Higher admin

• Effects of poor communication - organisation

  - poor decision making - low sales and profits- productivity decreases & wastage increases - higher costs- demotivated staff - high staff turnover - poor relations with suppliers and customers - fall in sales and profits
• Effect of poor communications - individuals

  - not understanding instructions - poor performance - increased errors - disagreements- frustrated and stressed- low morale and confidence
• Solutions to barriers


  - lack of interest - time limit meetings- noise - provide presenter with microphone - technical difficulties - test all equipment, back ups - language barriers - have translators, use standard form- information overload - meeting short and to the point - differences in perception - clarify points
• Barriers to communication

  - noise - physical e.g. traffic or technical e.g. bad connection- distortion - message not accurately stated - differences in perception - age, cultures, education- jumping to conclusions - missing the actual message - lack of interest - don't engage with message - information overload - confused and tired- bias - receive the part you want - lack of feedback - cant be sure message was sent
• written communication - strength and weaknesses


  + permanent record + structured and consistent + if lots of info it can be written down+ looked at when convenient - take longer to prepare - inflexible - no immediate feedback- can't use verbal clues
• Oral communication - strengths and weaknesses

  + faster than written+ cheaper than using technology+ two - way discussion+ instant feedback- no permanent record - no structure or consistency - personal emotions can be a barrier
• Methods of communication

  - face-to-face - meeting, interview, conversation, immediate - oral - telephone, immediate- written - letters, reports, permanent, read documents - electronic - intranet, internet, email, 24/7, speeds up information
• methods of field research

  customer focus groups+ instant feedback+ suggestions for improvement - viewpoint from small group- irregularly held events written survey+ feedback on wide range of areas + variety of questions - time consuming to fill in- poor number of returns telephone surveys+ immediate response+ wide range of customers can be reached - time consuming - reluctance to spend time going through questionnaire comment cards+ not time consuming + simple - tick box- not much space - only focusses on one or two areas of service mystery shopper+ real example of customer experience + immediate feedback on service - only assesses front line service - only provides one persons experience suggestion boxes - suggestions for improvements can be dropped
• Field research

  - first hand information + competitors don't have access - comp. edge + up to date - accurate- expensive to collect - response rate can be low
• Desk research


  - second hand information which already exists + cheap to obtain+easy to access - info might be irrelevant - wastes time - out-of-date - wrong decisions made
• Methods for monitoring and evaluating customer care

  - market research - product, price, competition, customer attitude- Desk- field
• Communicating with customers

  - on-line chat facility - two way, recorded - twitter - worldwide, feedback - negative comments, lack privacy- Instagram - raises brand awareness, shoppable posts
• impact of poor customer service

  - bad publicity - poor reputation - recruitment, falling market share- dissatisfied customers don't come back - falling income- extreme cases - legal action - costs - resources used to sort issue
• benefit of effective customer services

  - satisfied customers - repeat business- satisfied and motivated employees - teamwork- low employee turnover - less money on training - reduced costs attracting customers - good reputation - attract customers & good staff- competitive edge
• Customer complaints procedure

  - complaints received and logged- employees are trained on how to deal with complaints - same person is allocated to deal with complaints from start to finish - complaints received are acknowledged immediately - result of the investigation is communicated to the customer- the process is tracked internally- complaints received are reviewed to check for patterns
• Service level agreements

  - what the organisation promises to do and what the customer should expect- expected delivery times - what happens if the provider fails to deliver - how complaints should be dealt with - how customers should be greeted - appropriate call waiting times
• Impact on technology in a meeting

  - email - NOM & agenda can be sent- E - diaries - Videoconferencing - anyone can join, users see and hear each other - audioconferencing - number of people to speak without being face to face - Videophones - allows number of people to speak - Networks - connect computers - LAN/WAN- whiteboard - brainstorming
• Consequence of inadequate preperation

  - not everyone notified- poor agenda - might not cover important topics - non suitable venue - double booked, small- time wasted
• Meeting documentation


  - notice of meeting - place, time - agenda - meeting structure, what's discussed - registers - apologies for absence
• Secretary responsibilities

  - book venue - draft notice of meeting and agenda - distribute papers - note apologies for absence - have register - check room- collect files needed - clean room- draft minutes of meeting- prepare a note of issues to be dealt with
• Chairperson responsibilities

  - start meeting punctually - sign the minutes as correct- work through agenda - ensure everyone has the opportunity to speak - decide when discussion has gone on to long - put matters to vote - close meeting - liaise with secretary
• Consequences of poor file management

  - time wasted looking for files - waste server space if saved multiple times - different versions saved in different locations - poor customer relations if complaint cant be found - slow computer systems - legal implications in breach of GDPR
• File management

  - file locations - info on where they are stored- file names - appropriate names - back up procedures - back up copies - restricted access - log ins - maintenance - info provided about deleting files
• Disadvantages of ecommerce - customers

  - might like to see products before buying- additional delivery charges - if security is compromised - details could be subject to fraud
• Advantages of ecommerce - customers

  - browse products from comfort of own home - deliveries- benefit from increased choice - stock low in stores - save travel - price comparison sites
• Disadvantages of ecommerce - organisation

  - costs of setting up website- security systems have to be put in place - lose out on face to face customers - customers might prefer to physically view products
• Advantages of e-commerce - organisations

  - can reach wide range of customers - customers can access 24/7- reduce costs - not expanding premises & staff- monitor what customers buy
• WANs advantages and disadvantages

  - data can be transmitted quickly- easy access to internet- people outside org. could access data - no control over external websites - removed
• Wide area Networks (WANs)


  - a network that connects to computers on a worldwide scale
• LAN advantages and disadvantages

  - easy to share printer/copiers - reduce costs- easier to share files - backups taken - reduce lost files - access rights - network goes down - slow productivity - file server damaged or stolen - all files lost- virus can spread quickly
• Local Area Networks (LANs)


  - use servers to connect computers and peripherals within small geographical areas
• Methods of communicating use ICT

  - phone - email- IM- presentations
• Impact of ICT on workflow

  - email - fast communication, sent to lots of people, sent worldwide - video conferencing - saves travel, build relationships - e diaries - reminders, helps set up meetings
• Disadvantages of open plan

  - lack of privacy - distractions - difficult to suit personal requirements - illness spreads easily- offices cannot be locked - noisy equipment - hard to concentrate
• Advantages of open plan

  - easy to supervise - promotes teamwork- resources can be shared- communication is easier - less space is wasted - motivated by space
• Open plan


  - A layout that's totally open
• Disadvantages of cellular

  - wastes space - hard to share resources - isolated - hard to supervise - harder to communicate - cramped and demotivated
• Advantages of cellular

  - privacy - noisy equipment put away - suit needs of individual staff - no distractions - locked - unauthorised staff- illness less likely to spread- personalise space
• Cellular work space


  - individual offices
• Ergonomics


  - ergonomics is the relationship between employees and their working environment - furniture and equipment - chairs, keyboards - acoustics and noise control -sound proofing- wall colours - lighting - non glare - heating - ventilation