Consider the following problem statement:
The problem of inconsistent quality in Customer Support responses to customer inquiries
Affects Customers, Customer Support Reps, and Customer Support management
The impact of which is decreased customer satisfaction scores and declining website sales
A successful solution would deliver a set of online product training classes that must be completed by all Customer Support Reps before they are allowed to take support calls.
Which section is most in need of revision?
- The “problem of” section
- The “affects” section
- The “impact” section
- The “successful solution” section
- It’s fine as is
You Answered: C
Correct Answer: D
The “successful solution” section should describe the benefits of a successful solution, and not propose a specific solution to the problem. It might say:
A successful solution would ensure that calls to the Customer Support center are handled by a Customer Support rep who is qualified to address the customer’s concern.
By stating the benefits instead of the solution, the team has the opportunity to explore multiple solutions. This problem could be solved in many ways; creating an online training curriculum is just one approach. Other approaches might involve providing partners or mentors for new reps or upgrading the phone system to do some diagnosis and route calls more intelligently.
