Performance feedback and a token economy to increase telemarketing sales skills in a thrift institution.
Item
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Title
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Performance feedback and a token economy to increase telemarketing sales skills in a thrift institution.
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Identifier
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AAI9029971
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identifier
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9029971
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Creator
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Pratt, Alison.
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Contributor
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Adviser: Nancy Hemmes
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Date
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1990
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Language
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English
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Publisher
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City University of New York.
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Subject
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Psychology, Industrial | Psychology, Experimental | Business Administration, Marketing | Education, Vocational
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Abstract
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Performance feedback has become a widely used technique of behavior change in applied industrial and community settings. The current study used informational feedback and, later, a token economy, in an attempt to increase the sales skill ratios of three telemarketers in an inbound telemarketing department of a thrift institution.;A multiple baseline design across four sales skills (using the customer's name, asking for the sale, cross-selling, and stating product benefits) evaluated the efficacy of informational feedback. Telemarketers tape recorded their phone calls daily (without the customer being heard) from which data on sales skill usage was obtained. Performance feedback consisted of information regarding the percentage of skill usage from two to three days of calls from the previous week. Performance feedback was delivered for a total of 29 weeks. At week 20, a token economy for prizes from a gift catalog was added to the feedback intervention.;All sales skills data were analyzed with interrupted time series analysis. Results indicated that feedback reliably increased the use of sales skills in three out of nine cases. Reinforcement caused reliable increases in three out of six cases. However, many of the intervention effects were not maintained over time.;The thrift implemented a very successful product promotion from weeks 7 through 22, which acted as a confound for both independent variables. This campaign was itself responsible for significant increases in sales skill use for most skills.;Positive correlations between the use of sales skills and sales percentages were found. However, it is unclear whether the use of sales skills led to a sale or whether obtaining a sale led to the use of more skills.;The results of this study are consistent with the notion that feedback, in and of itself, is not a principle of behavior. Rather, information about performance is an environmental stimulus which may acquire antecedent, reinforcing, or punishing control depending on the learning history of the individual.
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Type
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dissertation
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Source
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PQT Legacy CUNY.xlsx
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degree
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Ph.D.
