The Customer Service Agent Case Study

(1)

German University in Cairo

Faculty of

Faculty of Management Te

Management Technology

chnology

Course Name

Compensation and Performance Management

Case 1

The Customer-Service Agent

Prepared By: Prepared By:

Naglaa Ahmed Raouf Hamed

(I !"-"!#"$

u!mitted To u!mitted To

Prof%

Prof% r%

r% Ahmed Amin

Ahmed Amin

&%

&% oes th

oes the da' d

e da' diar' i

iar' includ

nclude suffi

e sufficient

cient inform

information

ation

"es the provided #iary in this case does provide sufficient information to ena!le the process of $riting a %o! "es the provided #iary in this case does provide sufficient information to ena!le the process of $riting a %o! description& Nevertheless it is !etter to collect the data from different data sources 'other incum!ents()o!holders* description& Nevertheless it is !etter to collect the data from different data sources 'other incum!ents()o!holders* supervisors* +,pertise and(or analysts- to ensure consistent* accurate* useful* and accepta!le data&

(2)

)% Identif' the specific information in the article that 'ou found useful

 *o+ Identification

• Title

. customer.service agent

• #epartment in $hich )o! is located

. The customer.service department

• Num!er of people $ho hold )o!

. /0 customer.service agents

 *o+ Content

• Tass

. #ealing $ith difficult people

. 2andling the !ucets of e.mail and intermittent phone calls from curious* addled and upset users& . Fields !et$een 30 and 100 emails and half a do4en phone calls&

. Customer.service agents are the crucial lin !et$een the faceless 5e! site and the consumer& 6nd ho$ they deal $ith the pu!lic can mae or !rea a !usiness&

. ome customer pro!lems re7uire research and deep digging to find the resolution . They have to ans$er routine 7uestions that generate stoc responses&

. #o $hat the company calls 8trust and safety $or9: investigating fraud and looing for things on the site that is 8funy&9

. 5hen 2alf&com receives a complaint from a !uyer a!out a seller* it is Mr& yan;s )o! to contact !oth parties and mae sure there is no fraud occurring&

. Trac do$n the details on transactions in the 2alf&com user data!ase&

• 6ctivities

. The customer.service department receives a!out 1*<00 to =*000 e.mails a day* of $hich nearly a third are complaints a!out transactions& The rest are mostly 7uestions a!out the goods and ho$ the site $ors

. >ess than 1? of the site;s transactions re7uire customer service;s involvement&

. Time to noc do$n some $alls& >ively human.resources $orer 6licia #iCiacco invites Mr& yan and his colleagues to pic up sledgehammers and noc through a $all at the end of the office& 2alf&com;s staff has dou!led in the past year* and the company is e,panding into ad)acent space in the old tire factory&

• Constraints on actions

. 6fter each purchase is made* the !uyer gets a chance to rate the seller;s performance on a scale from 1 to <@8poor9 to 8e,cellent&9

. +very rating sellers collect is displayed along $ith their user name ne,t to su!se7uent items they list& %ust one negative rating can ruin a seller;s reputation* depending on ho$ many sales he or she has made overall&

. 2alf&com;s policy is that if a !uyer hasn;t received an item $ithin /0 days of the purchase* he or she can lodge an official complaint&

. 2alf&com !elieves that help !eyond the re7uirements of its o$n rules* separates its customer.service approach from that of other companies&

. Communications $ith customers should have a consistent and pleasant tone

. 5hat the company learned* is that 8customers don;t mind if you tae a little more time to ans$er their specific 7uestion&9 Anstead of )ust firing off e.mails*

. 2alf&com sees it as important to personali4e each message&

. +ven $ith the personali4ation* 2alf&com says it responds to most messages $ithin = hours& . +.mail messages should conform to the 8grandmother rule*9

. +ach message should 8mae sense to my grandmother&9 Af it doesn;t* 8then $e are not heading in the right direction&9

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. The site is supposed to list all ne$ !oos from ma)or pu!lishers* even if no one is selling them& That $ay* if a user is interested* he or she can put it on a $ish list and the site $ill automatically e.mail him or her $hen a copy has !een posted for sale&

. 2alf&com prefers to conduct customer service on e.mail* to eep its costs do$n* it doesn;t display its phone num!er on its 5e! site&

. An the event that the seller disputes the !uyer;s claim a!out the tape* 2alf&com is still liely to grant a refund* especially on ine,pensive items&

. 2alf&com maes it clear* that its customer.service team eeps a close $atch on users; complaints* looing out for fraudulent refund re7uests&

. Af 2alf&com suspects foul play* it doesn;t grant refunds so easily&

• Performance criteria

. The calls are the most stressful

. At usually taes a!out an hour to get through 10 messages.

. 8Customers don;t mind if you tae a little more time to ans$er their specific 7uestion&9 Anstead of )ust firing off e.mails&

. Communications $ith customers should have a consistent and pleasant tone& . +.mail messages should conform to the 8grandmother rule*9

. Customer.service team eeps a close $atch on users; complaints* looing out for fraudulent refund re7uests&

• Critical incidents

. There has !een virtually no turnover in customer service since the company !egan a year and a half ago&

. 2alf&com $ouldn;t discuss salaries& But Mr& yan and his colleagues* $ho are split into t$o shifts covering  a&m& to midnight* seven days a $ee* say they;re satisfied $ith their $ages* $hich include 7uarterly !onuses&

. 6 !uyer $ho purchased the video game 8T$isted Metal AA9 t$o months ago !ut never received it $rites to than 2alf&com for 8hounding9 the seller to send him the item& But he $ants a refund&

. 6 user $ho can;t find the ne$ tephen Ding novel* 8#reamcatcher*9 on 2alf&com& The site is supposed to list all ne$ !oos from ma)or pu!lishers* even if no one is selling them& That $ay* if a user is interested* he or she can put it on a $ish list and the site $ill automatically e.mail him or her $hen a copy has !een posted for sale

• Conflicting demands

. 2andling the !ucets of e.mail and intermittent phone calls from curious* addled and upset users& . 5hen 2alf&com receives a complaint from a !uyer a!out a seller* it is Mr& yan;s )o! to contact !oth

parties and mae sure there is no fraud occurring&

• 5oring conditions

. Customer.service agents are split into t$o shifts covering  a&m& to midnight* seven days a $ee& . 6 short drive from his home&

. The company is a single.story gray !uilding* $hich is a former tire factory in a colonial.era industrial to$n on the outsirts of Philadelphia

. The office has an open feel $ith tall ceilings&

. $ors in a lo$.slung* !lac cu!icle to$ard the !ac of the office . The atmosphere at 2alf&com is decidedly young and casual& . E:/0 6M* it;s time for a coffee !rea

. The itchen* $hich is )ust do$n the hall&

. The itchen is a $ell.lit room* stoced $ith free cappuccino* )uice* soda* fruit* cereal* cooies and other munchies&

. The cafeteria also dou!les as a lounge $ith a satellite television playing +PN* a Foos!all ta!le and a Ping.Pong ta!le&

. &",&" AM Bathroom !rea& . &",)# AM nac time.

. +nergetic& 8At;s e,citing to $or here*9 he says& . &),&" PM >unch

. it;s tough to $or at a des . ! PM Bathroom !rea

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.  PM The day is done

• oles

. Customer.ervice agent handling the !ucets of e.mail and intermittent phone calls from curious* addled and upset users&

. 2e also does $hat the company calls 8trust and safety $or9: investigating fraud and looing for things on the site that are 8funy&9

 .mplo'ee Characteristics

• Professional(technical no$ledge

. Trac do$n the details on transactions in the 2alf&com user data!ase

• Manual sills

. %eans are the uniform

. 2e $ears a $ell.groomed goatee and small round glasses* and sits up straight at his des

• er!al sills

. n a typical day fields !et$een 30 and 100 emails and half a do4en phone calls& . The calls are the most stressful

. emains calm* calling on sills he learned in a one.day seminar called 8#ealing $ith #ifficult People&9 An the class* $hich he too !efore coming to 2alf&com* he learned to paraphrase $hat the customer is saying to mae sure he understands the complaint&

• 5ritten sills

. Taes a!out an hour to get through 10 messages.

. 2e doesn;t find the e.mails tedious& 8There is such a variety of a topic to respond to*9 he says& 8A never get <0 of the same 7uestions in a ro$9&

. 2e then tacs onto the end of the e.mail a salutation that he dra$s from a list of suggested message closers provided !y 2alf&com& The list* the company says* maes it easier for the agents to $rite so many e.mails&

• Huantitative sills

. Trac do$n the details on transactions in the 2alf&com user data!ase

• Mechanical sills

. Not re7uired

• Conceptual sills

. 8Customers don;t mind if you tae a little more time to ans$er their specific 7uestion&9 Anstead of )ust firing off e.mails*

• Managerial sills

. Not mentioned

• >eadership sills

. Not mentioned

• Anterpersonal sills

. emains calm and to paraphrase $hat the customer is saying to mae sure he understands the complaint&

. Taes care to spea clearly $ith a strong sense of empathy& . preface it $ith a heartfelt

 Internal Relationships

• Boss I other superiors

. Not mentioned

• Peers

. Customer.service agents are split into t$o shifts covering  a&m& to midnight

. 6 ne$ shift of $orers pics up $here Mr& yan left off* toiling from  p&m& to 1= a&m& 5hen they finish* the customer.service staff in eBay;s facility in alt >ae City $ill tae over&

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. Not mentioned

 ./ternal Relationships

• uppliers

. 5hen 2alf&com receives a complaint from a !uyer a!out a seller* it is Mr& yan;s )o! to contact !oth parties and mae sure there is no fraud occurring&

. 6fter each purchase is made* the !uyer gets a chance to rate the seller;s performance on a scale from 1 to <@8poor9 to 8e,cellent&9

. +very rating sellers collect is displayed along $ith their user name ne,t to su!se7uent items they list& %ust one negative rating can ruin a seller;s reputation* depending on ho$ many sales he or she has made overall&

• Customers

. #ealing $ith difficult people

. 2andling the !ucets of e.mail and intermittent phone calls from curious* addled and upset users&

• egulatory

. 2e started $ith 2alf&com last 6ugust* $hich maes him something of an old.timer&

• Professional(Andustry

. 2alf&com* an online maretplace o$ned !y eBay& >ie eBay* 2alf&com attempts to match !uyers and sellers in a vast flea maret featuring millions of products ranging from trading cards to camcorders& But unlie eBay* there;s no !idding&

. 2alf&com lists items only at fi,ed prices&

. there;s no $ay for !uyers and sellers to interact directly

. !uyers use their credit cards or checing accounts to pay 2alf&com

• Community

. Mr& yan eats up the office energy& 8At;s e,citing to $or here*9 he says& 85e;re gro$ing& 5e had the second launch of the site& J2alf&com e,panded its product line in 6prilK& 5e;re doing construction& At;s good to come to $or $hen the company is doing $ell&9

• Union(+mployee Groups

. 6 ne$ shift of $orers pics up $here Mr& yan left off* toiling from  p&m& to 1= a&m& 5hen they finish* the customer.service staff in eBay;s facility in alt >ae City $ill tae over&

!% 0hat additional information do 'ou re1uire Ho2 2ould that information help 'ou

No additional information is re7uired

% 0hat are some of the relational returns of the 3o+

. +nergetic and e,citing $oring atmosphere

. satisfying $ages* $hich include 7uarterly !onuses

. +mployee security* as there $as no turnover in customer service since the company !egan a year and a half ago&

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*o+ Title,

L Customer.ervice agent L

 *o+ Summar',

• #eals $ith customers !y email and through phone calls to handle customer in7uiries and complaints& • !tain all information from the customer and acts as a middleman on !ehalf of 2alf&com* !et$een the

sellers and the !uyers to settle all disputes* in7uiries and complaints& Relationships,

• 5ill have and maintain $oring relationships $ith other Customer ervice 6gents on different shift

schedules* as $ell as agents off sight in the alt >ae City customer service location& This )o! has only self.supervisory responsi!ilities&

4ualifications,

• 2igh school graduate

Prior e,perience in the customer service field preferred& 2ave a good grasp of the follo$ing sill set:

. trong customer service orientation&

. Communication sills* ver!al and $ritten&

. Pro!lem identification and effective pro!lem solving techni7ues& - 6ccuracy and detail orientated&

- As patience* calm and speas clearly

- Dno$ledge of computer programs and operating systems such as email and $ord processing& .ssential uties and Responsi+ilities,

Must !e motivated and !e a!le to $or $ith limited supervision& Must have e,cellent computer sills&

Must !e a!le to handle and prioriti4e assigned tass&

espond to situations that arise !et$een !uyers and sellers* such as miscommunication !et$een the parties involved in the transaction&

Provide phone and $e! !ased assistance !y ans$ering 7uestions and resolving occasional disputes as needed&

Anvestigate allegations of fraud that are attempted to !e conducted !y sellers on the auction sight&