Cultural Capabilities Report on Communication Barrier and Complaint Handling

This report contains a summary of video clip which is about communication barrier and complaint handling. In this video there are four different persons from different cultural background. This report concluded the causes of communication barriers and complaint handling and resolution regarding this. Cultural intelligence is all about how a person is behaving in situation. It depends person to person how it deals. Cultural behavioural is highlighted in this video through different people with different nature.

1/16/2019
Cultural Capabilities 0
Cultural Capabilities Report
Student’s Name

Cultural Capabilities 1
Executive Summary
This report contains a summary of video clip which is about communication barrier and
complaint handling. In this video there are four different persons from different cultural
background. This report concluded the causes of communication barriers and complaint handling
and resolution regarding this. Cultural intelligence is all about how a person is behaving in
situation. It depends person to person how it deals. Cultural behavioural is highlighted in this
video through different people with different nature.

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Contents
Introduction.................................................................................................................................................4
Background..............................................................................................................................................4
Aim..........................................................................................................................................................4
Scope.......................................................................................................................................................4
Summary and Observations.....................................................................................................................5
Summary of the video clip...................................................................................................................5
Observations........................................................................................................................................5
Recommendations.....................................................................................................................................10
Summary and Conclusion..........................................................................................................................11
References.................................................................................................................................................12

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Introduction
Background
This video is about communication problems and handling complaints. Cultural
Capabilities consists skills, facts, behaviours and systems that need to organize, support, develop
and convey services in a culturally polite and appropriate way. Creation of safe spaces requires
self-awareness, cultural intelligence and cultural capabilities (Harris, Moran, & Moran, 2004).
Aim
In the Fawlty Towers video, communication issue and handling complaints is
highlighted. Receptionists deals with Mr. Thurston, a customer but on the other hand Mrs. Alice
Richards is not ready to listen anything and she wants to get attention immediately. This report
contains pros and cons of the Fawlty Towers video (spiers, 1979). This report shows the ethics
value that calmly and politely a customer is to be treated. It can be more safe if receptionist
suggests a better handler to Mrs. Alice Richards instead of that person who is from different
background and unable to deliver the message to Alice Richards.
Scope
In Fawlty Towers video there is a receptionists, Mr. Thurston, Mrs. Alice Richards and a
person who gives assistance to Mrs. Alice Richards. Mr. Thurston is the gentleman receptionists
attending at the moment but Mrs. Alice Richards is in hurry and wants to get attention.
Receptionists told her that Mr. Thurston is arrived before she arrived. She only give her change
as her taxi driver is waiting outside but she will serving Mr. Thurston first. After this
receptionists asked a man to assist that lady. But he is unable to assist her smoothly as his
language is different (spiers, 1979).
Receptionists can handle this situation in a better way. She should appoint a person as an
assistant who is familiar with the language spoken by Mrs. Alice Richards. Mrs. Alice seems to
very hyper and in hurry while entering in to hotel. She booked a room and wants the authority as
soon as possible.

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Summary and Observations
Summary of the video clip
In Fawlty Towers video there are four people mainly. A receptionists, Mr. Thurston, Mrs.
Alice Richards and a person who provides assistance to Mrs. Alice Richards, a rude customer.
Receptionists entertaining Mr. Thurston, a gentlemen at the moment. While on other side a lady
called Mrs. Alice Richards comes in hurry and wants change to give taxi driver. Receptionists
informed her that Mr. Thurston is arrived before she came. But she could not recognised what
receptionists said and asked for change in hurry. Receptionists provides change to her as taxi
driver is waiting outside. But she is not satisfied yet and asked to entertain first. Receptionists
inform her that Mr. Thurston is comes first and she will serve him first. After all her eagerness,
receptionists asked one of their staff to assist that lady. But he was unable to assist her
effectively. Language spoken by staff is different from the language spoken by Mrs. Alice
Richards. Afterwards receptionists inform to Mrs. Alice about his different culture and assist her
in a better way (spiers, 1979).
Observations
In this video various types of cultural behaviour is highlighted. Receptionists is so calm
and polite while attending to customers but smoking while working in an organisation is unsafe.
Also on the other hand Mrs. Alice Richards is very rude and impatient. Person appointed by
receptionists is from Barcelona which is a different culture. Receptionist’s voice modulation is
quite polite which comes under business ethics. But Mrs. Alice’s tone was so rude, loud and
impatient. This is not a professional etiquettes. Hence, it proved that they all from different
cultures and different cultural behaviour they have.
Scene
Description
Time in
Sequence
Sign of
empathy
Body
Language
Voice Tone
1:01 She empathise
here with
politeness.
Receptionist
behaves
politely and
calmly with
Mr. Thurston
Receptionist’s voice is so polite.
She maintains her voice
modulation.
1:05 She did not Mrs. Alice She aggressively enters in the

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empathise as
she is very
rude and
arrogant.
Richards is so
rude and
impatient.
hotel and asked for change to
receptionist in loud tone.
1:13 She empathise
her and trying
to explain the
situation.
Receptionist
try to calm
down to Mrs.
Alice
Receptionist try to explain the
situation to Mrs. Alice but she is
not ready to listen anything.

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Analysis
This video is all about communication barrier and handling complaints. This video
contains different persons having different cultures and having different responsibilities. Each
person in this video have different roles. Receptionist is should be in a polite manner as she is
handling customers. Various types of customers are such as rude, polite, calm, understanding,
irritated, frustrate and so on the term culture refers the ideas, values and social behavioural of
specified persons and society. In this video there are so many people which present specified
roles from different culture. Through this video, it is analysed that people should know to
perform their duty well and to cope up with the organisational situations. Receptionist should
know how to handle complaints and irritated customers. Mrs. Alice Richard is already very
irritated and after meeting with staff member she loses all her control and start shouting because
Mrs. Alice is unable to understand the intention of staff member. Receptionist called staff
member to assist her. It is all known as communication barrier which can be sorted out with care
and diligence. Receptionist should provide a staff member to lady which is familiar with her
language and can assist her in better way. It will help to maintain situation in a more systematic
manner. It will also reduce the communication barrier and handling issues.
Culture Intelligence is the ability to relate and work effectively and efficiently across
cultures. There are four types of culture intelligence. These are:-
- CQ Drive: It refers person’s interest and confidence to deal in different cultures.
- CQ knowledge: it refers knowledge regarding similar and different cultures.
- CQ strategy: It refers how a person is deal with different culture experiences. It includes
planning, awareness and checking of culture.
- CQ Action: it includes a person’s behaviour to deal with vocal and non-vocal behaviours
in diversified cultures (Trandis & H.C. 2006).
Cultural Intelligence is operational psychology which helps business to run smoothly. It’s
individual ability to engage operations successfully without any communication barrier. Cultural
intelligence also helps in handling the complaints in an effective manner. Cultural knowledge
helps organisation to sustain in long term and reduces burden of managing activity. It increases
the operational capabilities and enhance goodwill of organisation as it reduces the customer

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complaints. Reasons of communication barrier can be lack of jargon, attention, and interest
(Hogan & Stubbs, 2003). It can also occur due to distraction and loud noise because it will
causes issue to both sender and receiver. Speech difficulty is also one of the main reason of
communication barrier. Customer complaints is also a barrier of cultural intelligence. It can be
due to not keeping promises, rude staff, not listening to customers properly, hidden information
or provide low quality of products and services to customers. Handling customer complaints is
very important to sustain in long term. It is not an easy task because every person is belonged to
different cultural background. To resolve the quires of customers, it is important to understand
the complaint and appropriate resolution regarding customer query (Kutz, 2011), (Moore, 2006).
In this video receptionist could not assist the lady in an appropriate manner. She should
provide a person to her who can understand her language and assist her in better way. Likewise
due to high tone of Mrs. Alice Richards receptionist unable to understand the exactly query that
lady have. It is all about communication barrier and way of handling complaints. Mrs. Alice later
complaint to receptionist about the language issue she is facing with the staff member that she
provided to her. She informs her afterwards that staff member is belongs from Barcelona but
again she misunderstood that manager is from Barcelona. This situation is all about
communication barrier. At this point of time receptionist should empathise to the lady for the
issues she has facing due to their services. Further she should clear her misunderstanding
regarding manger because she asked for manager but receptionist provide her a staff member to
assist her. In this video there is lack of apology, empathy and body awareness. Staff should know
how to deal with the situations by giving appropriate resolutions to customers.

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Recommendations
In this video situations should be handled with more care and diligence because Mrs.
Alice is already very irritated and arrogant. She requires a person who can assist her in better
way. Person provided to Mrs. Alice is unknown to language of Mrs. Alice’s language.
Receptionist should calm down and assure her that she will assist her after assisting Mr.
Thurston. Responsibility toward Mr. Thurston is first as he comes earlier. She should deal with
her in a polite manner and try to keep her calm. She can give her a better assistance. She should
apologise her for the inconvenience she had due to staff member provided by her. They also hire
more than one staff member on the reception in peak time. Resolving customer issues
effectively and efficiently plays a key factor in attracting customer and it will help to enhance the
goodwill of organisation. It is observed that lady is too arrogant and frustrated and moreover she
is not ready to listen anything. She wants attention on the spot and it is not reliable.

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Summary and Conclusion
This video contains many different characters from different cultural background. This
video includes persons which have different behaviours. It is concluded from the video that
person should perform their respective responsibilities with care and diligence. In this video
there are four characters and these are Receptionist, Mrs. Alice Richard, Mr. Thurston and one
staff member. These four people belongs to different cultural backgrounds. Mrs. Alice is very
arrogant and frustrated. Mr. Thurston is quite adjusting as he allows receptionist to give change
to Mrs. Alice. This video is all about communication barrier and complaints handling. There is
lack of empathy and apology in this video. It is also further concluded that situation can be
handled more appropriately.

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References
Harris, P., Moran, R. & Moran, S. (2004). Managing Cultural Differences: Global Leadership
Strategies for the 21st Century (6th ed.). London: Elsevier Butterworth-heinemann.
Hogan, K. & Stubbs, R. (2003). Can’t Get Through: Eight Barriers to Communication. Gretna:
Pelican.
Kutz, k. (2011). Barriers to Cross Cultural Communication. Germany: auflage.
Moore, C. (2006). Secrets of Successful Complaints Handling (2nd ed.). U.S: Business Jigsaw.
Spiers, B. (Director). (1979, Feb 19). Fawlty Towers, Communication Problems, Handling
Complaints, Season 2 Episode 1 (BBC Television program) Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_cDmwlbVkg
Trandis & H.C. (2006). Cultural Intelligence in Organization. Group and Organization
Management, 31, 20-26.