Copyright Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.
Chapter 8 Consumer Services 203
Customer Service
Customer service refers to taking care of customers’ needs.
Customer service representatives are the intermediaries (go-betweens)
between a company and its customers. Their days are usually spent
answering questions, quoting products and services, entering orders,
and handling customer complaints. Computer support specialists solve
customers’ problems with computer software or equipment, satisfying
both the customer and the supplier. They listen to and ask questions
about the customer’s problem and then provide solutions to fi x the
issue.
Rona had dreams of becoming a midwife
and returning to the Philippines, the country of
her birth. She had not returned there since she
was in high school. On her last visit, she worked
with a nurse and a midwife in the poverty-
stricken community outside the city of Manila.
She returned home knowing that becoming a
midwife was her dream. Now, she has found a
college training program. A large debt that an
unexpected visit to the hospital emergency room
last year brought on, however, is thwarting her
dream.
Rona had gone to the emergency room
at the urging of the medics who responded to
her at the scene of a car accident. She was
uninsured at the time. The debt was huge,
over $10,000. When she did not pay the bill,
she could not get a car loan. The debt also
prevented her from getting a credit card. Now
she is concerned that she will not be awarded
any student loans. As a result, she is not even
trying. Frustrated and feeling stuck, Rona
decided to ask for a free financial makeover
from a credit counselor who was volunteering
one Saturday morning at her community center.
The meeting with the credit counselor turned
out to be very helpful. The credit counselor
analyzed Rona’s situation and then offered her
some suggestions. The counselor helped Rona
make some key decisions that resulted in cutting
back her spending, lowering her housing costs,
and making plans to invest in her future. Rona
could feel her load lightening. The future felt
much brighter.
Rona’s credit counselor is just one example
of a financial services worker. Financial services
workers teach people how to use their financial
resources wisely to meet their needs, wants, and
goals and lead a higher quality of life.
Money Matters
For Discussion
1. Which of Rona’s decisions got her into
financial distress?
2. Over which circumstances did Rona
have control? Which did she not
control?
3. What specific skills did Rona’s financial
counselor use to solve her financial
struggles?
Case Study
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