Customer Service:

A Practical Approach, 5th ed.

By
Elaine K. Harris

Chapter 3
Problem Solving
 Problem solving:

 An active
resolution to
a challenging
problem.

Customer Service: A Practical © 2010 Pearson Higher Education,

Approach, 5e Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. • All Rights
2
Customer Service: A Practical © 2010 Pearson Higher Education,
Approach, 5e Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. • All Rights
3
Customer Service: A Practical © 2010 Pearson Higher Education,
Approach, 5e Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. • All Rights
4
 Creativity and Problem
Solving
 through an open approach to
finding solutions, an appropriate
and innovative result may be
discovered.
 Customers appreciate creativity.
 By offering suggestions to
customers and to management about
innovative ways of solving
challenges, customer service
providers can share their
creativity with others.
Customer Service: A Practical © 2010 Pearson Higher Education,
Approach, 5e Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. • All Rights
5
 Creativity
5-6

The ability to produce

novel and useful ideas
 Helps people to:

Better understand the
problem

See problems others can’t
see

Identify all viable
alternatives

Identify alternatives that
aren’t readily apparent

Customer Service: A Practical © 2010 Pearson Higher Education,

Approach, 5e Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. • All Rights
6
 Three-Component Model of
5-7
Creativity

Customer Service: A Practical © 2010 Pearson Higher Education,

Approach, 5e Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. • All Rights
7
 Problems as Opportunities

 Criticism provides a opportunity

to obtain information.
 A customer complaint is really a
request for action.

Customer Service: A Practical © 2010 Pearson Higher Education,

Approach, 5e Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. • All Rights
8
 Problem Solving Model
(figure 3.1)
1. Identify the problem.
2. Understand the problem’s unique
characteristics and the possible outcomes.
3. Define the requirements of a possible
solution considering the company policies
currently in place.
4. Identify possible solutions.
5. Select the best solution.
6. Implement the solution, informing the
customer of the details and how the
customer will be affected.
7. Observe and evaluate the solution’s
impact.
Customer Service: A Practical © 2010 Pearson Higher Education,
Approach, 5e Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. • All Rights
9
 Problem Solving Strategies

 Brainstorming:
a problem
solving
strategy that
can be used by
groups of two
or more.

Customer Service: A Practical © 2010 Pearson Higher Education,

Approach, 5e Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. • All Rights
10
 Problem Solving Strategies

 Diagramming: a strategy for

problem solving that provides a
visual representation of the
problem and the facts related to
it.

Customer Service: A Practical © 2010 Pearson Higher Education,

Approach, 5e Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. • All Rights
11
 Methods of Diagramming

 Pro/con sheets: a simple

approach to diagramming a
problem that involves recording
the arguments for and against a
solution. (figure 3.2)

Customer Service: A Practical © 2010 Pearson Higher Education,

Approach, 5e Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. • All Rights
12
 Flowcharts

 Flowcharts: a diagramming
approach to problem solving that
charts each step of a process to
assist in determining why a
problem is occurring. (figure
3.3)

Customer Service: A Practical © 2010 Pearson Higher Education,

Approach, 5e Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. • All Rights
13
 Organizational Charts

 Organizational charts: a method

of illustrating the hierarchy of
a company by illustrating who
reports to whom. (figure 3.4)

Customer Service: A Practical © 2010 Pearson Higher Education,

Approach, 5e Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. • All Rights
14
 Mind Mapping

 Mind mapping: a creative

approach to diagramming a
problem in which a problem is
recorded on paper and possible
solutions branch out from the
original problem. (figure 3.5)

Customer Service: A Practical © 2010 Pearson Higher Education,

Approach, 5e Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. • All Rights
15
 Negotiation:

 The evaluation
of the
possible
solutions to a
challenge and
the selection
of the
solution that
is mutually
beneficial.

Customer Service: A Practical © 2010 Pearson Higher Education,

Approach, 5e Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. • All Rights
16
 Suggestions for Developing
Negotiation Skills
 Know your customer.
 Ask questions and listen to the spoken and
unspoken messages.
 Know the policies of your organization and
in which areas flexibility is allowed.
 Demonstrate the willingness to be
flexible.
 Learn to handle your anger and your
customer’s anger appropriately.
 Consider what the customer may lose in the
negotiation process.
 Determine mutually beneficial solutions to
challenging problems and situations.

Customer Service: A Practical © 2010 Pearson Higher Education,

Approach, 5e Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. • All Rights
17
 When apologizing to
1.customers:
Acknowledge customers’
feelings.
2. Express to the customer that
you share the responsibility
for the problem.
3. Convey sincerity.
4. Ask for the opportunity to
correct the problem.
5. Request the opportunity to
continue doing business in
the future.

Customer Service: A Practical © 2010 Pearson Higher Education,

Approach, 5e Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. • All Rights
18
 Common Barriers to Problem
Solving and Decision Making
• Resistance to change.
• Habits
• Individual insecurity
• Past history
• Fear of success or
failure
• Jumping to
conclusions
• Perceptions

Customer Service: A Practical © 2010 Pearson Higher Education,

Approach, 5e Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. • All Rights
19
 Follow-up:

• Checking back to determine

whether or not a situation is
operating according to the
initial plan.

Customer Service: A Practical © 2010 Pearson Higher Education,

Approach, 5e Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. • All Rights
20
 Suggestions when encountering
conflict
 Do not bring up old problems from the
past or assign blame.
 Listen to the other viewpoints that are
being presented.
 Use tact as you respond to others.
 Do not repress your own anger; instead,
use it productively. Take advantage of
the opportunity to share other related
concerns in a positive manner.
 Focus on finding the best solution to the
conflict.

Customer Service: A Practical © 2010 Pearson Higher Education,

Approach, 5e Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. • All Rights
21
Customer Service: A Practical © 2010 Pearson Higher Education,
Approach, 5e Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. • All Rights
22