Innovative Widget Company Background
Innovative Widget Company is located in the United States of America. It was established in the year 2008. Innovative Widget Company was founded by two friends, Winfred and Peter. Initially, only one factory was set up. However, it has grown to give rise to other factories. We are thinking of setting up others around the country. Widgets are components used in various machines. They are used in the mechanical and technical industries. Customers look up to us to provide the best services across America.
Here at Innovative Widget Company, we are dedicated to producing quality products and offering quality services to our customers. It is our goal to know our customers well and build a long-lasting relationship with them. Our main customers are the employees of the company, who serve as internal customers and potential buyers. There are also sellers of widget products in the business world around America, who serve as our external customers. The company employs over 100 people. The gross profit margin over the last few years has been 30%. This has enabled the company to grow in size and improve the customer service.
Vision and mission of Innovative Widget Company
Our vision at Innovative Widget Company is to provide quality products and services to our customers at competitive prices. This is enhanced by ensuring that the customers are interviewed on various aspects of the company, and their suggestions are looked at to check whether they are viable or not. If they are viable, they are implemented in the company’s customer service plan.
Our mission at is to train our staff on various aspects of the customer service requirements of the company, and how to respond to the various complaints raised by the customers.
Policies and procedures of Innovative Widget Company
Identifying customer needs
For Innovative Widget Company to identify the customers’ needs, it has to first carry out a research on the needs of the customers. This has been done through giving questionnaires to the customers, which the customers are supposed to fill. Through the customers’ feedback, the company analyses their needs in a broad perspective to find solutions to the products design (Goffin, Lemke & Koners 2010, p10). Customers buying needs for a product include: the performance of the product, the safety of the product, the appearance of the product, the comfort of the product, the durability of the product, and the economy of the product.
An analysis of these needs is important. This enables the company to match the customers’ needs and the benefits of the product (Rangan & Bell 2006, p13). For the company to identify such customers’ needs, it has to listen to the many complaints the customers give concerning a product. It should then modify the product to conform to the needs of the customer. With the help of the rater model, the company has set out ways of ensuring that it delivers the products in a consistent and timely manner. The reliability of the company is enhanced when the company takes the customers’ feedback seriously and works towards meeting these needs (Eye & Mun 2006, p31).
Responding to customers complaints
The company takes complaints from customers seriously. It has set up customer management software, where the employees of the company can log in to the system and access the complaints from customers and respond to these complaints (Roebuck 2011, p30).
A record is kept for every complaint a customer raises. This guides the company not to repeat the same mistake that the customers highlight. This is done with the help of the customer management software. We are also trying to be realistic in our promises to our customers. The company also offers training opportunity for the staff members. This makes them be updated with the new policies in the company and how to respond to the customer’s complaints in an appropriate way (Saks & Haccoun 2011, p398). In cases where the customer returns the product, the company will take the product and try to modify it to meet the customers’ needs.
Obtaining customer feedback
Our company has set up questionnaires that guide it on the number of responses the customers give. Customers are given these questionnaires to fill when purchasing widgets at our various factories. They are supposed to give their opinion on the customer services given by the company (Friday & Cotts 1994, p79). In order to get direct feedback from our customers, we approach them directly. We have a one on one conversation with them, and try to analyze their problems as well as come up with ways of improving our product. Any customer that would like to give his or her feedback can choose to email the company or call the customer care desk, where his or her feedback will be recorded.
Updating the customer service plan
Any policy and procedure that does not uphold the policy of the company to achieve the mission and objective should be removed from the company’s framework. Through the routine reviews of the company’s policies and procedures, any policies that do not uphold the delivery of the best customer services is not implemented. It is removed from the company’s plan. Any policy that requires modification shall be reviewed as per the requirement of the board guiding the policy making processes of the company. Any updating on the customer service plan, arising from contingency and unexpected events should be communicated to the employees of the company immediately for them to be familiar with the policies (Tschohl 2011, p.15).
Product standards
Product dimension and tolerance
Widgets come in many shapes and sizes. They are either web widgets or design widgets. The widget should be capable of executing the required tasks without any problems. The installation of the software and the shaft used should be compatible, and any deviations reported should be checked.
Product pricing
Product pricing is part of the marketing mix, where the pricing of the widgets is either determined by the objectives of the company or by profit maximization. The set prices should be the standard price of widgets, and any deviations from the standard price should be reported to the relevant authority for rectification (McCalley 1996, p.129).
Product material and delivery
Our vision is to provide the best customer services, to ensure that the products are of high quality and that they are delivered in the appropriate time as stipulated by the customer.
Responding to customer complaints
Role play scenario
A customer to Innovative Widget Company had ordered a web widget for his company’s website. The customer wanted a widget that could be used both in the company’s website and in the social network. He wanted to install java script software in the company’s website. The web widget was to be customized as to the descriptions of the customer and was not supposed to affect the search engine optimization of the company’s website. The web widget was to track online payments made by different companies that order goods online and required them to make their payments online.
Innovative Widget Company executed the web widget as per the customer’s description. It installed the JavaScript software well and left it running as per the company’s requirement. When the company operations manager used the software to track the payment process of the customers, it showed that many customers were not able to get the company’s product and payment for the products was not up to date. This made it difficult for the company to get the debts paid in time. The company made many losses, and it resolved to call Innovative Widget Company, where they had procured the services from. Innovative Widget Company was to address this issue using the policy and procedures formulated in the customer service plan in responding to the customer’s complaints.
Innovative Widget Company responding to the customers complaints
Innovative Widget Company is an outsourcing company for software applications. It has come up with policies and procedures that are supposed to cater for the customers complaints. The company has a customer software management, where the customers are supposed to post their complaints. The company staff can access these complaints and respond to them. Also, the software is able to record the complaints as they trickle in the company (Cochran 2003, p.44).
Through the training that the employees have undergone, they are able to address any problems that the customers raise. Also, the customer can call the company whenever they have a complaint. The customer care service personnel could direct the customer to the appropriate person to address the customer’s complaints. In response to the clients’ complaint, the company should acknowledge the receipt of the complaint and inform the client on the ways through which the company is planning to address the complaint (Great Britain: National Audit Office 2006, p.60).
In this case, Innovative Widget Company should assume that the customer is telling the truth and should not disregard the complaint without any concrete evidence to support their reasons. In this case, the customer is always right. The customer care personnel should allow the customer to explain his complaints and listen to the complaints to verify whether it’s true or not. They should also determine whether the complaint is out of the company’s negligence or not. As a result of listening to the customer, the company must have recorded the complaint somewhere. This forms a basis for documentary evidence as to when and how the complaint was addressed (Odgers 2007, p.72).
Because I am the one who is in charge of the customer service department of Innovative Widget Company, I would ask the customer to describe the problem they encountered. I would use the computer software management system to record his complaint and would apologize to the customer on behalf of the company. I would assure him or her that the company will be able to address the problem (Trosborg & Jorgensen 2005, p191).
Since the problem is new to the company, it should take this opportunity to learn more on how to make the services efficient and effective (Blythe 2008, p67). I would ask the customer how he or she wanted the java script software to be customized to suit the needs of the company. With these, I would understand why the earlier installation of the software of the company failed. I would come up with ways to correct this problem. If am unable to execute the program as expected by the client, I would inform him early enough so as not to damage the image of the company because this would cause the company to lose other customers (Filipe, Sharp & Miranda 2002, p.39). I would ask the client how they want their complaint to be resolved by the company.
With the client having directed the company on how he or she wants the complaint addressed, the representative who installed the software to the client’s company would be sent to the company to check the problem. This will be a way of making sure that what the client is complaining about is genuine and find a solution to the problem. In this process, innovative company is able to educate the client on how the java script software is used and how they can rectify a minor complication which may arise while using the software without contacting the company.
This will help in reducing the number of minor cases that the company has to attend to, which can be fixed by the clients. In responding to the customer’s complaints, the company would ensure that it does the best it can to fix any problems that were caused by their employees so that the customer is satisfied.
Reference List
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