English for Small Business Management - страница 9

With the keyboard search capability of the Internet, browse information appearing under the caption "family business." Prepare a one-page report identifying the kinds of data available, and include references to at least two academic programs having home pages on the Web.

2.1 Classwork

competitive edge – конкурентное преимущество;

competitive advantage – конкурентное преимущество;

notch – незначительное изменение курса валют или цены;

customer – покупатель, заказчик, клиент;

consumer – потребитель;

dealer – торговец, дилер, торговый агент;

chief executive – руководитель высокого ранга;

competitor – конкурент;

checkbook – чековая книжка;

overdraft – кредит по текущему счету;

charge – цена, плата; расходы, издержки;

to refund – возвращать, возмещать (деньги, убытки)

to split – делить, дробить, разбивать на части;

top-notch – (разг.) превосходный, первоклассный;

survey – обзор;

to reveal – открывать, показывать, обнаруживать;

to summarize – подводить итог;

to dismiss – отделываться от ч. – л.;

complaint – жалоба;

to vest authority – облекать полномочиями, властью;

at the expense of – за ч. – л. счет;

to prosper – процветать;

to implement – обеспечивать выполнение, осуществлять;

disgruntled – в плохом настроении, рассерженный, раздраженный;

to drop off – довести до, подбросить на машине.

2.1.2 Exercise 2. Read the text

Customer service can provide a competitive edge for small firms regardless of the nature of the business. A customer satisfaction strategy is a marketing plan that has customer satisfaction as its goal. Such a strategy applies to consumer products and services as well as industrial products. Customer service should be the rule rather than the exception. The use of outstanding customer service to earn a competitive advantage is certainly not new. Longtime retailer Stanley Marcus, of Dallas-based Neiman-Marcus, is famous for his commitment to customer service. What is relatively new to small firms is the recognition that top-notch customer service is smart business.

A recent survey by Communication Briefings revealed that, in general, customers do not feel they get what they deserve. Responses to the question "How would you rate the quality of customer service you receive from most organizations you do business with?" are summarized as follows:

Here are some other findings of the study:

1 Over one-third of the respondents said the biggest customer service mistake was failing to make customers feel important.

2 Almost one-fourth of the respondents indicated that clerks are rude to the customers and management dismisses customer complaints.

3 Nearly one-half of the respondents said that in the past year they had ceased doing business with three or more businesses because of poor customer service.

What is the special significance of these statistics for small businesses? The answer is that small firms are potentially in a much better position to achieve customer satisfaction than are big businesses. Why? Ask yourself if the problems identified by the survey are more solvable within firms having fewer employees. For example, with fewer employees, a small firm can vest authority for dealing with complaints in each employee. On the other hand, a large business will usually charge a single individual or department with that responsibility.