Name: Kelsey Borsheim

106-146 Quality Customer Service

Performance Assessment Task Were Not All Alike!
Purpose
The purpose of this assessment is to provide you with an opportunity to
demonstrate your knowledge and understanding of behavioral/personality styles,
diversity, and perceptions/stereotypes on customer service interactions. You will
also demonstrate your knowledge and understanding of working with
challenging/difficult customers.
Target Competencies
1. Illustrate how to work with a diverse customer base.
2. Examine how to deal with challenging customers.
3. Identify effective techniques in customer service.
Linked Core Abilities

Communicate effectively

Think critically

Behave ethically

Cultivate global and cultural awareness

Develop self awareness

Directions
1. As you complete this assessment, refer to the activities that you have
completed during Behavior, Diversity and Challenging Customers learning
plans.
2. Prior to responding to each question, make sure you carefully read the
question and then respond specifically to the question asked. If you do not
understand what is being asked and/or are struggling with the content,
contact me I am here to provide clarification and assistance as you complete
this work.
3. Record your responses on this document. Work submitted in a document that
does not include the questions and rubrics will not be evaluated and a score
of zero will be recorded in the gradebook.
4. Review the scoring guide and rubric below for grading information.
5. Contact me if you have any questions about this assessment and/or the
scoring standards, criteria or ratings. I am here to assist you in doing your
best.
6. Save your work.

7. Submit your completed work as directed.

Complete the following items as directed.

1. Read the following situations related to behavior/personality style and then

answer the questions that follow.

Behavior/Personality Style - Situation 1. You are a salesperson at a
jewelry counter and observe a professionally dressed male customer waiting
in line for several minutes. He is checking his watch frequently, anxiously
looking around, and sighing often. When he arrives at the counter, he makes
direct eye contact with you and without smiling states, I want to buy a 16inch 14-karat gold twisted-link necklace like the one advertised in todays
paper. I also want a small gold heart pendant and would like these to cost no
more than $125. Can you help me? Oh yes, I almost forgot. Id like this
wrapped in birthday paper. This is a gift for my sisters birthday.
a.

Which behavioral style (rational, inquisitive, decisive or expressive) are

you dealing with here? What evidence is found within the scenario and
readings to support the behavioral style? This customer is being
decisive. The reason why is say this is because he is very
straight forward, he knows exactly what he wants and describes
them to the salesperson.

b. When communicating with someone who has this behavioral style, what
can you do to increase the effectiveness of the interaction? Each item
must be clearly indicated and for each item a discussion is given as to
why it is good to do this. The minimum expectation (this is considered
C level work) is that you will clearly indicate and discuss two things
you can do. More is required for an A or B level response. See scoring
standard information below.
In order to work best with a decisive customer like this would
be to first acknowledge him and say of course I can help you
with your request or something along those lines, and then try
to break into conversation to see if hes willing to interact
more. I would ask how old his sister is and when her birthday is.
While asking these questions I will remain assertive, concise
and brief like him and make sure that I am sincere with asking
questions about his sister. I also want to make sure that his

time is valuable since he was waiting for a while and was

showing signs of frustration.

Behavior/Personality Style - Situation 2. You stop by the office of a

director of a department that provides data you use to prepare your end-ofmonth reports. As you look around, you see a photograph of his family. Your
coworker gives a friendly smile, returns a gentle handshake and asks you to
have a seat. As you begin to state your purpose by saying, Thanks for taking
the time to see me, Mr. Cohen, he interrupts and say, Call me Lenny, please.
How can I help you?
a.

Which behavioral style (rational, inquisitive, decisive, or expressive) are

you dealing with here? What evidence is found within the scenario and
readings to support the behavioral style?
Lenny is rational. The reason why I say that is because he
made the conversation very brief and he even interrupted me
while I was talking.

b. When communicating with someone who has this behavioral style, what
can you do to increase the effectiveness of the interaction? Each item
must be clearly indicated and for each item a discussion is given as to
why it is good to do this. The minimum expectation (this is considered
C level work) is that you will clearly indicate and discuss two things
you can do. More is required for an A or B level response. See scoring
standard information below.
I think when interacting with Lenny I would try to mimic his
way of speaking and his way of being rational and to the point.
I will make sure to be patient with Lenny and make sure to
show sincere interest in our personal conversation. I would
also use open ended questions with him to make our
conversation meaningful.
Behavior/Personality Style - Situation 3. As a customer service
representative for an automobile dealer, you return a phone message from
Cynthia McGregor. When the phone is answered, you say, Good morning,
may I speak with Cindy McGregor? The curt response is, This is Cynthia
McGregor. How may I help you? During the conversation, Ms. McGregor asks
a variety of very specific questions about an automotive recall. Even though
it seems obvious that the recall does not apply to her car, she asks very
detailed follow-up questions such as why the recall was necessary, who was
affected, and what was being done. Throughout the conversation, she is very
focused on facts, times, dates, and technical aspects of the recall.

a.

Which behavioral style (rational, inquisitive, decisive, or expressive) are

you dealing with here? What evidence is found within the scenario and
readings to support the behavioral style?

Cynthias behavior and personal style is being very inqusitive.

The reason why I think that is because she is very direct, she is clear and
concise, she seems as if she would have a quiet voice and I would imagine
her taking her time speaking. She seems like a very formal person and
asks many questions.
b. When communicating with someone who has this behavioral style, what
can you do to increase the effectiveness of the interaction? Each item
must be clearly indicated and for each item a discussion is given as to
why it is good to do this. The minimum expectation (this is considered
C level work) is that you will clearly indicate and discuss two things
you can do. More is required for an A or B level response. See scoring
standard information below.
I would make sure to act just as calm, courteous and collected
as her. She seems like a very smart and confident person so I
wouldnt let that make me discouraged, so Ill need to relay
my answers to her with a steady voice and as calm just as she
is. Since it seems like she needs to know a lot of information, I
would figure out if her car is okay and if she has any concerns
regarding her own vehicle. I would make sure she knows that I
am sincere with my response to her questions. I would also
make sure to not ask any personal questions though as I
imagine she may not wish to talk about that. I would also
make sure to remain professional.
Behavior/Personality Style - Situation 4. You are a teller in a bank. Mrs.
Vittelli, one of the customers, comes into your branch several times a week.
You know she has just become a grandmother because she has brought along
photos of her grandson. She has shared them and all the details of her
daughters pregnancy in a loud, exuberant manner with several of your
coworkers. As she speaks you have noticed that throughout the conversation
she is very animated, using gestures and often reaching over to lightly touch
others as they speak.
a.

Which behavioral style (rational, inquisitive, decisive, or expressive) are

you dealing with here? What evidence is found within the scenario and
readings to support the behavioral style?
Mrs. Vitelli is being expressive. The reason why I think that is
because she is showing off pictures of her grandkids and is
loud and is using a lot of hand gestures. She is a very
enthusiastic person and you can tell by her personality.

c. When communicating with someone who has this behavioral style, what
can you do to increase the effectiveness of the interaction? Each item
must be clearly indicated and for each item a discussion is given as to
why it is good to do this. The minimum expectation (this is considered
C level work) is that you will clearly indicate and discuss two things
you can do. More is required for an A or B level response. See scoring
standard information below.
Mrs. Vitelli would be an easy person to converse with if you
are good at listening and actively paying attention, so that is
what I will do to make sure we have a good, effective
interaction. I would imagine we would get off topic a lot so I
would draw her back in by asking open ended questions to
draw her back in to what she really came here for. I would also
make sure that I would tell her that I enjoyed listening to her
stories about her daughter being pregnant and that I enjoyed
seeing her grandsons pictures to make sure that she is happy.
2. Read the following situations related to diversity and/or

challenging/difficult customers and then answer the questions that follow.

Diversity, Challenging/Difficult - Situation 1. You work at the circulation
desk of the local library. A woman with white hair, who is using a cane as she
walks, has just entered the library. As you observe her over the next ten
minutes, you notice she is walking back and forth between three different
stacks of books, pausing several times to look at a piece a paper she is
carrying. She picks up a book puts it in her bag and then removes the book a
few minutes later. You saw her talk briefly with two other library patrons who
pointed to the computer stations used to locate books. You have decided you
are going to try to assist her. As you approach her from behind you say
Hello, may I help you and she does not respond. She finally notices you and
this time when you greet her she responds with, I cant find what Im looking
for. As you start to ask her questions you see she is wearing what appears to
be a hearing aid.
a. What possible areas of diversity/difficulty/challenge are presented here?
Justify your response. The item below is provided as an example so you
have an idea how to indicate and justify a diversity/difficulty/challenge
found within the scenario. This item may not be used in your response.
This older woman is hearing impaired and is elderly. She is also
somewhat handicapped as she is using a cane. It is difficult to
communicate with her because she is hard of hearing and she at
first didnt hear me so Ill have to speak up. She also is elderly
so that is challenging sometimes because they may become
confused or may need additional help because of this. She also
is somewhat handicapped so we are diverse because I am not
handicapped or disabled.

Physical limitation: The customer uses a cane to assist her with

walking.
Realize as you do this you are making assumptions (which may or may
not be true). The accuracy of the assumption is not being questioned
here.
The minimum expectation (this is considered C level work) is that
two areas of diversity/difficulty/challenge will be presented here. More
is required for an A or B level response. See scoring standard
information below.

b. As you interact and assist this individual and based on the

diversity/difficulty/challenge areas you have indicated above, what can
you do to increase the effectiveness of the interaction? Each item must
be clearly indicated and for each item a discussion is given as to why it
is good to do this. The item below is provided as an example so you
have an idea how to indicate and discuss each item you list. This item
may not be used in your response.
Let the customer set the pace when walking to another part of
the library: Because this customer uses a cane to assist her walking,
I should not assume that she can walk quickly. It is important that I
let her set the pace as we move to another part of the library because
it would be extremely rude and inconsiderate to do otherwise. It is
also possible that if she were to try to keep up to me because I was
walking too quickly ahead of her, she could fall and hurt herself.
Although I may walk quickly out of habit, I should be sensitive to the
needs of this customer and let her abilities dictate how we move from
one location to another.
The minimum expectation (this is considered C level work) is that
you will indicate and discuss two things you can do. More is required
for an A or B level response. See scoring standard information below.
I will make sure to speak loudly, concisely, and slowly enough
for her to clearly hear and understand me. Ill make sure to be
close enough in proximity to her so she is in hearing range of
me. Since she is elderly she may be confused at times or not
understand fully what I am trying to explain to her so I will
need to allow extra time for her. I will have to talk slowly and
make sure to repeat myself or try to explain what I am trying
to say to her in other ways in case she gets confused. This is
clearly an assumption and may not be true, but I have had
experience with elderly and they may be confused or just
simply forget what they had wanted to say or do.

Diversity, Challenging/Difficult - Situation 2. You work for a hobby shop

that specializes in coins, stamps, comics, records and sport memorabilia.
Tommy, whom you recognize as a regular browser has come in when you
are particularly busy. Tommy also speaks broken English, youre not sure of
his ethnicity but from previous conversations it is apparent that English is not
his first language. After looking through numerous racks of comic books, he is
now focused on an author-signed comic book in the display case. Although
Tommy comes into the store frequently, he never makes a purchase. Other
employees who have talked with Tommy previously have stated that he is in
high school. As you walk toward Tommy, you observe that he is wearing jeans
and a sweat shirt that are greasy and torn.
a. What possible areas of diversity/challenge/difficulty are presented here?
Justify your response. Realize as you do this you are making
assumptions (which may or may not be true). The accuracy of the
assumption is not being questioned here.
The minimum expectation (this is considered C level work) is that
two areas of diversity/difficulty/challenge will be presented here as
directed. More is required for an A or B level response. See scoring
standard information below.
Tommy and I seem to have a bit of a language barrier which is
challenging and makes us diverse because I may not be able to
understand him as well as I would my coworkers, and he may
not fully understand me as English probably isnt his first
language. It also seems to me that Tommy may not be as
privileged as me since he never buys anything in the store and
that his clothes are dirty and torn. This makes us more diverse
too since I am somewhat privileged or at least I have clean
clothes and have some money. I am making the assumption
that he may not live in very good conditions and that he may
be poor.
b. As you interact and assist this individual and based on the
diversity/difficulty/challenge areas you have indicated above, what can
you do to increase the effectiveness of the interaction? Each item must
be clearly indicated and for each item a discussion is given as to why it
is good to do this. The minimum expectation (this is considered C
level work) is that you will indicate and discuss two things you can do.
More is required for an A or B level response. See scoring standard
information below.
Ill make sure to respect Tommy because everyone deserves
respect and even if he may not be as privileged as me, he
deserves the same amount of respect as anyone else. I will
also make sure not to treat Tommy like he is a child even if he
is younger than me because that usually can cause problems
or make them uncomfortable or even angry.

Diversity, Challenging/Difficult - Situation 3. You are part of the office

staff for a government agency. Two men dressed in white shirts, blue jeans,
suspenders and wearing straw hats approach your desk. The taller man
begins speaking with you but you are having difficulty understanding what he
wants. Partly because he stutters as he talks, but also because he seems to
not really know what he wants. During your conversation with the man, he
turns several times to talk quietly with the other man that came with him. You
are unable to hear their conversation but you recognize they are speaking a
different language. After about 10 minutes you are able to determine that the
man is interested in information about a county easement program for rural
land owners.
a. What possible areas of diversity/difficulty/challenge are presented here?
Justify your response. Realize as you do this you are making
assumptions (which may or may not be true). The accuracy of the
assumption is not being questioned here.
The minimum expectation (this is considered C level work) is that
two areas of diversity/difficulty/challenge will be presented here. More
is required for an A or B level response. See scoring standard
information below.
It seems as though myself and this man are very diverse in a
few different ways. He speaks a different language than me
which makes that harder for us to communicate clearly and
effectively. He also wears much different clothing than I do
and with these two realizations I wonder if he is a Mennonite
or Amish. We are also having difficulty understanding the man
because he has a stutter and also because he doesnt know
what he wants to say to us, maybe because he doesnt know
how to say it in English, or he doesnt know what to say in
general.
b. As you interact and assist this individual and based on the
diversity/difficulty/challenge areas you have indicated above, what can
you do to increase the effectiveness of the interaction? Each item must
be clearly indicated and for each item a discussion is given as to why it
is good to do this. The minimum expectation (this is considered C
level work) is that you will indicate and discuss two things you can do.
More is required for an A or B level response. See scoring standard
information below.
I will make sure that I speak calmly, slowly, and loud enough
for the man to clearly understand me. I will make sure to
repeat myself if necessary or use other universal word
possibly that can hopefully make more sense to him. I will try
to ask him probing questions to figure out what he really

needs. Ill need to make sure not to talk too fast and to pause
frequently to see if he is following what Im saying.
Diversity, Challenging/Difficult - Situation 4. You are a customer service
representative for a large retail catalog distribution center. You've been at
work for about an hour when you receive a call from Pat Mason, who
immediately starts making demands (e.g., "I've only got a few minutes for you
to tell me how to order." "Look, I've read all the articles about the scams
telemarketers pull. I'll tell you what I want, and you tell me how much it will
cost." "Listen, what I want you to do is take my order and get me the
products within the next two days. I need them for a conference." As you try
to speak with Pat he begins to talk louder and you can hear that he is
becoming angry. Finally he states, I dont understand what the problem is
here. Im getting sick and tired of the run around and all of the extra work this
is making for me! If you dont want my order Ill take my business elsewhere!!
Better yet, I want to talk with your supervisor now!!!)
a. What possible areas of diversity/difficulty/challenge are presented here?
Justify your response. Realize as you do this you are making
assumptions (which may or may not be true). The accuracy of the
assumption is not being questioned here.
The minimum expectation (this is considered C level work) is that
two areas of diversity/difficulty/challenge will be discussed here. More
is required for an A or B level response. See scoring standard
information below.
It seems like Pat Mason is an angry, irrational person who
strives to always get what he wants no matter the cost. He is
angry and not willing to even talk to me as he is saying he
wants a supervisor because he is making himself all worked
up. He is acting rude and is already dissatisfied with my
services.
b. As you interact and assist this individual and based on the
diversity/difficulty challenge areas you have indicated above, what can
you do to increase the effectiveness of the interaction? Each item must
be clearly indicated and for each item a discussion is given as to why it
is good to do this. The minimum expectation (this is considered C
level work) is that you will indicate and discuss two things you can do.
More is required for an A or B level response. See scoring standard
information below.
Ill make sure not to have any attitude with this man because as I can
see he is getting very irritated and if I say anything with an attitude
he will probably yell at me. I will make sure to have a calm tone and
talk slowly, while making sure that I am telling him that I will be able
to help him in a timely and efficient manner. I will have to make sure
that I am professional and am getting to the point right away in
helping him. He clearly wants to end the conversation as fast as

possible so I will set out a solution and tell him that I can achieve in
as fast as possible.
3. Clearly list and discuss perceptions/stereotypes/biases/prejudices that may/do

cause you some difficulty when providing customer service to internal and
external customers. Everyone has perceptions/stereotypes/biases/prejudices.
To say that you have none will result in a score of zero. What follows is an
example of how a perceptions/stereotypes/biases/prejudices is to be listed
and discussed. This example may not be included as a portion of your
response.
People who express discriminatory views are bad. When I hear
someone say mean or stereotypical things about people of other races,
religions, sexual preferences, etc., I automatically think that they are bad
people for holding and espousing these views. Then I remember that several
people I know who have these views are kind people in many other ways. If I
believed my thoughts that people who speak negatively about other people
and groups are bad, I might not feel they deserve good service. I might
actually want to punish them by making them wait for service longer than
necessary or by accidentally forgetting to order a product they requested.
The minimum expectation (this is considered C level work) is that two
perceptions/stereotypes/biases/prejudices will be indicated and discussed.
More is required for an A or B level response. See scoring standard
information below.
I tend to perceive others in a certain way based on my first
impression of them, whether it be their looks, what theyre wearing, or
how they act and talk to people. If they are rude I automatically think that
they are mean and I do not want to help them as much as I would someone
else. If someone is elderly I may automatically assume that they have
difficulties remembering things, hearing me, and may be forgetful or
confused. It is also very easy to label or stereotype the younger
generation into groups that they may not even fit into. I may think that
they are dysfunctional or into drugs based on their style of clothing or
how they act in public. People who dont have very nice clothing or have
clothing that you can tell is worn and old may make me think that they
may not be as privileged as others and may not have a lot of money. These
are all assumptions that I have working in a customer service job and just
being in public and dealing with people. I know that this is something that
I need to stop doing and not stereotype or classify these people into
groups that they may not even belong in. everyone is different and
everyone deserves the same respect and time as everyone else.
4. Reflect upon your own behaviors/personality/diversity/beliefs/values, how

do/will these positively affect your ability to provide quality customer service
to internal and external customers that may be different from you and/or
challenging? Explain your response.
I think that my behavior with people is one that is inviting, helpful,
and forgiving. I know that there are a lot of types of people in this

world and I do my best to treat everyone equally, even if I do make

immediate assumptions of them. I try to give everyone the best first
chance when interacting with them and if they are respectful back I
will have no problem providing them with great customer service. My
personality is one that is somewhat outgoing when I am comfortable,
and I am also very polite. At times when someone is rude to me or is
making irrational statements I tend to get defensive and try to
reason with them. For instance a couple of days ago a man that I
dont recall ever helping had wanted me to cash his wifes check
which I refused in a nice way and explained why obviously since he is
not her and she was not with us at the time. He accepted it even
though he thought there was no problem. He came back with his wife
and they were both very upset and very sarcastic. I felt threatened
because they were being rude and I could tell right away that we
were diverse and had different backgrounds because my parents
would be ashamed if I treated anyone like that. Their values are
much different than mine and I try my best to rationalize my actions
and try to make people understand why I am doing what I am doing.
In terms of internal customers, I am always more relaxed and have a
more light and fun attitude with them but always make sure to be
professional. I think my personality sets a good tone to our
interaction and I make sure to accommodate my coworkers different
personalities with mine to make them comfortable.
5. Reflect upon your own behaviors/personality/diversity/beliefs/values, how

do/will these negatively affect your ability to provide quality customer

service to internal and external customers that may be different from you
and/or challenging? Explain your response.
I think that sometimes I can be defensive and stubborn if someone is
overly rude to me or is threatening me either by their words or their
tone. I tend to shut down and get very defensive which Im sure is a
good thing outside of customer service sometimes, but I need to suck
it up and no matter how uncomfortable or mad it makes me, I have to
still speak with them and find a solution. A lot of my customer base is
those of lower income and buy a lot of lottery tickets and pay their
late Xcel bills. We have different values in a way because I value my
education and job while they may not have a job nor an education
other than high school. We can be on different pages a lot of the time
because I do know share the same beliefs, values and mostly their
behaviors. I was brought up to be a respectful, productive person in
society and it is challenging for me to provide excellent customer
service to someone who is rude to me who may not even have a job.
6. When providing customer service does it matter how you perceive others

(remember to think about internal and external customer here)? Explain your
response.

It does matter how I perceive someone in a customer service

environment because I may draw immediate biases and stereotypes
from seeing them and hearing how they interact with others. If they
are nice and welcoming I have no issue giving them great service,
but if they are pushy, dont even say hi, or are on their cell phone I
immediately perceive them as a person who has no time for
customer service people and I am not worth their time. This makes
me somewhat irritated and I may not provide them with good
customer service. I will let this slide if I am working with internal
customers because they are usually on break.
7. When providing customer service (remember to think about internal and
external customer here), does it matter how others perceive you? Explain
your response.
I think it definitely matters how others perceive me because if they
think I am not a welcoming or nice person they will probably not
treat me as they would someone else who they think is a very nice
person. They may not give me the time of day or not say please or
thanks. If they perceive me in a negative way they may not even
want my help at all and if there is a minor conflict at all, they may
escalate the situation when it never needed to be in the first place.
I would imagine if I am being perceived as an unhappy or unwilling
person to my coworkers they may not even come up to me or be off
put by my actions. Im sure they may understand though since we
work with the public and they have to realize that some people are
just rude and may ruin your day, or they may understand that
people are entitled to their bad days.
8. How do you want to be perceived by internal and external customers?

Explain your response. What do you need to do to make that happen?

Explain your response.
I want to be perceived as a helpful, happy, courteous individual by
both my internal and external customers. I also want to be seen as
a respectable, responsible person and one that is willing and able to
have fun too. I never want to be seen as dull, boring, or rude people
because thats just not who I am and I never want someone to think
badly of me. I need to be constantly aware of my approach, of my
body language and the look on my face in order to be perceived as
a happy and helpful person.
Scoring Standards
E = Exceeded criterion/expectation in terms of requirements, demonstration,
accuracy, completeness, thoughtfulness, presentation of information/response,
and/or attention to detail. This is considered A-B work. More than the minimum

must be done to earn a score in this category. To earn a score of E, the response
must exceed the minimum expectation.
M = Met criterion/expectation. Response meets the minimum expectation.
Response did not provide more than was expected. This is considered C (average)
work.
D=

Did not meet criterion. This is considered D-F work.

0=

Not attempted.

Scoring Guide Criteria and Ratings

No.
1

Criteria
Learner identifies behavioral/personality
style of others and indicates appropriate
customer service strategies to use. (Question
1)
Learner identifies issues of
diversity/challenge/difficulty in others and
indicates appropriate customer service
strategies to use. (Question 2)
Learner discusses the impact of their own
behaviors/personality/diversity/beliefs/values
on interactions. (Questions 3-8)

17-1514

13-12

11-1

22-2019

18-16

15-1

13-11

10-9

8-1

CORE ABILITY FOCUS: Communicate Effectively

Learner writes clearly, concisely, and accurately.

met

not met

met

not met

met

not met

met

not met

met

not met

CORE ABILITY FOCUS: Think Critically

Learner evaluates information. This is demonstrated
when information is related to an experience/situation
and/or information gained can be/is applied to real
world situations.
CORE ABILITY FOCUS: Behave Ethically
Learner exhibits personal, professional, and/or
academic honesty. Note: If it is determined that this
item is not met, a score of zero will be recorded for
this assessment.
CORE ABILITY FOCUS: Cultivate Global and Cultural Awareness
Learner expresses an understanding of the
interconnections and interactions among people and
systems. This is demonstrated when information is
related to an experience/situation and/or information
gained can be/is applied to real world situations.
CORE ABILITY FOCUS: Develop Self Awareness
Learner recognizes his/her individual self-worth,
strengths, weaknesses and potential for growth.

Learner recognizes his/her individual biases and

values.
Points Earned

met

not met
52/ 52

X3
Points Entered into Gradebook

156/156