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Four levels of problem solving: Employee Level: Employees recognize problems and often are the rst to point them out to supervisors and other company managers. Usually an employee feels their responsibility stops with making the company aware of the problem. After all they are not paid to solve problems. if your case analysis is focused on problem denition you are problem solving on the employee level. You will have only dealt with the rst 30 percent of the solution. Supervisor Level: The supervisor is the rst level charged with doing something about the situation. Their broader view usually allows them to see the impact on stakeholders. The primary stakeholder' rs most often the customer although they may not be the most important one. A supervisor often rs restricted by their authority from doing more than solving the problem to the most immediate way. Discounts or refunds tend to be the solutions at this level. If your case analysis focussed on customer problems without seeing them in the broader context of the business as a whole then you are problem solving from the supervisor's level whidr accounts for the nest 15 percent of the score. Manager Level: By the time a problem gets to management level there needs to be more than a quick x. The bandaid solutions have not worked and a serious plan needs to be put into place. Plans must be more than simple buzz words. Plans to solve case studies need to be multifaceted and include a step by step implementation scheme. Most plans will require a commitment of time, money and other resources so there will be questions every step of the way. A manager's plan is evaluated on how well it anticipates those questions. To receive marks at the management level you need more than one idea to solve the case. In addition to multiple ideas, each suggestion should be in the form of a SMART goal. These are specic ideas with measurable results that can be realiscally attained within a dened timeframe. This involves setting priorities because you will not be given enough resources to do everything at once. Your first step must produce enough progress to get you the required resources to go the next step. Those steps account for 25 percent of the case mark. Owner Level: The owner has to make the difcult decisions. The owner is squarely focused on the big picture. Even a small problem can have a large impact on the business if not dealt with properly. At the management level there is some planning, but the owner is concerned with permanent solutions. The owner's response sets the tone for the work that takes place. Can the people you have in place get the job done? if not, who do you bring in to replace them? Should you get involved yourself? As stated above the ownership level has to answer the tough questions of how do you make sure the plan works and what is your backup plan. Ultimately your reputation is on the line and therefore the top 30 percent is determined by how far are you willing to stick your neck out. Good Customer Service Equals Technical Competence Plus Human Relations Skills Excerpts from article by: Dr. Gary S. Goodman Like the weather, customer service is something "everybody complains about, but nobody seems to do anything meaningful about." Part of the problem is when we say, "customer service," we mean different things. Not dening our terms promotes misunderstandings, conicting standards, and inaccurate measures. By not being clear We are less liker to make customers happy on a consistent and reliable basis. We also miss opportunities for generating customer loyalty, repeat or referral business and consistently higher prots. 'What we think of as "Customer Service" is obviously a huge part of every economic transaction that is made. There are two parts to an effectively delivered economic service: 1) Competence 2) Human Factors. My barber needs to cut my hair in an acceptable manner, and be available on time for my appointment. Reduted to essentials, that's the "competence" part of his service, the basic satisfaction that I'm bargaining for. But if he's a persistent grouch, and I had a barber like this once, then the "human relations" component of his service is lacking. in that situation, I'm getting less than hill value for my money. I expect a good haircut and a pleasant hair cutter. The bare bones service, however terhnically competent, needs to be paired with "good" customer service, in this case a pleasant, polite communication style. Typically when competence and human relations skills are both present, costumer satisfaction is created. We've all had the experience of eating at a restaurant with great food but lousy service. It's a classical approach-avoidance conict. Sooner or later, we'll probably stop patronizing the place, unless we enjoy mistreatment or there is a secret satisfaction such as the possibility of spotting a celebrity. Believers in the concept that you ean satisfy customers by being competent, but unfriendly, are kidding themselves, just as much as those that believe you can be a charming foo], technically inept, and prosper over the long haul. Complete customer service requires technical competence and appropriate human relations skills. We need both, always have, and always will. Dr. Gary S. Goodman is a top trainer, conference and convention speaker, and sales, service, and negotiation consultant. Customer Complaint Response Assignment Two articles are provided as models for examining and correcting service delivery issues. Read \"Four levels of problem solving" and "Good service equals technical competency plus human relations skills\" {located in one pdf. on our Moodle page). Analyze the customer service scenarios below and explain how you apply the concepts described in each model as follows: 1. Identify the technical competency and human relations errors in the incident. i. Technical competency issues ii. ii. Human relations issues 2. Apply solutions based on the four-level problem solving model. i. Employee level solutions ii. Supervisory level solutions iii. Managerial level solutions iv. iv. Ownership level solutions Scenario One: Couple arrives for 6pm reservation to celebrate their 12th anniversary. The table is near the kitchen entrance and the hub of where staff gather. The restaurant is quiet at that time, so unfortunately, there are lots of staff standing around. The couple found it awkward to have all this staff standing nearthem doing nothing. They were assigned a new server (she told them she was new}. Although it was apparent, she was trying, she forgot to bring a pre-dinner drink that we ordered and she was not familiar with which wines paired best with entrees when we asked. The food was excellent and well prepared and they enjoyed their dinner. By 7pm the restaurant was full and much louder. A table of six was seated nearby after they completed dinner and the couple overheard their server tell them about a prix fix menu that was available for the night,- appetizer, turkey with all the xings and dessert for $35.00! They were very disappointed they were not provided this option. They felt the service was inequitable. Final comments were they would try the restaurant again because the food is exceptional. They would hope for better service and a better table Scenario Two: Customer takes his staff out to a holiday lunch buffet. The value is very good and the variety of gourmet items are exceptional, which is why they chose the venue. Based on his experience and staff comments after the event he is not sure if he will book there for next year. He was disappointed that he was not informed that they had a limited amount of time to eat because of a later seating. \"When we were seated the first thing that the hostess told us was that we needed to be done in just over an hour because our table was reserved for someone else. It was a bit off putting. If we had known about this when we made the reservation that would have been fine but it was not fine to be told just as we are sitting down". Once back in the office several staff members had the following comments: It The pork was not well done - sorry I am old fashioned and like my pork cooked! . The lamb was so rare that I couldn't cut it and . The fish was raw in the m. I like sushi but this wasn't supposed to be raw. c They actually ran out of desserts! I was very sad and surprised as usually there are tons. c The tea I ordered was a waste of a good tea bag as they did not boil the water! Grading: This assignment partially fulfils learning outcome #2, where students individually analyze the customer service provided within two scenarios. For each scenario students must explain how to apply the concepts described in each model above. Complete your assignment in a WORD document. Write in full sentences (no bullet points), and use headings and sub-headings to create flow and identify each concept. Grades will be assigned as follows: Scenario 1: - Identified two technical competency issues and two human relations issues - Applied two solutions at each level on the four-level problem solving model Scenario 2: - Identified two technical competency issues and two human relations issues - Applied two solutions at each level on the four-level problem solving model