CHAPTER 11

Question 1

The quality of a service firm’s staff especially those working in ______
plays a crucial role in determining market success and financial performance.

Answer 1

customer-facing positions

Question 2

are a key input for delivering service excellence and competitive
advantage

Answer 2

frontline employees

Question 3

importance of service employees and frontline work

Answer 3

is a core part of your product
is the service firm
is the brand
affects sales
is a key driver of customer loyalty
determine productivity

Question 4

That’s why the People element of the _ is so important.

Answer 4

7ps

Question 5

They are expected to be fast and efficient in executing operational tasks and
be courteous and helpful when dealing with customers.

Answer 5

frontline employees

Question 6

sources of role conflicts

Answer 6

organization/client conflict
personal/role conflict
interclient conflict

Question 7

was first used by Arlie
Hochschild in her book The Managed Heart.

Answer 7

emotional labor

Question 8

who first use the term emotional labor and where book it came from?

Answer 8

arlie hochschild; the managed heart

Question 9

arises when a discrepancy exists
between how frontline staff feel inside and the
emotions the management requires them to show in
front of customers.

Answer 9

emotional labor

Question 10

*Frontline staff are expected to have a cheerful
disposition and be genial, compassionate, sincere, or
even self-effacing — emotions that can be conveyed
through _________

Answer 10

facial expressions, gestures, tone of voice, and choice of words.

Question 11

3 employment cycles

Answer 11

the cycle of failure
the cycle of mediocrity
the cycle of success

Question 12

begins with heavy organizational emphasis on attracting new customers, who become dissatisfied with employee performance and the lack of continuity implicit in continually changing faces due to high staff turnover.

Answer 12

customer Cycle of Failure

Question 13

The departure of _______ is especially
worrying in the light of what we know about the greater profitability of a loyal customer base.

Answer 13

discontented customers

Question 14

under the cycle of failure, three key cost are often omitted

Answer 14

1. The cost of constant recruiting, hiring, and training (which is as much a time cost for managers as it is a financial cost)
2. The lower productivity of inexperienced new workers
3. The costs of constantly attracting new customers (which requires extensive advertising and promotional discounts).

Question 15

often typified by state monopolies, industrial cartels, or regulated oligopolies – where there is little incentive to improve performance and where fear of entrenched unions may discourage management from adopting more innovative labor
practices.

Answer 15

the cycle of mediocrity

Question 16

are largely based on how
long the person has been working in the organization.

Answer 16

salary increases and promotions

Question 17

is often measured by the
absence of mistakes, rather than by high productivity or
outstanding customer service

Answer 17

successful performance in a job

Question 18

Since employees are given very little freedom to do their work
in the way they think is necessary or suitable, jobs tend to be
_______

Answer 18

boring and repetitive.

Question 19

Better pay and benefits attract good quality staff.

Answer 19

the cycle of success

Question 20

are accompanied by training
and empowerment practices that allow frontline staff
to control quality.

Answer 20

broadend job designs

Question 21

_____means that regular customers
appreciate the continuity in service relationships and
are more likely to remain loyal.

Answer 21

Lower turnover

Question 22

the wheel of successful hr in service firms

Answer 22

1. hire the right people
2. enable your people
3. motivate and enmergize your people

Question 23

is a guiding framework for
successful HR practices in service firms

Answer 23

Service Talent Cycle

Question 24

the old saying by jim collins

Answer 24

the old saying ‘people are your most important asset’ is wrong. ‘the right people are your most important asset.’

Question 25

are both necessary but neither alone is sufficient for optimal job
Performance

Answer 25

interpersonal and technical skills

Question 26

include visual communication skills such as attentive listening, understanding body
language and even facial expressions, and reading customers’ needs.

Answer 26

interpersonal skills

Question 27

include all the required knowledge related to processes (e.g., how to handle a
merchandized return), mach ines (e.g., how to operate the cash machine), and rules and regulations
related to customer service processes.

Answer 27

technical skills

Question 28

staff’s product and service knowledge are the key aspects of service
quality. They must be able to explain product features effectively and position the product correctly

Answer 28

product/service knowledge

Question 29

_____has to result in observable changes in behavior. If staff do not apply what they have learnt, the investment is ____

Answer 29

training; wasted

Question 30

________ is not only
about becoming smarter, but about changing behaviors and improving decision-making.

Answer 30

Learning;

Question 31

means giving employees greater
discretion (and training in how to use their judgment), which enables them to provide superior service on the
spot rather than waiting for permission from supervisors.

Answer 31

empowering

Question 31

Empowerment is based on the ______, which assumes that employees can make good decisions, and produce good ideas for operating the business if they are properly socialized, trained, and informed.

Answer 31

involvement (or commitment) model

Question 32

is the part of the organization’s culture that can be felt
and seen.

Answer 32

organization climate

Question 32

levels of employee involvement

Answer 32

job involvement, high involvement

Question 33

represents the shared perceptions of employees about the practices, procedures, and types of behaviors that get supported and rewarded in a particular setting.

Answer 33

climate

Question 33

Excitement about the business will encourage individuals to teach
the business to others and to pass on to them the art and secrets of operating it.

Answer 33

love for business

Question 33

seen as a keyfondation of success

Answer 33

service quality