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166 COMPETENCY-BASED QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

for a budget so I could customize the system to meet his monetary require-
ments. With his defenses down, he readily provided his budget. And I sup-
plied the best equipment his money could buy. With all my years in sales, I
have learned to meet customers where they are and not move the process
along faster than they are comfortable with.

Question 182. Describe a time when you believed a system could be

improved. What actions did you take?

Situation: Part of my job as a hospitality coordinator is to help cus-

tomers when equipment malfunctions. My office was receiving complaints
from customers that, once the technician left, their problems would reoccur
almost immediately.

Action: My solution was twofold. For the short term, I called the guests

after every technician visit to ensure satisfaction. For the long term, I retrained
the technicians and, when necessary, let go those who failed to perform their
job properly.

Result: The guests appreciated my thoughtfulness and the care I pro-

vided. The repeat business the hotel received made that fact evident.

Question 183. Describe a time when you made a suggestion that im-

proved customer relations.

Situation: To monitor prospect activity, I suggested the organization

implement the NotifyMe software as a tool to track e-mails sent, the length of
time the reader spent on reading the e-mails, and the number of times the file
was opened.

Action: When potential clients opened my e-mails several times, I sent

a follow-up e-mail inquiring whether there were additional questions I could an-
swer. When they simply skimmed the e-mail, I placed follow-up calls instead.

Result: The software allowed me to virtually read prospects’ minds,

ultimately increasing sales and customer satisfaction.

Question 184. Recall an occasion when you questioned your ability to

do your job.

Situation: When new management took over, the operational pro-

cedures changed almost daily as the decision makers found their footing.

American Management Association
www.amanet.org