1. What type of team, according to Table 11-2, delivered the excellent customer service at the Paris Four Seasons? Explain your choice. What are management's greatest challenges with this sort of team?
The four general types of work teams are advice, production, project and action. The team at the Paris Four Seasons is best described as a highly effective production team. It is responsible for performing the day-to-day operations of providing excellent customer service. To deliver this level of service, a high degree of coordination is needed to manage workflows from one team to another. A management challenge with this sort of team is ensuring proper coordination across the various departments. Consider the scenario in the case. In order for this excellent customer service to be provided, housekeeping needed to communicate with the kitchen to ensure there would be a fresh croissant available; housekeeping needed to tell the front desk staff what was going on; and the front desk staff had to communicate with Mr. Wynn’s family what was going on. A breakdown in communication among any of these elements would have resulted in a customer service failure.
2. What role does trust play in customer service teams and how can management build that trust?
Trust is a critical element of success for teams, including customer service teams. Success on a task is interrelated with the individual contributions to the team. If one person fails in his or her responsibilities, the entire team could fail. For instance, in the current example, if the front desk staff failed to leave a message for the Wynn family, the family would never have known there was a fresh croissant waiting for them. Team members must be deemed to be reliable in order for trust to develop. One key in developing trust in teams is competence. Individual team members must demonstrate technical ability and understanding of procedures and processes. Trust can be fostered through communication,...