Deck 2: Contributing to the Service Culture

Question 1

The service delivery system of an organization includes having customers deal with the organization's internal policies,practices,or politics.

Answer 1

False
Explanation: Customers should not have to deal with internal policies, practices, or politics. They should be able to contact the service provider; get the information they need; make a buying decision, where appropriate; and have the products or services they have selected flawlessly delivered in a timely, professional manner.

Question 2

By outsourcing jobs to a third party,companies can save money by reducing health benefits or retirement payments.

Answer 2

True
Explanation: By outsourcing jobs to a third party, companies can save money by eliminating large ongoing salaries; reducing health benefits, retirement, and 401(k) payments; avoiding the need to purchase and update computers and related equipment and a myriad of other equipment; increasing workforce size without necessarily doing likewise to the budget; and bringing in new, fresh expertise, ideas, and perspectives from outside the organization.

Question 3

Protégés are individuals in an organization who dedicate time and effort to befriend and assist others.

Answer 3

False
Explanation: Mentors are individuals who dedicate time and effort to befriend and assist others. In an organization, they are typically people with a lot of knowledge, experience, skills, and initiative, and have a large personal and professional network established. A protégé is typically a less-experienced recipient of the efforts of the mentor.

Question 4

Mission statements should always tie back to the vision statement and should be incorporated into the infrastructure and service culture of an organization.

Question 5

Employees should always focus on taking a one-time service or sales opportunity approach instead of developing an ongoing relationship with customers.

Question 6

Employees should always share their organization's internal problems with the customers.

Question 7

Companies that are customer-centric typically view customers from the standpoint of what company products or services they use.

Question 8

Customer-centric organizations have realized that it is cheaper to attract new customers than to try and retain their current customers.

Question 9

In the past,a company's primary approach to attract and hold customers was to continually make changes to its product and service lines.

Question 10

The return policy of an organization is a gauge customers use to determine where they will spend their time and money.

Question 11

A company's mission is generally driven from the top of the organization.

Question 12

Employee expectations are perceptions about positive and negative aspects of the workplace.

Question 13

An organization should periodically conduct an inspection of its systems and practices in order to better serve customers and to be competitive in a global service economy.

Question 14

In order to demonstrate strong support for their company,frontline employees or supervisors should always use "they" language when dealing with customers.

Question 15

A sole proprietorship is a one-owner business.

Question 16

For any goal to be attained,it must be believable to the people who will strive to reach it and to the supervisors or team leaders who will monitor it.

Question 17

The type of delivery system used by organizations to serve customers is not important.

Question 18

In a direct contact environment,customers interact directly with people.

Question 19

The service culture in every organization is identical.

Question 20

Any policy,procedure,action,or inaction on the part of an organization contributes to its service culture.

Question 21

Managers should always ensure that employees:

A) focus on attracting new customers rather than retaining current customers.
B) communicate the internal problems of the organization to customers.
C) are given assignments that tie in directly with the ultimate purpose or mission and overall values or beliefs of the organization.
D) focus on taking a one-time service or sales opportunity approach instead of developing an ongoing relationship with customers.

Question 22

In a purely customer-focused environment,service measurement is typically in terms of the:

A) employee turnover.
B) number of products manufactured.
C) potential sales.
D) number of customer complaints.

Question 23

A service professional should work with customers' interest in mind to promote a positive service culture.

Question 24

Which of the following is the first step that an organization should take in creating or redefining its service environment?

A) Empowering its employees in order to better serve customers
B) Making sure it knows who its customers really are
C) Conducting an inspection of its systems and practices
D) Reviewing the manner in which external customer needs are addressed

Question 25

To ensure the success of an organization's customer service,a service professional should:

A) continually reevaluate what he/she does on a daily basis when dealing with customers.
B) communicate the organization's internal policies, practices, or politics to customers.
C) focus on attracting new customers rather than trying to retain existing customers.
D) always use "they" language when dealing with customers.

Question 26

_____ is used to describe the giving of decision-making and problem-resolution authority to lower-level employees in an organization.

A) Micromanagement
B) Empowerment
C) Centralization
D) Totalitarianism

Question 27

If frontline employees are angry because of a policy,procedure,management,or a customer,they must always communicate their frustrations or pressures with that customer.

Question 28

Which of the following statements is true of successful organizations?

A) The mission and vision statements of these organizations are completely different.
B) They typically view customers from the standpoint of what company products or services they use.
C) The members of the upper management make themselves clearly visible to front-line employees.
D) They realize that it is cheaper to continually attract new customers than to retain current customers.

Question 29

An organization that is committed to providing excellent customer service encourages open communication between frontline employees and all levels of management.

Question 30

Typically,in organizations that demonstrate a strong commitment to customer service,the status quo is acceptable.

Question 31

Empowerment:

A) makes service representatives feel like they have no say in the important decisions of an organization.
B) restricts on-the-spot responsiveness to the customer.
C) requires frontline employees in an organization to get permission from their managers before they serve a customer.
D) is an intangible way that service organizations reward employees.

Question 32

Which of the following approaches helps companies develop an effective organizational culture?

A) Companies should recognize, appreciate, and regularly reward the performance of their employees.
B) Companies should always view customers from the standpoint of what company products or services they use.
C) Companies should develop mission statements that are completely different from the vision statement.
D) Companies should ensure that employee roles are contrary to the overall values or beliefs of the organization.

Question 33

In an organization,_____ are the task assignments that service providers assume.

A) service delivery systems
B) customer expectations
C) employee roles
D) value chain activities

Question 34

Which of the following statements is true of a top down-oriented organization?

A) Customers are at the top of the organization's structure.
B) It typically focuses on individual needs of customers rather than its products.
C) It typically views the senior management as a final element or afterthought.
D) Upper management is at the top of the hierarchy.

Question 35

Generally,most customers want the transactions to be quick; hence,they do not expect pleasantries such as "please" and "thank you."

Question 36

The first step a company should take in creating or redefining its service environment is to:

A) decide where the company is now and where it needs to be in order to better serve customers.
B) review the manner in which the internal and external customer needs are addressed.
C) create a plan to attract and hold its potential customers.
D) conduct an inspection of its service and product delivery mechanisms.

Question 37

_____ is defined as a group of processes in an organization that make service seamless to customers by ensuring that things work properly and the customer is satisfied.

A) Customer-friendly system
B) Employee empowerment
C) Product development
D) Management information system

Question 38

Which of the following characteristics is included in RUMBA?

A) Abstract
B) Understandable
C) Measureless
D) Rigid

Question 39

Emma is the manager of a small beauty salon.She deals with different kinds of customers and has to ensure that the customer needs are identified and satisfied.To develop an effective customer service,she should:

A) always use "they" language when dealing with customers and hide behind "company policy" when handling customer problems.
B) continually strive to gain new knowledge and skills and deliver the level of service equal to that offered by established salons.
C) focus on taking a one-time service or sales opportunity approach instead of developing an ongoing relationship with customers.
D) exclude the information collected from customer feedback surveys when measuring the service performance of her salon.

Question 40

Retail and service organizations should:

A) focus on attracting new customers instead of trying to retain current customers.
B) communicate their internal problems to customers.
C) establish policies and procedures that are flexible.
D) respond to customer complaints using "company policy" as an excuse.

Question 41

To maintain an efficient service delivery system,an organization should always:

A) ensure that frontline employees cannot take decisions without the permission of their supervisors.
B) ensure that customers do not have to deal with the internal policies, practices, and politics.
C) encourage its managers and frontline employees to use "they" language when dealing with customers.
D) view customers from the standpoint of what company products or services they use.

Question 42

Daniel,a customer service executive,has received a call from Mrs.Karen Lynn,a customer,complaining about a problem with her refrigerator.Mrs.Lynn wants to get the refrigerator fixed at no additional cost.However,the warranty period for the appliance has expired.In this scenario,which of the following responses will demonstrate Daniel's commitment to customer service?

A) "Mrs. Lynn, I cannot help you. The company policy states that customers have to bear the cost of repairs after the warranty period has expired."
B) "Mrs. Lynn, let me transfer your call to the sales department. They will brief you about the new products that are being offered this month."
C) "Mrs. Lynn, I've inquired about request, but the manager has said that the company cannot incur the cost of repairing your refrigerator."
D) "Mrs. Lynn, what I can do to resolve this problem is to offer you a thirty percent discount on the repair costs and a two-year warranty on your appliance."

Question 43

Which of the following is a characteristic of organizations that are highly committed to customer service?

A) They discourage employee empowerment.
B) They readily accept status quo.
C) They benchmark the successful practices of competitors.
D) They restrict communication between frontline employees and all levels of management.

Question 44

From a customer's perspective,what are the skills and qualifications that service employees in both large and small organizations must possess? What may happen if service employees fail to possess these skills?

Question 45

Explain how a mentor can assist new employees.

Question 46

List the twelve strategies for promoting a positive service culture.

Question 47

Explain how empowerment helps develop an effective service culture?

Question 48

A benefit for an organization that outsources its noncore positions is that:

A) the long-term employee expertise of the organization is retained.
B) the organization's reputation in the eyes of the local citizens improves significantly.
C) the loyalty of the remaining employees in the organization increases.
D) the need to purchase and update computers and related equipment is eliminated.

Question 49

Which of the following guidelines should customer service professionals follow to meet the expectations of customers?

A) Service professionals should always use "they" language when dealing with customers.
B) Service professionals should involve customers in situations that are out of their control.
C) Service professionals should strive to mask their feelings of anger, frustration, and pressure from customers.
D) Service professionals should focus on attracting new customers rather than trying to retain existing customers.

Question 50

The means by which an organization effectively gets its products and services to customers is known as:

A) outsourcing.
B) service delivery systems.
C) micromanagement.
D) service measurement.

Question 51

What are the two types of delivery systems? Why is there a delicate balance in selecting a service delivery system?

Question 52

To promote a positive service culture,customer service professionals should always _____.

A) view vendors and suppliers as salespeople whose only purpose is to serve them
B) focus on taking a one-time service or sales opportunity approach instead of developing an ongoing relationship with customers
C) be well versed in the many facets of their organization and its operation, related industry topics, and the competition
D) use "they" language when dealing with customers

Question 53

An indirect delivery system:

A) involves face-to-face interaction between employees and customers.
B) offers a hands-off self-service approach to customers.
C) cannot provide follow-up support to customers.
D) is viewed as a more caring customer service approach than a direct delivery system.

Question 54

Which of the following statements is a disadvantage for a company that outsources jobs?

A) The need to purchase and update computers and related equipment increases substantially.
B) The potential to groom and hire from within an enculturated workforce decreases.
C) The work force size within the company increases, thereby increasing its salary budget.
D) The company's contribution to employee health benefits, retirement, and 401(k) payments increases.

Question 55

Internal employees or external consultants who pose as customers in on-site visits,over the telephone,or online to determine how well customers are being served are known as:

A) mystery shoppers.
B) lobbyists.
C) jobbers.
D) category captains.