CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE: Employer

CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE: ROLE PLAYING SCRIPT FOR EMPLOYER,
Ms. Burke, Spring 2009

It is Spring, 2009. You are opening a new call center in Bangor, Maine for LL Bean. You have been the Director of Customer Service for the company for many years and have won many company and national awards for your work and innovations. For this reason, you have been chosen to open the new call center, even in this weak economy. You are excited, but know your career rests on your success. Hiring the right team is critical to that success.

The team you are creating must be serious about the work, understand LL Bean’s culture and respect the passion they put into giving superlative customer service. You have interviewed and hired several people, but are particularly interested in Ms. Roberts. She has worked part time for you for several years, and you know she is a hard worker and dedicated to fabulous customer service. Actually, you have mentored her in a way as she worked through Eastern Maine Community College (EMCC). You have been impressed with her experience, her poise and her work ethic. She obviously is a hard worker as she has maintained excellent grades while working and being active as a volunteer with her school and community.

You invited her into your office last week and offered her the job. You know that she would be of great value to the organization for many, many years, and you may be inclined to soften on driving a hard financial bargain because of her exceptional potential. But as a consummate professional, you know you must not show favoritism.

Ms. Roberts has exactly the qualities you seek for this position, and the experience which will make it easy for her to begin with only minimal “on the job training”. At the end of the interview yesterday you offered her the job as the Customer Service Representative for the new LL Bean call center in the Bangor area, and asked her to return today to set her salary, benefits and start date.

As the consummate professional, you know the salary range for a Customer Service Representative in Bangor is $25,000 to $33,000; with a median salary of $29,000. The benefits for this position add another $14,000 to the compensation package.

Because LL Bean is such a desirable employer and so many people want to work here, you typically pay new hires at the low end of the salary range. This is even more necessary in today’s prolonged recession.

Last year, the starting salary for this position was $25,000. Three people have already accepted offers at that salary, so you see no reason to start with a higher offer. The benefits package you are offering for this position is $11,000.

CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE EMPLOYER (2)

Ms. Robert’s job offer is the last piece of your work for the day. You have to leave in 15 minutes for a meeting in Freeport.

When you and Ms. Roberts sit down to talk, your opening lines to her are:

See how she reacts. Listen to her. Write down what language she might use would make you hold the line and not raise her starting salary and why. Write down what objections you would have if she wants more money. Discuss thoughtfully with her, because you want her to accept your job offer.

In this discussion, see what is the lowest starting salary and benefits package that you can get her to accept and get her to accept a specific salary in the 15 minutes before you have to leave.

Remember, you made her a job offer because you are very impressed with her. Now it’s time to get her to work for you at LL Bean. Good Luck!