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CASE STUDY Mrs. Hall is the manager for customer care of a lifestyle management retail outlet. This outlet sells camping gear, gym equipment, and sports equipment. The business has been flourishing for the past three years. Recently, just after opening the customer care department the sales figures have dropped, and customer complaints has increased. Customers complain that customer care consultants are unfriendly, untrained, and not willing to help. Mrs. Hall has asked you, as the training manager, to develop and present a course in basic customer care to the customer care consultants. During your investigation you gathered the following information: 1. Customer care consultants successfully conclude sales, but they find it difficult to deliver at the promised time. Apparently, equipment is often received late from the stores department. 2. From the dispatch department. If they request home delivery, customers often wait for a week or more. 3. Customer care consultants are not allowed to contact the store's manager or the dispatch manager to follow up on the receipt and dispatch of equipment but must work through Mrs. Hall's office. She is often in meetings and therefore, difficult to reach. This causes enquirers to pile in his office. 4. Customers care consultants are not allowed to explain to customers why there is a delay in the delivery of equipment. They end up making promises that they cannot keep. 5. Customer care consultants are not allowed to refer complaints to Mrs. Hall's office unless the customer specifically requests this. It is an unspoken rule that they must "keep the customer happy if they want to get commission". 6. Most of the customer care consultants have little sales and customer care experience because the employee turnover in the department is high. 7. There is no time to send customer care consultants for intensive training because there is a permanent shortage of staff (also because of the high employee turnover). Questions 1. Explain how you would apply each step of the learning and development needs analysis process within the case study. 2. Briefly discuss the learning and development needs (issues) within the case study that would successfully be resolved by means of a training intervention. And discuss the issues that should be addressed in other ways than a training| intervention and suggest an appropriate alternative for the identified issues. 3. Explain the different levels on which you will conduct the L&D needs analysis relevant to the case study. 4. Suggest and discuss the most appropriate data gathering methods that you would use within the case study to collect information on individuals' training needs.