Management Effectiveness and the End User Management EFFECTIVENESS IN END USER PERCEPTION OF SERVICE DELIVERY IN PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SECTOR ORGANISATIONS:

A CASE STUDY OF VERIZON

How an end user perceives service delivery in an organization is often determined by the management of that organization. While there are many steps that a service can take between the manager and the end user, that does not mean that there is no correlation between the two. Management is ultimately responsible for everything that takes place throughout an organization, and managers who do not realize that, or who put their failings off on their employees, are doing a disservice to themselves and to the organization to which they belong. Overall, a manager must focus on the issue of customer service above all else, because customers are what keep the business alive. Without the customers, there would be no business - at least not for very long. Managers who take this seriously are more likely to have successful businesses where the customers - or end users - feel as though they are being treated properly and their needs and being met by the company.

This issue with the management of a company being closely tied to the service the end user receives is particularly significant from the standpoint of the telecommunications company, because a company of this size and design is relied upon to provide customers with reliable communication options. The individuals who are working in customer service generally have little to no control over the quality of the equipment of the reliability of the service. They are available to schedule service appointments and answer account questions, but there is little else that they can do. Because that is the case it falls to the management of the company - in the case of this paper, that company is Verizon - to do something to ensure that the end users are happy and that they keep using the company's service instead of feeling the need to switch their provider over to another company.

1.2 Problem Definition

The overarching problem here is that management is often ineffective in providing the end user what he or she needs. In cases where issues cannot be resolved quickly and easily, management can be blamed. Sometimes the customer service personnel are blamed because there are usually the first people to talk to the end users, but ultimately the issues lie with the management. Customer service personnel are able to do very little without the help of the management that operates the company, since that management provides the authorization for everything that customer service personnel do. That is a problem no matter what the company, but some companies struggle with it more than others. In order to get an accurate picture of how one company handles their end user experience when it relates to management and how end users perceive that management, Verizon will be used as a case study example and its end users will be studied to see how they feel about the company with which they do business from a satisfaction standpoint.

Verizon was chosen because it is one of the largest telecommunications companies. It is not extremely difficult to gain information on the company, and there are many people who use Verizon's services. This allows for a larger pool of participants which can be studied, and that will provide the researcher with a more accurate representation of how the company handles customer service issues. This study, however, is not specifically about how Verizon handles their end user experience. It is, more exactly, about how the end user perceives that experience. If Verizon believes the interaction was well-handled but the end user does not agree, there must be a reason for that - and that reason should be explored so that it can be determined where the breakdown in communication occurred. Without the ability to see where the problem actually lies, the company will not know what needs to be corrected.

1.3 Research Objective

The research objective here is to determine whether Verizon is meeting the needs of its end users from a management perspective. This must be identified by asking the end users, not be asking the management of Verizon. The goal is to determine whether the end users are satisfied with the perception they have of management. If they perception is far different than reality, Verizon may wish to work on the image it has in the marketplace, so that it will be more likely to be perceived correctly by its end users. Of course, not every end user will agree on how Verizon's management is handling things,...

However, a pattern will present itself and individuals who deal with the company as end users will have opinions about the way they are treated. If they are being treated a particular way, it stands to reason that customer service is following what they have been told to do by management. With that being the case, the perceptions of management as they relate to the end user, can be better determined by the researcher.
1.4 Research Questions

The research questions are very important for any study. Here, the research questions that will be answered are as follows:

1. How, specifically, does the end user perceive the service he or she receives from Verizon?

2. How, specifically, does the end user feel about the management of Verizon, and how was this opinion formed?

3. Does the end user feel as though Verizon's management is appropriately handling the company so as to mitigate problems with the end user experience?

Chapter Two: Literature Review

2.1 Background of the Telecom Industry

Throughout its lifespan, the telecommunications industry has changed greatly. Regulation and deregulation have affected it, as have new innovations such as wireless technology, cellular telephones, and the internet. Because so much has changed, companies also need to grow and change. If they do not change and adjust, they will find themselves lacking what they need in order to be successful in the marketplace. Originally, telecommunications was a small business that was only designed for the people who really needed it and who could afford to access it. There were several companies that grew and that offered services to others. As the industry developed further, companies started to consolidate with other companies, and that eventually led to the monopoly that was AT&T. That was broken up, and when deregulation came about more companies jumped in and started offering services to customers again so that people would have more choices.

Eventually, the telecom industry became more than just phones. It also included the internet and cellular services, as well as other types of wireless communication devices. Overall, the industry turned into something that most people felt they could not live without. That ensured that the industry would remain available to almost everyone, but at what cost? Rates for telecommunications and the taxes that are imposed by those telecom companies are often relatively high. Even with "unlimited" plans, there is a price to be paid. The customer service of the telecommunications companies has also fluctuated from time to time, which is something that has to be addressed properly or some of the companies will fail simply because customers can be treated better by other companies that can offer them the same types of services for similar prices.

2.2 Literature

The kind of literature reviewed for this study will be varied. Of course it is important to look at literature that is specific to the case study, but it is also highly significant to look at literature that relates to the telecom industry overall. Without doing that, there is no way that the case study company can be compared to other companies appropriately. While comparison is not the major goal of the study, it still serves as a valuable tool in order to show how Verizon stacks up with its competition. Overall, however, the literature that will be used in the study will show the importance of the case study method, and the reasons behind why it is effective for the type of conclusions that will be drawn by this particular study. Also included will be literature that deals with telecommunications as a whole, and literature that specifically addresses management functions and how they are used to help a company be more successful. In addition, it is important to consider literature that relates to the end user experience of different kinds of companies, to determine whether there are specific issues that are seen where telecom companies are concerned.

2.3 The Case - Verizon

Verizon will be used as the case study subject. Information on the company will be provided for background and an understanding of how it was founded and how it has grown and developed throughout the years. In addition, Verizon's management needs to be examined, because it is very difficult to understand how a company works if that company's management is not understood. The style of management that is used by Verizon…