Getting Ready for New Employee Orientation at PackAll

PackAll is a packing and storage company headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, with franchises located in 21 cities throughout the United States. Since opening its first franchise in Minneapolis in 1987, the company has shown great market potential, ending its first year with a profit and growing every year since. The primary services of the organization are packaging and preparing nonperishable items for shipment and mailing via parcel post. Air-conditioned spaces for short-term storage of personal items and post office boxes are also available to customers. To ensure consistency of service at all locations, specific standards for employee training and service delivery have been developed and implemented. Before owners or operators can hang up their PackAll sign, they must sign an agreement to comply with standards and must successfully pass a rigorous eight-week management training program.

The program focuses on the key management and business skills necessary to run a successful business and educates employees on corporate philosophy and culture. In addition, management offers tips for guiding employee development. At intervals of three and six months after opening their operation, owners or operators are required to participate in a retreat during which they share best practices, receive additional management training, and have an opportunity to ask questions in a structured setting. You joined a PackAll franchise in Orlando, Florida, as a customer service representative.

New-employee orientation will be held tomorrow. At that time, you will learn about the service culture, policies and procedures, techniques for handling customers, and specific job skills and requirements. Before being hired, you were told that your primary duties would be to service customers, provide information about services offered, write up customer orders, collect payments, and package and label orders.

1. What interpersonal skills do you currently have that will allow you to be successful in your new position?
2. If a customer asks for a service that PackAll does not provide, how will you handle the situation?
3. Explain how your commitment to customer service would help you more than someone without a desire to serve others?
4. What suggestions do you have for management that can be presented in orientation, to incentivize exceptional customer service delivery?
5. What incentives would you suggest to motivate the team to customer service greatness (choose one internal and one external reward. Explain).