Scenario (fictional): Silvan Container Works is a mid-sized organization that is also global. They sell most of their containers internationally although they are based in the U.S. The company’s containers are made with natural raw materials such as clay, stone, and natural woven fibers to create containers that are safe for a multitude of personal and industrial uses. They have a customer service department call center that is located in Germany where the customer service representatives (CSRs) are quadrilingual. The CSRs’ first language is German because management required they be native born German citizens with at least 15 years customer service experience when they were hired. The CSRs are a close knit group, and share stories with each other regarding their customers between their shifts and during their scheduled breaks in the employee break room. Their biggest complaint has been their lack of control over affecting results or problem resolution for their customers on the job.

Lately there have been excessive complaints logged into the Customer Relationship Management (CRM) System to which all the managers have access. There are customer complaints that the CSRs misunderstand the customer’s concerns and that they demonstrate a lack of empathy.

• Discuss the potential problems and opportunities based on the limited information in the scenario.