Case Study:
Question 1.
Consider this Case Identify the Errors in Garth’s Call Reread the story of Garth’s call to the car dealership . Then describe four or more telephone-use problems that probably led to Garth’s irritation and his decision not to do business with that dealer.
There are lots of possible answers to this question. You might want to cite a particularly unprofessional call that you've experienced.
SERVICE SNAPSHOT Garth and the Auto Dealer Garth enjoys working on old cars. A few years ago as he drove to work, he noticed a sports car in an auto dealership’s lot. Sensing that such a car would do a lot for his image, Garth decided to inquire about it. He telephoned the dealer- ship. A receptionist briskly identified the name of the deal- ership and, just as quickly, commanded, “Hold a minute.” Fifteen seconds later the receptionist came back on the line and asked, “Can I help ya?” Garth asked to “speak to some- “Just a minute,” the receptionist replied. After a pause, a man’s voice said, “Hello?” “I’d like a little information about the Porsche Boxster “Yes. Could you give me some information on The male voice hesitated for a moment and said, “I think that’s the owner’s daughter’s car. She’s been driving it around. Let me check and see what the deal is on it.” There was a long pause. While Garth waited on hold, another male voice came on the line saying, “Hello? Hello?” to which he replied, “I’m already being helped.” There was a click as the interrupter hung up without acknowledging Garth’s comment. After a few more minutes, the original salesman came back on the line and said, “Yeah, I think that’s the car the boss’s daughter has been driving around. If they sell it, they’ll want an arm and a leg for it. I think it’s a ’98 model.” “Well, would you check and let me know if it’s for sale?” Garth asked again, getting exasperated. “Just a minute, I’ll ask the owner,” he said as he put Garth on hold again. After a few moments, the salesper- son again picked up the telephone and abruptly said, “The owner says it’s not for sale.” As Garth began to say, “Thanks for the information,” he was cut off in mid-sentence by the click of the telephone as the man hung up. Although this sales representative was probably not being intentionally rude, he sure came across that way. Garth was irritated to the point where he would definitely not do business with this dealership. Have you ever decided to stop doing business with a company because of their minuses on the phone? Many people have.
ACTION TIPS FOR TELEPHONE USE PROFESSIONALISM Action Tip 1—Check Your Phone Use Attitudes People tend to have a love–hate relationship with the telephone. Of course, we all know that the telephone can be a powerful tool for sales, information gathering, and relationship building—by receiving and initiating calls, we can accomplish a lot. Yet some people are phone shy. They are hesitant to call others and sometimes hesitant about answering incoming calls. They perceive the phone call as an intrusion on their other activities. Perhaps this attitude is reinforced by the annoyance of dinnertime telemarketers. Check your telephone-use attitudes using the self-evaluation that follows. It can help you understand some of your attitudes toward using the telephone. It can also help you improve your telephone techniques by showing what you may be doing wrong. Action Tip 2—Contact and Compare Your Company Call the general contact number of your current employer and ask a routine question such as information about office hours or products. Then call a company that you have dealt with in the past as a customer and ask a similar question. What attitude toward communicating does your company’s phone use reflect? How does the other company compare? As the old saying goes, you never get a second chance to make a first impression. Callers create first impressions and draw immediate conclusions about the person’s (and the company’s) efficiency, communication skills, friendliness, and expertise, all in the first few moments of an electronic visit. In short, your courtesy and effectiveness quickly convey unspoken but important attitudes to calling customers.
Picture the person you are talking with and treat that person as though you were face-to-face with a friend. Be pleasant, concerned, and helpful. Physically smiling somehow comes through the telephone line via your voice tones. Keep a mirror by the telephone to remind yourself to smile. If your face looks grumpy or stressed, you are probably coming across that way to the caller. Lighten up and your cheerfulness can be contagious.
Question2.
This is a fun assignment. Select one website and follow the prompts to develop your essay. Remember, you need to discuss 5 different ways that the websites have changed and then speculate on the different aspects that the question asks you to analyze. This should be an in-depth analysis, but it should also be fun!!
Please submit the assignment as a Word document and attach it. Do not write it in the submit section.
https://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/26/nyregion/closing-of-loehmanns-reflects-changes-in-shopping.html?_r=0