Question 1

AT&T Universal Card Services (USC) gives its employees the right to grant credit lines to customers and adjust customers' bills without management approval. By giving its employees the authority to make decisions that will benefit its customers, USC is:

Accepted Answer

By giving employees the freedom to make decisions that benefit customers, USC is empowering its employees. This can lead to increased job satisfaction and better customer service.

Question 2

During two-day orientation and extensive on-the-job training, each Ritz-Carlton Hotel employee learns the Ritz-Carlton Gold Standards, which contain a credo, 20 basics of service, knowledge of one's work area, answering the telephone with a smile, wearing immaculate uniforms and the three steps of service. The three steps of service are comprised of a warm and sincere greeting, anticipation and compliance with guests' needs and a fond farewell using the guest's name, if possible. The Ritz-Carlton Hotel is using which of the following human resource strategies?

Accepted Answer

The Ritz-Carlton Hotel is using a human resource strategy of developing people to deliver service quality through their extensive orientation and on-the-job training, which includes teaching employees the Ritz-Carlton Gold Standards and the three steps of service.

Question 3

The frontline service employees are referred to as:

Accepted Answer

Boundary spanners are frontline service employees who interact with customers and represent the organization. They are responsible for managing customer expectations and delivering a high-quality service experience. Gatekeepers are employees or procedures that control the flow of information or access to services. Control centers are locations that facilitate communication and coordination among service providers. Service encounter experts and external service providers are not commonly used terms in this context.

Question 4

_____ labor entails delivering smiles, making eye contact, showing sincere interest and engaging in friendly conversations with customers who are essentially strangers and who may not ever be seen again.

Accepted Answer

The statement describes emotional labor, which involves managing one's emotions and expressions in order to provide a positive experience for customers. The other options (physical, mental, personal, accountable) do not accurately describe this type of labor.

Question 5

At the restaurant last night, the restaurant owner asked the server to turn the television on the Braves game and to turn up the sound so he could hear it. A group at a nearby table asked the server to turn down the sound so they could hold a conversation. Yet another group of patrons asked that the television be turned to another channel that was showing a Clint Eastwood movie. The server had to deal with both _____ conflicts.

Accepted Answer

The conflicts mentioned in the scenario involve different groups of patrons with conflicting interests, making it an inter-client conflict. Additionally, the conflicts involve the restaurant owner's preference and the preferences of the patrons, making it an organization/client conflict. Lastly, the server has to balance their duties and job role while trying to handle these conflicts, making it a person/role conflict. Therefore, the best choice is D.

Question 6

Sales associates at Nordstrom are given a "personal" book to keep track of customers' names, telephone numbers, height and weight, likes and dislikes (e.g., color, style and texture preferences) and charge account numbers to help them become a personal shopper for the customer. In addition, sales associates have an open account to send thank-you notes or flowers to customers. By having a personal book and sending thank-you notes or flowers to customers, Nordstrom's sales associates are showing they care by emphasizing the _____ dimension to influence customer perceptions of Nordstrom's service quality.

Accepted Answer

By keeping a personalized book and sending thank-you notes or flowers, Nordstrom's sales associates are demonstrating empathy towards their customers. This emphasis on empathy helps to influence the customer's perception of Nordstrom's service quality.

Question 7

Service employees who depend on tips or commissions for income are likely to face greater levels of _____ conflict than employees who receive a straight salary.

Accepted Answer

Service employees who rely on tips or commissions often face organization/client conflict due to the dual need to adhere to organizational policies while also satisfying client demands to earn tips or commissions.

Question 8

Which type of conflict results from the fact that Sullins Cleaning requires its employees to wear uniforms?

Accepted Answer

Person/role conflict arises when there is a discrepancy between an individual's personal values or self-concept and the expectations of their role, such as being required to wear a uniform that may not align with their personal preferences.

Question 9

Service firms use work simulation exercises to:

Accepted Answer

Work simulation exercises allow service firms to observe potential employees' service competencies and inclinations in a practical setting, helping them determine if candidates have the necessary skills and mindset for the job. This can save time and resources in the hiring process by identifying strong candidates early on.

Question 10

Which of the following hotel employees is NOT a boundary spanner?

Accepted Answer

A boundary spanner is an employee who interacts with customers and external stakeholders to represent and promote the organization. Chefs typically work in the back of the house and do not directly interact with hotel guests, thus they are not considered boundary spanners. The other options listed all have direct customer interactions and therefore are boundary spanners.

Question 11

A regional chain of travel agencies uses role-playing to determine how courteously and efficiently a potential employee will handle difficult customers who keep changing their minds. The travel agency is assessing service:

Accepted Answer

The answer of A regional chain of travel agencies uses...

Question 12

All of the following are service inclination skills EXCEPT:

Accepted Answer

Clerical speed and accuracy is not a service inclination skill, it is a technical skill. Service inclination skills refer to the traits and behaviors that individuals possess that enable them to provide excellent customer service. Social sensitivity, helpfulness, courtesy, and thoughtfulness are all service inclination skills.

Question 13

While being trained at Disney University in Orlando, Florida, Disneyworld employees are told they are not just employees but pivotal "cast members" in a "show". From street sweepers to monorail pilots, each cast member must go out of his or her way to make the resort seem unreal. No matter how tired employees are or how deeply guests may try their patience, employees must never lose composure. _____ labor is required from Disneyworld employees to always maintain composure.

Accepted Answer

The phrase "never lose composure" suggests that emotional labor is required from Disneyworld employees. They must maintain a certain emotional atmosphere for the guests, regardless of their personal feelings or external circumstances.

Question 14

At Target, a discount store chain, if the shelf price is not on an item, checkout clerks can take the customer's word for prices up to $20. The customer does not have to wait for the clerk to check the price with someone on the floor. By giving its employees the authority to make decisions on the customer's behalf, Target is:

Accepted Answer

Target is empowering its employees by giving them the authority to make decisions on the customer's behalf up to $20, without having to consult with someone on the floor. This creates trust in the employee's ability to make decisions and provides better customer service.

Question 15

A service firm in a particular industry or in a particular location can use which of the following human resource strategies to attract the best people?

Accepted Answer

Becoming a preferred employer is the most effective human resource strategy for attracting the best people. This involves creating a positive work environment, offering competitive compensation and benefits packages, and emphasizing the organization's values and culture to attract top talent. Providing needed outsourcing, using benchmarking, limiting the number of service encounters, and designing efficient servicescapes may improve the effectiveness of the organization but are not specifically related to attracting and retaining top talent.

Question 16

A state auditor who is expected to deliver quality, individualized service to state offices and departments while at the same time finishing jobs as quickly as possible is experiencing a(n) _____ tradeoff:

Accepted Answer

The tradeoff described in the scenario is between delivering quality, individualized service and finishing jobs quickly. This is a classic quality vs. productivity tradeoff, where quality takes more time and resources to achieve, while productivity prioritizes speed and efficiency.

Question 17

A telephone order taker for a catalog retailer is expected to treat each customer with concern and courtesy and be willing to spend as much time as needed to get the order taken, while not leaving other customers waiting on hold for too long. The telephone order taker is likely to experience _____ tradeoff.

Accepted Answer

The telephone order taker is balancing the quality of customer service (treating each customer with concern and courtesy and spending as much time as needed to get the order taken) with productivity (not leaving other customers waiting on hold for too long). This is a quality/productivity tradeoff.

Question 18

During Chemical Bank's annual "Stellar Teller" contest, tellers match their skills in the areas of money counting, knowledge of bank policy and ability to make customers feel like royalty. To assess money counting skills, tellers are required to sort a mishmash of ones, fives, 10s and 20s by denomination, arrange the bills so that they all face the same way, then tally the cash on an adding machine and put it back into a deposit bag. Time and accuracy count. A bank teller's money-counting skills are a service:

Accepted Answer

Money-counting skills are a specific competence that a bank teller must possess to perform their job effectively. Competency refers to possessing the required knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform a job successfully.

Question 19

On a recent concert tour, Aerosmith sang a number of classic songs from its past albums, in addition to playing songs from its newest album. By singing both old songs to satisfy older audience members and songs from its more recent album to satisfy younger fans, Aerosmith was trying to reduce _____ conflict.

Accepted Answer

The answer of On a recent concert tour, Aerosmith sang...

Question 20

When a lawyer feels a conflict between what she is asked to do and her own personality, orientation or values she is experiencing _____ conflict.

Accepted Answer

A conflict between what a lawyer is asked to do and her own personality, orientation or values corresponds to a person/role conflict. This type of conflict arises when an individual feels that the demands of her role or job are in opposition to her personal beliefs or values.

Quiz 12: Employees Roles in Service Delivery