Exercise 4
I worked for Teach for America (TFA) as an administrative assistant as was explained in exercise one. For this exercise, Exercise 4 I will explain what I learned about how the organization addresses the issue of customer satisfaction as well as how I applied the TFA operational processes. A company that deals with so many people and gives them such high expectations must be focused on satisfying customers. The three influential factors for customer satisfaction addressed at the company are human resource management (HRM), company processes (the operational factors) and customer expectations.
My job as administrative assistant was the hub of communication between potential trainees, trainees and alumnae with the staff at TFA. I needed to handle as many callers as possible so that the calls did not have to be directed to other staff members. The job was a chance to try to correct my weakness – stress on the job, because some days the phones were very busy. Maybe the reason I did not have much contact with anyone from HRM after I started my job is because my resume shows that I have strong organizational communication skills. In other words I was on my own to determine what worked and did not work in giving an optimum performance. I developed methods by integrating the three factors in order to reach the goal of customer satisfaction.
The three factors functioned well together. HRM developed methods for improving customer satisfaction and the methods were expected to be used by everyone in the company. The three factors are discussed below in reference with customer satisfaction.
Customer satisfaction
HRD (Human Resource Department)
Trainees that were are sent out for their two year assignments were another category representing a high volume of calls. The problems for the trained teachers ranged from not feeling they were placed in a location that fit their skills; to needing a pep talk; to complaining about diverse factors of TFA. For these callers I relied upon recommendations from my contact in the HRdepartment. If I was unable to satisfy the customer with my explanations I needed to direct them to the most appropriate staff member who was available at that time. I tried very hard to avoid asking the caller “to call back” because instead of feeling satisfied the caller might feel they were getting a “brush off” from TFA.
Company operations (processes)
My experience working as a TFA administrative assistant was a good experience for developing my management and communication skills under highly stressful conditions. The processes TFA applied to gaining customer satisfaction were primarily based on good listening skills, communicating in a way the individual could best hear our response, and a fast response to complaints. I feel more confident in acting within the HR system of companies I will work for in the future. I will definitely use the lessons learned in the future.
Interactions with HMR
The HRD was the place I found support and suggestions if I did not know how to handle a client. TFA relies heavily on the HRM of staff to make sure that the office runs as smoothly as possible. HRM-developed instructions for my job involved how TFA met customer expectations and how to handle customers that were not happy. I had a list of HR staff members and next to their names I had the topics that they were willing to handle in case I had to direct a caller to someone with more experience. HRD was the most important for dealing with staff and customers. I understood that both groups were thought to add value to the company.
Summary
Professional Development
I learned how to integrate the three components of customer satisfaction during my work experience, because I had direct contact with the customers. I needed to apply my skills to perform well using the management skills acceptable for TFA. One of my weaknesses was the effect of stress on my ability to problem solve. My experience at TFA helped me improve my performance because I was able to practice every day. I wanted to improve that particular weakness so I reached a personal goal. My positive management skills were also improved when trying to ensure customer satisfaction with TFA. I became very familiar with the expectations of the customers who talked with me and I learned to apply the TFA processes that I learned from HRM for the most difficult cases.
