Customer Service

Which countries are part of the North American Free Trade Agreement?

1. United States 2. Mexico 3. Canada

What are three valid suggestions an employee can use to build stronger relationships with internal customers?

1. acknowledge contributions of others 2. show appreciation for help provided 3. be reliable

Which two of the following factors have contributed to globalization?

1. easier access to transportation 2. advancement in mobile technology

It is estimated that by 2022, people of Hispanic origin will account for over 31 million workers in the United States based on what three reasons?

1. higher fertility rates 2. increased immigration 3. younger population

Which two of the following are characteristics of the current United States labor force?

1. more racially diverse 2. older

Leading economists say that the economy of today affects jobs in three ways. What are those three ways?

1. overall quantity of jobs created 2. quality of jobs as measured by wages and job security 3. distribution of jobs among industries, occupations, geographic areas

_____ is the term adopted in the early days of customer service when many people started small businesses in their homes and bartered products or services with neighbors.

Cottage industries

_____ is defined as the removal of government restrictions on an industry.

Deregulation

_____ customers are those people outside the organization who purchase or lease products and services.

External

True or false: The process of building relationships and sharing resources both inside and outside of the organization is called telecommuting.

False

Which of these businesses represents a cottage industry?

George maintains bee hives at his home and sells his honey at local farmer's markets.

Which group of workers is expected to account for more than 31 million workers in the U.S. by 2022?

Hispanics

_____ refers to the employees of an organization.

Human resources

_____ occurs when organizations decide to have internal employees assume functions and perform work instead of contracting out to third parties.

Insourcing

[Type answer] customers are people within the organization who either require support and service or provide information, products, and services to service providers.

Internal

____ customers are those people who come from within the company such as co-workers and supervisors.

Internal

Rhonda runs a publishing business out of her home. She hires editors, graphic designers, and printers from around the United States for the services she needs. She knows that if she housed all of these people under one roof, she would have to increase her rates in order to pay the bills. How has telecommuting helping Rhonda?

It holds down the cost of hiring full-time employees.

Identify the business-to-business transaction among the following.

LionShare Inc. procures raw materials from Sky Life LLC.

Which of these examples illustrates an internal customer relationship?

Marsha works in a high school office and provides daily attendance reports to the principal.

Which of these statements accurately describes the post World War II service sector in the United States?

More and more workers were pulled into the service sector as demand increased.

_____ refers to the practice of contracting with third-party companies or vendors outside the organization to deliver products and services to customers or to produce products.

Outsourcing

Which of the following is an example of telecommuting?

Ruth works from home on Tuesdays and Thursdays and replies to her colleagues queries through phone or e-mail.

Which of the following is an example of downsizing?

The owner of a retail store fired the store's manager and empowered the store's sales associates with more decision-making authority.

Why do organizations go to great lengths to obtain and retain the "right" employees who possess the knowledge, skills, and competencies to professionally serve customers?

These employees are expensive to recruit.

What is an advantage of machines and equipment doing the work instead of people?

They can work 24 hours a day.

True or False: The North American Free Trade Agreement made it easier for many US-based companies to relocate and send jobs across borders in order to find less expensive labor forces.

True

True or false: A majority of consumers who formerly acted on impulse and bought whatever they desired, are now taking a very cautious approach.

True

True or false: According to the Census Bureau and the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the United States, the Federal and state governments are classified under the service sector.

True

True or false: Organizational culture is a component of an organization's customer service environment.

True

True or false: Typically, culture includes the dynamic nature of the organization and encompasses the values and beliefs that are important to the organization and its employees and managers.

True

True or false: Ultimately, the economic repercussions of BREXIT could extend to the United States.

True

The BREXIT firestorm resulted when the _____ decided to exit the European Union.

United Kingdom

Tyler works for a software development company and oversees the organization's customer support processes and compliance to ISO quality standards. The existence of Tyler's role is an example of _____.

a commitment to the service economy

Benson works for a technology company. When he first started, he spent four weeks completing a custom training program and is required to take at least 40 hours of continuing education each year. Benson's company is an example of ______.

a learning organization

What was a key factor in the growth of the service sector in the United States following World War II?

an increase in average incomes created higher demand for services

How do small businesses use the telecommuting strategy as a way to hold down costs of hiring full-time employees?

by employing skilled people who work from remote locations

The _____ is the method used by an organization to provide services and products to its customers.

delivery system

As the chief economist for the company, it is Brett's job to illustrate shifts in consumer behavior in the various markets the company sells to. The graphs he creates to show this are used to predict future trends. What tool is Brett using to show these consumer behavior shifts?

demand curve

In 1984, "Ma Bell" was the giant of the telephone industry; however, the introduction of _____ saw the company break up into many smaller communication companies.

deregulation

Pam has worked for a call center for five years and is now interviewing at an on-line clothing retailer. She consistently receives positive feedback from customers and has mastered the call center's computer software system. How would you describe Pam's job prospects?

excellent given her track record of satisfied customers and effective use of tools

As the United States population continues to grow and age, the need for diverse products and services will also grow. When faced with the challenge of filling positions to meet the growing needs, the United States is expected to _______.

have a sufficient pool of workers available to fill positions, due in part to immigration of young, skilled workers

In the past, organizations addressed service by _____.

having a small customer service staff that dealt with customer dissatisfaction

Job security, wages, and opportunities are economic measures of the ____ of jobs.

quality

The customer service environment is made up of the customer, organizational culture, human resources, products, delivery systems, and _____.

service

A term used to describe businesses and organizations that are engaged primarily in service delivery is _____.

service industry

Ronald owns a carpet cleaning company. The Bureau of Labor Statistics would classify his business as part of the _____.

service sector

Cynthia works as a managing editor for Dolph Inc., an educational publishing house located in the US. Cynthia is using outsourcing if _____.

she assigns the task of creating academic supplements for the books published by Dolph Inc. to Ziggler Inc., a firm in Canada

Lillian didn't realize that the toll-free service line she called was answered by an employee of the company who worked out of her home. This employee is an example of a _____.

telecommuter

The central focus of all workplace efforts should be _____.

the customer

Which aspect of the customer service environment is not under the control of the service provider?

the customer

An advantage of the growing and aging population is that _____.

there will be a need for more consumer products to provide for the needs of customers

Which of the following is a characteristic of the "baby-boom" generation?

they are working longer or returning to work, in part due to economic necessity

Which of the following is a result of more women entering the workforce?

women have seen their income levels slowly rise

When McDonald's implemented a "dual point" ordering system, it was doing so in order to ______.

personalize service

Raj will be graduating in May with a degree in marketing and advertising. He is finding that 90% of the job opportunities in his field are located in urban areas. What statement below might explain his experience with the distribution of job opportunities?

Urban areas provide easier access to peers, suppliers, customers and the most current business practices.

Quality standards like the ISO 9000 were established to maintain quality in which area of business?

customer service

When a company practices offshoring, it is _____.

moving business functions from one country to another country

By the year 2050, the Department of Labor estimates that women will make up _____ of the labor force.

nearly half

Jennifer runs a small greeting card business and also sits on the governing board of a non-profit group. Another board member told her about a company in Tennessee that could help her bring down the cost of printing her greeting cards. This scenario demonstrates the idea of _____.

networking

Sasha, a manager based in Los Angeles, decided to set up the production facility for her cutlery business in Mexico. This illustrates _____.

offshoring

Prudence is an important element of commerce and means that everyone should _____.

only spend money they have and use credit carefully

According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, which two of these job categories are expected to see the fastest growth over the next few years?

1. social service 2. personal care

Which of these employees is an example of an internal customer for a large Wall Street financial firm?

Beth works in human resources for the financial firm.

_____ is the manner in which you and other employees treat your customers and each other as you deliver your company's deliverables.

Service

_____ is the term used in a situation when empty positions are left unfilled after someone leaves an organization.

Downsizing

_____ is an entire spectrum of companies that market products and services on the Internet and through other technology, and the process of accessing them by consumers.

E-commerce

Which of the following is a reason why more jobs today are likely to develop in major metropolitan areas?

Employees need to have regular access to professional networks and to engage in collaborative exchanges.

_____ is the process of replacing defective products and also going the extra step of providing compensation for a customer's inconvenience.

Service recovery

Nalani's family immigrated to the United States from India. She will graduate from college soon and is excited to find her first career position. What statement accurately describes the work group Nalani is likely to find in the current labor force?

Nalani will likely work with men and women of diverse ages, races and ethnic backgrounds.

As a customer sales representative for a large clothing retailer, Akansha often speaks with customers who have different ideas than she does about what constitutes the "right" thing to do. What advice does the text give for service providers in this situation?

Remember that no one is "right." Respect and honor the customer to create a positive interaction.

An example of an organization that sells both products and services is a _____.

car dealership

Trent knows that more people are health-conscious today than ever before so he wants his company to develop ready-to-eat meals that meet this need. What is Trent basing his decision on?

changing consumer values

A reason why customers are more informed about the price, quality, and value of products and services than in the past is that _____.

companies compete for market share through advertising and publicity

Which of these jobs is expected to continue growing at a rapid pace due to the increased use of technology?

computer systems analyst

Before Connie bought her car, she went online and found costs for all of the accessories she wanted and used the information to negotiate a better price at the dealership. This demonstrates how the Internet has provided ____ with more power when dealing with organizations.

consumers

Organizational _____ is made up of subcomponents and is what the customer experiences in an organization.

culture

The feeling of a person whose needs have been met by an organization is known as _____.

customer satisfaction

While examining its delivery systems, an organization is analyzing how its competition is currently delivering in the market. What is the organization analyzing in the scenario?

industry standards

Luke, while sitting at home, bought a pair of jeans from an online store. Which of the following terms best describes Luke's activity in this scenario?

e-commerce

To reduce costs, BMS Inc. allocates the financial forecasting and projections to its own employees in the accounts department. This illustrates _____.

insourcing

Connor works in the cafeteria at AllRight Technology. Connor is an example of a(n) _____ customer.

internal

The two types of customers with which employees at every company regularly interact are _____.

internal and external

Which type of customer is most important to the success of any business?

internal and external customers are both important

A pivotal factor in the anticipated change in the makeup of the US population is _____.

immigration

What is the best thing a consumer can arm himself or herself with to make it difficult for less-than-reputable businesspeople to survive?

knowledge

As Michael listened to Kendrick's reason for changing the way customer calls would be answered, he thought it sounded unreasonable and started working on another project. What suggestion for improving relationships with internal customers should Michael have used in this situation?

listen objectively

Compared to ten years ago, sales in brick-and-mortar stores today are _____ for many retailers.

lower

Vincent is the vice president of the sales department of Altair Inc. He regularly interacts with the vice president of human resources to ensure that his department's goals are in line with the firm's goals. He interacts with department managers to ensure that daily operations run smoothly. He also interacts with potential distribution vendors. Identify Vincent's external customers from the scenario.

potential distribution vendors

A deliverable provides which two areas for potential customer satisfaction or dissatisfaction?

quality and quantity

What has occurred in business as the sophistication of machines and computers has increased?

reduction in the number of production-line jobs

Peter, a brand manager, works with Zoey's Inc. His organization provides security services for various multinational companies. In this scenario, what is the deliverable?

security services

Lamar works as a salesperson at a local sporting goods store. He carries an iPad and uses it to query product information, check inventories, process sales, and arrange deliveries for customers. The use of the iPad in this way is an example of _____.

technology enhancing Lamar's efficiency in serving customers

Salena is a registered nurse and she has seven patients she visits on a weekly basis. She prepares a report on each patient after her visit to their home and submits it electronically to her employer. Salena is an example of a _____.

telecommuter

Martha injured her ankle while traveling. She was advised by the doctors not to travel everyday. Martha's employer asked her to work from home and communicate through weekly reports via e-mail. In this scenario, Martha is using _____ to get her work done.

telecommuting

Julia was born in the year 1954. She is part of _____

the baby-boom generation

A key factor in the decline of sales at brick-and-mortar stores is _____.

the increasing use of technology to research, price compare, and purchase products on-line

Nelson owns a custom T-shirt and promotional merchandise business. Each month he analyzes his sales and examines trends that may impact demand. What economic strategy is Nelson using as he goes through this process?

the use of demand curves to anticipate customer activities and direct resources accordingly

Why do customer-focused organizations use continual benchmarking?

to maintain an acute awareness and implementation of best service practices in the industry

Why do firms use telecommuting as one of their business strategies?

to reduce corporate overhead such as office space

Individualism and equality are examples of _____ found in people of the United States.

values