Background
Answer Me This is an answering service that was started in 1978 by Shirley and Pat Thompson. The couple started the business just for supplemental income. Pat worked as a police officer, and Shirley stayed at home with their three young children. The business was run out of an office in their home. The main purpose was to provide a dispatching or secretary type service for those companies who needed a real person to answer phones any time of day, or time of year. The company started off small- a couple of businesses for after hour and lunch time call pick-up, a funeral parlor to call directors in the middle of the night for notification of a death, and a 24 hour, 7 day a week service for Orca Petroleum company. Orca provided the backbone for their business in future years- and became a central purpose of the company.
Answer Me This would receive alarms notifying the dispatcher that a gas well was not functioning and the dispatcher would then notify the field technician of its status, and the well would be repaired in a timely manner. In 1978 this started as a handful of wells, and one gas exploration company. By the mid 1990s this would grow tow eight major gas exploration companies and over 500 gas wells, and three mechanic companies dedicated to this field.
As the demand for an answering service grew, the business flourished. When the business first started, Shirley and Pat ran the business by themselves without any additional employees. Within five years of creation, the business employed 6 people.
The set up for employees was a little different than most places. One person worked per shift. If one needed to communicate with someone, a note was left. If there were any customer problems or situations, the employee was to notify the next shift. If there were any problems that needed the owner’s attention, the owner was available day or night, and was able to fix the problem at hand.
The Thompsons treated their employees well. They couldn’t afford many benefits, but tried to compensate with salary. Overall, the employees were happy, and most stayed with the company for years.
In 2006, the Thompsons decided to sell the business due to increased demand, and health problems. The company was sold to a local company, Telecom Support Services. The business owned by Bob and Linda Fink was an office communication installer. While the company did not have experience with an answering service, they felt the Answer Me This had potential, and were eager to help the company grow.
Transition
The sale of the business went quickly, too quickly in fact. Bob and Linda had wanted a new building to accommodate both of their growing businesses. Instead, they were forced to clear out a small corner of their office to create a cubical for the answering service.
Bob and Linda had wanted to expand the business from a local business to a regional business. The previous owners, Pat and Shirley, mainly relied on word of mouth, and the occasional yellow pages look up to generate new business. Expansion was more of a welcome surprise than a priority. They focused on customer service, and telephones. Bob and Linda wanted to make Answer Me This an office solution- not just an answering service, but also provide businesses with temporary office workers, and even smaller businesses with conference rooms. Unfortunately, these ideas slowly faded away.
Bob and Linda kept the same business structure as Pat and Shirley. There would be six workers. Four of the workers would be half time, while two were full-time. When Pat and Shirley owned the business, their full time day shift worker, Claire, acted as office manager. She would handle smaller problems around the office such as disagreements between workers, or different customers. She acted as a buffer between the business and the owners. Day to day operations was to be directed by Claire. If anything required more attention, Claire would inform the owners of the situation. Bob and Linda appreciated the efficiency of this role, but wanted a little more control than the previous owners. All internal and external problems, as well information about the customers needed to go through Bob and Linda. Claire acted as a reporter.
Communication problems
Bob and Linda’s ideas were great, and had potential to work, however it didn’t seem the effort was put forth. While Bob and Linda invested a great amount of money into the business, they were unable to invest time into learning a new business. Instead of learning how their business operated, they relied heavily on the employees that came from Answer Me This to run the business. Although all information had to go through the new owners, neither one of the owners knew how the daily operations were conducted. They did not understand the importance of many documents that landed on Linda’s desk. This information consisted of schedules, employee lists, company policies, etc. Many times, the papers would lay on the desk for days before Linda remembered to turn the papers over to the answering service. Linda made one attempt to train with the employees, but after a few hours became frustrated, and gave up learning. All billing, scheduling, and day to day business tasks were now the employee’s full responsibility.
Bob and Linda also did not trust the new employees. These were not hand chosen by them, but by the previous owners. Even though these employees had been with the company for years, the Fink’s were leery. The employees of the answering service were notified that they would be under video and audio surveillance. If an employee of the service voiced their opposition, they were chastised by Bob and Linda, or simply ignored. Within 6 months of acquisition, two of the six long time employees were fired.
The attitudes exhibited by the owners, created added stress for employees. The employees resented their new bosses, and began arguing amongst themselves. Workers would only do their job, and nothing beyond. Work became sloppy as employees lost interest. Customers of the answering service were used to precise attention to detail. The loss of dedication, combined with higher pricing caused many businesses to leave the answering service
All the tension that had been building up in the office came to a head when the funeral home called one day. The funeral home had hired a new director two weeks prior, and the information and schedule for the new employee had sat on Linda’s desk. There had been a death the night before, and the new employee had been on call. Unfortunately, the night time dispatcher did not have the new information or schedule, and it had taken two hours to locate the information.
“Scott Funeral Home just called,” Cassie said when she approached Linda’s desk, “they are about to stop using our service. They had sent over schedules two weeks ago with a new employee’s information and we still haven’t seen it. Why did this happen?”
Linda immediately became defensive. “I cannot do everything at once. I am running two businesses. Scott’s should have called and verified we received the package, I can’t do everything!”
Claire had seen how disagreements led to being fired, and needed her job. “Fine!” she exclaimed, and walked back to her desk. It was now her job to apologize to the customer, and assure them that the mistake would not happen again.
Communication Challenge
Bob and Linda recognized the need for changes within the business. If the problems were not addressed, their investment would be lost, and any plans of building on would never come true. As an organizational development specialist, what problems do you see? What would you suggest to fix them?
8 comments:
The sale of the business went too quickly, ultimately this created a poor and unsuccessful merger with many aspects overlooked. Bob and Linda wanted to be involved in all internal and external problems, which were previously handled by Claire who was the mediator/office manager of her fellow employees. Bob and Linda now wanted Claire to act as reporter, I can foresee this becoming a trust issue among employees who may feel that Claire is the “spy”. It is important to avoid “water cooler” chats, especially with colleagues who have a negative outlook (Cornell, 2006).
Initially problems started developing when Bob and Linda were unable to invest time into learning the new business. When the original contract was signed; an exchange of information should have been presented from the original owners to Bob and Linda. Overall, Answer Me This should have been put on hold for a transitional period until Bob and Linda learned the all aspects of the company.
They relied heavily on the employees that came from Answer Me This. This being said, all information had to go through the new owner, but neither knew how the daily operations were conducted. Papers would lay on the desk for days; these papers were vital to the success of the organization which included billing, scheduling, and the day-to-day business tasks. The one and only time Linda attempted to be trained she got frustrated and gave up learning. Although, the owner, this should not have been accepted. Linda should have scheduled a meeting with all employees prior to entering the workload and trained with them immediately. Because, Linda got frustrated; full responsibilities were then given to the employees. This being said, Bob and Linda did not trust any of the employees. This created an uneasy atmosphere as Bob and Linda notified the employers they were under video and audio surveillance. When the employees voiced an opinion they were chastised or ignored. Cutting off an open flow of communication. The workers who continued to work at Answer Me This became stressed, and now only did what had to be done, interest was lost, and work became sloppy. This should have never happened, Bob and Linda should have sat down with each employee reviewed their records and learned the responsibilities of that employee. This would have built trust among the employer and employee.
My advice for the employees, focus on what you can control in a takeover, virtually everything is out of your control; with the exception of how you handle your job. Keep your eye on the ball and keep doing the best job you can (Cornell, 2007). Furthermore, the employees need to speak up and prove their worth to the organization going forward and talk about their past accomplishments.
Overall, to avoid misunderstandings and conflicts from the beginning it is best for Bob and Linda to set down a clear and consistent policy favoring the dominant culture. In this scenario, they have already offended half their staff. It is important for them to work with Claire and hire new “selected” employees that will be trained. There biggest concern has been trust of the employees, this should work in their favor with new hires. This will also, be a good time for Linda and Bob to overview what is happening and make suggestions or recommendations to changes taking place.
Bad leadership destroys a company. Without a clear and powerful leader to drive the takeover forward it will stagnate. (Toger, 2008). It is important that Bob and Linda make sure that if they are creating a combined managerial team from the two companies everyone is sure of their role. At this time, it is of great importance that Bob and Linda work together with Claire as a team. Because they have limited knowledge of the organization, it is in their best interest to work hand and hand with Claire. I fear that if Claire leaves, the company will go under.
Resources
Cornell, S., April 4, 2007. Takeover Angst for Older Worker.
Retrieved September 2, 2008 > http://working.canada.com/resources/story.html?id=35cd1347-e4f3-415c-9292-4dfd6d11cff2
Topfer, S., April 22, 2008. Takeover Disasters. Retrieved September 2, 2008, from The Small Business Blog > http://www.sme-blog.com/how-to/plan-your-business/takeover-disasters
Being the owner of a business requires several responsibilities on the part of the owner. The owner is the main contact for all employees and being this main contact requires the owner to be present during all daily operations. The owner is also required to insure that all business operations are run smoothly and on a professional level.
“How to Manage Multiple Businesses” (Anonymous, n.d.) offers four steps in order to manage multiple businesses successfully. These steps are 1) Creating a strong business forecast, 2) Hire a strong management team, 3) Be as hands on as you can, and 4) Take a seminar. These steps are all steps that Bob and Linda Fink, new owners of Answer Me This, should seriously consider.
Creating a strong business forecast includes implementing a business plan; forecasting where the new owners expect their company to be in the next five to ten years. This assists the owners with keeping on track with each business and providing goals for employees to follow. Having a strong management team, and trusting that team, is a key to success for any organization. The management team is available to train all employees and assist them with creating plans of action, which will move the company in the direction it needs to go. Being hands on requires the owners to be involved with all operations, being available to address questions and issues that may arise. Finally, taking a seminar provides guidance for the new owners to manage multiple companies and creating road maps for them to follow within each organization.
In smaller organizations with ten or less employees, having a successful office manager may be the alternative to hiring a complete management team. The responsibilities of the office manager vary from business to business, however at Answer Me This, the current office manager, Claire, should be given the authority to manage the company without much interference by Linda. Claire was successful with managing the office when the old owners were present, and she needs to be given that authority until Bob and Linda are able to get a full grasp on their new purchase.
According to “Responsibilities of an Office Manager” (Anonymous, n.d.), an office manager is an individual who oversees the running of a business. Specific responsibilities of the office manager are performing various specific duties in their professional role, hiring and firing of employees, ordering supplies, performing payroll duties and accounting duties, taking phone calls, and performing general everyday tasks which are necessary for the efficient running of the business.
In order for Answer Me This to remain a successful answering service, Bob and Linda need to create a strong business relationship with Claire and allow her the responsibility of Office Manager until they are able to take over daily operations in a professional manner. Claire was a successful Office Manager with the previous owners, Pat and Shirley, and the company was a large success. Since the sale of the company, employees resent their bosses are arguing amongst themselves, they will only do their jobs, and nothing more. Their work has become sloppy, they have lost dedication, and their attitudes have changes considerably.
Customers are noticing lack of consideration for their messages, and the latest mishap with the funeral home has push customers to take their business elsewhere. Claire has stepped in to try and maintain a relationship with the funeral home and take responsibility of the mix up. Until Claire is given full duties as Office Manager, she should not be responsible for the mistakes that are being made by the new owners.
As an organizational development specialist, I would meet with the old owners to document their expectations of themselves, their employees, and their customers; I would then meet with the new owners and try to get a feel for their commitment to Answer Me This; finally I would meet with the current employees at Answer Me This to understand their daily tasks and expectations of their bosses. A business plan would be created, showing where the company was prior to the sale, where they are now (financially and customer relations), and what the future holds for the organization. I would create a proposal of my findings, my suggestions, and suggest an external organization to come in to assist Bob and Linda with their new responsibilities, employee and customer relationships, and help them create a plan with all of my findings and suggestions to take Answer Me This to the successful organization it once was.
Without an outside organization stepping in to alter the daily operation of Answer Me This, I am afraid Answer Me This will no longer be accepting phone calls.
Resources
Unknown. “How to Manage Multiple Businesses”. Retrieved September 7, 2008, from http://www.ehow.com/how_2126591_manage-multiple-businesses.html.
Unknown. “Responsibilities of an Office Manager”. Retrieved September 7, 2008, from http://www.exforsys.com/career-center/career-tracks/responsibilities-of-an-office-manager.html.
Thank you both for responding. I agree that there needs to be changes or the company will fail to exist. Your reccomendations are great. Thanks :)
I think that Bob and Linda meant well when they purchased the company from Shirley and Pat Thompson, but they should have invested more time in researching the company and its employees. The company transition was very fast with little communication among the employees. There should have been time for the employees to ask questions about the change. Had they done that, they may have avoided some of the problems the company is having. The company needs more open communication, a vision, and some restructuring.
In order for the business to be successful, Bob and Linda should hire a Human Resource professional to oversee time and attendance, policies, and job descriptions. Having job descriptions would have helped Bob and Linda learn more about the employees and the tasks that they perform. Job descriptions are lists of the general tasks, or functions, and responsibilities of a position. Typically, they also include to whom the position reports, specifications such as the qualifications needed by the person in the job, salary range for the position, etc. (management.org)
Bob and Linda should also create a vision for the newly transformed company. The vision should be communicated to the employees and reiterated in any advertisements, speeches, and training. A vision is very important because the employees need to know what direction the company is going. It’s also a good way for the employees to know what the new owners want and feel passionate about. If the new vision doesn’t work, they can throw it out. People want to be a part of something great and visions are no different. (top7business.com)
The main problem that needs to be corrected is the communication or lack thereof. Bob and Linda need to show all of their employees that they want to listen and value their feedback. They should promote an open door policy by meeting with every employee on a monthly basis to find out what’s working and what isn’t working. Meeting with the employees would help the employees feel valued but it would also be a way for Bob and Linda to find out what’s happening with the employees.
Although Bob and Linda want the company to be successful, they must invest more of their time in the company and the employees. The employees are aware that Bob and Linda have invested money into the company but money isn’t everything, especially since 2 of the 6 employees no longer work for the company. Bob and Linda can’t afford to lose more employees.
Knight. C. Retrieved September 6, 2008 from http://top7business.com/?id=573
McNamara, C. Employee Job Description. Retrieved September 7, 2008 from
http://www.managementhelp.org/staffing/specify/job_desc/job_desc.htm
Because Shirley and Pat founded the business and saw it through its developmental stages and maturity process, a methodical and calculated planning model was used as the basis for getting the organization on its feet. As time went on for Shirley and Pat, they were able to shape and mold the business in a way that was conducive to their own understanding and personal leadership styles. The internal culture was able to materialize over time, allowing for learning experiences to direct and teach each of the employees how to best serve their customers and interact with each other in the most effective and profitable way. Because Shirley and Pat were able grow with the business itself, expectations and external demands were not seen in their conventional sense, they were approached with a unique amount of patience and discipline in relation to proposed growth and organizational expansion.
Taking into account the internal atmosphere and conducive environment in which Shirley and Pat created, any diversion away from the norms that were originally established should have been taken into account by the new owners and addressed immediately in order to create a transitionary platform that allowed for conflicting issues to be identified bright and early in order to minimize future variance.
The new owners, Bob and Linda, came into the organizational situation with a completely different set of motives, expectations, and overall standards as it relates to the culture, mission, vision, and organizational function that had been in place before their acquisition of the company. In terms of the actual transition process, the sale and relinquishment of leadership duties took place at a pace that was ultimately detrimental to the stability of the organization itself. Because of the unique nature of the organization and the personal history that each employee was represented through, a slower and more defined hand-off should have taken place in order to provide each active participant the time necessary to adjust and make the transition work. The new owners also needed time to learn the business and better position themselves to lead once the hand-off had completely finished. As it was, Bob and Linda were running the company on the fly and with other business constraints, did not have the necessary ability to learn their new surroundings in a way that was mutually beneficial for each employee involved.
As the company now faces numerous challenges relating to employee / employer relations along with severely damaged customer confidence issues, it would be in the best interest of Bob and Linda to establish a new level of employee collaboration though the advice of an external Organizational Development Professional. Bringing this OD professional into the mix will allow for an unbiased evaluation of the company’s internal dilemma and will also provide a go-between for both sides to work through in getting to the core level of misunderstanding represented through the organizational problems they are now facing. (Carter, 2008)
After the organization has been deconstructed with the help of the OD professional, a strategic plan for redevelopment must be enacted and initiated through a total-quality-management approach that involves each member of the organization being provided the opportunity and platform for input to be expounded upon. (Stark, 1998) Through the TQM strategy, Bob and Linda will be able to readjust their narrow-minded leadership position and focus on their ability to serve the organization in the most advantageous way, involving each member and seeking to develop a level of rapport that would be indicative of the successful nature the organization once represented.
Resources
Carter, M (2008). Organizational Performance Management. Retrieved September 5, 2008, from Free Management Library Web site: http://www.managementhelp.org/org_perf/org_perf.htm#anchor984160
Stark, J (1998). A few words about TQM. Retrieved September 5, 2008, from John Stark Associates Web site: http://www.johnstark.com/fwtqm.html
Karen, you've been given some very substantive feedback to your case from all responders. I'd like to pick up on the passage from Chris, "...a transitionary platform that allowed for conflicting issues to be identified bright and early in order to minimize future variance."
If you could implement such a platform, how might it look? What (internal and external) communication modalities would have to be considered? What message delivery systems might be best applied here?
The movement of the company from one owner to the next created some unique problems. The previous owners had been involved in every aspect of the business from the beginning to the end. They developed the product and believed in what they were doing. They had a procedure or system of how it should be run and how to go about it. The companies they had at the beginning stayed with them for a long time due to the service they provide and how they provided it. According to 8 rules for good customer service, by having a real person answer the phone for a business 24 hours a day, you establishing a positive relationship with your customers. (Ward). This is something the original owners prided themselves with. As they grew they understood the need for good employees and did what they could to keep them. They couldn’t provide much in benefits but they did provide them with salaries that kept them happy and with the company for a significant amount of time. The Original owners took the time to train its employees to make sure they were able to answer the phones and have courteous customer service but also to understand the expectations that were required of them for performing this job. The original owners had an invested interest in this company because they were involved in every aspect and understood the demands of the job.
The problem for the new owners were due to the following; they did not have an invested interest in the companies well being, they did not have a policy or procedure for the job responsibilities, they did not train the employee nor were the owners trained on what the job entailed.
The new owners did not have an invested interest in the company because they were in it for profit, they did not seem to have the best interest in mind of the company. When the bought it they had plans to expand the company without really understanding what the core of the company was. They should have taken more time in researching the business and the market they were in. they should have talked to the original owners to better understand the business as a whole. The next problem was there was no set policy/procedure for the employees to do there job. The new owners gave one person the responsibility for being “office manager” but with no incentive or training. The new owners never gave there expectations to the employees of what was expected of them in this job. There was no role or responsibilities orientation for the employees and when changing owners or bosses they come in with different expectations that need to be outlined and communicated. Without the training or the communication regarding the expectations many of the other problems arose. There were no set standards for the employees. “Standards ensure desirable characteristics of products/employees and services such as quality, environmental friendliness, safety, reliability, efficiency and interchangeability - and at an economical cost. (2008)
In order to be consistent with the information provided and get excellent customer service time and time again from your employees a standard needed to be developed in order to get the same result every time.
Ward, Susan (2008) “8 Rules for Good Customer Service” Retrieved September 7, 2008 http://sbinfocanada.about.com/od/customerservice/a/custservrules.htm
Why Standards Matter (2008) Retrieved September 7, 2008
http://www.iso.org/iso/about/discover-iso_why-standards-matter.htm
The business itself had always had independent workers, but during they all shared a common interest in keeping the business successful. This was due to not only their commitment to the job, but also the owners. The acquisition happened rather quickly, and there was not enough time for Pat and Shirley, or Bob and Linda to meet with the employees in a meaningful way. Pat and Shirley should have met with the employees to explain the situation, and also gather information about the employee’s outlook on the company, so they would be able to pass this on to the new owners. Bob and Linda also should have met with the employees to gain this outlook, and explain the plans they had in store for the business.
Answer Me This was merging with another company. They were the outsiders coming in, and were not able to learn about their new organization. There should have been some sort of communication between the two groups before the merger. Ideally, there would have been a rendezvous between the two companies. At the very least, a website for both new and old employees to learn about the company, the goals, and about the employees involved in the organization.
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