Megan Donaldson

BA 780 PROJECT CONTRACT

Company Description

I am the Customer Service Supervisor at SwiftAir, a Fixed Base Operator (FBO) at San Diego Lindbergh Field. We are responsible for handling the General Aviation Aircraft and the personnel from those aircraft, primarily the Crewmembers. We take care of any and all needs of those crewmembers as well as their passengers, which include: hotel and transportation accommodations, golf reservations, restaurant discounts, as well as shuttle transportation within the downtown area. SwiftAir has been fighting negative publicity for many years. Much of the negativity is due to the high ramp fees, which range anywhere from $20 per day to over $1000 depending on size of aircraft, and our high fuel prices that tend to be higher than many in the nation. The high prices are primarily due to SwiftAir’s location in a high cost area that is also located on the Port of San Diego’s property. A way to overcome this negative image is to improve our customer service. SwiftAir has very high turnover, especially in the Customer Service Department, and the company provides little training for new employees.

Project Description

My project consists of creating a Training Manual for the Customer Service Department that would focus on detailed descriptions of how to perform the required tasks, as well as an explanation of the pilots’ wants and needs with directions on how to fulfill them. I will also include the general goals of the Customer Service Department and the means to achieve those goals. This manual will be my deliverable and I will implement this manual by training new employees and compare their performance with existing employees to determine the impact on customer service. My project will be broken down into the following activities.

Project Objectives and Actions/Target Timeline

1. Research critical tasks. / February 26, 2003
   I will research critical tasks to be performed by Customer Service
   Department personnel by interviewing experienced employees, my supervisor,
   and the General Manager. I will summarize the results of these interviews as well as
   my own insights to finalize the key critical tasks needed for outstanding customer
   service. I will discuss these in my report and include a summary of the critical tasks as an appendix as evidence of completion of this activity.
2. Draft Training Manual. / March 1, 2003
   I will design the learning activities for each critical task and will
   include these in the Training Manual. I will provide a copy of the
   draft manual in my report signed by my supervisor as evidence of completion.
3. Obtain feedback on the content of the training manual. / March 4, 2003
   I will distribute draft manuals to my supervisor, the General Manager,
   and selected customer service representatives, and ask them to verify
   the relevance of content and provide suggestions for improvement. I will
   summarize this feedback as an appendix as proof of this action and further
   discuss the results in my report.
4. Finalize Training Manual. / March 10, 2003
   Based on the feedback I receive in step 3, I will develop the optimum
   sequence of training and incorporate learning activities. I will include a copy
   of the final manual in my report signed by my supervisor as evidence
   of completing the manual.
5. Obtain baseline performance data on the customer service. / March 14, 2003
   department. I will develop an observation checklist that incorporates
   the critical tasks included in the manual and use it to assess my customer
   service representatives’ current performance as well as obtain feedback from
   customers. I will discuss my results in my report and provide a copy of a
   completed checklist as an appendix as proof of my completion of this activity.
6. Develop Training Session. / March 21, 2003
   I will design a training session to train my customer service representatives
   on the training manual. To accomplish this action, I will create a lesson plan
   that has the sequence of events and logistical support requirements needed
   to conduct the training. I will include this lesson plan in my report as evidence of completing this action.
7. Train new employees. / March 26, 2003
   I will train new employees on how to use the Training Manual
   and then give them an examination to verify that they have learned
   what is required. I will develop an agenda for the training session and include
   that in my report as evidence that the training occurred. I will also discuss
   test results in my report and will provide a sample examination as evidence
   of employee learning. In addition, I will develop a questionnaire for new employees to provide me feedback on the training session regarding my abilities as an instruction, the content of the instruction, and the appropriateness of the training venue and support materials. I will discuss the results of this feedback in my report and include a sample questionnaire as an appendix to prove that I completed this task.
8. Verify performance improvements resulting from the April 15, 2003
   Training Manual. I will determine if the Training Manual improves
   customer service by observing the new employees who have successfully
   completed the training as they perform customer service duties. I will use the
   same checklist I used in Step 5 above to record my observations and the resulting
   customer satisfaction. I will discuss the results of these observations in my report and include a completed sample checklist as evidence of my task completion.
   

Value Added

The immediate value of this training manual is improved customer service. Employees who master the critical tasks in the manual will improve customer service, which will also help overcome the negative publicity facing the company. This could lead to higher sales and income, as well as higher employee moral, which could lessen turnover. In addition, I believe that this training manual will provide an excellent training tool and guide for the Customer Service Department to train existing employees. The manual will also help future trainers train new employees after I am gone, thereby enabling the company to maintain a consistent level of customer service over time. The results of Step 8 above will provide evidence of both the usefulness of the manual for training and resulting improvements in customer satisfaction. The effects on sales, income, employee moral, and turnover will have to be tracked over time and are beyond the timeframe of this project.