CREDIT OFFICE ORIENTATION GUIDE
Welcome to the I. Magnin credit office! You are probably the sort of person who likes working with people and are happiest when you are busy helping people. This is your job as a customer service representative in the I. Magnin credit office. You will be helping many people in a wide variety of ways. Some times, your task is as simple as putting a call through to the right department or processing a payment. Other times, your responsibilities will include following through on challenging billing or delivery questions.
The credit office is the electronic nerve center of I. Magnin. Just like the human body’s nervous system, there are things that go on automatically and there are other things which require action.
This orientation guide is meant to give you an overview of the functions of the I. Magnin credit office and the duties you will be performing while working in it. This can only be, at best, a cursory glance around the office. the written words cannot replace the hands-on experience you will receive under the supervision of the office manager. If you should find anything on these pages which contradicts the instructions of the office manager, follow the office manager’s directions.
If the credit office is the nerve center of I. Magnin. then phones must be the nerves themselves. The first part of this orientation will be an introduction to the switchboard and various phone lines.
SWITCHBOARD Currently, the credit office has a forty-year-old switchboard. next year, perhaps, there will be a brand new PBX but in the meanwhile, you will have to experience few people here in San Diego county still have… playing Lily Tomlin.
Instructions on how to actually plug in the plugs and turn the switches are inscribed on the front of the switchboard. Live demonstrations are preferable. Be careful not to touch the metal part of the prongs on the plugs, holding two at once in this fashion will render a slight shock.
All calls coming from the “outside” come through the switchboard. For many people, their first impression of I. Magnin will be your voice and answer. Customarily, we answer “Good Horning! This is I. Magnin.” (of course in the afternoon we answer “Good Afternoon! This is I.Magnin.”) The switchboard also receives calls from other I. Magnin stores through what are called “Tie Lines”. These callers already know it is “I. Magnin” They need to know which I. Magnin so we cut out the formality and just answer “La Jolla”. Using the tie line isn’t always easy. The caller may be surprised he or she reached La Jolla. Not all calls from other I Magnin stores come through the switchboard. Callers who know the extension they want may dial directly. People within the store can pick up any extension and dial “0” for operator and those calls come through the switchboard also.
Generally, the switchboard work is little more than finding for whom or what department the call is coming in and putting the call through. Sometimes, you may screen calls for the store manager or personnel manager by asking “Whom should I say is calling?” This allows managerial staff to prioritize their time. Probably 90% of screened calls are accepted but by taking messages on the other 1O% you are providing a valuable service.
DESK PHONESET There are three “desk Sets” in the credit office, one on each desk and one near the computer terminal. Only the phone on the cash audit desk rings. These are rotary dial phones but have “push buttons’enabling the user to put the caller on hold to answer the other line or make a call. The extension numbers to these phones are “24” and “26” and although the majority of calls to these extensions are from within our own store callers from other stores are calling the office so we answer these phones “office (and name of person answering)”
WRONG # PHONE There is one black phone located behind the P.O.S. terminal. This is our “failsafe” phone were all others connections to fail. Incoming calls on this phone are always a wrong number. Knowing that, you may answer it after whatever else you are doing since it has low priority.
Now that we have taken a cursory glance at the switchboard and phones, let’s look at windows and doors. There is much to be said. There are only two windows and two doors to focus on but there is much to be said.
SERVICE WINDOWS There are two service windows in the credit office. Each of these windows has a one-inch thick panel of glass rendering it bulletproof. In past years, this was a necessity due to the large amounts of cash being handled in the office. Today, with the increased popularity of personal checks and charge cards, this added protection is probably passe. The thick glass poses a couple of challenges. Sound does not travel well around it. Keys and money must be given a little extra push when passed under them.
The window that opens into the store selling floor is considered the ” customer” window although employees often use it. The window that opens to the hallway outside shipping and receiving is used by employees, vendors, service providers, and delivery persons.
DOORS The one and only door to the credit office is made of metal. It is to remain locked at all times. Very few employees have free access to the credit office. This is a sensible security measure. The door to the alley which is just outside the hallway near the credit office is also locked for purposes of security. During store hours, someone in the credit office must push a button to release the door lock both for persons wishing to enter the building as well as those leaving. 1. Magnin reserves the right to inspect anything being removed from the store through this door. At the end of the day, a department manager with “door duty” will inspect packages, purses, and briefcases. In the course of the day, you maybe required to make these security checks. This is a valuable procedure for loss prevention.
Now that we have taken a look at the switchboard, phones, windows, and doors, it is time to consider sounds. There are many different sounds you will hear in the office. Soon, you will learn not only to distinguish all the different sounds but prioritize your attention to them.
BELLS AND BUZZERS There are bells and buzzers to alert you to calls on the switchboard, phones, messages on the teletype, customers at the window, and persons at the employee window or waiting out in the alley. At first, it may all seem a little overwhelming but in time you’11 establish your own pattern of answering these signals.
The customer window bell sounds just like a doorbell. Remember the old “Avon Calling” commercials?
The employee window buzzer also has an association with television but not a pleasant one. It sounds like the buzz your ear when a quiz show contestant has answered a question incorrectly.
The switchboard buzzes too. It has a slow continuous buzz which may be increased or decreased in volume by a control knob. You want the setting just loud enough so you hear it in the office no matter where you are.
The desk phone rings just like a regular phone but the only instrument that rings in the cash audit desk. You can answer any of the phones even though just the one rings.
The “wrong number” phone behind the P.O.S. Terminal sounds more shrill.
There is another way a person can call a wrong number and get our attention in the credit office. The same speaker that is connected to the teletype will broadcast a caller. It sounds like an amplification of someone hanging up on answering device