NO TIME TO TALK!没时间说话！.pdf

NO TIME TO TALK! By Samia M. Siha and Douglas N. Hales Peer reviewed ____________________________________________________________________________ Samia M. Siha ssiha@ is an Associate Professor of Decision Sciences, Kennesaw State University. Douglas. N. Hales dhales@ is an Assistant Professor, College of Business Administration, University of Rhode Island. ______________________________________________________________________ ABSTRACT This case deals with several operations issues, such as standard time, corporate values/ethics vs. personal values/ethics, and effective performance measures. Joan Welch is an operator who works for a telecommunication company. She spends much of her time on the phone answering customers’ questions and responding to their concerns. Her average time spent on the phone with her customers is above the “standard time.” Unlike her, other operators cut customers short, or even hang up in order to keep the length of the call at or below the standard time. Joan was fired for low performance and her story became a hot topic for the media. Teaching notes follow the case. 8131 No Time to Talk! As Joan Welch hung up the phone, she sighed, but a little smile showed on her face. She had been talking with an elderly lady for about 45 minutes. The elderly woman was quite slow and couldn’t hear well, and Joan had to repeat the information more than once. Moreover, the elderly woman had asked about a certain sales promotion that Joan had to go through several screens to find. Joan was a customer service associate for “WE LOVE TO TALK” (WLTT) Telephone Company. She had been known among her peers as a patient and compassionate person. She had been raised by her grandmother, who was now 88 years old, and