Module 2 Project Gap Analysis Strategy Team #4

March 12, 2017

Project Description

The senior management team of PJ Enterprises has a goal of quality service delivery, but has
been experiencing high turnover of staff, job dissatisfaction, and an increase in customer
complaints. The company wishes to improve the training program for Customer Service
Supervisors and Telephone Operators to increase catalog sales and reduce customer complaints.
They have asked UWS Project Management to design, develop, and deliver a learning program
for these employees prior to the catalog mailing.

A gap analysis is needed in order to identify the perceived performance issues, determine the root
causes of the issues, and come up with a solution to the problem. The gap analysis will help
UWS analyze the current state at PJ Enterprises compared to the ideal state the senior
management envisions. The difference between the real and ideal will guide us as we
determine the best solution to the problem.

Information Needed

The gap analysis should provide the following information.

Employee development and recognition:

Telephone Operator and Customer Service Supervisor training in-place regarding

telephone etiquette.
Information regarding the current size of the PJ Customer Service workforce versus
actual needs.
The scheme for advertising performance incentives for the warehouse and customer
service staff.
Data used for determining incentive targets.

Employee dissatisfaction:

Sources of Telephone Operator and Customer Service Supervisor dissatisfaction.

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 Information regarding the distribution of complaints across the customer-service
workforce (i.e. are a small number of bad actors responsible for a large number of
complaints?)
Possible causes of poor monthly meeting attendance.
Possible explanations for the high turnover rate.

Daily tasks:

Basic description of tasks and activities that comprise customer-service operator and
supervisor daily duties.
Extent of use of customer-service operator job aids and product reference guides.
Organization and ease-of-use of the current jobs aids.

Technology:

Current state of the automatic call-distribution system. Information regarding

appropriateness of this system for the current size of the company, and the ability to adapt
to company growth over the next year (i.e. if the call-distribution system is only being
used at 85% capacity, why is long wait time a common complaint?).

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 Team Strategy

UWS Project Management recognizes that the following situations exist at PJ Enterprises:

Ambitious sales goals have been set for the upcoming year, following a record year in
sales.
PJ Enterprises sales are derived from a combination of retail and catalog sales, with
catalog sales via phone calls being roughly twice retail sales
PJ Enterprises has gone from three catalogs annually to four seasonal catalogs. The
Christmas catalog was the largest to date.
The diverse number of products the telephone operators are expected to sell has greatly
increased.
Turnover among the telephone operators is currently at 30% per year.
Customer complaints about the operators has reached a 66% level.
Phone operators are currently handling three calls per hour as opposed to the required six.
Human resources challenges continue to be a management concern.
The target audience for the training(s) is females aged 18 to mid-60s.

In order to obtain the information necessary to see where and if training can solve the
performance issues and better understand the root causes of the situations described above, UWS
will use the following methods:

Interviews
Surveys
Observations
Review of the following reports:
o Sales data per product SKU.
o Customer Satisfaction Surveys.
o Phone system reports.

UWS Project Management Team will be prepared to recommend to PJ if training is needed to

increase sales and customer service performance. In addition, the PM team will review any
potential interventions in addition to the recommended training.

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 Analysis Plan

Research Target Audience Information to be Gained Team Member(s)

Method
1. Interviews Customer Service Who has conducted the training Instructional
Supervisors to date on product, telephone Designers (Tracy
system, and sales skills? Review Cobb)
training plans with supervisors.
Why is only 30 minutes allotted
at the end of training for
questions and answers. What
happens if operators have
questions during actual calls?
Are calls monitored?
Goals for phone support and
sales.
Identify best sales practices from
high performers.
Determine the most common
complaints from staff.
Determine if there is a system for
handling complaints and if it is
followed.
Error-free performance is
rewarded, but is call volume
rewarded and if not, should it be?
2. Surveys Telephone Operators Measurable feedback regarding Instructional
and Customer Training received to date on Designers (Jon
Service Supervisors product, telephone system, and Thorson)
sales skills.
What is the work culture?
What is your understanding of the
goals for Telephone Operators
and Customer Service
Supervisors?
3. Interviews Judie Thompson How is the training prepared? Project Manager
Sheena Perez What is the delivery method? (Dayna Fuller)
Why are workers not paid for
meetings?
What is your prior training
experience?

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 4. Document Sales reports Rank SKUs by sales. Technical
Analysis Customer Rank operators by sales. Writer/Business
satisfaction surveys Rank operators by customer Analysts (Kyle
Phone system reports satisfaction. Vanderkin)
Employee handbook Rank operators by phone
Performance production.
evaluations Review training materials and
scripts.
Review job descriptions.
5. Interviews Yun Tsien Understand concerns of upper Project Coordinator
management. (Bob Lawton)
Verify milestone events and dates.
Discuss where training fits into
the growth strategy.
Understand capabilities of phone
and intranet.
Determine the level of training
provided for phone and intranet.

6. Interviews Jane Mackenzie Causes for turnover.

What new policies address
turnover?
How new policies will affect
corporate goals.
How Human Resources policies
affect training.
7. Observation Telephone Operators Quality of customer interaction. Instructional
Speed of service. Designers (Tracy
Ease of use of the telephone Cobb)
system.
Coworker interactions.
Supervisor/telephone operator
interactions.
Requests for support from
coworkers and/or supervisors.

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 Interviewing Customer Service Supervisors

Details of Activity/Method

In order to determine the needs and problems associated with the current undesirable condition,
the Instructional Designers will conduct interviews with the Telephone Operators supervisors.
Interviews will be conducted in person to better facilitate discussion and will last a half an hour
to an hour. Supervisors will be interviewed individually and in private. To facilitate open, honest
responses, the interviewers will assure all participants that their responses will remain
confidential. Interviewers will schedule interviews in advance and send out reminders two days
prior to the interview date. All supervisors will be interviewed to make them feel included in the
team effort and to give them a sense of ownership over the project.

Questions to Ask

1. Who has conducted the training received to date on product, telephone system, and sales
skills?
2. Can you provide us with details about the current training?
3. Do you feel the trainings are long enough?

4. How did you determine that 30 minutes was the appropriate amount of time for questions
and answers?
5. What is the process if operators have questions during actual calls?
6. Are calls monitored?
7. What are the desired goals for the Telephone Operators and Customer Service
Supervisors?
8. Who are your best performing Telephone Operators?
9. What are the most common complaints from staff?
10. What is the system for handling complaints?
11. Is there any reward for error-free performance?
12. Is call volume rewarded?
13. What do you think is the reason for the high turnover rate? Are there enough
Telephone Operators to handle the workload?
14. What data is used to determine incentive targets?
15. What job aids do Telephone Operators have on hand?
16. In your opinion, what is the reason for the high turnover rate of Telephone
Operators?
17. Is the automatic call-distribution system easy to use?

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 Survey of Telephone Operators and Customer Service Supervisors

Details of Activity/Method

The survey for the Telephone Operators will be electronically distributed, but accommodations
can be made if any employee would prefer the survey in a different format. Operators will be
given three working days to complete the survey. All employees taking the survey will be
guaranteed confidentiality to ensure results that are more accurate. The purpose of the survey is
to obtain measurable feedback regarding:

Training received to date on product, telephone system, and sales skills.

The work culture.
What would make their job easier?

Questions to Ask

1.) How long have you been employed by PJ Enterprises as a Telephone

Operator?
o Less than 6 months
o 6-12 months
o 1-2 years
o 2+ years
2.) What is your age? _________
3.) What is your gender?
o Female
o Male
4.) What is the highest level of education that you have completed?
o Some high school
o High school
o Two-year degree
o University degree
o Masters degree
5.) Are you a full-time employee?

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 o Yes
o No
6.) How many training sessions have you completed?
o 1
o 2
o 3
o 4
o 5
o 5+
7.) On a scale of 1-10 (10 being the most), how helpful were the training session
in terms of preparing you for your job? ___________
8.) Is the current training model effective for you to learn about new products?
o Yes
o No
9.) If you answered to no to question 8, do you have any suggestions?
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
10.) Currently you are provided training four times a year. Do these half-day
training sessions provide you with the materials and product knowledge necessary
to do your job satisfactorily?
o Yes
o No
11.) If you answered no to question 10, what suggestions do you have to make
these training sessions more beneficial for you?
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________

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 __________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
12.) How helpful are the product reference guides when answering questions
from a customer?
o Not at all
o Sometimes, depending on the product
o They work well most of the time
o They are wonderful
13.) Have you had training on telephone etiquette?
o Yes
o No
14.) Are you comfortable using the phone system?
o Yes
o No
PJ Enterprises has a goal of quality service as well as dedication to its
employees. The following questions relate to how you feel about PJ
Enterprises. Please indicate the extent of your agreement by selecting the
appropriate response next to each statement. Use the following scale:
1 Extremely dissatisfied
2 Dissatisfied
3 Neutral
4 Satisfied
5 - Extremely satisfied
15.) How satisfied are you with
Company morale? _____
The nature of your job? _____
Training and development? _____
Your relationship with supervisors? _____
Performance evaluations? _____
Resources available to assist you? _____

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 The self-evaluation process? _____
Feedback from supervisors? _____
The quality of your work? _____
16.) How many employee meetings do you attend?
o Every month
o Most
o Rarely
o Never
17.) If you have not attended every meeting, what is the reason?
o It conflicted with my scheduled work period
o Meeting times were not clearly communicated
o I was not compensated for attending
o They were not relevant to my position
I attended every meeting 18.) Do you know how to use the self-evaluation
system?
o Yes
o No
19.) My supervisor provides effective feedback to me regarding my work
performance.
1 Always
2 Sometimes
3 Occasionally
4 Never
20.) What types of feedback would you like from your supervisor?
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________
21.) My performance is praised when I do something well.

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 o Yes
o Sometimes
o No
22.) I receive coaching when I do something in error.
o Yes
o Sometimes
o No
23.) I regularly meet my goal of answering at least six calls per hour.
o Always
o Most of the time
o Rarely
o Never
24.) I have the level of support and training necessary to do my job well.
o Always
o Most of the time
o Rarely
o Never
25.) Please use the space below to further explain your responses if necessary.

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 Interviews with Judie Thompson and Sheena Perez

Details of Activity/Method

In an effort to uncover what is really going on, interviews with Judie Thompson (Catalog
Director) and Sheena Perez (Merchandising Manager).will be conducted. The Project Manager
and Project Coordinator from UWS Project Management Team will meet separately with these
key employees face-to-face. Prior to the interviews, UWS PM Team will review copies of their
resumes and employee records. The overarching goal of these interviews will be to determine if
the issues PJ Enterprises is experiencing can actually be resolved through training. Follow-up
meetings may take place with the copyright and professional service firms Sheena works closely
with, if needed.

Questions to Ask

1. Tell us about your background and how it prepares you to conduct training at PJ
Enterprises.
2. How do you prepare your training and how often do you revise it?
3. Do you get employee feedback at the end of training?

4. What is your delivery method?

5. Can we please see the current training materials?
6. Can you explain why workers are not paid when attending training?
7. Do you feel you have the resources to operate efficiently?

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 Document Analysis

Details of Activity/Method

The Business Analysts (all team members) will review documentation of business activities and
internal evaluations to gain a quantitative understanding of the current state of the business. They
will also review these materials to determine whether training materials and job descriptions are
adequate for PJs current and future needs. PJ will be asked to furnish sales reports, sales data
associated with individual products and operators, customer satisfaction survey data, call volume
data, documentation related to the function of the call-distribution system, job descriptions,
annual evaluations, Human Resources data (including turnover rates from teams and
departments, participation rates in training, and employee satisfaction data), training materials,
and other materials relevant to UWSs investigation.

Questions to Ask

The UWS team should use the assembled documents to answer the following questions, to the
best of their ability:

1. What are the rankings of individual catalog items (SKU) by sales volume?
2. What are the rankings of individual catalog items (SKU) by associated number of
complaints?
3. What are the rankings of Telephone Operators by sales (average number of sales per day
or per quarter)?
4. What are the rankings of Telephone Operators by associated number of complaints?
5. What are the rankings of Telephone Operators by number of calls handled (average per
day or per quarter)?
6. What are the Telephone Operator training participation rates?
7. Comparison of job descriptions for Telephone Operators to current customer-service
needs
8. Comparison of job qualifications for Telephone Operators to current job demands
9. Comparison of job descriptions for Customer Service Supervisors to current Customer
Service and Telephone Operator needs
10. Comparison of job qualifications for Customer Service Supervisors to current job
demands

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 Interviews with Management and Information Technology (IT)

Details of Activity/Method

The Instructional Designers (IDs) will speak with Jane Mackenzie, Director of Sales Support, for
verification of milestone dates and determine how they coincide with sales goals, catalog
releases, and system installations. The IDs will also discuss with her how their training initiative
fits in with other actions leading to growth. The IDs will also try to determine where
management feels previous methods have fallen short.

The IDs will also interview Yun Tsien, the manager of the new sales installation system, to verify
his timeline, understand the abilities of the new system and to ascertain what if any training on
the system will be offered by the vendor.

When possible these interviews will be conducted in person or by phone and will follow the
protocols for privacy and brevity as outlined in activity #1.

Questions to Ask

Jane Mackenzie

1. What are the key dates and how were they selected?
2. Where does this training initiative fit in with other measures taken to achieve corporate
goals?
3. How do we measure success for specific goals within the Customer Service area?
4. What initiated this need to change things up?

Yun Tsien

1. What are the reasons for the upcoming systems upgrade?

2. What are your goals for the new system, what should be achieved with it that could not
be achieved before?
3. What training was given to the Telephone Operators for the current system, what is the
training plan for the new system?
4. Who will conduct that training?

Human Resources Manager

1. Are exit interviews being conducted?

2. What do Telephone Operators give as the reason they are leaving PJ Enterprises?

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 3. Is there are reason why employees are not paid for meetings?
4. How will employees be made aware of new policies?

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 Observation of Telephone Operators

Details of Activity/Method

Observers will meet with the telephone operators to inform them of the purpose of the
observations that will be conducted. Telephone Operators will be assured that observations are
being conducted for data collection purposes only and will not affect their job security.
Observers will situate themselves in unobtrusive locations, being sure to relocate periodically to
better view all operators. Observations will be conducted during all shifts for one week.

Questions to Ask

Observers will look for the following occurrences and grade them using a pre-determined rating
system:

Quality of customer interaction

Speed of service
Ease of use of the telephone system
Coworker interactions
Customer Service Supervisor/Telephone Operator interactions
Requests for support from coworkers and/or supervisors
Layout of work stations
Quality of equipment
Types of equipment
Noise level
Lighting

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 Roadblocks and Dependencies
Roadblock/Dependency
Reluctance to speak openly and honestly during
interviews and surveys for fear of repercussions.
Unavailability of employees to sit for interviews.
Unavailability of management to sit for interviews
resulting in a lack of key information or a delay in
timely information.
Management insight regarding statistics processes, or
outcomes are incorrect.
Human resources cannot answer questions due to
privacy policies.
Telephone Operators may feel nervous or on guard
while being observed and may not work naturally.
Judie and Sheena may feel as if they are being blamed
and they may be worried about losing their jobs, so
getting them to be open and honest may be a challenge.
Using only Judie Thompson and Sheena Perezs
thoughts, opinions, etc. may not be as factual as
looking at actual data.
Telephone Operators may ignore the survey for fear of
repercussions.
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Mitigation Strategy
Assurance that responses will remain confidential.
Work with senior management to arrange shift
coverage and schedule interviews in advance.
Begin work using basic assumptions gathered from
case study information and try to confirm.
Verify as much as possible from reporting or
second sources.
Rely on anecdotal info from surveys and
interviews.
Develop a trusting relationship with Telephone
Operators prior to observation. Inform telephone
operators that your goal is to improve their work
environment. Observer should situate themselves in
an unobtrusive spot during observations.
Ensure that the team member conducting the
interviews is skilled and has strong EQ skills.
Spend time shadowing Judie and Sheena as they go
through their daily routines either before or after
interviewing them. Let them know this is a process
that we all have to work through together in order
to resolve.
Strive to use human and non-human resources to
get a clear picture of what is actually going on.
Ensure confidentiality and require the survey to be
completed.
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