Category: Customer Service

Introduction

Globalization and advancement in information technologies have enabled business enterprises to compete across national borders. The physical distances have been drastically reduced and communication expenses have become relatively low. Business organizations and individuals no longer stick in one geographical region.

As such, competition between businesses has heightened (Porter 12). Now more than ever, enterprises must endeavor to attract and retain customers in order to stay put in the competitive business environment. Note mentioning, customers are vital for business firms and organizations.

Therefore, these entities have been forced provide great experience to them. They must understand the perspective of customers towards the kind of service or experience they are provided with.

In order to gain competitive advantage, business firms ensure that they provide effective communication, service and products that are relevant to the lifestyle of the customers. An organization must deliver a consistent experience in order to retain customers (Rivkin 1).

Case Study: American Telephone and Telegraph Company (AT &T)

Background and History

AT&T Inc. is a multinational telecommunications company headquartered in Dallas, United States. Since its inception in 1984, the company has achieved significant growth. Currently, AT& T is the largest provider of fixed and mobile telephony in the United States.

It is also among the top ten companies in the United States by revenue. The achievements of the company are attributed to its ability to attract and retain large numbers of customers from all parts of the world.

Over time, the company has been focusing on delivering extraordinary experience to its customers through quality service.

Problems of Customer Service at AT&T Corporation

In the recent times, the company has faced number of problems. It has achieved little growth in the past five years. According to Porter (7), the success of a company largely depends on customer service. It is evident from social chat sites such as Facebook and twitter that most consumers who have visited the company in the recent past are unhappy about the services they are offered.

The company has not been able to gain competitive advantage over its competitors in the recent past because of its poor customer service which emanates from in-store customer service. Consequently, the company has been losing customers to its rivals. Some of the common problems of the AT& T customer service include:

• Poor communication between the customers and sales representatives.
• Some customer service representatives are rude to the customers.
• Slow customers’ response. It is difficult for customer to reach the relevant people and they are sometime put on hold.
• Incompetent customer service representatives.
• The company is reluctant to make a follow-up of customers’ issues which require more and research.

Generally speaking, the multinational corporation is facing great deal of challenges in respect to the kind of customer service it offers. This calls for immediate solutions otherwise the company will collapse.

In the past, the company has been known for its quality products which enabled it achieve competitive advantage in the industry (Rivkin 1).

Solution

As the market conditions change, AT &T must cope with vast range of issues such as regulatory requirements, demographic shifts and increasing competition. The services which the company provides have great deal of effects on customers.

A noted earlier, the success of every business is largely influenced by customers. Therefore, the company must strive to solve the customer service related problems.

It is advisable that the company addresses the matter as soon as possible otherwise it risks losing a number of customers to the competitors. Some of possible solutions for the problem include:

• Recruit more customer service representatives
• Subject the existing customer service representatives to extensive training on how to handle customers and issues they raised.
• The organization should recognize the significance of customer loyalty.
• Adopt and implement customer relationship management (CRM)
• Customer feedback loop policy

Solving the Problems (Implementing Problems)

In order to develop competitive advantage, the company must provide good experience to customers. It must understand customers’ expectations and then plan how it can meet them.

AT &T Inc. must deliver high quality service so that it can differentiate itself from its competitors in the global markets (Porter 16).

The multinational corporation should dedicate great deal of its resources for recruiting, reinforcing and training customer service representatives. It is explicit that the company has limited number of staff to attend various issues of customers.

The organization’s employees or customer service representatives should be fully equipped with the necessary skills. They should explicitly understand company goals and objectives, features and uses of products and services offered. The organization must select and recruit staff believed to possess relevant knowledge and skills necessary for delivery of good customer service.

The company must invest heavily on recruiting and training of employees so as to teach them skills for high quality customer service delivery. The training ought to focus on customer service representatives’ reliability, efficiency and their individual service.

Importance of listening and responding to customers’ issues and requests should be emphasized during the training of the staff otherwise the program would be redundant. The company should dedicate itself to advancing careers and skills of the customer service representatives.

The staff must be encouraged to talk with customers freely and integrate them. This will promote personalized customer service. In addition to training the employees, the company should also invest in promoting careers of the staff so as to boost their morale to work hard towards attaining the intended goals of the organization.

With the advancement of technology, businesses operations have improved. AT&T Inc. should understand the fact the customer service problem occurs due to poor interactions or relations between customers, sales representatives and clients.

Customer relationship management (CRM) model should be adopted and implemented with the view of gaining competitive advantage. The organization has not been able to provide good experience to customers since it is not able track issues of the clients.

CRM system will enable the organization to easily access and share information on customers’ issues and complaints. As a result, this will help the concerned staff to focus on high value tasks that will enhance quality customer service (Rivkin 5).

Customer feedback loop is another fundamental policy that will enable the company deliver quality customer service with the view of achieving competitive advantage. This policy should be implemented by setting standards and this can be achieved through effective customer service charters.

The standards should be communicated to the responsible staff and the public at large. The organization should also establish customer feedback scheme to facilitate capturing of feedback from clients.

It is also important to review the performance of customer service representatives and thereafter revise the standards as stipulated in the established customer service charter (Rivkin 6).

Conclusion

As competition in the global markets intensifies, businesses have struggled to provide quality customer service in order to gain competitive advantage. In the paradigm case, the company should ensure that customers are provided good experience.

This can be achieved through adoption and implementation of CRM, customer feedback loop policies, recruiting and developing customer service representatives.

Works Cited

Porter, Michael. Competitive Advantage: Creating and Sustaining Superior Performance: with a New Introduction. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1998. Print.

Rivkin, Jan 2006, Creating competitive advantage. 19 July, 2012. <https://www.merageinstitute.org/>

Introduction

Academic libraries are facing several external and internal pressures in their environments. For instance, the popularity of the internet is causing potential library users to shift away from libraries as their primary source of knowledge. Additionally, academic institutions are struggling with budgetary allocations because they are competing with other public services such as hospitals.

University and college administrators have to critique the use of their resources in libraries and some may have to reduce allocations if minimal efficiency exists. Furthermore, the development of online libraries has created a renewed challenge in information services because new legal and copyright rules must be instated in order to protect authors. These and many more factors have/will force academic libraries to reconfigure their customer service or service quality provisions so as to survive in such challenging environments.

Evaluation of quality of services provided by academic libraries based on theories and models

Services marketing and 7 Ps

Services are quite distinct from fast moving goods because they possess certain qualities that cannot be found elsewhere. Services typically encompass economic activities transferred from one party to another. Usually, these are time bound and may not encompass exchange of physical assets; in other words transfer of ownership will not occur.

Customers in the services sector often exchange money and time for value derived from systems, networks, facilities, labour, skills or even goods owned by the service provider. In the case of academic libraries, customers exchange money (through annual fees) for facilities, systems and labour in those institutions. These qualities make the marketing of services quite unique; that aspect can be analysed through the 7Ps i.e. Product, promotion, price, place, people, process, physical environment (Lovelock and Wirtzm, 2011).

In service offering, product refers to a service concept that has the capacity to give value to customers. This will be a combination of a core need and a supplementary need. Academic libraries offer information through books and this is their core value; other supplementary needs include rental book services and cataloguing services which are designed to add value to the core product.

The second ‘P’ is promotion. Service marketing promotion often employs educating customers about the service, how to use it and how to drive maximum benefits from it. Academic libraries often do promotions through websites, self service equipment or use of display screens. Third, service marketing employs price.

Any service provider needs to be offering services at a price that will be worthwhile to customers so that they can go beyond price considerations and purchase the service. Academic libraries ought to minimise time and travelling expenses that can inflate price. They can do this by making their services convenient.

Place is also another important consideration. This refers to the channels used by the service provider and may be a physical location, website, the phone or other outlets. Libraries now have a wider access to distribution channels through the internet and this can improve performance.

‘People’ denote the employees used to deliver those services and they need to possess the right attitudes, interpersonal and technical skills. Academic libraries cannot compromise on this element as it is what users employ to assess their effectiveness. ‘Process’ means those variables involved prior to actual offerings. These may involve training, standardisation of services as well as automation. Academic libraries ought to employ rigorous service quality management as part of ‘process’.

Lastly, ‘physical environments’ refer to the look of tangible aspects of the service such as the building, furnishings and equipment. In academic libraries, this normally involves appropriate seating arrangements, arrangements of books and design of the actual library (Gummesson & Lovelock, 2004).

The latter overview of service marketing gives a brief illustration of what this concept entails in academic libraries. However, one needs to know whether actual institutions pay attention to 7ps of marketing. Primary data that has been collected from academic libraries by a number of researchers has illustrated challenges in the ‘people’ aspect.

Some employees have attitudinal issues. Many will be so preoccupied with the task at hand that they may not bother clarifying exactly what customers want. New students who may not know how to use library systems may often get assistance about how to locate references but rarely understand verbal illustrations. Many libraries lack practical illustrations for using their systems.

Overly speaking, the manner in which employees handle complications can be improved in most academic libraries. Additionally, libraries seem to have a problem with their product aspect because there is often very little excitement about new books. Displays are often not there or may not be attractive or value driven.

Promotional aspects of this industry are quite good because many institutions utilise the internet in order to educate customers about use. Libraries tend to be academically oriented so the physical environment in marketing can also be improved as many have not considered customer wants (Goh & Vhung, 1999).

Customer service system theory

Customer service systems encompass those kinds of configuration of technology and networks that are crucial in delivering the wants and needs of customers. In other words, it is a configuration of technology, people, external service systems, internal service systems and others connected through the use of shared information.

Domino’s Pizza is an exemplary case of how customer service systems can translate into profit. Domino’s decided to automate the pizza making process such that all unnecessary processes could be eliminated. This implied that the organisation could deliver quality pizzas uniformly. Also, in order to reduce time spent in handling paperwork, the firm adopted an IT system that would assist in management of marketing costs, inventory and payroll.

These contributed to their success. However, some service providers may have greater contact with their clients than others as is the case with academic libraries. Here, their aim in the customer service system should be to boost the quality of their interactions with users.

In such scenarios, they need to have technologies and networks that allow relatively new employs to carry out their roles effectively even as they go through the learning curve. Most customer service systems are complex and keep changing as more innovation takes place.

Many institutions have realised the importance of this aspect so most are using technology to boost their systems. However, it was found that most libraries will often introduce new product stacking methods yet they will not bother to inform and educate consumers about it. Customer service systems can only be effective if they involve the consumer so universities are failing in this area (Goh & Vhung, 1999).

Service quality model

The service model proposes a number of issues that must be tackled by service providers in order to enhance customer satisfaction. First, it proposes an assessment of customer perceptions on the services under consideration and assessment of their actual expectations. Many institutions will stop at customer perceptions of what they have already offered but most of them will rarely focus on the things that customers wish for or expect from that service provider. It is crucial to measure both these aspects in order to know where a library is and where it needs to be.

Service quality also encompasses improvement of services. This should involve the use of technology in library systems and effective training of those offering the service (Usherwood, 2003). Service providers also need to look for ways of cutting costs as these will translate into effective pricing strategies in the company.

Libraries often need to charge users for services used and if they can eliminate all the backlog in their service systems then this could definitely translate into lower unit pricing. Sometimes service improvement can translate into reduced costs but in other situations it could increase them. Libraries need to be aware of this potential clash and hence work on a compromise between the two goals.

Nothing matters more in service quality than valuing one’s customers. When most users are asked about the issues that make them highly dissatisfied in libraries, most will cite poor treatment by employees. Therefore, libraries need to ensure that the customer is valued by according him due respect.

This means responding effectively and promptly to their concerns. Scorning or criticising customers for complaints will often do more harm than good. Furthermore, valuing the customer also means offering timely service. Many library users have complained about waiting times when trying to get help from librarians. Academic libraries are not doing so well when it comes to the issues of prompt service delivery.

Service quality should also involve tangibles. Here, organisations need to pay attention to ambiance in their organisations. Customers should be able to derive satisfaction from this aspect in much the same way that they do from goods. Libraries often work on ambience by improving seating arrangements and design.

The users would prefer a place that is comfortable and satisfying. However, sometimes this may not work well because libraries are meant to facilitate knowledge acquisition rather than provide comfort. Therefore extremely comfortable seats may work against them.

Numerous academic libraries have created areas where students can seat around a table and even engage in discussions. This works against the major principle in operation in libraries because it creates noise and interrupts other serious students. Such a problem is quite rampant in a number of institutions and therefore needs to be addressed in order to improve service quality (Goh & Vhung, 1999).

Didactic model

The didactic model is an old school of thought in library and information services. In this model, it is assumed that the librarian knows best. He or she can anticipate the needs of the student and should therefore provide that individual with them.

It should be noted that this model focuses on needs and not wants; needs refer to things that students cannot do without while a want refers to an inherent desire that may not be that important. Librarians adhering to this school of thought will pay attention to student needs by relating them to an overall school mission or to certain policies applicable within the library.

In other words, the librarian considers himself or herself as a professional and someone who facilitates learning. He or she will therefore deduce users’ needs through external mechanisms. Librarians often reason that students may not always understand what is best of them and this implies that librarians must educate them about this knowledge.

If for example a student has been given an assignment by his or her lecturer, a librarian following this model will tell him how to find information that he is looking for rather than show him exactly where it is. In a number of academic libraries, it has been shown that many adopt such a stance.

Theirs is to encourage a spirit of independence and this can only be learnt when one is not spoon-fed. Practically speaking, many librarians in academic institutions have stated that they consider themselves as co teachers. Theirs is to complement the relationship that exists between students and their teachers in their lecture rooms. Consequently, most do not do searches on behalf of students especially those new ones who appear to be having unrealistic expectations (Martula & Menon, 2005).

Recommendations

Academic libraries can improve customer service through a series of approaches. The deficiencies in the 7 ps found in these institutions can be corrected through clarification of expectations. Libraries can repeat back what users tell them – a technique called mirroring.

This will ensure that they handle the right problems. Alternatively, they can teach new students how to use a new method of finding books or any other thing. They should deal with one sample and then let users do the rest. During waiting times, libraries can reduce pressure by installing video monitors which educate students about new developments in the library system.

Also, employees can empathize with students when they bring forward complaints or they can direct them to superiors if they feel that they cannot answer the question at all. This would cool down the concerned user and make them understand the situation especially when they hear it from a superior.

Libraries can work on promotional aspects by displaying new books at the entrance of the library to attract customers’ attention. All these issues will go a long way in improving customer excellence hence satisfaction.

References

Lovelock, C. and Wirtzm J. (2011). Services Marketing: People, Technology, Strategy. NJ: Prentice Hall

Gummesson, E. & Lovelock, C. (2004). Whither services marketing? In search of a new paradigm and fresh perspectives. Service research journal, 7(1), 20-41

Goh, C. & Vhung, P. (1999). Service typologies: a state of the art survey. Journal of Operations and productions, 8(3), 403-456

Usherwood, B. (2003). Libraries as a public service. Public library journal, 7(5), 141-145

Martula, C. & Menon, V. (2005). Customer expectations; concepts and reality for academic library services. College and research libraries journal, 56(13), 33-47

Introduction

Customers are the most important aspect of any business, firm, or organization. Employees deal with customers on a daily basis. Therefore, it is necessary for them to know how to deal with customers appropriately. Many organizations create customer loyalty by offering quality customer service (Bonomo, 2002). Quality service increases organizational value and develops customer loyalty that increases revenue.

Customer service training refers to a process of teaching employees how to increase customer satisfaction by imparting necessary knowledge and skills (Bonomo, 2002). New employees are the main target of many organizations for customer service training. The content of a typical training course includes communication styles, listening, giving feedback, appropriate use of language, and handling different types of customers (Bonomo, 2002).

Training for employees is recommended because it improves customer loyalty, improves an organization’s efficiency, motivates employees and makes them feel valued, and improves organizational value (Bonomo, 2002).

Use of a needs assessment in the training

The main objective of a needs assessment in an organization’s training program is to identify performance weaknesses and necessary knowledge and skills needed to eradicate the weaknesses (Barbazette, 2006). It identifies the gap between current levels of performance and desired levels of performance.

A needs assessment directs organizational resources to areas that have weaknesses and others that need improvement. A needs assessment should address existing weaknesses and identify resources necessary to eradicate the weakness in order to improve service delivery (Barbazette, 2006).

A needs assessment exposes performance deficiencies in several ways. First, it identifies capabilities of each employee and their ability to handle different or new tasks and responsibilities (Barbazette, 2006). Individual assessments determine which employees need training, and in which areas.

The needs assessment helps an organization evaluate the skills and knowledge of individual employees in order to determine how to improve their performance and productivity (Barbazette, 2006). Secondly, it helps determine level of organizational performance (Barbazette, 2006). Such assessment determines the skills and knowledge needed by an agency to achieve desired outcomes.

Needs assessment helps solve the agency’s weaknesses and enhance its strengths. Such an assessment puts into consideration factors external to the organization such as state of economy and market forces. Thirdly, needs assessment helps expose performance deficiencies by conducting task analysis (Barbazette, 2006).

Task analysis involves evaluating knowledge and skills needed by occupational groups to achieve organizational goals. For example, it helps find out if an organization has employees with skills and knowledge required to create customer loyalty through quality customer service. Moreover, it helps identify performance gaps that might have resulted from changes in organizational policies (Barbazette, 2006).

Identification of performance gaps is followed by development of ways to eradicate the gaps. Fourthly, needs assessment helps expose performance deficiencies by evaluating customer needs and level of customer satisfaction (Barbazette, 2006). Customer satisfaction implies that employees possess necessary skills and knowledge to satisfy customers. This is evident from customers’ positive feedback.

However, if customers give negative feedback, then they are not satisfied with the organization’s service delivery. One of the causes of customer dissatisfaction is performance deficiency (Barbazette, 2006). This necessitates development of customer service training for employees to improve quality of customer service.

Customer service training implementation plan

Implementation of customer service training will involve four main steps. The first step is identification of customers’ needs. Identification of customer needs and expectations is the most important aspect of implementing the customer service training (Kamin, 2012). This will be achieved by collecting information from customers using questionnaires and interviews.

In addition, customers will be requested to leave reviews of their experiences with employees on the organization’s website. Alternatively, the organization could hire a survey firm to conduct a customer satisfaction survey (Kamin, 2012). If this option is explored, the survey will include information about customer satisfaction and interaction with employees.

The second step will involve evaluation of individual employee’s knowledge and skills. This will be achieved through methods such as observation, questionnaires, interviews, documentation, and use of focus groups (Kamin, 2012). Employees will be observed to evaluate how they interact with customers, and the quality of customer service they provide.

Employees will also participate in interviews in order to give management a chance to evaluate their customer interaction skills. The third step is design and implementation of an appropriate training method (Kamin, 2012). Available methods of training include presentation, case study, simulation, modeling, role-play, on-the-job training, and discussion. In this case, the most appropriate training method is blended training method.

The fourth step is reevaluation of employee service delivery to determine whether the training was useful or not. Employee evaluation will be administered every three to four months. Many organizations evaluate employee performance twice a year.

Evaluation will involve collecting and analyzing responses from employees on effectiveness of training. In addition, it will involve study of how customer service delivery improved due to employee training. Evaluation is necessary because it will help the organization determine employees’ level of compliance with the organization’s protocol on customer service (Kamin, 2012).

Employees are likely to work harder with the awareness that their knowledge and skills are under constant evaluation by management. This is one of the strategies employees use to increase chances of retaining their jobs by increasing their knowledge and honing their skills.

Training method

The preferred method of training is blended learning method. This method is based on the fact that employees have different learning abilities and it would be limiting and ineffective to use a single training method. This approach will incorporate several methods into the training program. These methods will include role-playing, group discussions, and use of multimedia materials.

Role-playing is a very effective training method because it involves rehearsing situations that are likely to happen at the workplace between employees and customers (Kamin, 2012). This training method will help employees learn how to virtually handle different situations before they encounter them in reality at the workplace. The method will involve formation of groups comprising two employees each.

One of the employees will pretend to be a customer and the other one will play the role of an employee. They will then rehearse different situations such as how to deal with a pestering or angry customer. Group discussion is another effective training method that will be used. It is an effective method because it facilitates open sharing of information and knowledge (Sims, 2007).

This method is effective in cases where some employees possess more knowledge and skills than others. In such cases, skilled and more knowledgeable employees pass knowledge to other employees and thus improve effectiveness of the training (Kamin, 2012). This method promotes active participation of employees in the training.

Moreover, use of discussions encourages exchange of feedback between learners and the trainer (Sims, 2007). The trainer is able to know whether learners are grasping the content of the training. This enables the trainer determine which areas need more attention and which areas need less attention. Some employees are shy or uncomfortable when working in groups.

Therefore, use of multimedia materials is necessary to cater for the learning needs of such employees. Multimedia training materials provide graphics, demonstrations, animations, and sound. Research has shown that this training method is very challenging and therefore more stimulating than other methods (Sims, 2007).

Advantages of this method include ease of customization and use, cost-effectiveness, flexibility, and efficiency (Sims, 2007). Multimedia is an example of a computer-based programme that has several benefits. In addition, it is flexible because learners learn at their own pace.

Different employees have different learning capabilities and needs. Therefore, all employees undergo training without being rushed. Moreover, the instructor can easily determine what each employee has learned at certain periods during the course of training.

This is possible because it is easy to monitor progress of employees. Finally, multimedia materials improve learning and participation (Sims, 2007). Some learners are shy and do not participate in discussions. Multimedia materials that incorporate interactive activities such as answering questions and making critical decisions eliminate fear and shyness.

Employee motivation

There are many ways of motivating employees who lack interest in attending training classes. Two common ways include funding the training course and making it a requisite component for promotion and remuneration (Sims, 2007). Many employees fail to attend training programs because many organizations usually expect employees to pay for training.

However, this discourages employees from attending because they consider such training a waste of valuable time and money. Organizations should set aside enough resources for such training. Employees are more willing to undergo training when they know that the organization is responsible for costs incurred.

Secondly, the organization could motivate employees to undergo training by making such training a requisite for promotion or as basis for remuneration increase. Many organizations increase employees’ wages based on skills and knowledge possessed (Sims, 2007).

Customer service training is one source of such skills and knowledge that contribute towards promotions. With knowledge that promotion depends on such training, all employees choose to undergo training in order to increase their chances of promotion.

A survey to collect feedback from employees

After implementing a training program, it is important to evaluate the training in order to determine its effectiveness in increasing employee knowledge and improving customer service.

This is achieved by conducting a survey that collects information related to employee training. A survey to collect feedback from employees on the effectiveness of training will contain 10 questions. Employees who participated in the training will be required to answer ten questions based on personal experience.

• What was the most important aspect of the training?
• How was the training of help to you?
• Did the trainer achieve the goals of the training?
• How has the training helped you serve customers better?
• Has the training changed you in any way?
• How could the training be improved for better results?
• Did the instructor cover all parts of the training program?
• Was the method used for training suitable?
• Would you consider attending similar training in future?
• How do you think the training benefited you and the organization?

Employees will be required to answer these questions based on personal opinion and experience. The questions are open-ended and give employees opportunity to give honest answers that will help the organization improve training in future.

Conclusion

Customer service training is used by many organizations to improve service delivery in order to create customer loyalty and improve organizational value. Such training imparts knowledge on certain aspects of customer relation such as proper use of language, how to deal with different customers, use of body language, and adoption of appropriate communication skills.

Customers are the most important aspect of an organization’s operations. A training program incorporates a needs assessment in its list of activities. The main aim of a training needs assessment in an organization is to identify performance weaknesses and the knowledge and skills needed to eradicate the weaknesses. It helps direct organizational resources to areas that have many weaknesses and thus in need of improvements.

Assessment is conducted at various levels that include organizational level and individual level. Several methods are available for use during training. However, the most effective training method is the blended training method. This approach incorporates several training methods in order to serve the learning needs of all employees. Many employees fail to attend training because of lack of motivation.

Two ways to motivate such employees include funding the training and incorporating the training as part of requirements for promotion and wage increase. Many employees shun training programs because organizations expect them to cover training expenses. However, organizations should take it as their duty to improve the skills and knowledge of their employees.

References

Barbazette, J. (2006). Training Needs Assessment: Methods, Tools, and Techniques. New York: John Wiley & Sons.

Bonomo, T. (2002). Customer Service: Aiming for Excellence. New York: Trafford on Demand Publishers.

Kamin, M. (2012). Customer Service Training. New York: Routledge.

Sims, R. (2007). Human resource Management: Contemporary Issues, Challenges, and Opportunities. New York: IAP.

Role of the Consult

• Brainstorming as the starting point in launching a new project (Wickham & Wickham, 2008).
• Developing a new framework of processing information received from customers;
• Introducing a new training program for employees who are expected to work in team on test projects; such an activity will allow the managers to define the level of the readiness of employees to make important decisions, their leadership skills, as well as their ability to accept changes;
• Supporting manager’s decision-making and correcting his/her actions whereas managers should be able to listen to the consultant’s advice and implement the necessary changes (Block, P., & Nowlan, 2011). In addition, the consultant should be ready to face resistance on the part of the managerial staff and personnel;

Role of the Manager

• Controlling the availability of resources and devices the exact number of people and resources needed to meet customer’s concerns;
• Encouraging creativity among employees and stimulating their responsiveness to the challenges that the company faces (Wickham & Wickham, 2008);
• Using Lewin’s model of change management, managers should reconsider the previous policies of HR department and introduce new communication strategies that are focused on horizontal collaboration, as well as strict distribution of responsibilities;
• Outsourcing is an efficient strategy that could be implemented within organization because it has two potential benefits. First, engaging ‘fresh blood’ into the staff can contribute to generating new ideas and improving the quality of communication with clients. Second, applying for new employees will promote a healthy competition among other members of the organization’s personnel;
• Defining dependent and independent variables. Independent variables will involve introducing training programs and new employees whereas dependent variables include shifts in department organization and quality of customer services.

Evaluating External and Internal Environments

Analysis of external and internal environments is vital for any business organization because it allows managers to set the course on enhancing corporate business responsibility.

At this point, Wall-Mart should be more concerned with efficient human resource strategies that can create a favorable setting for their employees belonging to one of the most important stakeholders.

Therefore, before entering an international market, the company should conduct a SWOT analysis to assess its readiness to face threats and gain new opportunities for development (Wickham & Wickham, 2008).

The second step of evaluating the environment will rely on analysis of economic factors, including economic wealth and distribution of customer groups.

Flexibility of currency in the country is also an important threat coming from the external environment and, therefore, currency control should be a priority for the organization.

Further analysis of external environment should cover environmental factors to address ecological situation, define the strategies of environmental protection. Ignorance of this factor can have legal and political consequences for an organization.

Assessing Client Capabilities and Business Opportunities

Therefore, Wall-Mark should tackle this issue to maintain good reputation and expand their client base. The necessity to retain good reputation can also attract new employees and increase the organization’s competitiveness over other business organizations.

It can also minimize the pressure on the part of the government posing legal and political regulations.

Enhancing communication is possible through establishing fruitful cooperation with other environmental organizations and investors who would be interested in financing the company’s projects.

Therefore, for the training program and outsourcing initiative to be successful, the managers should take care of these stakeholders and promote philanthropic responsibilities among all members of an organization.

Moral stance is an integral component of acting in an international environment because it does not only establishes strict ethical codes but also enhances corporate culture.

References

Block, P., & Nowlan, J. (2011). Flawless consulting. A guide to getting your expertise used. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.

Wickham, P., & Wickham, L. (2008). Management consulting: Delivering an effective project (3rd ed.). Harlow, UK: Pearson.

Background

Nigerian consumers are reluctant to use online shopping carts for local purchases. The main reason for this is the fear of becoming victims of online fraud (Onaiwu & KPMG 2013). This means that any company in the country seeking to trade online has the uphill task of creating customer confidence before the successful deployment shopping carts.

An option in this regard is to use shopping carts as an online ordering system, and then to handle payments using mobile money. Mobile money is more reliable because it is possible to trace the owners of a local mobile money account, unlike online payment systems (Onaiwu & KPMG 2013).

Data Analysis Technique

A wide range of options exist for the analysis of qualitative data. The main data collection tool for this exercise was a semi structured questionnaire designed to collect quantitative data. The data collection took place via phone interview.

The researcher read out the questions and recorded the answers that the respondents gave. Since the interviews took place over the phone, the researcher could not gauge any element of body language. This means that the information gathered lacks the nuances associated with body language in qualitative research.

The data analysis method chosen for any research project usually depends on the nature of the project and the objectives of the research. In this case, the objective of the project was to uncover several issues regarding the use of websites as part of the customer care infrastructure for businesses based in Nigeria.

The research questions guided the development of the questionnaire and in turn, the specific questions in the questionnaire dealt with the issues associated with the project.

The quantitative data collection method chosen to analyse the data collected was induction. Induction is an application to qualitative data analysis where the researchers study the responses presented by the respondents and finds relationships in the data (Eriksson & Kovalainen 2008).

The number of respondents was not very large to justify elaborate coding (Creswell 2008). In any case, the researcher was open to limited coding in the interest of making the most sense out of the data collected.

The exact process applied in the analysis had the following steps. First the researcher studied all the responses presented by respondents to find an overview of the information contained. Unlike quantitative research, respondents participating in qualitative research are free to answer questions in any manner that is sensible to them (Eriksson & Kovalainen 2008). In addition, qualitative research is not hypothesis based.

Therefore, there is no fixed expectation regarding the specific facts that will arise from the research project. This fact makes quantitative research analysis more challenging. However, qualitative research makes it easier for researchers to pinpoint key issues from the responses provided by the respondents in regards to the research questions.

Coding is a very useful method of aggregating responses in qualitative research (Creswell 2008). It involves the categorization of responses into thematic areas, and establishing the relative importance of each thematic area. Criticisms against coding suggest that it is an attempt to turn qualitative data into quantitative data.

However, proponents argue that this is the only way of sifting out important issues from trivial ones (Onaiwu & KPMG 2013). Qualitative data do not give researchers a simple prioritised method of classifying information.

The decision to use coding sparingly in this project arose from the relative ease of analysing the data availed by the respondents. This situation arose because the number of respondents chosen for the project was small. In addition, the research project was interested in general trends, and not specifics of customer care.

Simply put, the ecommerce environment in Nigeria is changing very rapidly hence very exact measures will be obsolete in a very short time. The information needed at this point is only necessary to enable the company to design the website for current use. Anticipated future changes will depend on the dynamics of the ecommerce environment.

Additional Research Question

Is ecommerce a viable inclusion in the company’s customer service model?

Findings and Analysis

This section is divided into two main parts. The first part focuses on the answers given by the respondents during the interviews and their implications. The second part focuses on how those responses relate to the research questions.

Visibility of Igno Merchandise Company

The first question dealt with how the respondents came into contact with the Igno Merchandise Company. The purpose of this question was to find out if there is any correlation between how people find the company, and its current promotion efforts. The most common way of finding out about the Igno Merchandise Company was through fiends. More than half of all respondents mentioned their friends as the link persons to the company.

This shows that the strongest method of marketing of the Igno Merchandise Company has been through word of mouth. The implication of this situation is that the company needs to think about developing a robust social media campaign to take advantage of this phenomenon.

Other respondents said that they found out about the company through contact with its products, advertisements in mainstream media, and industry events.

One respondent found the company randomly while driving. While the company’s promotion potential is in the social media, it needs to maintain a broad based approach to ensure that it makes contact will all potential clients in its reach. A broad based strategy is what will guarantee future business for the company.

Perceived Competitors

The researchers asked the respondents to list three Igno Merchandise Company competitors. The data collected from this question was very specific hence the possibility of presenting it in qualitative terms. The graph in Table 1 below shows the companies recognised by the respondents as the competitors of Igno Merchandise Company.

From the frequency of mentions, it appears that Igno Merchandise strongest competitor is Fred Nature’s Company, followed by PSV Company and then Goodfellow limited. The implication of this finding is that Igno Merchandise Company should not relax. Rather, the company should keep in mind that it is in direct competition with many other companies of varying appeal to its own customers.

Table 1: The Perceived Competitors of the Igno Merchandise Company.

Attractiveness of the Company

The researchers asked the respondents what attracted them to the company. The objective of this question was to determine what competitive advantages the company had in relation to its competitors. In addition this question was meant to find out whether customer care was a key consideration for the customers of the company.

The respondents gave several reasons to explain their interest in buying products from the Igno Merchandise Company. The reasons the respondents gave varied. Some of them came to the company because they were happy with the company’s interaction with its customers. Some customers said that the layout of the stores is what attracted them.

Others said that what attracted them to the company was the price of products relative to the prices offered by competitors. There was mention of the range of products offered by the company as well as the special offers given by the company. This analysis reveals that customers come to Igno Merchandise Company for various reasons.

While those who mentioned customer service as their main point of attraction were the majority, the company must ensure that all the business elements such as a range of products, shop floor design and a promotional strategy that resonates with the potential clients.

Popular Products

When asked about the products bought from the company, the respondents gave the responses as shown in Table 2 below.

Table 2: Popularity of Products Sold by the Igno Merchandise Company.

The most popular products sold by the Igno Merchandise Company were mixers. The product appeared four times from the answers given by the respondents. Megaphones and wireless microphones each mentioned three times among the most popular products.

One respondent mentioned “public address system” as his/her most popular product. It is unclear what the respondent was referring to because a megaphone is also a public address system, just like a unit consisting of microphones, a mixer, and loud speakers.

This demonstrates one of the weaknesses of qualitative research. In this case, it is hard to segregate the specifics associated with the public address system this respondent mentioned. The impact of this finding on the project is that it is sensible to have the items listed as the most sought-after products as part of a slideshow on the home page of the website.

Sources of Competitive Advantage

The researcher inquired from the respondents what the company should do to stand out from its competitors. This question sought to establish the sources of competitive advantage that the company needed to leverage in line with the demands of the website. The main issue raised by the respondents was advertising. In this regard, many respondents felt that the company was not doing enough to advertise the products it had on sale.

The correlation between this view and the previous question that asked the respondents how they heard about the company confirms that the advertising efforts of the company are not reaching the intended consumers effectively.

The specific ideas gleaned from the answers to this question on how to improve advertising include increasing the quantity of adverts, increasing the number of advertising media, and using offers and promotions to attract the attention of customers. This means that the website can be a useful tool for the company as an advertising avenue.

Other issues raised that can increase the competitive advantage of the company were increasing product quality, improving service quality (though there is satisfaction with the current levels of services), and making the sales process more convenient for the customers.

On this last point, there is little evidence to support robust ecommerce in Nigeria, especially based on first time buyers. However, the company needs to think about a small scale system that can handle small scale sales via the internet. The emergence of Mobile Money in Nigeria can help deal with the security concerns many people have when it comes to ecommerce.

Source of Credible Information

Credibility is the main ingredient of ecommerce. Clients try to establish the credibility of companies in the process of making purchasing decisions. In this respect, the researcher asked the respondents about the sources of information they find credible in order to determine the relative importance of the website.

The two main avenues that consumers use to establish credibility were company websites and mainstream advertisements. Table 3 below shows the sources of credible information by the proportion of mentions.

Table 3: Sources of Credible Information.

Company websites play a very important role in establishing the credibility of a product. Consumers use them to find out what the company says about its own products before making buying decisions. However, potential customers also look at online reviews of the products from other customers in blogs, forums, and on social media. This amounts to electronic word of mouth (eWOM).

eWOM is the virtual version of word of mouth advertising. In a previous question, the respondents said that they heard about the company through their friends. This shows that eWOM can also play an important role in marketing the company to new clients. This finding shows that an online presence, based on a website and supported by a social media strategy will help to market the company.

Online Shopping Habits

One of the elements that arose during the literature review was the potential importance of fitting the website with a shopping cart. In markets where ecommerce is mature, online shopping is taking root very fast. When the respondents were asked whether they shop online, an overwhelming majority answered in the negative.

The ones who reported that they shop online do not shop in Nigerian websites. The reasons that they gave in this regard ranged from security concerns to obliviousness. The following table summarises the responses.

Table 4: Reasons why Nigerians do not Shop Online.

The main concern that the customers had in regards to online commerce was the potential to fall victim to online scams. Nigeria is infamous as a base for online scammers. This made the customers hesitant to participate in online commerce.

The second reason given by the customers was that the system is unproven. They have no proof that it will work as planned, or otherwise. Thirdly, some customers were oblivious to the possibility of buying products online. This means that customer education is needed in the country to build a critical mass for ecommerce.

This finding shows that there are good grounds for not including an online shopping cart on the website at the moment, until online shoppers reach critical mass. However, there is more promise in the use of mobile money to facilitate online transactions. The website can act as an order placement system with payments being handled via the more reliable mobile phone network.

In addition, the company can put up a small scale ecommerce platform to support early adopters. This system should be easy to operate, be secure, and should have minimal maintenance needs. Failure to have an ecommerce platform will be a strategic blunder because in time, ecommerce will become a prominent feature of Nigerian commerce. What is not justified at the moment is heavy investment in such a system.

Preferred Web Content

In order to find out the preferences of the clients regarding the content of the proposed website, the researcher asked the respondents to state the elements they would like to see on the website. The main elements mentioned by the respondents were as follows. First, the respondents would like to see information about the products available in the store.

In context, this was thought to be a more convenient way of finding out what the company had in stock, as compared to physically going to the store. Secondly, the responds wanted to see information about the company. The sense the customers seemed to communicate is that there is very little corporate information about the company. More information would make it easy for them to identify with the company.

Thirdly, the customers wanted to see a page with customer testimonials. This concept is very similar to a forum. The company has the choice of establishing a forum for the customers, or to collect and post testimonials from clients.

Forums that are user controlled tend to have higher credibility, but they also carry greater risks. On the other hand, company chosen testimonials may come off as self-praise and choreographed testimony. The final item that the customers would like to see on the website is company contact information to enable them to get in touch with the company whenever the need arises.

Top Website Features

The researcher asked the respondents to indicate the features that they would like to see on the website. The respondents gave the list of features captured in Table 5.

Table 5: List of Preferred Website Features.

These features resonate well with the issues unearthed in the literature review. The specific issues tackled in the literature review section included the need to have mobile friendly websites. This arises from the fact that most internet connections in Nigeria are mobile based. Secondly, the slow speeds require design choices that will support the quick loading of the website.

The customers also mentioned ease of navigation. It is usually better to have an intuitive design, arranged in a logical manner for easy navigation. The presence of a FAQ page was also tackled in the review. This confirms that it is very important to include a FAQ page as an element of customer service. The customers also wanted the ability to contact the company easily.

This is where ideas like chat and VoIP come in. Finally, the respondents asked the company to consider listing all the store locations on their website because most people were only aware of their head office. A map, based on one of the free maps services can help to resolve this issue.

Analysis

Based on the findings and discussion presented in the section above, the following is the analysis of the research questions in light of the findings. The three main issues arising from this inquiry are as follows. First, Igno Merchandise Company customers want reliable services.

This deduction arises from the responses to the questions regarding their comfort levels with ecommerce, their response to how they found the company, and the features they want to see on the company’s website. The customers who do not buy goods online mainly cited cyber security and a perceived lack of reliability when it comes to Nigerian websites.

This means that if there was an ecommerce system that was reliable, the customers may consider buying goods online. On the question of how the customers found the company, it was clear that the customer felt that the company was not doing enough to reach them. While they all seemed happy with their purchases, there was an undertone suggesting that they wanted to hear about the company from the company itself.

This means that they did not find Igno’s promotional strategy reliable. On the questions regarding the features that they want to see on the site, their concerns were based on ease of use, ease of navigation, quick loading speeds and relevant content.

What all these customers are looking for is a reliable website, supporting a reliable customer service system. They want the assurance that they can get all the information that they need when they need it.

The second main theme underlying the responses given by the respondents was easy access to services. The customers want easy access to information about the company and its products. The respondents spoke of the little awareness among the general public about the locations of the company’s stores across the country.

What the customers were asking for was more convenience when dealing with the company. The elements they mentioned include listing all the branches of the company in the website, coming up a quick means of communication, and more contact with the customers through adverts.

The third main issue that arises from the analysis is the need to notify customers whenever there are promotions and offers. The customers are essentially looking for the best prices when they shop. This means that if the company want to grow its market share at the cost of narrower margins, the market is waiting.

A simple way of doing this would be by developing an email list and sending out information regarding available offers to customers. Email is personal and can support html newsletters. In addition, the company can collect phone numbers of customers whenever they shop at the company’s stores in order to send texts to them.

The viability of ecommerce in the current business environment is not high. Out of all the people interviewed, the only ones who buy things online do so in non-Nigerian websites. For purposes of strategy, it is not wise at this point to commit resources to ecommerce.

At the same time, it is strategically improper to ignore the potential. This means that the company must find an innovative model that will require fewer resources to set up an ecommerce platform. This will make it possible for the company to cash in on the early adopters when the Nigerian market starts accepting ecommerce.

In conclusion, this section has made it possible validate earlier design choices made after the literature review, and has also ensured that customer priorities form part of the final design of the company’s website. The following section will explore the features of the website arising from the design issues proposed above.

Website Design

The analysis presented in the section above formed the basis for the design of the website as shown below. The tool used to design the website is an online web editor available at www.wix.com. This tool allows users to develop websites using templates. The web design component of the project illustrated the ease of designing a website that can respond to consumer needs.

The use of the platform developed by wix.com shows that it need not be expensive to develop a website for a company. Wix.com has a free account with certain limitations. However, a paid account makes it possible to get a fully fledged account that has no branding from wix.com.

The limitation associated with template based design is that there is a limit to the number of features that someone can apply to a website. However, the range of options offered by wix.com rely more on the skill of the designer, rather than the limitations of the platform. These options make it possible to develop websites that have a professional appeal.

The guidance followed in the design of the website was the set proposed by Jakob Nielsen. The rules he proposed included the need to ensure that the language used is easy for users to understand, the need for consistency throughout the site and making it easy for users to see all the options available, rather than having to recall the options from memory.

The technical elements that could not be implemented in this project include error-handling, and error-recovery in a website.

The website designed for Igno Merchandise Company has five main pages. These are the Home page, About Us page, Products page, Stores page and a Contact Us page.

The Home Page

The Home page has a slideshow featuring three images of the most popular products. The research showed that the top three products sold by the company are mixers, wireless microphones and megaphones. This informed the decision to include the three products in the slide show.

Each of the photos is hyperlinked to the product page, on the section that shows the full range of products within the representative category. For example, clicking on the mixer as shown in Figure 1 below takes you to the page that has the complete range of mixers in the stores.

About Us

Research showed that customers would like to know more about the company. In response, the website design features an About Us page made to enlighten customers and other stakeholders about the history and operations of the company.

About us pages serve a very important function in many websites. It shows openness about the company, and it helps external parties to gauge what the company thinks about itself. The page also contains the vision and mission statements of the company. Figure 2 below shows a screenshot of the “About Us Page”.

Products

The Products page is the major page in the website. This page will require regular updates to reflect changes in prices, and availability of stock. On this page, all the products listed have a product description that allows customers to peruse the features of all the products in the range.

The inclusion of the description and pricing is in direct response to the demands made by customers in the research phase. Figure 3 below shows a screenshot of the products page

Contact Us

The Contact Us page gives the customers several options regarding how to get in touch with the company. This page has a form that customers can fill if they want the company to send them information. It works like the email system discussed in the literature review section.

The page also has the physical address of the headquarters as well as the phone number of the company that enables them to call whenever they need information.

These features appear as seen in Figure 4 below. This page still requires social media integration and the addition of a chat facility for instant communication. These two aspects should come into play when the company is ready and willing to commit resources to manage the two services fully.

In addition to the contacts, the page also contains a physical map showing the physical location of the company’s headquarters. This will make it easy for clients who want to visit the store to find it.

Stores Page

The Stores page was developed to answer the concerns about lack of information regarding the stores of the company in other parts of the country. This page will have a list of all the locations as well as their contacts to make it easy for customers to access the Igno Merchandise Company outlets.

Summary

The objective of this work has been to investigate which aspect of customer service can be delivered by Igno Merchandise Company through an interactive website. The research carried out showed that customers essentially seek reliable services, ease of access to the services, and notification whenever there are special offers in place.

The project shows that a website can help to deliver these aspects of customer service. In addition, a website gives a company many choices such as social media integration, ecommerce options, and an extra avenue for running promotions. The web design component of the project illustrated the ease of designing a website that can respond to consumer needs.

The main limitation associated with this work is that the research was done on a subject that is very evolutionary. Before applying its conclusions to any other business, it is important to check the work for context as time moves on because of the rapid changes associated with the internet.

The researcher predicts that e-commerce will become an important part of the Nigerian economy based on current internet uptake trends. There is good reason for companies in the country to position their businesses in readiness for ecommerce. However, heavy investment in ecommerce platforms is not advisable at the moment. Companies should only aim for presence, not dominance.

Evaluation

This main achievement of this project was the development of a website that answers consumer needs and meets the business objectives of the Igno Merchandise Company. The entire project was developed as a means of improving the level of customer service provided by the company. The website will now answer the needs of the clients as unearthed during the research phase of the project.

The second achievement of the project was the discovery and clarification of the company’s sources of competitive advantage. The company now has a clear idea of what its customers expect, and what constitute its sources of competitive advantage.

However, it is important to note that the research was not geared towards analysing the business environment of the company. Therefore, there is a need for more research into the full range of competitive advantages of the business.

The web design phase did not include social media integration and it also did not include ecommerce options for the company. Social media integration is not just a design issue. It requires careful development of a strategy to counter the risks that come with a social media presence. In addition, it needs full time monitoring and management to take full advantage of the opportunities availed by social media.

The company did not indicate whether it was ready to make this investment. On ecommerce, there is need to carry out further studies to find low-cost, or no-cost options that can position the company for ecommerce without unnecessary administrative costs.

Ecommerce is almost absent in Nigeria, but can become a force to reckon with at any time given the increasing uptake of the internet. It is strategically sound to develop the capabilities before ecommerce takes off in Nigeria.

The management of the company was very happy about the insights the whole project gave them in relation to the position of the company. However, the management was reluctant to take up the website developed as part of the project citing the need for further thought into the issues raised in order to develop a more effective website. They also mentioned that the site was too basic in terms of graphic layout.

They felt that in general, the information provided to them through this project was invaluable, but the website component required a professional touch to ensure that they got it right. The management will use the site as the basis for discussions with a professional web developer to decide on the next step.

The specific issues that arose after showing the customers the proposed design for the website were as follows. The customers were pleased with the navigation elements of the website. They said that the navigation was simple to follow, which made finding information on the website relatively easy. The website’s navigation elements were made in a way that it was possible to access all the pages from the home page.

In addition the choice of names for the navigation bars made is possible for the customers to navigate through the site intuitively. The customers were happy with the fact that the arrangement of the website reduced the chances of confusion when visiting the site when looking for information.

The second area where the customers gave feedback was in the choice of a colour scheme for the website. The main colours for the website were white and red. In general terms, the clients were satisfied with the choice of colours for the website. Some of the clients attributed their satisfaction with the colour scheme to the fact that it matched the corporate colour scheme of the company.

The choice of red gave the website a strong brand attribution to the parent company. This consistency between the website and the company’s corporate colours gave the customers greater satisfaction with the work. While there was general agreement among the clients that the use of the red colour was good, some felt that the colour was too bright. They suggested that a deeper shade of red would be more appealing.

The customers found the “About Us” page very helpful. This page contained a brief presentation of the company and its operations. The purpose of this page was to meet the expectation of customers of interacting with the company in addition to the products it sold. This page gave them sufficient information about the company.

The information contained in the “About Us” page was designed to help customers who were seeking reasons to identify with the company to find these reasons.

The two main aspects of the “About Us” page that the customers found useful was the simplicity of the presentation of information and the sufficiency of the information. The language used to develop the content on the page was very simple English. In addition, the issues presented in the “About Us” section were factual and precise about the company.

The third aspect of the website that the customers gave positive reviews was the presence of a map. During the research stage, the customers noted that it was difficult to know the number and locations of the company’s stores around Nigeria. The map now shows exactly where the stores are located.

The map is based on the popular Google Maps platform which has other features such as showing the best route between two points. This can help a customer to find one of the company’s stores based on his/her location in Nigeria. The customers were happy with the addition of the map on the website because it improved accessibility to the company’s stores.

Customer opinions varied regarding the website. Some of them thought that it was good, while some were not fully satisfied with it in the overall sense. The main issues that were raised by the customers who were dissatisfied include the colour scheme. In their view, the colours were boring. They lacked appeal and needed tweaking in order to make the website more attractive. They also felt that the design was boring.

The flip side of this view is that the navigation of the site was simple and easy to handle. The customers who found the site boring could have been pleased by a more complicated design. In addition, some customers took issue with the fact that the site was not social media integrated. It lacked fancy graphics, and had very basic web design elements.

Conclusion

The objective of this project was to find out which aspects of customer service can be delivered by Igno Merchandise Company through an interactive website, and to develop a website based on the findings derived from interviews with the company’s customers.

In order to achieve these objectives, it was necessary to undertake a qualitative research exercise to find out the aspects of a website that the customers expect to find in the company’s website.

The research project was designed to reach a selected number of customers via phone interviews. Based on their responses, a website was developed using a web design portal found on wix.com. Wix.com provides an online web design suite that does not require coding.

Rather, it uses a graphical user interface where a web designer uses graphic elements rather than code to develop a website. After the design of the website, some of the customers were asked to review it to see whether it met their expectations. They gave very valuable feedback which can be used to enhance the quality of the site.

The qualitative research exercise that was carried out showed that customers essentially seek reliable services, ease of access to the services, and notification whenever there are special offers. The need for reliable services arises from the poor services offered by many Nigerian websites. The customers want to have access to web services on demand, and not at the convenience of the business entity.

The need for ease of access had two dimensions. First, the customers asked the company to ensure that the company had a website that was mobile friendly to ensure that anyone with an internet enabled phone can access the services. Secondly, the customers wanted all the store locations of the company to be listed on the website to make it easy for them to access the shops.

The third main need identified in the research project was that the customers would like the company to inform them whenever they have bargains or promotions. This can be done directly on the website and also via other IT tools such as email, short messaging or via the social media.

The project shows that a website can help to deliver these aspects of customer service. A website on its own may have limitations because visiting a website is initiated by individual internet users. The company needs to use other strategies of attracting traffic to the website to ensure that it gets the full benefits of the service.

Despite this limitation, a website gives a company many choices such as social media integration, ecommerce options, and an extra avenue for running promotions. The researcher learnt several things in the course of undertaking this project. The first lesson was that it is possible to use research to solve practical business problems.

The researcher successfully found out what customers needed from the company’s website via research, and then he made an attempt to provide it. Secondly, the researcher learnt that solving business problems require the work of several professionals.

The range of skills needed to solve problems effectively cannot be found in one person. In this case, the researcher was better at the research and evaluation, but was weaker on professional web design. Finally, the researcher learnt how to use wix.com to develop a website, a skill that now requires refinement.

The actual development of the website was done on wix.com. Wix.com provides a free online editor for web design. The systems rely on templates to enable designers to use a graphical approach to web design. The advantage of such tools is that they do not require someone to learn a programming language before building a website.

The main limitation associated with this work is that the research was done on an evolving subject. The development of ecommerce, websites and all accompanying platforms is a work in progress. The most influential social media site, Facebook, is barely ten years old.

This shows that it is very difficult to predict how the scene will change in regards to the use of the internet for business. Therefore, before applying the conclusions of this project to any other business, it is important to check the work for context as time moves on because of the rapid changes associated with internet technologies.

The second limitation was on the web design aspect. The project required the researcher to develop a website based on information received from customers. Web design is a technical skill developed over time. In this sense, it was not possible to develop a high quality website, in terms of graphical layout, on the first attempt.

This explains why some customers found the site unsophisticated. While the site was developed following research results, it met the needs of the clients in a technical sense, but without the artistic feel of web design.

If this project was to be done again, the main changes that the researcher would introduce would be to solicit for the help of a web designer on pro Bono basis, or with some arrangement with the company to help develop a more professional looking site.

Despite the strong grounding in research and theory, the site was not appealing enough for the company to be used as the official site. The alternative would have been to develop competency in web design using wix.com. The time available for the project did not allow for the development of such competency.

The researcher predicts that e-commerce will become an important part of the Nigerian economy based on current internet uptake trends. There is good reason for companies in the country to position their businesses in readiness for ecommerce.

However, heavy investment in ecommerce platforms is not advisable at the moment. Companies should only aim for presence, but not dominance. Failure by companies to position themselves in ecommerce early enough will impose a stiff learning curve on them which may rob them of competitive advantage in the ecommerce arena.

Reference List

Creswell, J. 2008, Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches, 3rd edn, Sage, London.

Eriksson, P. & Kovalainen, A. 2008, Qualitative Methods in Business Research, Sage, Thousand Oaks, CA.

Onaiwu, E. & KPMG 2013, Mobile Money in Nigeria: Identification and Security. Web.

Literature Review

Customer service is an essential part of business strategy (Sahaf 2008). Any company that ignores the quality of services that it gives to its customers commits a strategic blunder. This literature review explores the conceptual issues that govern the provision of excellent customer service. The review has four sections. The first section deals with the definition of customer service.

The use of the term “customer service” requires delineation to ensure that there is not confusion with other aspects of customer care in the business. It is also imperative to develop a working definition of the term for this project. The second part of the review covers service quality in general and online service quality. The expected outcome of this project will be the development of a website that can improve customer service for Igno Merchandise Company.

In this regard, the standards for online service quality in the company must satisfy user expectations. The last three areas of interest include a review of the online tools available for online customer service applications, web design principles for customer service websites, and the risks posed by online customer service.

Definition of Customer Service

The term “customer service” does not have a universal definition despite the widespread use by both entrepreneurs and scholars. This is hardly surprising because of the multiplicity of viewpoints relating to the subject. Wagenheim and Reurink (1991) defined customer service as a management strategy that focused on meeting customer expectations.

This definition relied on the idea that every organisation would do whatever it took to satisfy its customers in order to attain its goals efficiently and effectively. However, it was very broad since it covered all activities undertaken by a business. For instance, R&D departments exist to produce products that satisfy customer expectations. Does this mean that R&D activities form part of customer service? This definition fits better where there is contact with customers.

In this case, it is useful as a means of setting customer service objectives. Armistead (1989) developed a more elaborate definition of customer service that had six dimensions grouped into two. The first group constituted the “firm” dimensions, which included, “the framework of time, fault-freeness, and flexibility” (Armistead 1989, p. 249). The framework of time referred to the duration, availability, and speed of customer service.

In other words, good customer service should be available on demand, for the required duration, and should be offered as quickly as possible. The framework of fault-freeness sought to capture the need to have services that were error free (Armistead 1989). The range of issues captured in this dimension included the information, processes, and products that constituted customer service in an organisation.

All organisations need to take utmost care to ensure that the services developed for the benefit of their clients are error free. The framework of flexibility sought to address the need for a company to remain adaptable to new situations (Armistead 1989). For instance, a company should have the ability to customise customer services in order to ensure that the solutions provided to each client resolve their specific concerns.

This framework also addressed the need for the company to keep on improving customer services. Continuous improvement is a well-known concept in lean production (Creswell 2008). The second group of frameworks developed by Armistead (1989) was the soft dimensions. These dimensions were more difficult to control and measure. The three frameworks were “style, steering, and safety” (Armistead 1989, p. 249).

Style referred to the elements of organisational culture in customer service, and the mode of presentation of services. This dimension has two implications. First, it means that the style in which an organisation offers customer services is a product of its organisational culture (Wei & Lu 2012). If an organisation esteems punctuality in all its activities, then customer service from the organisation should demonstrate punctuality without any further need for enforcement.

The second implication of this framework is that every organisation needs to think about how it offers services to its customers. This includes the attitudes of the customer care staff towards customers, the ambience, and the ease of access to its premises (Ardichvili, Cardozo & Ray 2003). In other words, organisations need to think about customer experience in their customer service initiatives (Cardoso 2009).

The second framework in Armistead’s second category was “steering” (Armistead 1989, p. 249). Steering was the word chosen to represent the sense of control a customer needed to feel when accessing services in an organisation. It also meant that the customer needed clarity about the procedures and processes needed to access services in the company. The third framework was safety.

Safety in customer service refers to the level of physical and psychological comfort that a customer feels when dealing with a company (Yang, Jun & Peterson 2004). The specific issues outlined in this framework included observing confidentiality and maintaining trust. It also involves assuring customers of their physical safety whenever they interact with the organisation.

The definition of customer service offered by Lucas, Bush and Gresham (1996) viewed customer service as the impact of salespeople, business atmosphere, and quality of services on the customers. This definition had a wide area of overlap with Armistead’s definition in regards to the essential components of customer service. The two definitions agreed that customer service was not a single aspect in the activities of the organisation.

The authors viewed customer service as an organisational process, rather than a specific activity. Donaldson (1986) used a different approach to define customer service by proposing that customer service was the fifth element that organisations needed to add to the four Ps of marketing. This view sought to make customer service one of the fundamentals of good business practices necessary for running a successful enterprise.

This literature review shows that the definition of customer service depends on the overall organisational philosophy of a company. The important issue in regards to the definition of customer care is not the accuracy of the term. An organisation should ascribe a meaning to it based on its overall organisational philosophy. The common thread in the definitions reviewed is that a company needs to organise itself in such a way that it can offer the services its customers require as effectively as possible.

Service Quality and Online Service Quality

Service is intangible, is consumed simultaneously, and cannot be displayed in stock. The process of customer care consists of several mediating activities between the customer and the company (Agyapong & Kobina 2012). One of the major challenges that organisations are facing today is an increase in customer expectations in regards to quality of service (Ekankumo, Kemebaradikumo & Braye 2011).

In a study on customer service, 96% of the respondents said that they buy services from companies that have high quality customer services, regardless of pricing (Ekankumo, Kemebaradikumo & Braye 2011). Many businesses are finding it extremely difficult to manage competition arising from differences in service quality. This shows that service quality can determine the competitive advantage of a business in a given industry (Wagenheim & Reurink 1991).

In a study, GSM subscribers in Lagos State stated that they were more likely to choose a service provider based on the quality of services offered without regard to the pricing of the service (Adeleke & Aminu 2012). Service quality is very important to service-oriented organisations. Companies that produce services such as banks or telecommunications companies view their services as the products of the company. In these cases, poor services are equivalent to poor products.

In product-oriented organisations, customer service is offered to support the consumer when using the product after buying it from the company (Ekankumo, Kemebaradikumo & Braye 2011). For instance, an automaker may operate customer service outlets that provide services to the owners of vehicles bought from the company.

A study by Yang, Jun and Peterson (2004) concluded that the six main aspects of service quality in the internet are reliability, responsiveness, competence, ease of use, security, and product portfolio. These six elements can guide the assessment and development of an online customer service strategy. Online service quality is the specialised case of services offered through the internet (Cruz & Mendelsohn 2010).

Companies that offer their services through the internet use facilities such as emails, electronic newsletters, or chat to help solve customer problems (Curasi, Hogg & Maclaran 2001). It is also possible to offer voice based customer service using Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) which is accessible through services such as Skype. In the case of companies that sell products through the internet, customer service covers all the activities that the sale process constitutes.

This distinction also applies to companies that sell services that are delivered online on subscription basis, such as subscription websites. From the literature reviewed, it is clear that for this project to be successful, the quality of services offered must be acceptable to the customer. A decision must be made on whether the services will cover customer support and education, or whether the services will be intended for marketing only. A decision is also needed in regards to whether the services will be free.

Tools for Online Customer Service

The internet has made it possible for organisations to deploy several tools to serve customers online. No issue arises when a company uses these tools to drive sales or to manage existing customers. One of the most interesting aspects of online customer service is the ability to prepare materials that can help to resolve customer complaints without the need for human intervention (Dalal 2007).

Many organisations have a “Frequently Asked Questions” (FAQ) page on their website as the first line of customer care. This page usually carries information that many customers seek frequently. The FAQ page can be very helpful to customers who are trying to know how to use a product (Cardoso 2009). Text based customer support systems include the use of chat and email (Dalal 2007).

Chat allows for instantaneous response to customer queries. Chat is ideal for use in situations where a customer needs instructions to operate the product. Chat is also ideal for dealing with queries from customers because the responses given to such customers can help to speed up the buying decision. Emails also play an important role in customer support especially in cases where it is necessary to give many details (Donaldson 1986).

Emails work in cases where the clients are patient to wait for a response. The use of emails can lead to a reduction in service quality if the response time is poor. In some cases, companies use email as a means of providing training for potential clients. In these cases, the company can set up automatic responders that send targeted emails to their clients.

This method enables companies to build their brands by increasing the amount of contact they have with customers. At the same time, it is a very good way of passing on large volumes of information in small doses. Some companies operate call centers as part of their online customer service portfolio (Davila, Marc & Robert 2007). A new way of providing customer support is by use of videos.

Many organisations today have uploaded videos that customers can watch to learn how to use their products. By their nature, videos are static and can only resolve well-known problems. Once a company finds out that there is a widespread problem affecting their customers, the company can develop a presentation to be uploaded as a video so that all customers can watch it to find answers to their concerns.

Videos are effective for introducing the product to the consumers, and for giving instructions on how to operate the product. Leading video sites in the world include YouTube and Vimeo, which are free services. Another tool for customer service especially in companies that sell products online is the presence of an online shopping cart (Ardichvili, Cardozo & Ray 2003).

Shopping carts are indispensible if a company wants to sell products online, and to make the transactions as convenient as possible for its customers. An interesting method of online customer service is the use of online forums composed of clients of the company. Companies such as Microsoft and Google have facilitated the growth of online communities that depend on their products.

These communities allow customers of these companies to discuss among themselves the issues that arise when they use the products of the company. The advantage of this approach is that customers raise the problems and the solutions provided are communicated in ways that customers understand. In addition, the company incurs minimal costs because the content comes from the customers themselves.

In conclusion, there is a wide choice of avenues for providing online customer support that includes a FAQ page on the company’s website, chat, email, Skype, or video.

Web-design Principles for Customer Service Websites

The Igno merchandise company operates within Nigeria. Therefore, there is a need to explore some of the web design principles that can inform the final website developed for customer service. Several aspects should inform the design of a website meant to provide services to customers. The most prominent design issue is the choice of a domain name (Cruz & Mendelsohn 2010).

The domain name of a website plays an important role in generating traffic for a website. Websites that have domain names that are easy to remember receive more traffic than those with difficult domain names. Good domain names can help companies that are online to increase the recognition of their brand. The choice of a domain name is therefore a matter that requires careful thought because of the strategic implications it will have on the traffic to the website.

Access to the internet in Nigeria is mainly via mobile handsets (Agyapong & Kobina 2012). The number of Nigerians who have mobile handsets that can access the internet is on the increase. This means that the company needs to ensure that the website developed for customer service is mobile friendly. In this sense, the companies need to develop mobile friendly websites.

In many cases, it is usually necessary to develop two websites, one meant for mobile phones, and the other meant for general traffic. This makes it necessary to develop a system of integrating service on both websites in order to ensure that customers have seamless surfing experiences whenever they switch from the mobile version of the website to the general website.

The factors that contribute to user satisfaction with a website include ease of navigation, quick loading of pages, pleasant design qualities, and consistent display across various browsers (Yazdanifard, Edres & Seyedi 2011). The importance of ease of navigation increases with the use of mobile phones to access the internet. However, even websites meant for use by PCs should have a logically developed menu that allows customers to find any information that they need as quickly and as easily as possible.

This situation is more serious when it comes to mobile web because the screens of mobile phones have a very small viewing are compared to computers. At the same time, the navigations tools available to users are not as versatile as those found on computers. In this sense, poorly designed sites can erode the quality of user experience when it comes to mobile web access.

The speed of loading of a website is a critical aspect in Nigeria because internet speeds are relatively low (Agyapong & Kobina 2012). The design of the website needs to have features that allow for quick loading under low speeds. Many customers leave websites that are slow. Customers expect that the mobile version of websites should load as quickly as the PC version of the same website.

The final issue that requires consideration in web design is display of the site across different browsers. Internet browsers can display a website differently leading to different user experiences. Therefore, the developers of the customer service website will need to check how the site appears on different. The most common browsers used by many people include Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, and Opera.

Risks Associated with Electronic Customer Service

Several risks arise when a company chooses to use the internet for customer service applications. Exposure to these risks affects both companies that offer services using the internet and their clients. The main client side risk associated with ecommerce is privacy. A study in the US showed that up to 63% of customers hesitate to give their details to websites because of the privacy and security concerns (Yazdanifard, Edres & Seyedi 2011).

While most of the information that people put on online has always been publicly available, it has not been easily accessible without the internet (Wei & Lu 2012). Furthermore, it is possible to do more damage with it because of the capabilities of the internet. Cases of identity theft are on the rise because it is possible to construct a person’s personal profile based on information available online.

For instance, someone can call company and request for services based on information found in social media websites. Another contributor to the online risks is that there are few legal guarantees that can redress online crimes (Yazdanifard, Edres & Seyedi 2011). Nigeria holds a bad reputation in regards to internet fraud committed against citizens in other countries of the world.

It is usually impossible to track down the perpetrators or to hold them accountable if they are not living in the same jurisdiction. This makes criminals and fraudsters confident that they can get away with internet crimes. The third client side risk associated with online customer care is that at times, it is impossible to prove making contact with the company if the client uses chat.

In cases where the client makes a voice call, there may be no record of the details of the conversation. This makes it difficult for customer to keep track of the progress of the process of addressing concerns communicated with a company. Organisations that provide online services face reputational risks. Source of reputational risk are varied. It can arise from hacking, where hackers deface the website (Cardoso 2009).

While customers can forgive the company of its website falls into the hands of hackers, it reduces the confidence the clients have in the company in regards to its ability to keep their information safe. Reputational risks can also arise from online fraudsters that claim to work for the company, but whose real intention is to defraud unsuspecting clients (Curasi, Hogg & Maclaran 2001).

A client may not have a foolproof way of telling whether someone is a genuine employee of the company especially if that person seems to have access to privileged information. If the fraudster is successful, the company loses the confidence of the client. Reputational risk may also arise from poor services, such as delayed responses to client queries posted online.

This risk increases because of the increased accessibility of a website to a global audience, compared to the limited number of walk-in clients for a company without online presence. In this case, the company’s customer service unit may be overwhelmed by demand for explanations. This can arise if there is a widespread problem, or if the company is implementing changes that affect its relations with its customers.

Conclusion

The main issues that arise from the literature review above are as follows. First, it is almost impossible to arrive at a universal definition of customer service because of differences in the philosophical approaches to the issue. In this regard, there is a need to arrive at a definition that will meet the purposes of this project. Armistead’s definition provides a very useful framework for the development of the required definition.

The second issue arising from the literature review is that online customer service requires the same dedication to quality found in other aspects of customer service. Internet is a tool available for use in providing services to customers and it should be used wisely. Thirdly, the main tools available for use in online customer service include the use of FAQ pages, Chat, Voice calls, Online shopping carts, and Online forums.

All these services can be offered through a company’s website. There is need to consider how each of these tools can be used by the Igno company to meet is its online customer service objectives. Finally, the company will need to make use of good web design principles to design its customer service website.

Reference List

Adeleke, A & Aminu, SA 2012, ‘The Determinants of Customer Loyalty in Nigeria’s GSM Market’, International Journal of Business and Social Science, vol 3, no. 14, pp. 209-223.

Agyapong, A & Kobina, F 2012, ‘Service Quality and Customer Choice of Mobile Telecommunication Service Providers in Ghana.’, International Research Journal of Finance and Economics, vol 100, no. 1, pp. 141-155.

Ardichvili, A, Cardozo, R & Ray, S 2003, ‘A Theory of Entrepreneurial Opportunity Identification and Development’, Journal of Business Venturing, vol 18, pp. 105-123.

Armistead, CG 1989, ‘Customer Service and Operations Management in Service Businesses’, The Service Industries Journal, vol 9, no. 2, pp. 247-260.

Cardoso, G 2009, From Mass Communication to Networked Communication: Thoughts 2.0, Lisbon Internet and Networks, Lisbon.

Creswell, J 2008, Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches, 3rd edn, Sage, London.

Cruz, B & Mendelsohn, J 2010, Why Social Media Matters to your business, Chadwick, New York.

Curasi, CF, Hogg, M & Maclaran, B 2001, ‘The Impact of the Net: Strategies for Consumer Behavior Research Design in the 21st Century’’, Advances in Consumer Research, vol 28, no. 1, p. 205.

Dalal, S 2007, Creativity And Innovation Driving Business, Creativity Innovation Books, Mumbai.

Davila, T, Marc, EJ & Robert, SD 2007, The Creative Enterprise: Culture, Greenwood Publishing Group, Boston, MA.

Donaldson, B 1986, ‘Customer Service: The Missing Dimension in Marketing Management’, Journal of Marketing, vol 2, no. 1, pp. 133-144.

Ekankumo, B, Kemebaradikumo, N & Braye, K 2011, ‘Customer Service Strategies of Retail Organisations in the Niger Delta Area of Nigeria’, Asian Journal of Business Management, vol 3, no. 3, pp. 219-230.

Sahaf, MA 2008, Strategic Marketing: Making Decisions For Strategic Advantage, PHI Learning Pvt Ltd, New Delhi.

Wagenheim, G & Reurink, J 1991, ‘Customer service in public admistration. , vol. 51 no. 3, p. 263’, Public Admistration Review, vol 51, no. 3, pp. 263-270.

Wei, P & Lu, H 2012, ‘An Examination of the Celebrity Endorsements and Online Customer Reviews Influence Female Consumers Shopping Behavior’, Computers in Human Behavior, , vol 29, no. 1, pp. 193-201.

Yang, Z, Jun, M & Peterson, RT 2004, ‘Measuring Customer Perceived Online Service Quality Scale Development and Managerial Implications’, International Journal of Operations & Production Management, vol 22, no. 11, pp. 1149-1174.

Yazdanifard, R, Edres, NA-H & Seyedi, AP 2011, ‘Singapore Security and Privacy Issues as a Potential Risk for Further Ecommerce Development’, International Conference on Information Communication and Management, IACSIT Press, Singapore.

Introduction

The article written by Andra Gumbus and Lussier shows (2006) how different companies uses balanced scorecards in order to measure their performance and track the implementation of their strategies. This paper is aimed at discussing the way in which these businesses studied the perspective of clients. First of all, one can mention such a company as Hyde Park Electronics that attaches much importance to customers’ satisfaction and retention. It should be noted that this organization evaluates satisfaction by looking at such parameters as sales rates, the number of returned customers, and the ability of a company to meet the deadlines set by clients (Gumbus & Robert, 2006, p. 413). In the opinion of business administrators, these metrics can throw light on the experiences of customers and their assessment of the company’s performance. Additionally, it is important to look at such a company as Futura Industries. The managers of this organization also want to understand how clients perceive this company and its products, especially the degree of their satisfaction (Gumbus & Robert, 2006, p, 416).

In particular, they pay attention to such indicators as customer hassle index, on-time delivery, and the quality of the product. Apart from that, the representatives of this organization carry out surveys of clients and ask them about their experiences with the company (Gumbus & Robert, 2006, p, 416). These are the main techniques adopted in Futura Industries and one can argue that this business genuinely tries to understand the opinions of clients. Finally, one should speak about the activities of Southern Gardens Citrus. This organization also relies on balanced scorecards in order to understand their views of buyers, especially, their perception of customer service. Business administrators in this company attach importance to such measurements as the percent of shipment within specifications and loading cycle time (Gumbus & Robert, 2006, p. 421). These examples demonstrate that businesses can apply balance scorecards in different ways. However, it is necessary to determine whether their measurements are really helpful for understanding the behavior of clients.

Analysis

Certainly, one can argue that the attempts of these businesses are beneficial because they can throw some light on the views of clients; nevertheless, one should bear in mind that some of the measures described in the previous section are not necessarily customer-centric. For example, the managers of Hyde Park Electronics look at sales rates as an indicator of client’s satisfaction (Gumbus & Robert, 2006, p. 413). It seems that this approach does not help to understand clients’ opinions and attitudes because these measurements do not reflect the experiences of buyers and their reasons for buying goods or services. The problem is that customers can purchase a certain product just because it best suits them in terms of price. However, it does not mean that they are satisfied with the activities of a company or its policies. Apart from that, the changes of sales rate can in part be attributed to the strategies of their competitors, rather than the internal policies of an organization. This is one of the limitations that managers should take into account.

Additionally, such parameters as lead-time or loading cycle time are more related to the operational efficiency of a company, but they are not necessarily related to the experiences of clients. This issue is particularly important for such a company as Southern Gardens Citrus because this organization strongly relies on this metric (Gumbus & Robert, 2006, p. 421). Certainly, this organization could have designed better business processes, but these efforts do not always affect the attitudes of customers. The scholars, who support the use of balanced scorecards, believe that companies should first focus on their value proposition of a business to clients (Niven, n.d).

Therefore, companies should first determine whether they can fully meet client’s expectations. As it has been said before, sales rate do not necessarily reflect customers’ opinions about a company. Instead, one should pay attention to such aspects as responsiveness, quality of the product, ease of purchase, or the ability of a company to meet the requirements and specifications set by a client (Niven, n.d). On the whole, one can say that the improved performance of these companies cannot be explained by various factors. To a great extent, it can be attributed to the situation in the market, their operational efficiency, and the quality of their product. Nevertheless, their successes can also be attributed the better understanding of clients’ needs and their concerns. Overall, one can argue that the use of balance score cards has assisted the organizations described in the article by Gumbus and Lussier even though their techniques had certain limitations. This is the main argument that can be made.

Conclusion

Certainly, the customer perspective is of great importance for each of the companies discussed in this paper. Yet, they attached more importance to other perspectives. For example, Hyde Park Electronics focused on their efficiency of their internal operations, in particular, their manufacturing efficiency and production processes (Gumbus & Robert, 2006, p. 412). From the managers’ viewpoint, these aspects were critical for the competitiveness of the company. In turn, the management of Futura Industries concentrated on learning and growth within their organization. One of their intentions was to decrease their turnover rates and make sure that employees were committed to organizational goals (Gumbus & Robert, 2006, p. 413). Thus, these businesses chose to focus on other criteria while evaluating their strategies or performance.

Evaluation

On the whole, these companies could have used other measures in order to evaluate and improve their performance. For instance, they should focus on the responsiveness of a company and its employees (Person, 2010, p. 7). This indicator can show whether an organization strives to address clients’ concerns as quickly as possible. This information can tell whether a company should change or modify some of their business processes. Additionally, the managers of different businesses should pay attention to the flexibility of their pricing policies, and customers’ perception of their products or services. Again, these data should be considered by people who are engaged in product development. Overall, these measurements can be of great use to businesses. Additionally, Robert Kaplan (2005) believes that companies should pay more attention to customer-profitability metrics (Kaplan, 2005). In this way, they can determine which group of customers is most important for an organization in terms of their profitability (Kaplan, 2005). These are the measurements that were not adopted by the companies. It is possible to argue that business should not disregard their interaction with clients. Provided that they do not do it, the use of balanced scorecards will not yield the expected benefits.

Reference List

Gumbus, A., & Robert, N. L. (2006). Entrepreneurs use a balanced scorecard to translate strategy into performance measures. Journal of Small Business Management, 44(3), 407-425.

Kaplan, R (2005). A Balanced Scorecard Approach To Measure Customer Profitability. Web.

Niven, P. (n. d.). Customer perspective. Web.

Person, R. (2010). Balanced Scorecards and Operational Dashboards with Microsoft Excel. New York: John Wiley & Sons.

Symptoms indicating the customer service failure at the Mount Rundle Hotel

A common symptom of the failure of customer service is the lack of apology from the management. The customer is hardly granted an opportunity to explain his frustrations. The difference in the price of the same service on two different websites indicates that the hotel is not keen on customer services. Lastly, the hotel uses the credit card of the customer and overcharges him without his consent.

The causes of the customer service failure

The management tends to focus on the cash flow at the expense of customer service. The management of Mount Rundle is, to some extent, either poor or thoroughly incompetent. The technical team of the hotel is to be blamed. It is supposed to ensure that all the websites are properly harmonized in accordance with the daily activities of the hotel. Generally, a combination of these will result in such problems’ reoccurrence. Unfortunately, these problems are not unique to Mount Rundle Hotel. They spread to all restaurants that prioritize in-flow of cash.

The behaviour of the customer and its appropriateness

Although Mr. McKenzie was justified to demand his money back, the way he went about it was not good. He did not have to go writing negative reviews about the hotel and spoiling business for them yet he had been there only once. It was probably his bad luck and not the hotel’s habit to frustrate its clients. He should have given the hotel management a chance to explain and correct the errors or find a way to make it up to him. Since they value customer feedback, it was very unlikely that they would let this customer go away with a heavy heart. Similarly, he should have just informed such organizations as Banff Lake Louise Tourism about the issue and left it for them, not him, to handle.

The actions to prevent this problem in the future

The best way to prevent such an occurrence in the future would be for the hotel to employ a competent technical team with enough experience. Also, if customers are treated in an inappropriate manner, they should report the case to the relevant authorities or associations but not publicize it. The client, in this case, does that, though later, by informing various authorities like The Better Business Bureau of Southern Alberta. There should be a thorough assessment of all top managers to rest assured that such problems will not reoccur. Besides, the hotel should establish an interactive site where customers will be channeling their views on the services they offer.

Introduction

The presented company is currently doing well due to its ability to offer high-quality services and products to the customers. The customer service department has been focusing on the best initiatives to support the needs of the customers (Adewale & Anthonia, 2013). The current situation indicates that the company is in need of a Customer Service Representative. This discussion outlines the major approaches that can be used to conduct a job analysis and job design for the position of a Customer Service Representative. Evidence-based strategies that can be used to attract and select successful candidates for the position will be described.

Job Analysis

The process of job analysis is done to understand the issues and attributes associated with a given position in a company. A proper job analysis will ensure the human resource (HR) manager is aware of the attributes of the job. The first method for job analysis is using interviews. Suthar, Chakravarthi, and Pradhan (2014) indicate that the approach collects useful data and information about a given position from different stakeholders. The use of interviews presents various benefits to the HR manager. The method is usually simple to undertake, the HR manager will collect adequate information in a timely manner, and it reveals the aspects of the targeted position that might not be captured by the other methods. The disadvantage is that the interviewees might present inadequate or wrong information about the position.

The second approach used is known is observation whereby the HR manager decides to monitor individuals in a similar position. This method will ensure the aspects of the job are clearly understood. The method is beneficial because it presents timely and appropriate information (Suthar et al., 2014). The HR manager will monitor and understand the issues, dexterities, and aspects associated with the Customer Service Representative position. However, the absence of a person in a similar position at the small firm can make the process ineffective.

Questionnaires form the best job analysis procedure. The researcher can prepare and distribute questionnaires to different workers in order to collect information about the position. The analyst will monitor the required aspects of the job using the questionnaire. The method is beneficial because the researcher will select the intended information. The questionnaire will capture useful information such as work output, required resources, and job context (Adewale & Anthonia, 2013). The main disadvantage is that the use of questionnaires can be labor intensive. Additionally, the respondents might go ahead to write wrong information.

The small size of the company explains why observation should be used by the HR manager to understand the attributes of this position. This method is meaningful and appropriate because the manager will observe the demands and needs of different customers. The dexterities required for the targeted individual will also be monitored. The observations will be used to understand the aspects of the intended position (Nalla & Varalaxmi, 2014). The HR manager can complete the process within a short time without incurring numerous costs.

Job Design

The term “job design” refers to the planning and adjustments done in the workplace to maximize employees’ performance. With effective job design, the workers will be equipped with the right resources and support in order to promote performance (Nalla & Varalaxmi, 2014). The small firm has the potential to benefit from these four job design approaches: job enlargement, job engineering, job enrichment, and job rotation.

Job Rotation and Job Enrichment: Challenges

The company can focus on job rotation and job enrichment in order to ensure right candidates who can drive performance are identified and empowered. However, such approaches will present a number of challenges. The use of job rotation will definitely result in disruptions at the workplace. Consequently, the customers will be unable to receive timely services. The second challenge is that the process will be associated with increased costs for empowering and training the targeted employees (Suthar et al., 2014). The use of job enrichment will also present a number of challenges. The first one is that the company will have to incur numerous costs and expenses in order to support the process. The job enrichment process will require a change thereby attracting resistance from some of the workers. This resistance will eventually disrupt performance.

Advantages and Disadvantages

Job rotation is usually used to relocate an employee from position A to B. This practice usually promotes performance by assigning new roles to the workers. The use of rotation can ensure the targeted position is filled without wasting time (Suthar et al., 2014). The employees will be attracted and empowered to complete various tasks. The method is advantageous because it promotes employee empowerment. The workers will be able to realize their career objectives. Training can be done to empower the workers. However, job rotation can result in resistance from the workers. The firm might require numerous costs to train the employees.

Job enrichment is the second method of job design that can support the goals of the firm. The enrichment method used will empower the employees and equip them with the right resources. The workers will become motivated and focus on the targeted goals. Processes such as decision-making and problem-solving will be completed much faster. The HR manager will offer the best resources and guidelines to support the process (Nalla & Varalaxmi, 2014). The enrichment can be strengthened using better salaries and improved working environments. The disadvantage is that the company must incur numerous expenses in order to support the process.

Attracting and Selecting Qualified Applicants

The company should use a powerful plan to attract competent individuals who can ensure quality services are available to the customers. The identification of the best candidates will make it possible for the company to achieve its goals (Adewale & Anthonia, 2013). When the company gets a competent Customer Service Representative, it will be easier to drive organizational performance. These strategies presented below can guide the firm to attract and select the right applicants.

Use of a Powerful Recruitment Strategy

This strategy will be used to identify and recruit the right individual who can take up the role of a Customer Service Representative. The first step will be to identify the required competencies and skills. These competencies will be communicated to the workers at the company. The requirements will also be matched with the information obtained after completing the job analysis successfully (Sun, 2015). The HR manager will use the information to identify the strengths of the potential candidates at the company. When this approach is done, the major approaches to job design will be considered depending on the skills of the workers at the firm.

The use of job rotation, for example, can be considered if there are employees who possess the best competencies for the Customer Service Representative position (Nalla & Varalaxmi, 2014). This strategy is relevant because the HR manager will be aware of the gaps and strengths of the existing employees. The right skills and resources that can be used to empower the employees will be identified. The candidate will then be empowered in order to make the company successful. The potential candidates will be supported throughout the process.

Organizational Culture Strategy

Recruitment and selection processes can attract the right individuals to complete various roles in a company. The use of an organizational culture strategy is not passive in nature. This is the case because it focuses on the best culture that can satisfy the needs of the workers. The firm will use the best approaches to strengthen the values and philosophies associated with the workers. The culture will ensure the needs, expectations, and goals of the employees are supported (Sun, 2015). The major job design approaches will be implemented to equip the workers with new competencies and prepare them for new roles at the company.

When the best culture is developed, the employees will be willing to be part of the company’s business model. Whenever new positions are announced, the firm will find it easier to get the right people who can drive business performance. As the firm plans to hire a Customer Service Representative, the current workers and outsiders will be willing to fill the new position. The leadership embraced by the company will ensure more people are willing to be part of the process. The HR manager will use the right tactics to identify the unique challenges affecting the workers and address them in a timely manner (Suthar et al., 2014). The new workers will be trained and equipped with the right resources in order to support the targeted customers. This strategy for attracting and selecting the right candidates is sustainable and can ensure more people become part of the process.

Measuring Performance

The Customer Service Representative will be expected to continue supporting the firm’s business model. The professionals should be on the frontline to provide timely support to customers and colleagues. In order to ensure the performance of the professional is desirable, several strategies can be used to monitor his or her actions. The first approach that can deliver positive results is that of quality standards. This approach will focus on the quality of services available to the company’s clients. The firm should go further to monitor the motivation and satisfaction of the workers (Sun, 2015). The gaps existing in the workplace will also be revealed.

Random checks can be considered to monitor the level of performance. These checks will mainly focus on the philosophy, action plan, and effectiveness of the qualified candidate (Nalla & Varalaxmi, 2014). The individual’s ability to promote the firm’s business model will also be analyzed. The method will ensure the dexterities of the Customer Service Representative are matched with the needs of the customers.

Client surveys can also be used at the firm. The HR manager can use the method to gather information from different customers and stakeholders. This approach is relevant because the clients will definitely present timely and accurate information regarding the performance of the candidate. A satisfied customer will indicate that the individual is appropriate for the position (Sun, 2015). These measures will be used to identify the existing gaps and service delivery and address them effectively.

References

Adewale, O., & Anthonia, A. (2013). Impact of organizational culture on human resource practices: A case study of selected Nigerian private universities. Journal of Competitiveness, 5(1), 115-133. Web.

Nalla, B., & Varalaxmi, P. (2014). Human resource management practices in organized retailing: A study of select retailers. International Journal of Business and Administration Research Review, 1(2), 63-74.

Sun, L. (2015). Exploring the causes of recruiting failure. Journal of Service Science and Management, 8(1). 42-45.

Suthar, B., Chakravarthi, L., & Pradhan, S. (2014). Impacts on job analysis on organizational performance: An inquiry on Indian public sector enterprises. Procedia Economics and Finance, 11(1), 166-181.

Communication Skills

The training of the customer service representatives (CSRs) in the Student Registration Office must address their communication skills. The CSRs are not able to identify and clarify the problems of students because they lack effective communication skills. The CSRs also use evaluative questioning when attending to customers because of their poor communication skills. Training for communication skills is important for the CSRs because it will allow them to listen effectively to the concerns of customers and to convey their responses in an appropriate manner (Lee, 2012).

Through training on communication skills, complaints from students about services in the registration office will reduce. Training the CSRs will allow them to acquire specific communication competencies, such as asking questions in an appropriate manner and appreciating the fact that each customer is different or unique in the manner of expression through communication (Sturdy, 2000).

Problem Solving Skills

Problem-solving skills are an important requirement for CSRs because they allow them to identify the complex concerns that customers present in order to provide the most effective solutions on the basis of an analysis of all available alternatives (Parasuraman, Berry, & Zeithaml, 1991).

The training program must address the problem-solving skills of the CSRs because it is the lack of these skills that make them ineffective in dealing with the different problems that each student faces in regard to the registration process. Training on problem-solving will also enable the CSRs to review and apply related information on the registration process in order to provide solutions that are relevant and appropriate to each problem. Problem-solving skills will also enable the CSRs to manage the conflicts that occur when customers are not satisfied with the registration services.

Professionalism

A professional attitude is a vital skill for CSRs because it allows them to separate personal feelings from service delivery. The CSRs seem not to appreciate the fact that understanding and recognizing the feelings of customers is part of their roles in service delivery. This makes it necessary to train them for the development of professional attitudes and positive perceptions about their obligation to attend to the needs of all customers, including the difficult ones. Training for positive attitudes is important because it influences the level at which the CSRs are motivated to execute their roles and to serve the interests of customers (Arthur, 1994).

The experiential and educational activities of the training program should address the professional attitudes of the CSRs, which influence the quality of professional relationships that they develop with customers (Blodgett, Wakefield, & Barnes, 1995).

Service Orientation

The training program must also address the service orientation attitudes and skills of the CSRs because they are not able to apply their knowledge on registration steps for effective delivery of services. The behavioral skills of the CSRs are not aligned with their role in service delivery because they lack a service-oriented attitude. In addition, the CSRs seem to be less committed to the delivery of high-quality registration services.

The training program should involve practice sessions that will enable the CSRs to develop the desired service orientation for dealing with the diverse problems of customers. The development of service orientation attitudes and skills among the CSRs will make them effective in assessing the needs of customers and providing registration services that are corresponding to customer needs. Effective training will enhance the quality of services that students receive and minimize complaints about the registration process (Hyken, 2014).

References

Arthur, G. (1994). Customer-service training in academic libraries. Journal of Academic Librarianship, 20(4), 219.

Blodgett, J. G., Wakefield, K. L., & Barnes, J. H. (1995). The effects of customer service on consumer complaining behavior. Journal of services Marketing, 9(4), 31-42.

Hyken, S. (2014). Customer Service Training. Sales & Service Excellence Essentials, 13(9), 18

Lee, G. J. (2012). Firm size and the effectiveness of training for customer service. International Journal of Human Resource Management, 23(12), 2597-2613. Web.

Parasuraman, A., Berry, L. L., & Zeithaml, V. A. (1991). Understanding customer expectations of service. Sloan Management Review, 32(3), 39-48.

Sturdy, A. (2000). Training in service – importing and imparting customer service culture as an interactive process. International Journal of Human Resource Management, 11(6), 1082-1103. Web.