True/False
Indicate whether the
statement is true or false.
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1.
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Communication skills are more often difficult for a new help desk agent to learn
than technical skills or business skills.
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2.
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Customer satisfaction with a support incident is more directly related to the
solution to a problem than to the communication skills a support agent uses.
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3.
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Effective communication skills are more important in telephone conversations
than in face-to-face, email, or other forms of communication with users.
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4.
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Communication is a two-way process that involves both listening and
responding.
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5.
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Communication is a one-way process that involves an effective transmission from
sender to receiver.
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6.
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A customer service ethic is an organization-wide philosophy that the customer is
always right.
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7.
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Support staff should return a telephone call when promised, even if no progress
has been made on a problem.
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8.
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Of the three essential communication skills, listening comes before
understanding and responding.
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9.
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In discriminative listening, a support agent’s purpose is to learn about
the user, such as his or her knowledge level.
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10.
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The purpose of comprehensive listening is to develop a rapport with a
user.
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11.
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In order to educate users, a support agent should use technical terms and
explanations in communications with users.
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12.
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Empathy means a support agent takes ownership and responsibility for a
user’s problem.
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13.
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A support agent who can empathize with a user is one who understands the problem
or question from the user’s point of view.
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14.
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A common barrier to effective listening is asking probing questions to get
additional details about a problem.
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15.
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One method support agents use to communicate effectively with a user on the
telephone is to visualize the user and communicate with the visual image.
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16.
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To avoid mistakes and misinformation, scripts designed to guide a support agent
through an incident should be read verbatim to the user.
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17.
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Scripts designed to guide a support agent through an incident should ideally be
memorized to be effective.
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18.
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When reading a lengthy, prepared response to a user, the best strategy is to
tell the user you are reading a passage to him or her.
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19.
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Eye contact and facial expression are examples of nonverbal behavior.
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20.
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Inexperienced support agents tend to speak too slowly when they experience
stress during a conversation with a user.
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21.
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A rising inflection at the end of a sentence communicates that a support agent
is unsure or lacks confidence.
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22.
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Empty phrases, such as “Now let me see…,” are effective ways
for a support agent to fill pauses in a conversation.
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23.
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Even in a telephone call, clients can often tell whether a support staff member
values the call.
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24.
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Putting a caller on hold is considered a poor customer service tactic.
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25.
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Feedback from users, other support agents, and supervisors is useful information
for a support agent who wants to develop a personal incident management strategy.
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26.
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Support agents develop their own incident management strategy from
scratch.
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27.
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One goal of incident management is to help users be more self-reliant.
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28.
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A support agent should always be honest in every response to a user’s
questions.
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29.
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How much information a support agent can divulge to a user is often determined
by an organization’s policies.
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30.
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Goal-directed diagnostic questions are designed to move a support incident to a
successful resolution.
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31.
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Support staff should always provide the information or services a customer
needs, no matter what the request.
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32.
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Support agents should avoid apologizing to users who have been kept on hold or
who have been given the runaround.
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33.
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One goal of incident management is to give users information about how they
should organize their files, improve their personal work habits, and make more effective use of their
computers.
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34.
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The likely result of increased user self-reliance will be to eliminate the need
for user support agents as an occupation.
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35.
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One goal of user self-reliance is to make users change the way they use
computers.
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36.
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Total user self-reliance is probably not achievable, but it is a worthwhile
goal.
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37.
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Factors such as personality type probably have little impact on the working
relationship between a support agent and his or her colleagues.
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38.
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Employers usually hire support agents whose Myers-Briggs personality type is
extrovert.
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39.
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Most support workers and computer users are considered to be a mixture of the
personality types on the Myers-Briggs dimensions.
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40.
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A support agent should work to deny the sense of self-importance of users who
are “power users.”
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41.
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A support agent who handles complaints or incidents from angry, upset users
should try to move the incident into the problem-solving stage as rapidly as possible.
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42.
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Most users who are angry or frustrated are personally upset with the support
agent.
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43.
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A blog is a Web site where users who are angry or abusive can go to post
complaints about a company’s products or services.
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44.
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Designers of customer service Web sites find that since Web site content changes
frequently, the design of a Web site is less important than its contents.
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45.
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A commitment to customer service excellence means the customer is always
right.
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46.
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A comprehensive client service orientation among support staff applies to every
staff member, and to every mode of user communication.
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Multiple Choice
Identify the
choice that best completes the statement or answers the question.
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47.
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Effective communication skills are important primarily to support agents who
communicate ____.
a. | via telephone | c. | via email | b. | face-to-face | d. | any of these |
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48.
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Dissatisfied clients are more likely than satisfied clients to ____.
a. | resolve support incidents quickly | b. | contact the help desk repeatedly for
assistance | c. | resolve support incidents at a low tier | d. | convey a positive
business image to other users |
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49.
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Effective communication skills are based primarily on a support agent’s
ability to ____.
a. | listen and read effectively | c. | communicate solutions to a
user | b. | understand a user’s problem | d. | any of these |
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50.
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Excellent customer service in a support organization is based primarily on which
of these factors?
a. | The ability to solve user problems | b. | The ability to communicate effectively with
users | c. | Both A and B | d. | Neither A nor B |
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51.
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Which of these is not a primary strategy for a support organization that aims
for customer service excellence?
a. | Treat clients with respect. | b. | Explain to clients what the support
organization can do for them. | c. | Return calls to clients when
promised. | d. | Meet all of a client’s demands. |
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52.
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Analysis and evaluation of a user’s message are likely to occur during
which type of listening?
a. | Discriminative | c. | Critical | b. | Comprehensive | d. | Relational |
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53.
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A support agent should aim to use language that is ____ the language level that
the user uses.
a. | slightly above | c. | slightly below | b. | at the same level as | d. | none of the
above |
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54.
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One measure of whether a support agent understands a problem is that he or she
can express the user’s problem in ____.
a. | the user’s words | c. | industry standard vocabulary | b. | the support
agent’s own words | d. | none of the above |
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55.
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“I can give you a workaround for this problem, then later we can diagnose
the cause of the problem so you don’t encounter it again.” is an example of ____.
a. | empathy | c. | sincere greeting | b. | probing | d. | nonverbal
communication |
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56.
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A user’s first impression of a support agent comes from the ____.
a. | solution to the problem | c. | tone and style | b. | incident script
used | d. | incident
greeting |
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57.
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A script to handle a support incident has ____.
a. | a single sequence of questions and dialog from beginning to end | b. | a sequence of
questions with one decision point | c. | several sequences of questions with multiple
decision points or paths | d. | none of the
above |
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58.
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The most effective strategy for using a script is to ____.
a. | read the script verbatim to the user | c. | memorize the
script | b. | restate the script in your own words | d. | use the script only when
needed |
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59.
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Which type of nonverbal behavior is the least effective posture for support
agents?
a. | An open stance | c. | Establish eye contact | b. | Face the
user | d. | Fold
arms |
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60.
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Which type of nonverbal behavior is suggested for effective voice
quality?
a. | Use inflection to add interest. | c. | Use a warm, upbeat tone of
voice. | b. | Speak at a normal pitch. | d. | All of these |
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61.
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Inexperienced support agents tend to speak ____ when they experience stress in a
conversation with a user.
a. | too slow | c. | too fast | b. | about the right speed | d. | none of these |
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62.
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In a telephone communication, which of the following is the telephone activity a
support agent least likely needs to develop?
a. | A call greeting | c. | A way to hang up on abusive users | b. | A way to transfer a
call | d. | A dialog to put a call
on hold |
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63.
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Which of these is not one of the four goals of incident management?
a. | Make the user more self-reliant. | b. | Complete the incident in the least amount of
time possible. | c. | Manage stress levels for both user and support agent. | d. | Provide the user
with the information he or she needs. |
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64.
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When a support agent does not know the answer to a question, a good incident
management strategy is to tell the user ____.
a. | the support agent will research the question and get back to the
user | b. | the support agent doesn’t know and nobody else does either | c. | the question
isn’t as important as other questions | d. | to call back later when a different agent is
available |
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65.
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Which of these is not a recommended incident management strategy for support
agents?
a. | Ask goal-directed diagnostic questions. | b. | Don’t admit
that you’re wrong or don’t know. | c. | Say thanks. | d. | Teach user
self-reliance. |
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66.
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A support agent who feels that a user needs substantial assistance with the
organization of files on his or her computer system should ____.
a. | indicate how upset he or she is with the user’s file
organization | b. | tell the user how to straighten out his or her file organization | c. | point the user to
useful information about file organization | d. | intimidate the user into changing his or her
file organization |
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67.
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The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) measures ____.
a. | customer service ethic | c. | nonverbal behavior | b. | personality and work style
preferences | d. | user
self-reliance |
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68.
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Incidents that involve complaints ____.
a. | should be terminated as soon as possible | b. | are likely from
angry and frustrated users | c. | are a valuable source of feedback and
suggestions about products | d. | should be escalated immediately to experienced
support staff who know how to handle them |
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69.
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Support Web sites that use Web 2.0 technologies differ from earlier support Web
sites primarily in ____.
a. | including frequently asked questions (FAQs) | b. | the authoring
language used to build and maintain the site | c. | improved site navigation
tools | d. | an emphasis on collaboration and communication among
users |
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70.
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A feature of a Web site where discussions are posted by members of a user
community is called a ____.
a. | blog | c. | chat room | b. | user forum | d. | Twitter |
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71.
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A Web site that contains large numbers of misspelled words and grammatical
errors fails which of these general criteria?
a. | Content | c. | Format | b. | Organization | d. | Mechanics |
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72.
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Posts to a user forum with commentary on a single topic, arranged in date order,
are called _____.
a. | Web 2.0 | c. | a blog | b. | a thread | d. | Web 3.0 |
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Completion
Complete each
statement.
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73.
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An organization-wide commitment that client relationships and client
satisfaction are the most important aspect of a business is a(n) ______________________.
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74.
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____________________ include the ability to listen or read effectively,
understand a user’s problem, and relate a solution to a problem.
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75.
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The three essential communications skills are ____, understanding, and
responding.
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76.
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One purpose or type of listening is to develop rapport with a user. This
type of listening is called _____________________.
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77.
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The purpose of ____________________ listening is to provide positive support to
a user.
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78.
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____________________ is an understanding of and identification with a
user’s situation, thoughts, and feelings.
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79.
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A(n) ____________________ is a prepared sequence of questions and statements
that covers the important parts of an incident.
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80.
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A nonverbal behavior that uses head, hand, and arm movements to communicate
active involvement and helps with explanations is called a(n) __________________________.
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81.
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A(n) ____________________ is a choice each support agent makes about how
professional or casual, how respectful or condescending, how formal or informal, and how terse or
verbose he or she will be in interactions with users.
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82.
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A(n) ______________________________ is a collection of tools, techniques, and
activities used to move a problem effectively and efficiently from beginning to end.
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83.
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____________________ is a user support goal that seeks to increase each
user’s self-sufficiency and reduce a user’s dependence on support services.
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84.
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A support agent who explains solutions to users, so they can understand the
reasons for a problem and the recommended solution, is addressing the goal of
____________________.
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85.
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A series of questions designed to reveal where a worker falls on four basic
personality dimensions is called ___________________________________.
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86.
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A coworker who is introverted, communicates directly, bases decisions on
objective factors, and is well-organized—like George in the case study in the chapter—is
probably a(n) _______________ personality type on the MBTI scale.
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87.
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A(n) ____________________ is a user who is technically very knowledgeable (or
thinks he or she is) or who believes he or she has connections that warrant special treatment by
support staff.
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88.
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A user who is rude, uses inappropriate language, or makes personal attacks on a
support agent falls into the category of _____________________________ users.
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89.
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_________________________ is the development of technologies and applications
that emphasize interactions and social networking among communities of users.
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90.
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A feature of a Web site where discussions are organized to which members of a
user community may contribute is called a(n) _______________________.
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91.
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Four general criteria that apply to Web site design are content,
_____________________, format, and mechanics.
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Short Answer
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92.
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Explain how a customer service orientation can be included in a user support
mission statement.
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93.
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Describe three reasons why support organizations emphasize customer
service.
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94.
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Describe four strategies support staff can use to provide customer service
excellence.
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95.
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List and briefly describe any three of the six listening types or purposes
discussed in the chapter.
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96.
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List the three essential communications skills used in customer service
situations.
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97.
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In addition to a user’s description of a problem, an agent should listen
to what other features of the communication?
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98.
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List three aspects of how a user describes a problem that can provide a support
agent with valuable information about how to handle an incident.
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99.
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Give two examples of phrases a support agent can use that illustrate an
empathetic response.
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100.
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List three aspects of communication that can influence a user’s level of
satisfaction with an agent’s response to an incident.
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101.
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Briefly explain the purpose of thanking a user for calling during an incident
greeting.
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102.
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Give three examples of nonverbal behaviors to avoid during communications with
users.
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103.
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List five ways a support agent can use an effective personal communication
style.
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104.
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List three telephone activities for which support agents may need to develop an
effective dialog.
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105.
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List the four goals of incident management.
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106.
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List four sources a support agent can use to develop an incident management
strategy.
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107.
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List five specific incident management strategies that can help with effective
incident management.
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108.
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Explain the difference between incident management and user management.
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109.
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Explain why user support agents want users to call back, but hope that each
user’s problem gets solved so he or she doesn’t have to call back.
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110.
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Choose one of the four Myers-Briggs personality dimensions and explain the two
extremes.
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111.
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List five different types of incidents that are challenging for a support agent
to handle.
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112.
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Describe how to handle incidents that involve complaints from users.
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113.
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Describe how to handle incidents from power users.
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114.
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Describe how to handle incidents that get off track.
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115.
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Describe how to handle users who are upset or angry.
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116.
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Explain the three principles for handling angry users.
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117.
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Describe how to handle users who are abusive.
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118.
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Describe how to handle users who won’t respond.
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119.
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Describe how to handle a user who won’t stop responding.
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120.
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List five purposes for a user support Web site.
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121.
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List four general criteria used to evaluate a support Web site and briefly
explain the purpose of each criterion.
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122.
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Describe three aspects of a comprehensive approach to customer service
excellence.
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