +662-949-2123, Email: chuvej@shinawatra.ac.th Saowalak Lertsuntud Department of Industrial Engineering Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, 10330, THAILAND +662-218-6814, Email: lsaowalak@hotmail.com Abstract. The aim of this research is to develop an intranet-based integrated information system for direct inward dialing services for the public switching telephone network of a large telecommunication conglomerate in Thailand. To meet the high quality expectation of the account executives and engineers, the concept of service quality characteristic and the Quality Function Deployment (QFD) methodology are used in the development process. The service and technical detailed information required is collected through questionnaires and transformed into prioritized technical requirements using QFD phase 1. The four desired service quality characteristics, namely the physical, functional, lifetime, and service elements, are set as requirements for the information system. The intranet-based system is developed using Microsoft FrontPage and Microsoft Access. Test results show that the users find the system to conform well to the four major service quality characteristics. The system also leads to reliable and efficient services and high user satisfaction. As a result of the implementation, the field services needs of the account executives/engineers drops from 83 to 56 times per month, representing a 33% improvement. The case example demonstrates that the service quality characteristics and QFD approaches are indeed useful for user-oriented information system development and should be incorporated in other similar information system development projects. Keywords: Intranet-based information system development, service quality characteristics, Quality Function Deployment 1. INTRODUCTION The telecommunications industry in Thailand at present is under government control. As this industry plays a crucial role in national development, the government has initiated a policy to privatize businesses in the industry by allowing foreign enterprises to conduct business under open competition by 2006, in accordance with WTO regulations. This forces Thai telecommunications companies (including the subject of this research), which serve 2.6 million telephone numbers in metropolitan and suburban Bangkok, to adjust their strategies in order to prepare for intense competition, particularly in the form of delivering services quality (Juran & Gryna, 1988) to customers. Emphasis on process creates the internal customer phenomenon, by which all personnel in the company are both the buyers and sellers within themselves. The quality of work each staff does is therefore linked to the external customers, assuming that the subsequent process is one’s own customer. Thus, every staff in the production process affects the quality of service that is provided to the customers. The characteristics of service within the scope of this research is the automated Direct Inward Dialing (DID) system, which the customer can connect directly to an internal line of the company via a telephone from a Private Automatic Branch Exchange, PABX) by dialing only nine numbers. When connecting, no operator is required, making the internal line seem like a normal phone connection. The DID service has received much popular response among customers, and has generated further revenue for the companies. 1483