Business Administration - Assignment Example

Business Administration Business Administration Part A Question a. Loyalty This refers to a situation where a particular customer has a strong attachment and preference for a particular firms’ brand and would be retained. Such a customer will promote the Company’s product by influencing friends and relatives to buy for such particular firm. b. Customer Complaints These refer to the feedback of a particular customer to a given product in terms of quality and quantity based on post-purchase evaluation. c. Internal Customer This is a member of an organisation that depends on another person’s help to achieve his or her task as may be seen by a sales person seeking help from the customer service desk to put an order. d. Total Quality Management This refers to a mechanism used by a particular firm to establish long-term success based on the customers satisfaction by installing necessary facilities to achieve product and service quality. e. External Customer An external consumer is an outsider who purchases a particular firm’s product or services. f. Customer-Driven Organisations These are organizations that are customer focussed and the interest of the customer is put first. Such strategies increase customer loyalty and hence increased customer retention and sales volume. g. Resolution This refers to the decision made following a particular problem that needs to be amicably dealt with. h. Acknowledge Acknowledge means to recognized and appreciate the existing of a particular issue or situation based on its reality. i. Service Standards This refers to particular service provision benchmarks upon which a customer satisfaction is measured following the rendered service. j. Conducting Research This refers to carrying a probe in order to determine facts that are of interest to solve a particular problem. It may be done to determine particular niche or segment taste and preference to gauge the competitor’s strategies. k. Primary Data Primary data refers to firsthand information collected by going out to the field and observing or asking questions through interviews or via sending questionnaire to target group. Question 2 i. Who are your internal customers at your workplace? These refers to the employees and other stakeholders of a particular firm that are beneficial to the organization. Examples of internal customers in our organization are but limited to salesperson and secretary that deals with issues of computers within the Information Technology department. ii. What do these customers expect and need from you? The internal customers expect higher levels of welfare and conducive environment for working. They need to be paid well and feel part of the Company by being recognized, motivated and rewarded for the achievements. iii. How well do you provide your services to meet their needs? The firm recognizes and motivate the internal customers as they are the driving force for the external customers. The firm ensures that their working conditions and improved and conducive working environment availed. In addition the firm ensure that vocational and experience trainings are done to empower the internal customers. Further the organization creates teamwork and incorporate every internal customer in the decisions making process and accept their contributions during deliberations to design a company policy (Appleby,1994, p. 145). The company ensure good pay package and allowances given to internal customers. The Company also uses job swaps where necessary to improve the conditions of internal customers. Service standards have also been designed and communicated to employees which help each employee set his expectations. Besides, the firm employs management of performance amongst the employees through performance review. iv. How do you know you have provided good service to meet their needs? The continuous evaluation of the feedback and the incorporation of the complaints made has enabled the firm to gauge whether the internal customers are satisfied. Positive feedback would be used as the basis to gauge their satisfaction. Question 3 Give a brief overview of the following legislation (what is the purpose of the law and how does it apply in relation to customer service) Anti-discrimination legislation- The purpose of this legislation is to enhance and ensure equality in treatment of people. With regard to customer service, it ensures the each customer is give particular attention and hence not exploited by the organizations. Australian consumer law- The purpose of this law is to ensure that all firms provide quality services and products to consumers, fair contracts, upholding consumer rights during transactions, providing product safety law. With respect to consumers, it has ensured that consumers achieve quality product and services that hence increased satisfaction and non-exploitation. Ethical principles- The Ethical Principles refers to those rules and regulation the defines what particular behaviour and code of conduct business and individual should adhere to in order to ensure customers are protected from exploitation by unscrupulous traders and firms. Codes of practice- These are the prescribed required moral practices, conduct and behaviours ae employee is required to uphold as outlined in the particular firms policy statements and values and core principles. Financial legislation - The purpose of the financial legislation is to ensure integrity of the financial institutions. This is done through supervision and regulation of the financial institutions to such guidelines, requirements and restrictions (Appleby, 1994, p. 105). Consumers have thus benefited in a manner that have are not being charged unfair interest rates on loans borrowed as well as non-discrimination during loan applications. Privacy laws – The purpose of this law was to outline clear guidelines on the how firms collect sensitive consumer and employees data. The FTC, Federal Trade Commission controls and supervise privacy laws as well as impactful policies to the consumers. The laws restrict individual consumers’ information gathered, used or shared online and hence protects consumers from exploitations and defamations. Part B Keeping the Customers Satisfied Question 1 How will the team investigate, identify and assess the customer delivery problem? The team will use interview within the manufacturing department to gauge their main problem. In addition to this, the suppliers of raw material must be interviewed either orally or through the questionnaires to gauge the reasons behind late delivery of raw materials How can the team improve the delivery of products and service to the customer, what types of systems they could put in place to track the delivery of product that customers have ordered? The team will ensure that the only work with suppliers that can deliver raw materials in term for the effective production. Besides, the manufacturing department must ensure that the production is on time based on the orders placed. A proper recording of the undelivered orders must be kept and tracked using a tracking software. This software will ensure that delivery is tracked and inform the team on how to further improve their customer’s satisfaction. i. Should the staff involve their suppliers (manufacturer) at any stage? What strategies and recording system would you put in place to ensure the suppliers (manufacturer) meet the organisations quality and service standards? The manufacturers must be contacted as it is the main point of failure. Team must ensure that the manufacturing department does produce in time and as per the orders placed driven by the ISO set standards. The department needs to proactively outline to the manufacturing the teams Total Quality Management strategy. The team can employ the use of inventory management software such as brightpearl that have led to SKU data hence better packing and shipping. Question 3 List four (4) strategies Shelley could employ to ensure staff motivation remains high as they improve their customers’ satisfaction with the furnishings department? Shelly needs to empower the staff by allocation of autonomy, trust, encouragement to finish duty and making one feel to have authority on his role. Hence Shelly will employ intra-preneurship strategy to promote new ideas and create authority. Employing Effective Reward System. This involves both intrinsic and extrinsic rewards. Rewarding employees reinforce their conduct and behaviour and hence employees become determinant to their accomplishments. Redesigning jobs by job enrichment, enlargement and rotation. This strategy improves the working conditions hence discouraging employees ‘boredom and creates motivations. Ensuring flexibility through the provision of personal time. Flexibility motivates employs as they get time to plan and control their own work hours. Question 4 a) Monitoring systems the team can implement to ensure that customer and supplier standards are maintained within the organisation The manger can design a framework whereby customer’s complaints are retrieved and analysed while being cross-checked by what is outlined in the policy. With respect to customer standards, the production department should be closely checked in order to evaluate whether the right raw material are delivered on time for the production. b) What two (2) strategies could you use to monitor progress in achieving product and/or service targets and standards The team needs to undertake the post-purchase evaluation in order to ascertain whether the customers are satisfied. Another strategy would involve evaluating to the incoming complaints and feedbacks resulting from the new changes in the service delivery. This can be carried to external customers to get their views and implement the outcome. Part C Consulting Brief Full details of the organisation. The type of business is a tourist information centre. The business intends to offer every tourism attached information, ranging from available tourist attraction sites, accommodations, tour guides to tourist transportation companies. Our main external customers will be both domestic and foreign tourist and the employees will form our internal staff. Our customer’s primary needs will involve giving quality tour guide information as well as available sceneries as well as restaurants and accommodations available. Our business will be embedded on both offline and online framework. We will operate a Website that provides every information about tourism. Quality management process for customer service. The quality management process is a critical element in the successful delivery of Quality Customer Service. A clear understanding of this process is necessary to ensure successful completion of this project. Use thefollowing titles as headings for your assessment. a). Roles and Responsibilities Outline the role and responsibilities of management in the introduction of quality customer service to the organisation The management has a direct role in introduction and implementation of quality customer service. They formulate policies, motivate employees, ensuring existence of necessary facilities and monitor the implementation of designed framework. Description to 4 Key Tasks Managers are responsible for to Help Drive Quality of Service Delivery Task How will this task be delivered What are the benefits for the organisation and customers Formulation of policies The manger discusses with the stakeholders in order to design better policies that can bring permanent success in achieving product quality. Customer satisfaction based on quality service and products enhance customer attraction and retention and hence increased sales volume. Building teamwork The manager is responsible for ensuring that the employees work as a team. He does this by outlining sound policies such as values and codes of conduct to regulate behaviours. Teamwork is beneficial to an organization based on the increased productivity. Besides customers will meet their services and product deliveries in time based on continuous production. Motivating the staff It is the responsible of the manager to design motivational policies. This is done through such strategies as, rewarding and job enrichment. A motivated worker feels part of the organization. Such a worker is success driven and would want to achieve his task in time and produce a quality outcome. This leads to customers’ satisfaction and hence increased revenue. Ensuring necessary facilities The manger is responsible to ensure necessary facilities are in place for every departmental tasks. Availing such facilities may be done through purchasing or leasing. Provision of necessary facilities leads to continuous production and service delivery and hence customers are able to get their service every time which translates into sales. a) Gathering Information Methods Methods used to assists management in gathering information on what customers need, expect and how satisfied they are with the service Post-purchase evaluation which is done through analysis of the calls made and recorded at call centres and complaints by customers. Also emails retrievals as well as social sites from customers aid in getting information necessary based on the customers’ feedback. Service Standards Three service standards implemented to ensure a high level of quality customer service On tine delivery of accurate services to the respective customers, for example ensuring that calls are answered appropriately and delay time communicated. Ensuring that the business premises and services are accessible at all time for the external customers and provide every information needed by the customers based on their choice of communication channel. Being considerate, cooperative and helpful to every employee in the organization. Explain how these standards of service will be implemented Motivation Designing proper rewarding systems. This will include both intrinsic and extrinsic reward to the employees for their achievement and success. Empowering the employees through delegation of duties and giving full authorities to perform a particular task. Monitoring How a manger monitorsservice standards As a manger I will ensure that the standard of service are achieved based on the continuous evaluation of the feedback and complaints from both the external and internal customers. I will ensure that the staff is taken into a lot of consideration and cooperated with in every call for change of policy. To the external customers, I will ensure that our public relations and call centre departments are up to their tasks by ensuring accessibility to necessary information and informed on delays where necessary. How monitoring rely on well managed records and reports The monitoring rely on well managed records both from the recording of calls and back-up emails from the customers as these give firsthand information and hence better to communicate the feelings of the customers that second-hand information due to lack of records. Activities that Manager will be involved in Retrieving information from the call centres and emails to get firsthand information about complaints. The manager will ensure that the staff is motivated and hence carry out their tasks with morale to ensure achievement of the service standards. Undertake the evaluation of the complaints and recommend the necessary policy changes and oversee their implementations. I will further ensure that the resolution for policy changes is communicated to our customers at all time and ensure the incorporation of their feedbacks. Quality Customer Service Programs Our company will sign up for ATAP and Customer Service Institute since it is a Service Industry.This sign-up will help us legally conduct our business in a professional manner which will instil faith and trust amongst our customers. This framework will ensure that our operations have a base and regulated in order to ensure provisions of quality service. Conclusion Benefits of a Quality Customer Service Plan to: Customers Quality customer service engages employees to enhance quality production hence necessary steps are taken to solve noted problems. This culminates to increase customer’s satisfaction and hence become loyal to the firm. Employees Employees become engaged thus use their efforts to provide the best. At the same time, being internal customers, they benefit based on the improved customers quality services as the firm become considerate and cooperative with them. Owners Owners benefit from increased firm reputation which leads to customers’ loyalty and hence increased revenue for the expansion of the business and profits. Suppliers Suppliers are assured of their money based on the increased customer satisfaction which culminates into sales and hence continuous supply chain. Reference Appleby, R. C. (1994). Modern business administration. London: Pitman. Read More