In the more and more competitive service industry,it is no longer enough to promise customer satisfaction.Today,customer "delight" is what companies are trying to achieve in order to keep and increase market share. It is accepted in the marketing industry,and confirmed by a number of researches,that customers receiving good service will promote business by telling up to 12 other people;those treated badly will tell their tales of woe to up to 20 people.Interestingly,80 percent of people who feel their complaints are handled fairly will stay loyal. New challenges for customer care have come when people can obtain goods and services through telephone call centers and the Internet.For example,many companies now have to invest a lot of money in information technology and staff training in order to cope with the "phone rage"--caused by delays in answering calls,being cut off in mid-conversation or left waiting for long periods. "Many people do not like talking to machines,"says Dr.Storey,Senior Lecturer in Marketing at City University Business School."Banks,for example,encourage staff at call centers to use customer data to establish instant and good relationship with them.The aim is to make the customer feel they know you and that you can trust them--the sort of comfortable feelings people have during face-to-face chats with their local branch manager." Recommended ways of creating customer delight include:under-promising and over-delivering (saying that a repair will be carried out within five hours,but getting it done within two );replacing a faulty product immediately;throwing in a gift voucher as an unexpected "thank you" to regular customers;and always returning calls,even when they are complaints. Aiming for customer delight is all very well,but if services do not reach the high level promised,disappointment or worse will be the result.This can be eased by offering an apology and an explanation of why the service did not meet usual standards with empathy (for example,"I know how you must feel"),and possible... What does the writer recommend to create customer delight? A) Calling customers regularly. B) Giving a "thank you" note. C) Delivering a quicker service. D) Promising more gifts.
C
Mr. Patrick was new to the school and to us. Even though he was a great teacher, he seemed rather like a character out of a horror movie. He didn't look that bad, but somehow, he looked extremely scary to me. Some kids began to believe that he was a murderer or a ghost; some believed he was mad and a few believed that he might have suffered a lot in his life. I was one of those 'few'. One day I gathered up my courage and headed towards the school garden. He was, as usual, sitting on a bench alone. I breathed heavily a few times and then walked towards him. "How are you?" I asked with my voice crackling. He managed to say, "Fine." "Well, good to know," I tried to be happy. "Hmmm..." was all I heard. "What's up with you?" then seeing a puzzled look on his face, I tried to be more formal and respectful. "I mean, why aren't you like all other people in the school? Why are you always so quiet and sad? Why..." "No dear, some things are better left unsaid," he said gloomily. "Oh no sir, nothing is better left unsaid. If you want to share your feelings with me and reduce the pain of your heart, you are free to do so. I promise I will never ever tell anyone." "With you? You are just a little girl; what will you understand?" I was somehow offended but still I managed to persuade him, "So what, Sir? You see, if you tell me your problem, you will have a light heart and you will have the feeling that someone somewhere cares about you." "Oh okay, that was a very nice belief indeed; let's take a walk and I will let you know everything." Soon after our little talk, there was a visible change on his face. Later that day in the class, there was a smile on his face. While walking towards Mr. Patrick in the school garden, the author felt _ . A) excited B) nervous C) worried D) happy
B
(Question)
For good health, be sure to eat fruits and vegetables, exercise regularly and lie as seldom as possible. A researcher is hoping this advice will someday take hold, based on results of a "science of honesty" study she completed. Half of 110 participants were told to stop telling major or minor ("white") lies for 10 weeks, while the other half (the control group) was given no special instructions about lying. The 110 people ranged from ages 18 to 71 and came from both sexes and all income levels. All came to a laboratory each week to complete health and relationship questionnaires and to take a test showing the number of major and minor lies they had told that week. When those in the no-lie group told three fewer white lies than in other weeks, they complained less of headaches, tenseness, anxiety and other problems than those in the control group. In addition, they reported that their close personal relationships had improved and their social interactions had gone more smoothly. "The link was that clear," said study author Anita Kelly, a professor of psychology at the University of Notre Dame, Indiana. "Lying less was clearly associated with better health for those people." Previous research indicates that Americans average 11 lies per week, from the little white lies to save face or falsely praise others to major lies about serious matters. Kelly said her study differs from former studies because it didn't focus on how to detect a liar, but on the potential health consequences of telling lies. "People might recognize the more harmful effect lying can have on relationships, but probably don't recognize the extent to which it can cause a lot of stress," said Dr. Bryan Bruno at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City. At the end of the study, some participants had created smart ways to avoid lying. Kelly noted that some realized they could simply tell the truth about their daily achievements rather than exaggerate , while others responded to a troubling question with another question to take the person's attention... The "science of honesty" study by Anita Kelly focused on _ . A) the effect lifestyles have on health. B) the link between lying and health. C) how to improve relationships D) how to discover a liar.
(Answer)
B