1. I agree moderately with the opinions presented here. It seems that this database is poorly designed, and therefore difficult to use. The concerns expressed here seem justifiable based on two facts; first, the salesperson did try to use the database without much success, and second, all the users seem to have trouble with this database. Other factors that may attribute to problems with this database might be that the other salespeople do not want to give up their contact information either, which makes for an incomplete database. Furthermore, maybe the people using the database did not receive proper training. Finally, the database might be poorly managed, as well as deficient in design.
2. I believe the problems with the way this salesperson stores address data is that his methods are random and unorganized. He does not seem too concerned about keeping current contact information beyond phone numbers, because phone conversations are how he does the bulk of his work. The fact that he puts e-mail and snail-mail addresses in the “Notes” section of his spreadsheet makes the information hard to update and keep track of changes. Furthermore, he admits that he does not have all his customers’ addresses. When the time comes for this person to send group e-mails or form letters to his customers, he will have to rely on the information on his spreadsheet, as well as take time to call his customers for whom he does not have the necessary information. He may also end up accessing the database to get the contact information he needs, and we already know how that is 3. The way I see it, based on his comments, his data has three themes. Let me explain my reasoning, and, if you would please, correct me if I am coming from Mars. The first theme I see is Customer, and in that table I would include CustomerName, SpouseName, Email, SnailMail, PrimaryPhone, and AltPhone. Then I see a theme for Car Interests. This table would consist of CarManufacturer, CarModel, YearRange, and PriceRange. Finally, there is his Notes theme. This is where I would put the identifiers LastContact, ContactMethod, DiscussionNotes. Now that I have organized his information this way, I see that attempting to include …show more content…
Based on the fact that car dealership salespeople generally work on a commission basis, as a manager I would justify the fact that the salespeople have worked hard to build their client list, so wanting to keep the information in those lists to themselves was their prerogative. As long as the company did not have an actual policy about how to store and track client information, there really is no recourse. There are some key disadvantages to this policy. One disadvantage is that when salespeople leave, they take their client information with them. The same holds true when salespeople get sick for extended periods, or take several weeks of vacation. Furthermore, by not having a database with client information, if something should happen to an individual’s spreadsheet or address book, then the information is lost until, over time, it is repopulated. Lastly, if more than one salesperson has developed a working relationship with some clients, then those people would receive multiple mailings, e-mails, and phone calls. Most customers find this annoying, especially when a sales call comes during supper