It Was Mid Morning On August 10, 2015 Courtney Bayer ✓ Solved

It Was Mid Morning On August 10 2015 Courtney Bayer A Recent Colleg

It was mid-morning on August 10, 2015. Courtney Bayer, a recent college graduate with a lifelong passion for interior design, was managing her new boss’ social media. Bayer spent what felt like a long summer working as an assistant to Kelly Daniels, the owner of Elevate Home Staging. This small business specialized in redecorating homes to sell quickly and for top dollar. It accumulated a number of glowing online reviews and was featured on a Home and Garden Television (HGTV) show.

Despite these successes, Bayer had sensed some frustration from customers. A visibly angry customer named Annie Masters stormed into the office and said, “Is Kelly here? Once again, she’s not responding to me.” Although Bayer’s authority was limited, she needed to salvage Masters’ service experience and prove her value to Daniels if she wanted this summer job to turn into a full-time position. Bayer’s thoughts immediately went to the text messages she recently exchanged with Masters. Had she followed through on her promises to Masters? (Please see Exhibit 1 for the text messages between the two women.) Daniels was on a last-minute family vacation to the mountains and would not be back in the office for another week, so Bayer was left to manage a number of projects.

Bayer wanted to rectify the situation as best as she could and asked Masters if she could help with anything else. Masters was obviously agitated but explained, “I called Kelly in May because we wanted to get our house ready to sell before school started in August. Basically, all I needed was some help arranging my living room furniture and hanging pictures. Thanks to Kelly’s vision and charm, a small job soon became a big job that included staging the entire house as well as redecorating the master suite, office, playroom, and back porch.” Masters handed Bayer a copy of her contract.

As Bayer glanced over the document, she was surprised to see that Masters agreed to pay Elevate Home Staging $75 per hour for an estimated 20 hours of work. The project would cost $1500, which was well above the median amount of $675 that was spent on home staging in 2015. Masters continued, “My biggest mistake was giving Kelly a $500 service retainer and a $400 deposit for furnishings. After that, she seemed to lose interest in my project. It often took her days to respond to my text messages.”

A few times, she told me she’d call me, but she never did. That’s when I started texting you. I didn’t want to be rude, but I needed somebody to respond! There was ALWAYS a dramatic excuse for her lack of availability, though. In the last two months, she has moved or canceled appointments because of church camp, illness, injury, a missing family member, a robbery, and the Little League playoffs.

One or two of these excuses is understandable, but it’s always something new, and the work never gets done. I swear, I didn’t see her for weeks at a time, which left my family living in a disheveled mess. Not only that, but she didn’t deliver one of the many contractors she promised to provide. I wasted a lot of my vacation finding a painter, furniture repairman, and upholsterer. So far, I have paid $900 for Kelly to set up a Pinterest board, arrange my living room furniture, hang some pictures, pick a terrible paint colour, buy a curtain rod, and deliver a table. That’s all she’s done! She’s about to miss her final deadline, and she hasn’t responded to my texts, emails, or voice messages about setting up an appointment with a picture hanger in over two weeks. I can’t wait to hear her excuse this time.

Bayer was in a difficult position. She knew that Daniels was stretched thin as a mother of five who was running her own business. However, she could understand Masters’ frustration and did not want to lose her as a customer. In home staging, like many small businesses, service providers rely on word of mouth. An upset customer, like Masters, could have a negative effect on future business. Bayer wanted to resolve Masters’ frustrations but did not want to say anything that would make her boss look bad. She wanted Daniels to make her a full-time job offer!

After all, Bayer had turned down a lucrative managerial position in retail to pursue her dream of working in design. She knew this summer position was a gamble, but she hoped it would be her opportunity to break into the exclusive design industry. Bayer said, “Daniels had to go out of town, but I’ll do my best to track her down. I’ll ask her to contact you and let you know when you can expect the picture hanger.” As Masters left Elevate Home Staging, Bayer thought back to her services marketing class. She wondered what Elevate Home Staging should have done differently to ensure Masters’ satisfaction? Also, how could Bayer now help Masters without making her boss look bad?

Sample Paper For Above instruction

In the competitive and often unpredictable field of home staging, customer satisfaction is paramount for sustaining a successful small business. The case of Elevate Home Staging and its client, Annie Masters, exemplifies the critical need for effective customer service, communication, and ethical professionalism within service-based industries. This paper explores the mistakes made by Elevate, the ethics of customer management, and strategic steps Bayer can undertake to resolve the situation while safeguarding her boss’s reputation and her career prospects.

Firstly, Elevate Home Staging’s failure to meet customer expectations stemmed from a lack of communication and projected professionalism. Masters’ detailed account highlights numerous delays, unfulfilled promises, and a lack of responsiveness from Kelly Daniels, which eroded client trust. Effective communication is vital in service industries, especially when managing complex projects involving multiple contractors and tight deadlines. The company should have established clear timelines, maintained consistent updates, and provided proactive solutions to prevent frustration. Research in services marketing emphasizes the importance of customer engagement and transparency in retaining clients and referrals (Zeithaml et al., 2018). Elevate’s failure to communicate effectively created doubt about their reliability, which is detrimental in a word-of-mouth-driven industry.

Secondly, ethical considerations in this case revolve around honesty, accountability, and professional integrity. Kelly Daniels’ apparent neglect in managing the project and her excuses for delays reflect poor ethical standards, risking damage to her personal reputation and the company’s. For Bayer, the ethical dilemma was how to address the client's grievances without damaging her employer’s image. She must balance honesty with diplomacy, ensuring that the client’s needs are acknowledged while protecting her boss’s reputation. Strategies such as transparent communication, offering alternative solutions, and taking responsibility could have mitigated the negative impact and preserved the customer relationship (Lemon et al., 2019).

To improve future customer satisfaction, Elevate should implement several strategies. These include establishing detailed project timelines, appointing a dedicated project manager, and maintaining ongoing communication with clients. Additionally, training staff in customer service excellence and ethical business practices can safeguard company reputation. In terms of immediate resolution, Bayer should focus on empathizing with Masters’ frustrations, offering tangible solutions, and personally overseeing the completion of delayed tasks. Such proactive engagement demonstrates accountability and care, critical factors in retaining high-value clients (Grönroos, 2017).

From Bayer’s perspective, she can leverage her initiative by tactfully assisting Masters’ needs without compromising her employer’s image. For instance, she could coordinate directly with reliable contractors, assuming responsibility for the project’s completion, and keep Masters informed regularly. This approach illustrates her dedication and professional ethic while protecting her boss’s reputation. Moreover, Bayer should communicate that she has taken personal charge of the situation, which provides reassurance to the client and positions her as a dedicated professional. This proactive stance can also improve her prospects for full-time employment by demonstrating her problem-solving skills and commitment to customer satisfaction.

In conclusion, the case of Elevate Home Staging underscores the vital importance of effective communication, ethical integrity, and proactive management in service industries. By implementing strategic improvements and handling the Masters’ situation with transparency and care, Bayer can help salvage the customer relationship, enhance her reputation, and potentially secure a full-time position. This scenario serves as a reminder that customer satisfaction hinges not only on the quality of services provided but also on the integrity, responsiveness, and professionalism of the business and its staff.

References

• Grönroos, C. (2017). Service Management and Marketing: Customer Management in Service Competition. John Wiley & Sons.
• Lemon, K. N., et al. (2019). Customer Experience Management: A Strategic Perspective. Routledge.
• Zeithaml, V. A., Bitner, M. J., & Gremler, D. D. (2018). Services Marketing: Integrating Customer Focus Across the Firm. McGraw-Hill Education.