Customer Service Test

The Gallup polling organization describes customer (blank) as a critical variable in building loyalty

Engagement

Companies can enhance their "trustability" by

Exceeding expectation for openness and transparency

Companies that build "trustability" often find themselves giving away too much product, thus hurtting profitability

False

Corresponding with customers using old media such as mailed notes or thank you cards will reflect badly on a company's service- it will seem old-fashioned.

False

Do not answer a call too quickly as this will be perceived as being over-eager

False

If a caller distresses into chit chat or off topic conversation, let them go on rather than risk of upsetting him

False

In a McKinsey and Company study of business customers, the most frequently identified turnoffs was "sales styles [that] is too aggressive."

False

Listening only for the facts is a good strategy when dealing with customers problems

False

Online merchant Zappos.com has a very sophisticated system that measures the speed of call handling in an effort to make each customer call as brief as possible

False

People are more likely to recall a satisfactory customer experience than a poor one

False

Saying "no problem" when a customer thank you is generally better than the more formal "you're welcome"

False

Sending unsolicited emails generally strengthens a relationship rather than damaging it

False

So-called "ripple effects" of bad service are less damaging today than they once were

False

The "human touch" is far less important in technology -based industries

False

The customer demand for fair value (which will remain constant into the future) makes earning immediate profits critical for companies to be successful

False

Virtually every company should have a "service department"

False

When a customer is focusing on a particular product (a focused shopper) should be left alone so that they can decide for themselves and not feel pressured.

False

When choosing customer communication media, companies should typically focus on efficiency

False

When trying to influence people to change behaviors it is best to offer a tangible reward each time they avoid the unproductive behavior you seek to change

False

Word of mouth "advertising" can be helpful in selling products but has less of role in customers service

False

The story of USAA insurance company's refund of premiums for military personnel in the Gulf War illustrates that

Illustrated USAA's cultural value of treating customers the way you'd want to be treated

"Preception of values" is a customer's sense of product or service's quality relative to cost

True

"Thank you for calling" is a universal cue that the conversation is ending

True

A typical company can expect to lose 10 to 30 percent of its customers each year because it turned them off

True

Among the reasons callers might be upset are feelings that they are not valued, are helpless, and "it" just isn't fair

True

Applying principles of good service will make you feel better about your life and yourself even if you are "just an employee"

True

Companies can-and should- continually teach their Web sites to learn and adapt

True

We should avoid challenging cutomers complaints, instead taking a "let's fix this" attitude

True

Regarding acts that get customers to interact with customers:

-it doesn't matter so much what they do so long as they begin to do something -can take the form of inviting them to begin filling out paperwork -can help them sample the company culture

Environmental elements that affect listening include:

-noise -use of gatekeeper -individual listening capacity

Which of the following phrases would be acceptable for keeping a business conversation tactful and professional?

-none of these are acceptable -what's your name again? -speak up. I cannot hear you. -you need to call our other branch for that information.

Customers loyalty manifests itself in key customers behaviors including:

-repeat buying -resistance to switch to a competitor - willingness to recommend the company to others

Which of the following can be an effective "icebreaker" when getting a customer?

-responding to some interest of the customer such as a sport or activity, based on cues -expressing appreciation for them coming in -talking about something of local interest like the wheather

Common bad listening habits likely to damage customer service effectiveness can be overcome when we:

-stop taking -go to a physical place where we can better hear

Why do people hesitate to ask for classification when a customer is unclear?

-we can generally figure out the message on our own - we don't want to waste time or effort -we fear that we will sound uninformed

An Órale Corporation study concludes that ultimately there are only two things that can give a company long-term, sustainable advantage in the marketplace:

A company's culture and the relationships it fosters with customers

Examples of "internal noise" which can affect our ability to listen well include:

A headache, dislike of the person we are taking with, or preoccupation with another problem

The Hertz car rental "#1 Gold club" is an example of

A program targeting the loyalty of its frequent renters

Future communication options allow greater customization by such things as

Being interactive, two ways information sharing

An example of applying of applying one to one opportunities to internal customers would be

Cafeteria style benefits programs

Regarding courtesy titles,

Call handlers show respect for callers b using the more formal, Mr. or Ms.

Several ideas for reducing people turnoffs in this chapter. Among them is/are

Clearly identifying taboos- certain messages, terms, language and nonverbal behaviors that are unacceptable

Regarding the use of blogs in customer service:

Companies should use real-time online conversation and be involved in dialogue with customers

Companies that overpromise a speedy response and then almost make the deadline will keep their customers loyalty

Flase

A behavior that can impact customers service includes

Greeting customers promptly

The McDonald's story in this chapter is presented to

Illustrate the importance consistent systems

Companies can avoid e-service problem by

Investing in redundant servers and rapid -loading Web pages

When handling a very upset caller:

Invite them to suggest a solution to the problem

You can best overcome the problem of dead air by

Keeping the customer informed of what you are doing

E-commerce has affected customer service by

Making spreading the word about services experiences easier then ever

When leaving a live conversation with a customer and the phone rings:

Only answer it if no one else is available and after you ask the customer's permission

The amount of call screening your customer face:

Reveals something about your phone use attitude

In the SIER hierarchy of active listening, the letters stand for

Sensing, interpreting, evaluating, responding

Vital behaviors are

Specific actions that have the greatest impact on good service

One reason people tend to have ineffective listening skills is that

Such skills are rarely taught (when compared to other communication skills such as speaking, writing, reading)

A major disadvantage of relying on Web-based e-service is

That some companies try to make it a substitute for phone or direct contact with customers service personnel

People in an organization who are responsible for articulating a value proposition are

Top leaders (owners or executives)

"Goodness of fit" is one way to exceed customer expectstions through greater personalization

True

Constantly organizing and improving systems is a major service leadership responsibility

True

Customers ate coming to expect more personalized self- service solutions available online

True

Domino's pizza tracker keeps customers informed about their orderin real time

True

Employees (internal customers) are more mobile and job-changing is more commonplace than a generation ago

True

Generally people appreciate being called by name although not always by their first name

True

Give your full name and function or name of your company when answering the phone

True

Hardware used in most information technologies had life cycle of less than five years

True

High-stress customer contact employees such as card dealers in casinos need frequents breaks

True

In a broad sense, a customer can be described as anyone with whom we exchange value

True

Insight into what may be turning customers off-although sometimes difficult-is essential to service improvement

True

Inviting a customer to go to a better place to listen can signal goodwill and improve understanding

True

Many visuals or unnecessary sounds effects in a company Web site ( a turnoff that one blogger calls "design overkill" ) are likely to turn off customers and diminish the value of the site

True

Most people need to work on not being offended by feedback

True

People answering phones project the voice and image of the whole organization

True

Required log-in for online customers may be regarded as turnoff

True

Rewarding employees for doing some behaviors may be counterproductive if not consistent with good service

True

Service intimacy tends to grow over time as the relationship with customers evolves

True

So-called "bad profits" emphasize immediate gain over longer-term relationship building.

True

Some employees need to actually practice smiling like an actor might.

True

Some research shows that the number one turnoffs people identify is slow service

True

Studies show the convenience of shopping cart can be a "secret weapon" to getting customers to muy more-even in stores that normally do not use carts

True

The Net-savvy customer expects personalization and even the opportunity to participate with the company- the ability to choose options and also suggest additional ones

True

The appearance of a store, shop, or office conveys nonverbal messages to customers

True

The lack of effective listening may be the most common human communication problem and can significantly damage customer service

True

When employees are empowered they have additional authority to make decisions that benefit the customer, often without getting higher management approval

True

While listening capacity can clearly be hampered by too much information, it can also behurt by too

True

Regarding responding quickly to customers with e-service

Waiting more than a few seconds for a screen to refresh is unacceptable to most customers

A self-centered orientation toward listening means that:

We may not listen to what another person is saying but rather to how the person's views affect our position.

The "L" in the acronym LIFE stands for

Little things

Some ways customers demographics are changing discussed in this chapter are

"Baby boomers" are changing the image of active 60 Plus buyers

In the example in the text, a dissatisfied customer at Happy Jack's store could cost the store how much in revenues and other lost customers over a ten-year period?

$442,000 in lost revenue and 17 lost customers

When customers are in the "zone of indifference" they

-May be generally satisfied but not necessarily motivated to become loyal customers -are not feeling any particular dissatisfaction

Customer loyalty is sometimes mistaken for:

-customer satisfaction -repeat buying alone -a large share of the market

When taking a message from a caller for another person, be sure to:

-get the full name and correct spelling. -include the name of the callers organization if appropriate. -note the time and date the message was taken

When a customer is not acknowledged or greeted promptly

-he or she is likely to estimate that the time waiting to be served is longer than it may objectively be -the organization misses an opportunity to establish a positive relationship -the customer may leave the organization and go elsewhere

Companies can analyze their e-service effectiveness by:

-identifying the click paths used to get to their site -using web-traffic analysis software to track such things as site abandonment rates -using Web-analytics data to constantly improve their site

After dealing with a difficult customer, put it out of your mind immediately

False

The "I" in LIFE stands for

Insight

Good listeners listen with their faces

True