Professional Documents
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Needs Assessment
Needs Assessment
Project Description
PJ Enterprises develops, manufacturers, markets, and distributes high quality
gifts, apparel, and home accessories using a mail-order catalog and a retail store.
The catalog division currently employs 50 people, 40 of whom are full-time. Of
the 50 employees, 4 are customer-service supervisors and 25 are telephone
operators. A toll-free number is available to customers for inquiries, placing
orders, or sharing their complaints. Generated system reports reveal suboptimal
performance by the telephone operators. At present, the operators respond to
three calls per hour instead of the six call requirement. Two out of three
customers report negative feedback about their interactions with the operators.
Their dissatisfaction largely focuses on the operators lack of product knowledge,
poor telephone etiquette, and slow response. Customer grievances have increased
by 30% as compared to the same period last year. As a result, job dissatisfaction
amongst the operator team is prevalent; approximately 50% the telephone
operator team has expressed a desire to leave the company. The combined uptick
in customer and employee discontent comes at a time when company leadership
is implementing an aggressive growth strategy.
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A performance gap exists between the current state in which the telephone
operator team functions and company expectations, as evidenced by the
recurrence of missed sales goals. The services of JMAT Consulting have been
requested to design, develop, and deliver a training program for the telephone
operators and customer service supervisors. The proposed training program
would cover the features and benefits of the existing catalog of 500 rotating
products. At this time, a needs analysis has not been conducted to determine
whether such a solution is an appropriate match for PJ Enterprises.
JMAT Consulting will conduct a needs assessment to determine the root causes
of the suboptimal performance by telephone operator team and their customerservice supervisors. This study will also establish the basis for the increased
volume of customer complaints and the high attrition rate at the company. If it is
determined that an instructional solution is the best course of action, JMAT
Consulting will develop a course for the target group identified in the needs
assessment. Furthermore, JMAT Consulting will conduct all relevant activities
related to the design, development, delivery and assessment of a training course,
including:
Information Needed
In order to identify the source (or sources) of the performance issues mentioned
above, JMAT Consulting will gather and review a cross-section of operational
data from key departments at PJ Enterprises. We will closely examine the Sales,
Human Resources (HR), and Information Technology (IT) departments.
JMAT Consulting has established the following priorities for the needs
assessment:
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Employee Retention. Examine turnover rates and hiring data for telephone
operators and customer-service supervisors to:
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Team Strategy
JMAT Consulting will use the following research methods to collect the needed
information:
Analysis Plan
JMAT Consulting's analysis plan is outlined in the table below.
Research Method
1.
Review performance
appraisal data for
customer service
supervisors and
telephone operators
2.
Survey employees to
determine reactions to
new HR policies and
procedures, including
new performance
evaluation process
Target
Audience
Human
Resources
(HR)
Team
Member
Responsible
Terri A.
Terri A.
3.
Sales
Terri A.
4.
Interview
Customer
service
supervisors
Terri A.
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Research Method
5.
Review customer
service trainings and
job aids
Target
Audience
Judie
Thompson,
Catalog
Director,
Sheena Perez,
Merchandising
Manager
Team
Member
Responsible
Amy D.
6.
Review job
descriptions of
customer service
supervisors and
telephone operators
HR
Amy D.
7.
Interview
Judie
Thompson
Amy D.
Sheena Perez
8.
ACD data
Bruce Bennett
- VP of IT/IS
Maria M.
Run validation
process of existing
sales system against
existing sales cycle
workflow
Maria M.
Johnine
O.
Sheena Perez
10. Review Exit
Interviews
HR
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Research Method
Target
Audience
Team
Member
Responsible
Telephone
Operators
Johnine
O.
HR Director
Johnine
O.
13. Interview
HR Director
Johnine
O.
Questions to Ask
Throughout the review, the following questions will guide the identification of
the common performance deficits and exemplary performance characteristics:
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Questions to Ask
How satisfied are you with the new performance appraisal system?
Very satisfied, Satisfied, Neutral, Dissatisfied, Very Dissatisfied
Do you think the new performance appraisal system is effective in
measuring employee effectiveness?
Suggestions for improvement?
Are there any challenges in completing the performance evaluation
process?
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Questions to Ask
Are there any patterns evident between high performers and low
performers, including work area, supervisors and more?
Questions to Ask
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Questions to Ask
Who are the individuals that lead the onboarding training sessions?
What is their contact information?
Where can we find the training materials used for each training?
Questions to Ask
What are the behaviors, skills, abilities, and knowledge desired for
the Telephone Operators?
Where can we find the job descriptions for the Telephone Operators
and the Customer Service Supervisors?
How does the company ensure that staff understands the activities
and responsibilities outlined in their job description?
Questions to Ask
What are the most common performance issues seen after the
training that require an intervention?
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Questions to Ask
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Questions to Ask
Is the data that is being entered into the system an accurate reflection
of the client need and transaction?
Does the sales system provide both the sales and support teams with
practical information needed to perform their jobs and sustain client
relationships?
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Questions to Ask
Questions to Ask
Do you feel that the customer service supervisors support the work
you do? If not, why not?
Are you aware that customer complaints have increased 30% since
this time last year?
Questions to Ask
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What are the current policies and procedures for the management of
new employees including:
Questions to Ask
Can you pinpoint when the problems with recruitment began, or has
this been an ongoing issue for PJ Enterprises? What about selection,
hiring, onboarding and management?
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In the last six months, how many people applied for the following
positions: customer-service supervisor, telephone operator,
warehouse staff?
Once you have a pool of applicants for a position, how are selections
made? Who regularly participates in the interview process?
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Mitigation Strategies
Inconsistency of employee
documentation / lack of data
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