YOU ARE REQUIRED TO WORK IN AN IT COMPANY WHICH DEVELOPS APPLICATIONS/ PROGRAMMES AND PROVIDES AFTER SALES SUPPORT. IN THE CONTEXT OF THE ORGANISATION, YOU ARE REQUIRED TO WORK AS ONE OF THE SUPPORT STAFF WHO ASSESSES AND RESPONDS TO CUSTOMER REQUESTS. DEMONSTRATE THE FOLLOWING IN THE PRESENCE OF YOUR MENTOR OR ASSESSOR:

Question

- LISTEN ATTENTIVELY TO CUSTOMER REQUESTS
- ASSESS CUSTOMER REQUESTS AND COLLECT RELEVANT, VALID AND SUFFICIENT INFORMATION ABOUT THE CUSTOMER REQUEST.
- REVIEW SUPPORT RECORDS AND ENSURE THAT AGREED LEVELS OF SUPPORT ARE MET.
- PROMPTLY AND CLEARLY INFORM RELEVANT PERSONS OF THE RESULTS OF THE ASSESSMENT.
- COMMUNICATE THE TIMESCALE FOR THE RESOLUTION OF THE REQUEST
- PROMPTLY INITIATE SUPPORT ACTIONS TO RESOLVE THE FAULT.
- INFORM THE CUSTOMER OF ANY UNRESOLVED REQUESTS
- UPDATE SUPPORT RECORDS.
- MAKE FOLLOW-UP CONTACT WITH CLIENTS AFTER THE RESOLUTION OF THEIR REQUESTS.

Answer 1

Certainly! Below, I will walk through a scenario that demonstrates how to effectively handle a customer's request using the mentioned skills and responsibilities in an IT support context:

### Scenario:
A customer has called the IT support department to report an issue with one of the company's applications that frequently crashes when attempting to generate a report.

**Step 1: Listen Attentively to Customer Requests**
Support Staff: "Thank you for calling [Company Name] support. My name is Alex. How can I assist you today?"

Customer: "Hi Alex, I'm having a problem with the application. It crashes every time I try to generate a report."

Support Staff: "I understand your concern. Please tell me more about the issue. Can you describe exactly what happens when the application crashes?"

**Step 2: Assess Customer Requests and Collect Relevant, Valid, and Sufficient Information**
Support Staff: "Could you please provide me with the name and version of the application you're using? Also, could you specify the type of report you're attempting to generate and any error messages that appear when it crashes?"

Customer: "I’m using the SalesReport app, version 3.1. I’m trying to generate the monthly sales report. The error message says, 'Unhandled exception occurred.'"

Support Staff: "Got it. Can you also tell me which operating system you are using and if there have been any recent updates or changes to your system?"

Customer: "I am using Windows 10, and there was a recent system update last night."

**Step 3: Review Support Records and Ensure That Agreed Levels of Support Are Met**
Support Staff: "Let me quickly check our support records for any similar issues and see if there is an existing solution."

[The support staff reviews the CRM system and knowledge base to find relevant past issues and ensure compliance with Service Level Agreements (SLAs).]

**Step 4: Promptly and Clearly Inform Relevant Persons of the Results of the Assessment**
Support Staff: "Based on our records, this issue might be related to the recent system update. I will escalate this to our technical team to investigate further. I will keep you informed about any developments."

[Inform the technical team while logging the issue in the project management system.]

**Step 5: Communicate the Timescale for the Resolution of the Request**
Support Staff: "Our technical team is currently working on similar cases and this seems like a high priority issue. You can expect an update from us within the next four hours."

Customer: "Great, thanks for the prompt response."

**Step 6: Promptly Initiate Support Actions to Resolve the Fault.**
[The support staff initiates support actions by escalating the issue to the appropriate technical team, providing them with all the necessary information.]

**Step 7: Inform the Customer of Any Unresolved Requests**
Support Staff: "While the issue is being investigated, is there anything else you need assistance with or any other unresolved requests I can help address?"

Customer: "No, that’s it for now."

**Step 8: Update Support Records**
[The support staff updates the support ticket to include details of the call, information gathered, and the actions taken.]

**Step 9: Make Follow-up Contact with Clients after the Resolution of Their Requests**
[After the issue is resolved by the technical team, the support staff follows up with the customer.]

Support Staff: "Hi, this is Alex from [Company Name] support. I am calling to confirm that the issue with the SalesReport app crashing has been resolved. Can you please check and let me know if everything is working fine on your end?"

Customer: "Hi Alex, yes, I’ve just tested it, and it seems to be working fine now. Thank you so much for the quick resolution!"

Support Staff: "I’m glad to hear that! If you have any other issues or need further assistance, please don’t hesitate to contact us. Have a great day!"

Customer: "Thanks again, Alex. Bye!"

Support Staff: "Goodbye!"

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This scenario provides a comprehensive demonstration of how to effectively listen, assess, and respond to customer requests, including follow-up actions and maintaining support records, in the presence of a mentor or assessor.