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Challenge Question Number 1 for Technical Assistance Center Team Leader

 Related Subject(s):
Business & Accounting Studies
Language Arts
Sociology/Psychology
 Related Soft Skill(s):
Acting Professionally
Conflict Resolution
Interacting with Others
Listening
Solving Problems
Teamwork
Describe a typical "challenge" encountered in your work:
Being a leader of the technical assistance center presents several challenges:
Organizing the technicians’ work assignments, clarifying client needs, handling billing issues and consumer services. The greatest challenge is customer satisfaction. Because you are an authorized service representative for manufactories, you are often at their mercy, relying on them to ship the necessary parts overnight, so that your technicians can repair the equipment within a short time. Although there are no fires to put out, as the leader of this team, you will save people’s jobs – those who depend on technology to do their work.



Clearly describe what you expect from the students:
You are the leader of the technical assistance center team, servicing five technicians. It is your responsibility to deal with discontented customers as well as to coordinate the work of your technicians. A “role play” situation will be developed in which three levels of activity will transpire:
1) A customer requests that his computer be fixed by tomorrow (a rush order!) and you need to explain this to your technician.
2) The following day the customer returns, only to find out that the computer is not fixed because the necessary part is on “back-order” from the supplier. It is your responsibility to deal with this disgruntled customer.
3) Communicate to the supplier the difficulties which have arisen and make a plan to prevent the problem from happening again.



In order to give the teacher some guidance in evaluating the student's project(s); list some tips that may help to assess the student's work:
The student should participate in three role-plays:
1. Customer with a broken computer, wanting quick service, the technician resists.
2. Customer returns the next day, dissatisfied because the computer is not fixed.
3. Leader of the technical team confronts the manufacturer who did not supply the goods.

In the three role-plays, did the student display the following traits?
Communication skills:
Did the student listen to the customer or manufacturer?
What “active listening” behaviors were noted?
How did the student display empathy and concern?
Did the student rephrase or paraphrase the concerns of the customer or manufacturer?

Conflict management:
How did the student explain the situation to the customer?
How did the student define the problem?
What alternatives/solutions did the student provide to the customer or manufacturer?
Did the student explain advantages and disadvantages of the alternatives?
What was the plan of action?
Did both parties agree?
How will the plan be monitored?

Social Skills:
How did the student handle the stressful situation?
What strategies did the student demonstrate?
How did the student get to the “heart of the problem”?
Was the student able to win the customer or manufacturer over to her point of view?




 
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