Reference no: EM133119852

Case Study 1: The Reservation Nightmare

H. James Harrington, a noted quality consultant, related the following story in Quality Digest magazine: I called to make a flight reservation just an hour ago. The telephone rang five times before a recorded voice answered. "Thank you for calling ABC TravelServices," it said. "To ensure the highest level of customer service, this call may be recorded for future analysis." Next, I was asked to select from one of the following three choices: "If the trip is related to company business, press 1. Personal business, press2. Group travel, press 3." I pressed 1.

I was then asked to select from the following four choices: "If this is a trip within the United States, press1. International, press 2. Scheduled training, press 3. Related to a conference, press 4." Because I was going to Canada, I pressed 2. A few seconds passed and a very sweet voice came, saying, "All international operators are busy, but please hold because you are a very important customer." The voice was then replaced by music. About two minutes later, another recorded message said, "Our operators are still busy, but please hold and the first available operator will take care of you." More music. Finally, the sweet voice returned, stating, "To speed up your service, enter your 19-digit customer service number." I found it and entered the number in time. The same sweet voice came back to me, saying, "To confirm your customer service number, enter the last four digits of your social security number." I pushed the four numbers on the keypad.

The voice said: "Thank you. An operator will be with you shortly. If your call is an emergency, you can call 1-800-CAL-HELP, or push all of the buttons on the telephone at the same time. Otherwise, please hold, as you are a very important customer."At last, a real person answered the telephone and asked, "Can I help you?" I replied, "Yes, oh yes." He answered, "Please give me your 19-digit customer service number, followed by the last four digits of your social security number so I can verify who you are." (I thought I gave these numbers in the first place to speed up service. Why did I have to rattle them off again?)

I was now convinced that he would call me Mr.5523-3675-0714-1313-040. But, to my surprise, he said: "Yes, Mr. Harrington. Where do you want to go and when?" I explained that I wanted to go to Montreal the following Monday morning. He replied: "I only handle domestic reservations. Our international desk has a new telephone number: 1-800-1WE-GOTU. I'll transfer you." A few clicks later a message came on, saying: "All of our international operators are busy. Please hold and your call will be answered in the order it was received. Do not hang up or redial, as it will only delay our response to your call. Please continue to hold, as your business is important to us."

Discussion Questions

1. Summarize the service failures associated with this experience.

2. What might the travel agency have done to guarantee a better service experience for Mr. Harrington? How do your suggestions relate to the TQ principles?

Case Study 2: Bishops Seafood

Jerome, his wife Sandy, and their two daughters were vacationing and visited a popular restaurant, Bishop'sSeafood Shack, that has several locations in the eastern United States. The hostess was friendly, and their table location was removed from the general crowd-good for their young children. Jerome observed that their waiter was incredibly attentive to their needs without seeming like he was hovering. Their water and soft drink glasses were never empty, and they never had to ask for more bread; yet, at the same time, the family felt "alone" enough to engage in the most intimate of family conversations. The waiter also paid a lot of attention to Jerome's young children. He demonstrated grace and patience, and some humor while waiting on the decision of a 5-year-old girl.

The meal service itself was well-timed. All of the dishes came out almost simultaneously. In addition, Jerome had a friend who was running late in joining them for dinner. He had called to let them know what he wanted, and Jerome placed his order. When the food arrived, however, his friend wasn't there yet. The waiter, without prompting, took his food back to the kitchen to keep it warm until he arrived. Throughout the course of the evening, their water consistently, but not constantly, checked in to see if their needs were met. Later that evening, one of his children complained of stomach pains and vomited. The next morning, Sandy called Bishop's Restaurant-not to complain, as her daughter was fine in the morning-but, rather, to let them know to check their food. During that call, she complimented our waiter. A few days later, she received a call from the restaurant's corporate office. The representative called to thank her and to let her know that they were sending a food inspector to that particular restaurant. Thereafter, she received a call nearly every day updating her on the progress of the inspection. Finally, she was told that the restaurant had received a clean bill of health. A few weeks later, Jerome and Sandy received a $200 gift certificate in the mail, even though their daughter's symptoms were probably related to simply overeating!

Discussion Questions

1. Why do you think the restaurant went to such lengths in response to Sandy's call?

2. How does this experience illustrate the five customer service dimensions: tangibles, reliability, responsiveness, assurance, and empathy?

Part 1: Foundations of Quality and Performance Excellence