Deck 11: Managing People for Service Advantage

Question 1

The "Cycle of Failure" includes all of the following EXCEPT ____________.

A) emphasis on rules
B) emphasis on attracting new customers
C) adequate pay and job security
D) low skill levels
E) use of technology to control quality

Answer 1

C

Question 2

Great references from past employers are not a form of behavioral observation.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

Emotional labor is when employees ____________.

A) find it hard to be emotional because they are too overworked
B) have a gap between what they feel inside, and what management expects them to display to their customers
C) have to keep their emotions under control at the work place
D) feel happy all the time because they enjoy their jobs
E) are emotionally stressed by all the demands of their jobs

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Customer contact personnel have to attend to both operational and marketing goals and this causes person/role conflict.

Question 5

Employees should be trained in all these areas EXCEPT ____________.

A) organizational culture
B) organizational revenue
C) service knowledge
D) interpersonal skills
E) product knowledge

Question 6

Suggestion involvement empowers employees to make recommendations through formalized channels.

Question 7

Training is most effective at reducing ____________.

A) person/role stress
B) organization/client conflict
C) interclient conflict
D) interorganizational conflict
E) intraorganizational conflict

Question 8

Interpersonal skills include visual communication, attentive listening, and body language and tend to be specific to each service setting.

Question 9

Companies that engage in a "Cycle of Success" are more likely to have which of the following?

A) Happier employees
B) More loyal customers
C) Higher profit margins
D) Better wages
E) All of the above

Question 10

From the customer's perspective which of the following is the most important aspect of service?

A) Management's responsiveness to occurrences of failure.
B) Timely delivery of service.
C) Efficient handling of special requests.
D) The encounter with service staff.
E) A fair price.

Question 11

Empowerment is suitable for all situations.

Question 12

Outcomes of the "Cycle of Failure" for firms include ____________ and ____________.

A) low service quality; low employee turnover
B) low service quality; high employee turnover
C) high service quality; low employee turnover
D) high service quality; high employee turnover
E) mediocre service quality; unpredictable employee turnover

Question 13

Employee satisfaction typically has little impact on customer satisfaction.

Question 14

E-mail and telephone service interactions are just as visible as face-to-face interactions.

Question 15

Technical skills encompass all the required knowledge related to processes.

Question 16

Boundary spanners work in some of the most demanding jobs in service firms.

Question 17

The "Cycle of Mediocrity" is most often found in large, bureaucratic organizations like regulated oligopolies.

Question 18

The definition of a team includes all of the following EXCEPT ____________.

A) have complementary skills
B) are committed to a common purpose
C) have well-rounded personalities
D) hold themselves mutually accountable
E) have a set of performance goals

Question 19

A strategy of empowerment is most likely to be appropriate when which of the following factors are present within the organization and its environment?

A) The business strategy is not too customized
B) The organization uses routine technology.
C) The business environment is stable.
D) Customer interactions are relational as opposed to transactional.
E) All of the above.

Question 20

Service employees are important to customers and competitive positioning, because the front line ____________.

A) is the most visible part of the firm
B) contains more employees than management
C) is often the first to deal with customer complaints
D) is better trained at dealing with customers than are managers
E) all of the above

Question 21

One of Ritz-Carlton's hiring principle is ____________.

A) maintain a tight knit group
B) hire people with the right personality
C) "training, training, training"
D) customer service is first
E) new hires lead the way

Question 22

According to John Wooden, "Too often, the big talkers are the big doers."

Question 23

Give two reasons for using multiple interviewers?

Question 24

How can firms build a strong service culture?

Question 25

Cora Griffth has nine rules of success for excellent service as a waitress. They include all of the following EXCEPT ____________.

A) getting things right the first time
B) listening first
C) anticipating customers' wants
D) treating customers like family
E) taking pride in one's work

Question 26

Excellent service firms use all of the following to identify the best job candidates EXCEPT ____________.

A) observing behavior
B) conducting personality tests
C) interviewing applicants
D) viewing transcripts
E) providing applicants with realistic job previews

Question 27

All employees are eager to be empowered.

Question 28

How should goals be designed, so that they are effective?
e.g., 'do your best'), or goals that are impossible to achieve. In short, well communicated and mutually accepted goals are effective motivators.

Question 29

Southwest Airlines illustrates a high-involvement company.

Question 30

Discuss why call centers are important or unimportant to customer perceptions of service firms. Give an example to back up your argument.

Question 31

If a Nordstrom sales associate replaces shirts at no cost to the client, it is an example of ____________.

A) centralized decision-making
B) service theft
C) employee empowerment
D) service sabotage
E) rule setting

Question 32

What is job content?

Question 33

Singapore Airlines uses teams for all of the following EXCEPT ____________.

A) train staff
B) provide emotional support
C) assess staff
D) promote staff
E) mentor cabin crew

Question 34

Define service culture.

Question 35

The Ritz-Carlton uses personality profiles to select the best applicants.

Question 36

Training in Dial-a-Mattress includes showing staff how to create images in the customers' minds.

Question 37

The suggested salary to attract top performers is in the range of what percentile of the market?

Question 38

What are the three main causes of role stress in frontline positions?

Question 39

What are the three levels of employee involvement?

Question 40

Give an example of a company where applicants get to work for two paid days prior to final selection interview.

Question 41

Describe how Disney selects the right people.
e.g. computer operators). Each is selected for their jobs based on intrinsic qualities that cannot be taught.
e.g. playing Snow White at a Disney theme park). Backstage are likewise suited for their positions

Question 42

What is the key philosophy of Singapore Airlines?

Question 43

Give an example of an organization that helps company's build a service culture.

Question 44

How is Cora Griffith's work strategy indicative of the "Cycle of Success?"

Question 45

Discuss the causes and implications of low-pay/high turnover human resource strategies.