Customer service is a key issue of concerns especially among companies. A company’s customer policies and the general way in which its employees treat customers highly influence the consumer preference. This determines the amount of sales made by the company consequently determining profits.
Many corporations spend a lot of resources on policies that promote consumer satisfaction as well as extensive education and promotion of customer care values among the employees. Excellent customer care practices are essential for a business to survive in its industry as the modern market is characterized by competition and differentiated products which provide the consumer with a wide variety to choose from.
Background Information
The Home Depot is an American retail company for home appliances established in 1978 by Bernie Marcus and Arthur Blank. Over the years, the company has transformed consumer’s perspectives on home improvement and designing and it is presently the world’s leading home improvement specialty retailer with over two thousand retail outlets spread across the United states, Canada, Mexico and China (Home Depot, 2010).
One of the major concerns of the company is maintaining the existing customers as well as acquiring new customers. This calls for the need to promote effective customer service in the company.
Customer service is a tough standard in most organizations but in Home Depot, the founders of the company ensured that they lived up to it (Roush, 1999). Marcus and Arthur sought grass root opinions on the effectiveness of the services provided by the company.
Their commitment to effective customer service is demonstrated as they enquire from associates and customers on the company’s weak and strong points as well as recommendations to the problems. In fact, one of the founders noted how customer service greatly impact on the products that the company sells and highlighted the very important part of their policy which is allowing the customer to provide a yellow brick to success of the company (Roush, 2009).
The company ensures that they respond to the customer’s needs and improve the stores as deemed appropriate. However, it is difficult to convince some of the employees to uphold customer service as they are the most crucial determinants for the success of the business. This is because when a customer leaves a store in dissatisfaction, the store will not only lose a customer, but the customer may spread negative information to other customers leading to reduction of sales in that store and the entire company at large.
The company’s founders Marcus and Blank invested countless hours in training sessions throughout the outlets emphasizing on customer care as well as employees knowledge of products being sold. (Roush, 2009) Marcus, a founder acknowledged that the customer is the source of everything that he has and attributed his life to the customers. He further urged the Home Depot employees to embrace the same attitude (Roush, 2009).
Even before the company commenced its operations, its founders considered customer service to be the company’s focal point strategy aiming at eight million annual sales for each store which was double the industry’s output (Roush, 2009). By the end of 1983, the company registered more than a quarter billion in sales and made a profit of ten million.
This growth can be attributed to the strategy of low pricing which was enabled by purchasing goods directly from manufacturers and provision of wide selection of goods. This helped the company to overcome competitions from other companies (Roush, 2009). Increased volumes of customers led to crowding and long queues which called for the need for establishment of new stores. Currently, the company operates an online shopping site where consumers can order products right from their homes.
However, a lot of complaints are recently being raised regarding the customer service in some of Home depot stores. Customer complaints range from bad credit facilities to lack of attention from the employees. This is likely to negatively impact on the performance of company especially because of the prevailing economic conditions in US where the highest percentage of stores is situated.
The graphical representation displays the downward trend of consumer confidence index in the United States which consequently affects the amount of sales resulting from consumer’s reluctance from making purchases.
Conclusion
Home Depot is a service industry and its overall performance is rated according to the amount of sales made over time. The customer is the major determinant of the amount of sales achieved by the company. It is therefore important for the company to ensure that its customer service is maintained at the highest standards in order to realize high profit margins.
This is primarily due to the fact that consumers respond actively to the services they obtain in the Home depot stores which impact either negatively or positively on the company’s returns depending on the level of consumer satisfaction.
Recommendations
Due to technological advancements in the modern society, the company should continually promote its e retail trading. The company should also extensively educate the employees on customer values service and take disciplinary action against employees who do not uphold these values. The company should also have an established customer care department to regulate customer service.
References
Home Depot, official website (2010). Our history. Web.
Roush, C. (1999). Inside home depot: how one company revolutionized an industry through the relentless pursuit of growth. New York: McGraw-Hill Professionals.
While the majority of individuals in modern societies think that a customer is also a client, the notion is untrue. Apparently, a customer is a person who purchases goods from a certain outlet in a single instance or regularly. However, a client refers to someone who buys services and professional expertise from service providers. Furthermore, while customers may not be loyal to a particular outlet, clients, on the other hand, are loyal and make their purchases from outlets that provide personalized services. In the words of Khalifa, clients require services that address their individual needs (948). Therefore, it is common in several instances to see service providers working hard to ensure that their services match what their clients expect. Conversely, unlike clients, customers receive standard services that have fixed prices. In this vein, it is important to note that personalization and loyalty are among the main factors that differentiate customers from clients.
The difference between a customer and a consumer
The difference between a customer and a consumer is one that requires careful study on the purpose of the product purchased and its use. Principally, customers can purchase a product with the intention of reselling it to another entity. However, consumers, on the other hand, purchase products with the primary or sole purpose of using them. Concisely, consumers are the end-users of a particular product (Akman 29). For instance, a wholesaler can purchase products from the store with the intent of reselling them to retailers and make some profit. The retailers then sell the products to the end-users who eventually consume the product. In this scenario, consumers become the end-users of the product. Therefore, when individuals purchase a product with the purpose of using it, they become consumers. It is important to note that the differences do not relate to the number of individuals involved in the purchase or consumption of the product. Organizations and individuals can pose as customers or consumers in relation to the nature and purpose of the product being purchased.
Consumer protection and product standardization to meet consumer and societal expectations
To ensure that consumers are protected from the companies that they are in business with, there are a number of state and private agencies that regulate the nature of operations between them and business entities. Zhang and Bing state that the objective of consumer protection agencies is to ensure that consumers receive goods or services in their expected qualities and quantities (45). Moreover, the agencies shield consumers from fraudulent practices that could otherwise take place in the absence of regulation. Malpractices such as the provision of false or misleading information about a product comprise some of the issues addressed by the agencies.
Maureen explains that organizations such as Federal Trade Commission are among the key players that help address issues that arise between consumers and business entities (8). Consequently, to ensure that products match consumer and societal expectations, the agencies work together with business entities and consumers. These agencies look into the complaints, suggestions, and consumer feedback before making a decision concerning a product. Assessment of complaints, suggestions, and consumer feedback helps the agencies make an informed decision.
Role of internal organizational culture in service quality
An internal culture of an organization determines the quality of services that it delivers. The components outlined by the culture revolve around the vision, mission, communication, conflict resolution, and nature of the operation. These components are very crucial in dictating the overall performance of employees and management in an organization. Well-defined internal culture leads to high-end performance and timely resolution of issues that hamper effective service delivery. As such, employees work together to achieve the main goals of the organization. Internal culture also helps employees understand their respective roles in the organization. In cases of challenges, issues get to the required departments and receive the requisite redress. According to Ahmed, smart leaders focus on the development of excellent internal culture within organizations because they understand the role that it plays in service quality (41). It is important to explain that an exceptional internal culture is a good ingredient that propels organizations to higher levels in relation to their competitors.
Personal experience and lessons
Last year during the holidays, I decided to visit one of the hotels around my hometown to have lunch and relax. After checking into the hotel, the staff quickly directed me to the reception, where I was assigned a room and given the key. With the help of a porter, I checked in to the room and came down after refreshing to have lunch. At the restaurant, the waiter came after I had read the menu, took my order, and served me within a short time. Afterward, I went to the swimming pool, where I received timely service and attention from the hotel stewards. The attention and positive service continued for the three days that I stayed in the hotel.
One of the factors that I observed during my time in the hotel was the conducive working environment. The employees, supervisors, and their managers communicated freely without intimidation. Moreover, there were instances when I received services from the managers, who took my orders and served me. The nature of service delivery right from my arrival to my departure was very encouraging and inspiring. The services rendered to me led to the development of a positive post-consumption experience. Moreover, due to the quality of service and the attention I received from the employees, the hotel gained my loyalty.
Some of the major takeaways that I will practice as a service provider comprise the creation of a conducive working environment and ensuring that the employees work together as a team. To create a good working environment, I will focus on the development of a good internal culture amongst the employees and the management. Bureaucracies that at times delay the passage of information are some of the factors that I will address. The essence of dealing with bureaucracies is to ensure that employees receive attention and issues get solutions on time. Owoyemi states that several facilities that provide services to their consumers succeed or fail because of the nature of communication and the time taken to relay messages from one department to another (170).
I will also encourage the employees to practice flexibility and encourage managers to get out of their offices and be part of service delivery. It is important to note that when managers leave their offices, they get first-hand experiences and understand the challenges that the junior staff go through in delivering services. Besides understanding the challenges that junior staff go through, the managers also interact with them at a personal level and engage in a productive exchange of ideas. Good communication and interaction between junior staff and the management is a vital ingredient that I will employ to ensure that consumers who walk into the organization enjoy the satisfaction and pleasure that I enjoyed during my stay in the hotel.
Works Cited
Ahmed, Saima Shafiq. “The Impact of Organizational Culture on Organizational Performance: A Case Study on Telecom Sector.” Global Journal of Management and Business Research, vol. 14, no.3, 2014, pp. 22-52.
Akman, Pınar. ”Consumer’ versus ‘Customer’: The Devil in the Detail.” CCP Working Paper 08-34, vol.1, no.1, 2008, pp. 1-32.
Khalifa, Ali Haj. “Customer-Oriented-Marketing Approaches: Similarities and Divergences.” International Journal, vol. 2, no.1, 2014, pp. 943-951.
Maureen, Ohlhausen. “Privacy Challenges and Opportunities: The Role of the Federal Trade Commission. Journal of Public Policy& Marketing, vol. 33, vol.1, 2014, pp. 4-9.
Owoyemi, Ekwoaba. “Organisational Culture: A Tool for Management to Control, Motivate and Enhance Employees’ Performance.” American Journal of Business and Management, vol.3, no.3, 2014, pp.168-177.
Zhang, Xiaoxia and Bing Li. “Organizational Culture and Employee Satisfaction: An Exploratory Study.” International Journal of Trade, Economics and Finance, vol. 4, no.1, 2013, pp. 31-48.
Describe a customer service situation where both the customer and the service provider ended up winning.
Customer service is the provision of different services for customers to fulfill their need in some good and guarantee their satisfaction. However, not only the satisfaction of a customer should be achieved. There is an ideal situation in which both a customer and a service provider are happy. I experienced the situation of this sort. There was a misconception connected with the price of a good.
The price on the marking label was not the same as the price in the check. It was much higher. Having noticed it, I drew a shop assistants attention to this fact. She consulted with the price list and corrected the price. This situation is a good example of how both the customer and the service provider end up winning. I paid less, and the shop assistant corrected the mistake. It would help to avoid the same misconception in the future.
Describe a customer service situation where the customer won at the expense of the service provider.
However, there are situations when a customer wins at the expense of a service provider. The friend of mine addressed a building contractor in order to build a house. The house was built within timeframes and in accordance with a plan. However, it turned out that some serious problems appeared while living in this house. First of all, the majority of problems was connected with foozles made while building this house.
That is why my friend addressed the same company asking them to correct the situation. They refused to do it. Being sure in the building contractors fault, he went to law against them and won a case. The company had to rebuild his house and pay him money. It is the case when a service provider loses and bleeds cash. Such situations should be avoided as they destroy the image of service providers and promote mistrust between them and customers.
Describe a customer service situation where the customer lost at the expense of the service provider.
Unfortunately, very often, there are situations when customers lose, and service providers win at the expense of them. There was such a situation in my own experience. I hired a bike in order to make a voyage. However, I had not noticed some damage done to it. At the end of the day, I came to give it back.
There was a traditional procedure of examination of the bike. This damage was noticed. I was not able to prove that it was not my fault as I did not draw the service suppliers attention to this fact in the morning, that is why I had to pay the fine off. Such situations are very disappointing, and they promote the decrease of demand for service.
Describe a customer service situation where the customer where both the customer and service provider ended up losing.
However, the worst is the situation when both a customer and a service provider end up losing. Unfortunately, they happen not so seldom. It is possible to support this statement with clear evidence. The customer ordered a sculpture from a company. The sculpture was made in time and delivered to the customer. However, it was not that type of sculpture the customer expected. Its look and some peculiarities did not satisfy him.
That is why the customer refused to pay. Being disappointed with this failure, the service provider refused to correct the sculpture or create a new one. This is the situation in which both sides lose. The customer did not get his needed order in time and the service provider spent his costs in vain. Such situations should be avoided as they do not promote the development of trade.
My internship was successfully accepted at the Khaleeji Commercial Bank, Riffa branch, and commenced on 3rd March and ended on 30th April 2013. During this period, I was placed at the customer service section, where attending to customers’ needs was the main activity.
Benefits of the internship experience from the students perspective
I gained worthy experience during my internship period at the bank. I learned how to handle customer requests and complaints and forward them to the responsible staff at the bank. Any customer, who came for the first time to open a bank account, could not proceed until he or she was issued with a Customer Information File (CIF). I was also shown how a transaction is usually initiated until it is finally accomplished within a short time. My bank supervisor advised me on several occasions to exercise control over the challenges while a customer is waiting in the queue for services.
I developed a positive experience of managing workload within my desk in a given time without giving up or postponing it to the next period. Managing the group of staff as teams strengthened my ability to organize my duties and interact with them irrespective of their job groups, cultures, nationalities, and their nature.
Weekly logs of the week
During the internship period, I attended a financial meeting in Bahrain chaired by S. H Almahmoud. The chair of the meeting explained the bank’s core business and Islamic finance products ventured by the bank. He ensured that we were conversant with the Sharia and Islamic laws before proceeding with our internship roles.
Each day of the internship period in the customer service section was often coupled with a lot of customer and staff interactions. Customers came with different purposes ranging from opening a new bank account to applying for a Visa Card. The bank policy required customer service section staff to practice friendly interactions with incoming customers.
Experience gained
Generally, I learned a lot, especially how to approach customers with different problems and attitudes. It is worth mentioning that lessons taught in school found their way to actual practice during the internship period. I was able to handle office politics which would have impeded my performance. Repeatedly, I found that not all companies especially banks use the same policies and guidelines. For example, it is a policy for the Khaleeji Commercial Bank to treat a customer as always right. This has been effective for them and not a priority for other banks. Total-experience gained formed a firm foundation on how to deal with organizational behaviors and utilized the experience taught in college.
Tasks related to the retail department at the Riffa branch
The retail department of the Khaleeji Commercial Bank forms the customer service section. All customers make inquiries about various Islamic finance products offered by the bank. Customers with special needs and attention can find help within the retail department. These services are crucial in helping customers fill different application forms and making them understand terms and conditions before signing them. Risk management is another crucial feature of the retail section.
A customer is usually shown and explained to on risks associated with the banking products to allow him or her to consider the consequences. At the end of the day, suggestions to the bank managers are usually made to allow the bank to improve on their products and enhance competitiveness and effectiveness over the other banks.
WestJet Airline was founded in 1994 in Canada as a low-cost carrier (Mark and Crossan 60). At the moment, WestJet provides charter and scheduled air services to over 71 destinations within Canada, Mexico, the United States, and the Caribbean. WestJet is ranked as the second largest air carrier in Canada, after Air Canada. WestJet carries more than 40,000 passengers and operates more than 380 flights every day. WestJet relies on the Boeing 737 Next Generation as the sole aircraft of choice.
The airline’s headquarters and main hub are located in Alberta, at the Calgary International Airport. Over the last four years, WestJet has realized huge success because the management has been open to expansion strategies (Mark and Crossman 60). This is a clear indication that the passengers are receptive to the schedule and route network that WestJet has laid out in its expansion program.
However, the airline still continues to provide exceptional customer service, even as it still embraces a low-fare structure. The success behind WestJet as a low-cost carrier is mainly attributed to the quality of service that the airline provides to its passengers. The essay therefore endeavors to examine how customer service has impacted on the operations of WestJet airline.
Over the years, WestJet has gained recognition due to its light-hearted attitude and friendliness of the staff. At WestJet Airline, quality customer service is regarded as more of a legendary activity. As such, the management regards it as an important component of the airline’s promise of no-hassles to its guests.
Not only is the staff helpful and friendly, but adore their jobs as well. Accordingly, they tend to approach their jobs with an infectious positive attitude. At WestJet, the management upholds customer experience, because it is the very foundation of the success of the airline. Even when faced with the challenge of expanding, WestJet is always committed to upholding the customers’ experience.
Therefore, the top management has deemed it necessary to balance its numerous business demands with experience perspective of the airline’s customers (Norma 6). WestJet Airline also has a mile reward system to its passengers. All you need to do is book for flights at the airline’s website: www.westjet.com. This is part of the airline’s corporate social responsibility in order to ensure a safer and friendlier flying environment, and to encourage passengers to take part in the fight against global warming.
Flying with WestJet guarantees a passenger of a comfortable ride. In addition, the airline also values the time of its passengers and as such, the company recognizes on-time performance. The company has also made it a habit to publish the statistics of its various flights on-time performance.
Owing to the airline’s superior customer service that has become almost legendary, within a very short time, WestJet has managed to snatch a sizeable market share from Air Canada (Brent 1).
For this reason, the airline management is very committed to ensuring that its customers always gets the best service because this is the only way that WestJet can maintain a competitive edge in the face of mounting competition.
Passengers traveling with WestJet airline are guaranteed of an outstanding customer service at very affordable prices. The airlines operate over 60 flight destinations, both locally and internationally.
Moreover, passengers who chose to fly with WestJet have an opportunity to sample some of the customer-made travel packages that the airline has to offer. These packages cover more than 30 destinations in the United States and Canada. Other than the vacation packages, teams, schools groups and other forms of groups may also travel at affordable group rates (WestJet para. 5).
Passengers who choose to travel with WestJet also stand out to benefit from additional features that the airline has to offer them as part of its extended customer service. They include baggage and flight tracking, travel insurance, partnerships with car rental companies and hotels, as well as accommodation facilities for those people who have disabilities.
WestJet has hugely invested in its culture and employees and as a result, the airline has managed to provide its customers with exceptional service. The airline’s reputation is founded on four fundamental keys to success and second on this list is guest service. The airline has a slogan, “Care-antee” , which is a promise that the airline makes to its passengers to provide them with professional and friendly service with a smile (Brent 1).
Indeed, this promise reverberates quiet well with the employee satisfaction at WestJet and in return, employees always ensure that they enhance the quality of service delivers to customers. 82 % of the employees at WestJet are also shareholders in the company and for this reason they are more motivated to provide superior service to the passengers with pride.
If I worked with WestJet, I would ensure that I maintain a direct contact with the airline’s customers. I would endeavor to know more about their families, and their occupations. This is likely to win the trust of the customers, thereby ensuring their loyalty with the airline. I would also encourage customers to get actively involved in the establishment of customer service standards.
This way, it shall be easier for the airline to find out exactly what kind of service that the customers would expect to receive from the airline, instead of merely assuming. I would also encourage the employees at WestJet to actively participate in the planning and implementation exercises of the proposed customer service standards.
This will help to further cement the relationship between customers and employees. I would also participate engage in ensuring that customer service at the airline is given priority over the other activities.
Works Cited
Brent, Jang. Canadian money-losing air Canada takes a cue from WestJet. Global & Mail, Nov 11, 2008, pBb1.
Mark, Ken and Crossan, Mary. WestJet airlines: The culture that breeds a passion to succeed. (The Ivey Case Study[C]). Ivey Business Journal, 66.4(2002): 60. CPI.Q (Canadian Periodicals). Web.
Norma, Ramage. Customer services WestJet Airlines Ltd. Quality of service and consumer satisfaction. Marketing Magazine, 112.17(2007): 6. Canadian Reference Centre (EBSCO).
The goal of the present survey is to reveal major training needs of customer service representatives. It is important to outline common difficulties these employees face and it is also essential to trace any gaps in their professional skills.
To achieve the goal mentioned above, employees should complete some questionnaires. The questionnaires should include the following questions:
Please select the most appropriate mode of the training program for you:
Discussions
Lectures
Workshops
Real setting training
Which training method would you choose:
Classroom
Internet
Video
Have you attended workshops which you could recommend to your colleagues?
yes
no
Please note the most convenient time for you to attend lectures and discussions. ___________________________________________
Please point out the most convenient day for you to attend lectures and discussions. ___________________________________________
This questionnaire addresses common needs of customer service representatives (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2009). It will help to collect the necessary data to design the most effective training program for customer service representatives.
According to Barbazette (2006) it is essential to use different methods to conduct needs analysis survey. As far as the present survey is concerned, first, employees will complete self-administered questionnaires. After this, it is possible to create focus groups. Employees will be grouped in terms of the time they have been working.
Of course, employee’s needs will also be taken into account. If it is difficult to place an employee to any group, it will be necessary to conduct an additional individual interview. The effectiveness of the training program depends greatly on forming of the focus groups.
It is important to combine the three methods mentioned above to eliminate any possible inaccuracy. Thus, self-administered questionnaires are good for collecting data concerning exact each employee’s needs. These questionnaires will also enable a human resources development specialist to collect comprehensive data concerning employees’ difficulties.
It is important to note that questionnaires should be precise and clear. Employees should be able to understand each question to answer it properly. Besides, it is important that questionnaires are quite short as employees do not have much time for such tasks (McConnell, 2003).
If the questionnaire is lengthy, employees can pay little attention to each question in order to cover all points. Of course, this will not lead to proper data collection. It is also important to note that questionnaires should contain data concerning the future training program (at least, most suitable schedule can be designed on the basis of the employee’s answers). Thus, questionnaires should be precise and brief.
However, sometimes even the most comprehensive questionnaire is not enough as employees can have doubts concerning their own needs. Therefore, individual interview can help the trainer to identify real needs of employees to place them in the most appropriate focus groups. Training should be held in groups as the most effective training presupposes a lot of discussion and sharing ideas (McConnell, 2003).
Admittedly, these methods of data collection will help to design the most effective training program (Barbazette, 2006). Some may argue that needs analysis is a waste of time. For instance, some may say that it is enough to hold workshops when something new is introduced (new services or products, organizational changes, etc.).
However, it is essential to make sure that employees are aware of the present state of the organization. It is also important to understand whether there are certain gaps in employees’ knowledge or professional skills. As soon as these challenging areas (gaps) are revealed, they can be easily eliminated during properly designed training programs.
It goes without saying that needs analysis is the best way to outline the areas which require special attention. Thus, while conducting needs analysis, a HRD specialist can reveal the most challenging areas for each employee. More so, the HRD specialist will be able to design the most appropriate training program.
For instance, the questionnaires will help the HRD specialist to understand how to combine different techniques (discussions, lectures, videos, Internet and/or real-life settings). Admittedly, the right choice of the most appropriate technique can ensure that the training program designed will be effective and will meet the employees’ needs.
References
Barbazette, J. (2006). Training needs assessment: Methods, tools, and techniques. San Francisco, CA: John Wiley & Sons.
Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2009). Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2010-11 Edition. Web.
McConnell, J. H. (2003). How to identify your organization’s training needs: A practical guide to needs analysis. New York, NY: AMACOM.
The employer is looking for a Marketing Executive and the focus is on a marketing function. The remuneration package is in the range of £18,000 to 24,000 per annum plus excellent benefits. The job role is described as follows:
The Marketing Executive must prepare and deliver the marketing plan, on time and on budget on an annual basis using liaison with other departments where necessary.
The marketing plan includes all the traditional element of the marketing mix, including advertising, tradeshows and exhibitions, public relations, direct mail, search engine optimization, literature and promotional items. Some of the items will be external and require management of third parties (Turner, 2011, p.1).
Assessment
There is no need to be a mathematical genius to take on this job. But the application of numeracy for this job is in professional level. Team work is very crucial for this job.
I need to establish a professional relationship with the people I am working with. At the same time I need to master self-management because part of the job requires the preparation and delivery of a marketing plan.
Business and customer awareness is necessary in order to create an appropriate marketing plan. It also requires a high level of computer literacy in order to use the computer not only to develop the plan but also to deal with search engine optimization needs. Problem solving skills are required because there is a need to interact with heads of various departments.
Thus, communication and literacy must be at a professional level. My main problem here is the lack of experience when it comes to the advertising aspect of the job.
Management Information Analyst – Banking Complaints
The job is on a contractual basis for six months. The salary is £18,000 to 23,000 thousand per annum. The job role is described as follows:
It requires the design, testing and implementation of operational processes and data systems. Also requires the provision of accurate, high quality reporting enabling the business to make timely and appropriate decisions, resulting in increased business effectiveness and reduced costs. Finally, the job requires effective interrogation and monitoring of management information related complaints, the identification of emerging trends and delivery of root cause analysis of complaints (FPSG Connect, 2011, p.1).
Assessment
The application of numeracy is in the professional level. Team work is also an important concept to master because this job requires interaction with other people working on the same problem. Self-management is needed in order to pace oneself when it comes to providing time and accurate reports.
It also important to have business and customer awareness in order to develop an effective root causes analysis of problems. Communication and literacy skills are dependent on the software used by the company.
This also affects the other factors such as problem solving skills and application of IT. The only hurdle in this job is to become familiar with the software and that can be accomplished with a few weeks of training after hiring.
Customer Service Coordinator
The customer service coordinator is the first person seen by the customers entering the office. The salary for this job is £13,500 to 18,000. The job role is described as follows:
The Customer Service Coordinators is the first face-to-face point of contact for customers entering an A4e Office. Working on the new Work Programme contract, the coordinator will offer a warm and professional welcome, and direct customers to the most appropriate location or to an A4e staff.
The coordinator will effectively control customer flows within the office, maintaining a personal and courteous atmosphere (A43 Limited, 2011, p.1).
Assessment
The application of numeracy is in the practical level – meaning there is no need to perform calculations using a calculator or computer. Team work is needed but it only requires minimal effort because the work load is not that difficult. Self-management on the other hand is the key factor because the coordinator must be self-aware all the time in relation to the environment and the needs of the customers.
Business and customer awareness is also an important factor as this is the area that the employer would measure when it comes to being effective as coordinator. Application of IT, problem solving and communication and literacy only requires the minimum application. This means that the job does not require technical and specialised skills in these areas. I have the skills set to accomplish all of the above.
Lending Assistant – Banking
This job requires the applicant to work closely with the Business Manager of the said bank. The salary is £18,500 per annum. The job role is described as follows:
Assist Business Manager to prepare credit proposals for new and existing borrowing customers. Prepare credit reviews on customer’s standing, business performance and relationship with the bank. Carry out the pre-call and follow-up marketing works. Follow up on account opening for new and existing customers. And to prepare instructions and follow-up letters to surveyors (Wilde Associates, 2011, p.1).
Assessment
The application of numeracy is at a professional level. This is related to the application of IT because the job requires mastery of the use of software applications such as spreadsheets etc. Team work is not a primary concern because the job basically centres on the need to assist the Business Manager.
However, business and customer awareness is an important part of the job requirement because it is impossible to prepare credit reviews without this skills set. Problem solving, communication and literacy is a skill that is developed after a few weeks of spending time with the Business Manager as I try to master a system unique to the organisation.
Self-management is important in order to meet deadlines and submit accurate reports. There is a need to learn the intricacies of a new system; this would require a few weeks of on the job training but I have the skills set to accomplish all of the above.
Business Banking Relationship Officer
The job requires a close working relationship with the Senior Business Banking Manager. The basic salary is £25,000 plus bonus. The job role is described as follows:
The applicant must assist the Senior Business Banking Manager in the running of a portfolio of local business customers, helping to build strong relationships and assisting in the acquisition of new customers.
The applicant must possess a good understanding of company financials such as balance sheets, profit and loss accounts and cash flow statements. The job requires the applicant to develop excellent communication skills with the ability to focus customer needs (The Oakland Partnership Limited, 2011, p.1).
Assessment
The application of numeracy is in the professional level. This requires understanding of mathematical formulas that would result in generating data used in balance sheets and profit and loss accounts.
At the same time the IT application factor is related to the use of software such as spreadsheets and whatever system the bank is using to integrate all pertinent information into one report. Team work is an important concept to master but there is no need to learn how to manage a group because the position requires an assistant role to the Senior Business Banking Manager.
Business and customer awareness is needed to address customer needs. The same is true when it comes to problem solving and communication and literacy. These are needed to provide excellent service. I have the skills set to accomplish all of the above.
Communication Skills
Customer Service Coordinator
The customer service coordinator is the first person seen by the customers entering the office. The salary for this job is £13,500 to 18,000. The job role is described as follows:
The Customer Service Coordinators is the first face-to-face point of contact for customers entering an A4e Office. Working on the new Work Programme contract, the coordinator will offer a warm and professional welcome, and direct customers to the most appropriate location or to an A4e staff.
The coordinator will effectively control customer flows within the office, maintaining a personal and courteous atmosphere (A4e Limited, 2011, p.1).
Dear Mr. Turner:
With reference to your advertisement on Jobsite.com looking for a Customer Service Coordinator, I submit my candidacy today with the attached curriculum vitae.
I have been working as a customer service representative for a reputable bank in London for three years now. Ideally, this position will enable me to use my experience in the banking industry and use it to serve customers at A4e Limited. I also started my professional life working as an executive assistant.
The skills that I acquired from these two jobs would give me enough confidence and knowledge to tackle the problems as a Customer Service Coordinator. But at the same time I look forward to learning the unique way that your company deals with customers.
I realise that there are limitations to written communication of this type. Therefore, I look forward to participate in a personal interview. I would then be able to answer your questions. It would also be the best time for me to better present my qualifications.
Thank you very much for your time and consideration. I look forward to speaking with you Mr. Turner.
Career Objective
A highly-trained customer service representative with several years experience working in a London bank. Seeking a position, that will leverage working experience in the field of customer care.
Education
2005-2008 Bachelor’s degree in Accounts and Business Administration from the Manchester Business College
2002-2004 Diploma in Business Administration from the Manchester Business College
Work Experience
2003-2004 Executive Assistant
Responsibilities:
Record and transcribe the minutes of executive meetings;
Travel arrangements for CEO;
Prepare expense reports; and
Responsible for providing back-up data.
2008-2010 Customer Service Representative
Responsibilities:
Receiving and processing new client accounts;
Implement requested changes to existing accounts; and
Performing other clerical duties as requested.
Management Information Analyst – Banking Complaints
The job is on a contractual basis for six months. The salary is £18,000 to 23,000 thousand per annum. The job role is described as follows:
It requires the design, testing and implementation of operational processes and data systems. Also requires the provision of accurate, high quality reporting enabling the business to make timely and appropriate decisions, resulting in increased business effectiveness and reduced costs. Finally, the job requires effective interrogation and monitoring of management information related complaints, the identification of emerging trends and delivery of root cause analysis of complaints (FPSG Connect, 2011, p.1).
Dear Mr. Chesterton:
With reference to your advertisement on Jobsite.com looking for a Management Information Analyst, I submit my candidacy today with the attached curriculum vitae.
I have been working as a customer service representative for a reputable bank in London for three years now. Ideally, this position will enable me to use my experience in the banking industry and use it to serve customers at your bank. My three-year work experience in the bank exposed me to the different aspects of the banking industry, especially when it comes to dealing with customer complaints.
The skills that I acquired from my past employment would give me enough confidence and knowledge to tackle the problems as a Management Information Analyst with specific application on banking complaints. But at the same time I look forward to learning a new system especially if your bank uses particular software that integrates all pertinent information regarding customer information and feedback.
I realise that there are limitations to written communication of this type. Therefore, I look forward to participate in a personal interview. I would then be able to answer your questions. It would also be the best time for me to better present my qualifications.
Thank you very much for your time and consideration. I look forward to speaking with you Mr. Chesterton.
Career Objective
A highly-trained customer service representative with several years experience working in a London bank. Seeking a position, that will leverage working experience in the field of customer care.
Education
2005-2008 Bachelor’s degree in Accounts and Business Administration from the Manchester Business College
2002-2004 Diploma in Business Administration from the Manchester Business College
Work Experience
2003-2004 Executive Assistant
Responsibilities:
Record and transcribe the minutes of executive meetings;
Travel arrangements for CEO;
Prepare expense reports; and
Responsible for providing back-up data.
2008-2010 Customer Service Representative
Responsibilities:
Receiving and processing new client accounts;
Implement requested changes to existing accounts; and
Performing other clerical duties as requested.
Lending Assistant – Banking
This job requires the applicant to work closely with the Business Manager of the said bank. The salary is £18,500 per annum. The job role is described as follows:
Assist Business Manager to prepare credit proposals for new and existing borrowing customers. Prepare credit reviews on customer’s standing, business performance and relationship with the bank. Carry out the pre-call and follow-up marketing works. Follow up on account opening for new and existing customers. And to prepare instructions and follow-up letters to surveyors (Wilde Associates, 2011, p.1).
Dear Mr. Blair:
With reference to your advertisement on Jobsite.com looking for a Lending Assistant, I submit my candidacy today with the attached curriculum vitae.
I have been working as a customer service representative for a reputable bank in London for three years now. Ideally, this position will enable me to use my experience in the banking industry and use it to serve customers at your bank. My three-year work experience in the bank exposed me to the different aspects of the banking industry.
I am very interested to serve as an assistant to the Business Manager. My first experience as a professional was working as an executive assistant to a CEO. This means that I can handle the requirements of the job especially when it comes to creating reports and writing letters to prospective clients.
The skills that I acquired from my past employment would give me enough confidence and knowledge to tackle the problems as a Lending Assistant. But at the same time I look forward to learning a new system especially if your bank uses particular software that integrates all pertinent information regarding customer information and feedback.
I realise that there are limitations to written communication of this type. Therefore, I look forward to participate in a personal interview. I would then be able to answer your questions. It would also be the best time for me to better present my qualifications.
Thank you very much for your time and consideration. I look forward to speaking with you Mr. Blair.
Career Objective
A highly-trained customer service representative with several years experience working in a London bank. Seeking a position, that will leverage working experience in the field of customer care.
Education
2005-2008 Bachelor’s degree in Accounts and Business Administration from the Manchester Business College
2002-2004 Diploma in Business Administration from the Manchester Business College
Work Experience
2003-2004 Executive Assistant
Responsibilities:
Record and transcribe the minutes of executive meetings;
Travel arrangements for CEO;
Prepare expense reports; and
Responsible for providing back-up data.
2008-2010 Customer Service Representative
Responsibilities:
Receiving and processing new client accounts;
Implement requested changes to existing accounts; and
Performing other clerical duties as requested.
Reflective Assessment
In any struggle, the battle is half won by those who come prepared (Dikel & Roehm, 2006). Job hunting and applying for a certain position can be compared to a battle, an intense mental and emotional struggle (Gordon, 2009). It is therefore important that the applicant is armed with a well written curriculum vitae (Knaus, 2010).
But a curriculum vitae cannot be assembled correctly if the applicant is unable to determine employability skills (Woodward, 2004). It is imperative to undergo a self-assessment exercise in order to determine suitability for a particular job.
It is even helpful to know not only the capability of the individual but also the things that interest him or her (Turner, 2006). It would be difficult to thrive and succeed in a job that creates so much unhappiness for the worker. These things have to be internalised before going on a job hunt. If all these things are in order then it is easier to look for a job that can be satisfying and fulfilling for the job seeker.
References
A4e Limited. (2011). Customer Service Coordinator. Web.
Dikel, M. & Roehm, F. (2006). Guide to Internet Job Searching. New York: McGraw-Hill.
Mobilicity Phone Company has been recording low sales revenues and its popularity has been on the decline, a fact that the CEO of the company largely attributes to inappropriate advertisement and lack of promotion drives for the company’s products.
Although the company has committed considerable resources towards branding itself in the market, it still drags way far from its competitors in the Canadian telephony industry despite being in the market for some time now.
With this situation in mind, I would like to propose to the CEO on the best advertisement solutions that would assist in improving the popularity of the company and hence its sales as well as increase the popularity of the company to its intended customers.
Problem statement
In this particular scenario, the key factor and problem that the Mobilicity Company is facing is poor sales of its products and its annual sales is dwindling at a high rate. In my opinion, the poor sales are as a result of the company using both inappropriate and ineffective advertising techniques.
The company is not well know, a factor that does not assist in boosting its client base. This issue of experiencing low sales is a chief factor that slows down the progression, advancement and growth of the company hence resulting to it making huge losses.
It is therefore vital for this problem to be dealt with effectively in order for the company to realize its potential and for it to grow hence becoming popular and receiving huge sales. It is wise however to enact effective advertising solutions to curb this problem.
Solutions
For effective advertising, Mobilicity has numerous effective advertising at hand. Different advertising methods intend to project features that a particular product possesses and also shows its exclusivity with regards to its competitors. By the use of different media to advertise products, a general appeal by the public is created since different people from different societies have the opportunity to receive the advertisement. In this proposal I intend to give three propositions of advertising solutions that would remedy the company’s problem.
One of the advertising solutions is the print advertising. I believe that using print advertising as a method of advertising technique would help improve sales of the company. This method involves the use of a print medium which includes newspapers, magazines and brochures. Print media may only be effective in relation to the popularity of the print media used.
For instance, the usage of newspapers in Canada has a wide coverage since most citizens read them daily; this increases the chances of the advertisement in the newspaper to being noticed by the readers hence the purpose of the advertisement will have been served.
However for effectiveness of the newspaper as a medium for advertisement, it is prudent to choose the most well-known newspaper due to the large capacity of people it attracts and as the newspaper gives out information so will the advertisement capture the readers.
Rezi and Allam [1] notes that “print media is an efficient method of advertising since using a prominent newspaper and a good location of the advertisement in the newspaper is a critical matter that enhances the productivity of the advertisement”.
I vehemently support this solution of advertising because a large number of newspaper readers end up noticing the advertisement in the newspaper which is the key objective of the advertisement and it targets the literate populace in the society and would be a very helpful form of advertisement to this company considering its current sales rate.
Another viable advertising solution is audio-visual advertising. According to the current trends in technological advancement, I have a strong conviction that audio-visual media plays a huge role in the advertisement of products particularly in this case where the mobile company seeks to boost its sales.
This advertising technique involves the use of television, radio and also the internet. Donovan [2] argues that “internet advertising has become a huge platform for advertising since technology has increased and a large population of people uses the internet on a daily basis”.
The use of internet and radio is widely used and due to this factor, advertising through this medium captures a large capacity of people. On the other hand the mobile company could host websites via the internet and these websites could contain advertisements of the type of mobile phone products that it would like to showcase to internet users.
Many mobile phone companies use the internet as an avenue to advertise its products and if the mobilicity phone company actually did use this method then it would be at a higher advantage in terms of competition with other companies since many customers would be forced to visit the internet to check out the varieties of mobile phones being offered for sale.
The use of audio-visual technique in advertisement is therefore an effective method of advertising to many firms and it would be of great importance to the growth of sales of this company.
The final advertisement solution the company ought to implement is the use of celebrity power as an advertisement method. It is an efficient advertising solution in since it promotes both the brand name of this Canadian phone company as well as its products. This method of advertising involves the use of celebrities in advertising products whereby the celebrity figure in the respective country is endorsed by the company and he/she appears in public using the company’s product.
Irish and Weiss [3] note that “use of celebrities in advertising boosts the fame of the mobile phone products and that of its manufacturer since many people identify with celebrities because it is a general attitude for people to emulate their celebrities”. Since the masses have a high admiration for celebrities this method proves to be quite efficient in advertising the products of the mobile company. The target audience for this method of advertising is the masses or the general public and it also adds value to the company’s products.
Conclusion
I almost indifferent about these advertising solutions since their target audience is a huge number and they have different social and economic backgrounds such as the internet targets mostly to the teenagers, the newspapers advertise products to the intellectuals while the television and radio advertises to the general public.
However, I prefer and recommend Mobilicity to adopt a mixed kind of advertising model. Where they implement both the three modes of advertising on a fifty-fifty basis as they all have almost equal returns and they greatly complement each other. A company like Mobilicity needs to target all calibers of people in Canada and these different people can be reached at using different modes of advertising.
Appendices
In the above graph, television holds the highest global advertising spending by medium followed by newspapers, magazines, internet, radio, outdoor and lastly cinema. Many companies spend a lot of resources in advertising their products by using different advertisement media, including television, newspapers not forgetting the internet.
It is therefore essential for Mobilicity to use these advertising media because of their popularity and so as to be in competition with their competitors. In the graph above, it is evident that most companies spend a lot of resources in advertising through print media and audio-visual media and this proves that the three advertising solutions are quite effective and hence result to a positive change in the sales of Mobilicity.
References
[1] A. Rezi and M. Allam, “Techniques in array processing by means of transformations, ” in Control and Dynamic Systems, Vol. 69, Multidemsional Systems, C. T. Leondes, Ed. San Diego: Academic Press, 1995, pp. 133-180.
[2] M. Donovan. “Customer Service Improvement: It’s Mission Critical To Your Future.” 2008. Web. Available: www.idii.com/wp/donovan_custserv.pdf.
[3] R. Irish and P. E. Weiss, Engineering Communication. Don Mills, ON: Oxford University Press, 2009.
The term empowerment refers to the process of providing more authority to the employees of an organization. It means to place authority and power on the employees to make operational decisions. Empowering the staff of an organization is an enormous motivation strategy.
This is because employees perceive empowerment as their own personal contributions, resourcefulness, and efforts in the enhancement and the attainment of the organizational goals. It can be described as the process of nurturing the skills, desire, power, and tools that an employee requires to serve the clients of the organization. This essay explores the significance of empowerment in customer service management.
The Impact of Empowerment on Customer Services Management
In this modern era of high competition, the demand for high quality standards in customer service is essential for the success of any business. Most scholars argue that the out dated production-line strategy should be discarded in favor of modern strategies based on empowerment. This can be accomplished by treating employees in an appropriate manner, recruiting the right individuals, and encouraging a service environment that is conducive.
In this scenario, customers, employees, and organizations gain some advantages. Customers benefit because they obtain superior quality services. Through empowerment employees are able to perform their duties based on their perceptions. On the other hand, organization managers can retain and attract new customers through provision of quality services.
The empowerment of staff is particularly significant due to the dynamic relationships of customer alliances. Hartline, Maxham III & McKee (2000) argue that the traditional-structured approach of centralized control is no longer applicable in this competitive era.
Traditional models are regard to be particularly efficient in situations where uncertainty in relation to the needs of customers do not exist. In such cases, guidelines and regulations which dictate the conduct of employees towards the customers are required to enhance consistency. However, in the service delivery industry, which includes a lot of uncertainties, direct contact between the customer and the employee are frequent and significant (Hartline, Maxham III & McKee, 2000, p. 34).
Empowerment is essential and mandatory in the services delivery industry due to the need of decentralizing control from management. The power and authority to make critical choices is transferred to the lower cadre of employees in a process referred to as directed authority.
Chebat and Kollias (2000) argue that the service industry is hugely dependent on the capacity of employees to deliver the required service. The attitude and conduct of employees who have the first contact with the clients has a critical impact on the customer’s thoughts.
This is because the service is delivered during the interaction between the employee and customer. As a result of the significance placed on the service encounter, organizations should establish strategies that can help them manage their employees who make first contacts with the customer (Chebat & Kollias, 2000, p. 67). This will assist the management in making sure that the attitudes and conduct of their employees are appropriate to facilitate the provision of high-quality services.
According to Ardahaey & Nabilou (2012), the most coveted position in business today is the ability to attract, employ, and retain a highly skilled work force. It is believed that having such a team in the organization will be beneficial, and instrumental to both organization’s success and transformation.
In fact, all successful companies have a combination of intelligent and well-endowed personnel who share a perception that they belong to a single family. They discharge their duties passionately, and meticulously use their experience and knowledge in collaboration with other employees to influence growth and posterity in the company. Empowerment of employees equips them with the relevant skills. It enables sustenance of good relations, which companies establish with them (Ardahaey & Nabilou, 2012, p. 34).
Hartline, Maxham III & McKee (2000) hold that empowered employees are obligated and authorized to deliver on customer preferences efficiently and effectively. They argue that empowerment describes a situation where the management allows employees to use their discretion in the daily choices they make in relation to their work. When the management permits subordinate employees to make significant decisions, they relinquish their control on the dynamics of service delivery (Hartline, Maxham III & McKee, 2000, p. 33).
Empowerment is regarded to be a pre-requisite because customer service personnel require such flexibilities so as to effect decisions immediately, to enhance customer satisfaction. Proponents of empowerment argue that the point of contact staff are more reactive in service delivery, productive, adequately deal with complaints, are highly inspired, and offer high-quality services.
Ardahaey & Nabilou (2012) argue that the client’s satisfaction experience within the service sector decreases when the service does not conform to the customer’s expectations. Customer satisfaction heavily relies on the customer’s experience at the hands of the customer service provider.
To equip the employee with relevant skills, the management should have an empowerment program within the organization. They argue that empowerment is a sequence of becoming, and it should not be considered as an end outcome Ardahaey & Nabilou, 2012, p. 34)
Conclusion
This essay has explored the significance of empowerment in customer service management. From this discussion, it is evident that the service industry is hugely dependent on customer satisfaction to attract and retain customers. For customer service employees to discharge their duties properly and effectively, they need to be empowered.
List of References
Ardahaey, F, & Nabilou, H 2012, Human Resources Empowerment and Its Role in the Sustainable Tourism, Asian Social Science, Vol. 8, no. 1, pp. 33-38
Chebat, JC & Kollias, P 2000, The impact of empowerment on customer contact employees’ roles in service organizations, Journal of Service research, Vol. 3, no. 1, pp. 66-81.
Hartline, MD, Maxham III, JG & McKee, DO 2000, Corridors of influence in the dissemination of customer-oriented strategy to customer contact service employees, The Journal of marketing,Vol. 1, no. 1, pp. 35-50.
Characteristics of goods and services; customer service and service offerings
Introduction
In any business, competition exists as customers tend to buy goods or services from a company they feel has the best services or goods at a good price; compounded with excellent customer care. In order to attract an optimum number of customers, companies have to engage in high end socially responsible marketing while at the same time ensuring that their products are the best for customer satisfaction.
A combination of these two provides a formula for success that gets more customers and keeps them for a long time through sustainable product adjustments to match society’s dynamic wants.
Therefore a company that succeeds in winning the confidence of society as responsible and provides the best customer services will equally succeed in business, since society gets to approve it as a company of choice. Not many companies manage to maintain a socially responsible competition, implying that those that get to do it well will have a leading advantage over the rest.
Stakeholders
Stakeholders are extremely instrumental for an organization’s success because these are the parties that have the company’s interests at heart. Both internal and external stakeholders are important at an equal level and a balance in attention given to them ought to be struck for best performance. External stakeholders who include customers, suppliers, lenders and even the wider society indeed have an influence on an organization’s production of goods and services.
On the other hand, the internal stakeholders like employees, directors and stock holders are essential in implementing the organizations’ objectives. To achieve this, organizations need to bring both the internal and external stakeholders together in such a way that they can share in the effort of maximizing the bottom line of the company.
Organizational Structure
The essence of an organizational structure is to have the best arrangement that drives organizations to their overall objectives and expectations. Exclusive focus may not be the best approach for an organization that aims at standing out as best. Flatter organizations will tend to be focused on and more responsive to the customer and the process while hierarchical structures focus more on the product.
A pure adoption of either focus is not healthy in the long term for some firms especially those whose business domains tend to be oriented to one side. For example a company that manufactures goods cannot afford to focus solely on the customer and ignore the product functions. On the other hand, a company that is oriented towards service production ought to maintain a reasonable sensitivity towards the customer.
Outsourcing
There is an increasing need for organizations to focus on their core business, meaning that other supportive functions of the business will have to be handled by other parties. This ensures that costs are cut down while efficiency is boosted as a result of concentrating on the business itself. Drivers for outsourcing include focus on core competencies, skill gaps, economies of scale, diversion of internal energy to higher priority tasks, fixed costs, and reduction of internal risk.
In order for outsourcing to be effective, certain factors must be present. However this outsourcing must be done carefully by ensuring that only functions that don’t relate to the core business in any way are outsourced. Otherwise, a disconnection can result between an organization and its product processes which can have a complicated impact on the marketing of the company’s products, quality, customer orientation and attitudes (Tayntor, 2001, pp 84-91).
Quality
Quality is the measure of accomplishment in an organization as regards to the goods or services it provides to its customers. A good example to demonstrate this is when quality cars lacked in the American market and suddenly Japanese cars flooded it, forcing American auto makers to respond by manufacturing quality cars.
This really demonstrates how quality is such a power that can immediately turn a huge market upside down. Any consistent effort worth honest appreciation is indicated by quality and nothing noble can ever replace this. Actually it is extremely easy for a long term business relationship to be terminated on grounds of quality than factors like price, meaning that quality overrides cost (Powell, 1987, p. 67)
Customer Service
Customer service is highly considered as the next big move in business which resulted from the quality movement. It has gradually become an important ingredient for any successful organization whether specializing in goods or services. Customers must be served in a manner that makes them feel appreciated and recognized as crucial people for an organization to proceed on with its own business agenda.
This calls for leaders to be extremely cautious even as they focus on giving out products that come out to satisfy the demands of the customer. Even when the demands are met, a company must still go an extra mile to ensure that the service awarded to their customers while in the course of acquiring those products is of a state that leaves them excited and willing to come back again. This is where customer service becomes king (Nord 1997).
In the US, several companies have faced multiple quality problems and have had to settle lawsuits as a result, with billions paid. Recalls have equally been common where companies are forced to withdraw from the market products that have been found unfit for customer consumption.
Examples include Intel which recalled motherboards with its 820 chipset because they could cause a computer to intermittently reboot or hang up. A $2.1B lawsuit was settled by Toshiba over floppy disk drive microcontroller chips that corrupted user data. Hewlett-Packard has also been caught up in this recalls when it had to get back 540 Series Pocket PCs that displayed only a fraction of the hues expected by customers (Bartholomew, 2000).
Conclusion
The characteristics of goods and services have fundamental differences in terms of production, distribution and even consumption. However when it comes to platforms of quality, customer satisfaction, shareholder consideration, and functional organizational planning; they portray characteristics of the same level.
These must be met by any organization for the ultimate success of its business in any environment. The cost of not responding to the customers’ demand for quality, failure to consider the consequences of outsourcing and a lack of consideration in organizational structure will undoubtedly lead to problems that are far more complex and must always be considered and executed by leadership to the latter.
Works Cited
Bartholomew, D. (2000). E-business commentary: Quality is still job one. Web.
Nord, W. R. (1997, January). Reinventing the workplace: How business and employees can both win. Academy of Management Review, 22(1), 283-286.
Powell, W. W. (1987, Fall). Hybrid organizational arrangements: New form or transitional development? California Management Review, 30(1), 67.
Tayntor, C.B. (2001), “A practical guide to staff augmentation and outsourcing”, Information Systems Management, Vol. 18 No.1, pp.84-91.
