You are employed as a communications consultant employed by Think Ahead Inc., a large
information technology corporation based at 210 Queen Street, Brisbane 4000. The company has
recently developed and marketed a new tablet computer (similar to an i-Pad) called Axios. The
company is excited about the response from consumers, as sales have been better than expected.
Most branches have reported high sales and positive responses from customers. The Toowoomba
branch, however, has relatively poor sales and has received many complaints from customers
about the service at the Toowoomba Help Desk. The amount of space allocated for the Help Desk
is very small and staff and customers are often communicating in very cramped conditions if there
are more than two or three customers at the one time. The three staff members at the Help Desk
do not have the same level of understanding of the new product and this is creating issues; the
supervisor is the person with the expertise and therefore has to deal with most of the customer
queries. The Managing Director, Johanna Anderson, has asked you to investigate the problem and
find solutions as she has been receiving customer complaints.
Symptoms:
? Two of the Help Desk staff members do not adequately understand the functions of the Axios.
The supervisor understands the features of the product as she has been involved in a week’s
workshop course in Brisbane.
? The supervisor is becoming increasingly frustrated because she is overworked and she perceives
the other two Help Desk staff as lazy and unmotivated.
? The two Help Desk staff members who are not adequately trained feel embarrassed because
of their inability to grasp some of the knowledge needed to effectively explain the product to
customers.
? This frustration has led to all three staff members behaving rudely and impatiently with
customers. There have been customer complaints about this behaviour.
? The supervisor tends to explain the Axios using technical terms and jargon that most customers
do not understand.
? The cramped conditions are creating hostility between staff members and discomfort and
annoyance for customers.
Task:
In the report, you should consider communication barriers (intrapersonal, interpersonal, and
either/both semantic and physical) as well as relevant communication strategies to address them.