Question

List four stakeholders of your subsystem, outline their roles, and indicate whether they are internal or external, operational or executive.

(Customer Support and Returns Subsystem)

The Case Study

The Amazon support team provides support via live chat or telephone only. A human agent will then be assigned to the live chat or telephone call. For a telephone call, the customer will be prompted to enter their invoice number and placed on a queue. The system will then inform customers how far they are in the queue and the average waiting time. They will also be given a dial back option without losing their place on the queue. If customers prefer the dial back option, then the system reads .current number out and ask if they want to be rung back on that number. If the system is unable to read customer’s number, then it simply asks for the number. In any case, the system must confirm the number before terminating the call. The phone call is then assigned to the next available support agent and the customer being served will be removed from the queue. A ticket is then created and the system must keep track of who support the customer and the detail of the conversation. At then end of the conversation, a request is marked for closed, follow-up or escalated. When the status is escalated, the support agent must choose the team required to resolve the issue. In some cases, customers want to ask for a refund or replacement. If this is the case, they must articulate why they need a refund or replacement. If a replacement or refund is approved, the support agent will then send an electronic return label so customers to be affixed to the return package. The label has the customer name, customer address, phone number, invoice number and a system generated return ID. As an online store in Australia, Amazon and its resellers must comply with the return/refund law.

Amazon also have their own refund policies. In any case, when a customer returns a product, you must process it in accordance to the online shop return/refund policies without breaking the legal obligation. If the product is faulty, then you are required to either refund or replace the products. If the customer wants a replacement product, then you must send a replacement without incurring cost to the customers. You can also reject return/refund requests. Some customers are difficult to deal with and insists on a return/refund without valid grounds. Such cases need to be escalated to supervisors and the agent must specify the team who will contact the customer. Apart from handling returns from customers, the return department must also support refund requests from FBA resellers. Other than operational tasks, the customer support and return subsystem must also support management. Managers of the system need to review the performance of customer support. Useful reports include average waiting time, time spent for each customer and first contact resolution rate (calls are closed without follow-up or escalation).

Answer 1

CUSTOMER SUPPORT AND RETURN SUBSYSTEM :

1)FOUR STAKEHOLDERS OF THE SUBSYSTEM-

STAKEHOLDER MEANING- Stakeholder is a person or group of people who are interested in the activities of an organization,they can affect or can be affected by the activities of the organization.

Four stakeholders are -

1) Customer

2) support team

3) management

4)) seller

ROLE OF STAKEHOLDERS:

1) CUSTOMERS- A) Provides feedback to the organization.

B) Requesting exchange /return of products.

2) SUPPORT TEAM:  ​​​​ A) Helps the customers with return/exchange of products.

B) Supports management in decision making regarding the refunds and exchange.

C) Handles the refund or exchange of products of customers without incurring the cost.

3) MANAGEMENT: A)Takes decision to satisfy the customers.

B) Review performance of customer support teams.

C) Looks after the retention of customer for a long time period.

4) SELLER: A) Providing good quality products.

B) Delivering products on time.

C) Follow- up the exchange/refund requests by customers.

# INTERNAL STAKEHOLDER: are those people who works within the the organization and are directly affected or can affect the organization.E XAMPLE- Shareholders, employees, management, etc.

#EXTERNAL STAKEHOLDER: are people who are indirectly connected with an organization and can affect or can be affected by the affairs of the organization.EXAMPLE- Creditors, government, customers etc.

•CUSTOMERS are external stakeholders as they indirectly affects or gets affected a business and they are not a part of tge business.

• SELLERS are external stakeholder of the business and are responsible for providing products.(NOTE - HERE WE ARE TALKING ABOUT AMAZON WHICH IS AN E- RETAIL PLATFORM FOR BUYING AND SELLING OF PRODUCTS FROM WIDE RANGE OF SELLERS)

•MANAGEMENT is internal stakeholder as they takes decisions for the business which directly affects the organization.

•SUPPORT TEAM: is internal stakeholder as they are the employees of the organization.

#OPERATIONAL- It consists of people who formulates operational policies of the organization and look after them, whether they are implemented properly or not for the smooth working of organization and helps the top level management too.

• support team and sellers are the operational team of an organization.

​​​​​#EXECUTIVES: are the top management people of an organization who have the power to put plans and policies in action and to take crucial decisions for the organization. MANAGEMENT is the EXECUTIVES of the business who takes crucial decisions for the business and follows plans and policies for the organization.