Case Study:
Read the following situation then answer the questions as part of well written essay (250 to 500 words). Include sources and citations, and a reference list at the end of your essay. Adher to APA 6th ed. formatting.
Jay Goltz owns a Chicago-based decorative frame company, Artists Frame Service, and three other businesses. And in his mind, customer service today is more important than ever. "Smiling and being pleasant is not enough," Goltz observes. He goes out of his way to hire great employees and trains them to handle even the most challenging of questions and service requests. Then he goes a step or two further by making the following promises on his company's website:
• Our framing consultants have art backgrounds with an average of nine years of experience.
• We offer an extraordinary selection of picture frames sourced personally and passionately from around the world so you get the perfect frame.
• We take framing seriously. It's about details, higher standards and meeting our own expectations. You'll see and feel the difference.
• We frame your art in one week-with a huge inventory and a large staff of artisans, we can deliver on this commitment.
To ensure that all goes as planned, Goltz keeps extensive documentation on every job. Then, when complaints arise, he can figure out what happened and nip the underlying problem in the bud. Taking this approach, he can tell if a customer's dissatisfaction stems from, say, an employee's carelessness, inadequate equipment, or some other problem. If it is the result of an employee's poor workman ship, Goltz will provide coaching to help improve that associate's performance. And if, after that, the problem still is not solved? "You fire them," says Goltz. As he sees it, "The company's first mission isn't having employees, it's staying in business. Customer service is the main advantage small businesses have over their big competitors
- As a long-run strategy, will Goltz's approach to superior customer service quality be successful?
- Would you want to work for a company with such policies? What would be the pros and cons of working there?
- What suggestions would have you for Goltz and his system? Can you see any ways to improve it?
- If you were advising Jay, what would you recommend?