I think anyone who's sold or bought on eBay in the past couple of years will agree that the system wasn't doing what it was intended to do. But the discussion of what to do about that dates back to who knows when, and THIS was determined to be the best solution? Don't the problems with this just spring to mind unbidden (pun totally intended)? Let's see:

• There are as many problem buyers (slow pay, no pay, wrong pay, too stupid to read the plain language description of an item, certified insane, and on and on) as there are sellers. Ebay's "seller protections" are essentially too little too late. Too little because you have to be reeeeeally bad to be blocked from bidding. Too late because there's no meaningful feedback on buyers to guide a seller through the process of receiving and answering questions and so forth, and because you have to be really bad to be blocked from bidding.
• Sellers are 50% of the equation that is eBay. Will this not result in the mirror image problem (now sellers are going to lose confidence in the system), in no time flat?
• Buyers are still allowed to leave feedback of any sort! how weird is this? If the feedback system has demonstrated that the human tendency to manipulate, exaggerate, and so forth is alive and well, what about this new policy reduces that tendency?
• I could go on. But others closer to the eBay playing field are way ahead of me. I just could not read that message today and not throw in my two cents (again with the wink), late though they may be. Surely there is some way of actually solving the problem of meaningless feedback. I suspect once seller confidence dwindles as buyer confidence had, we will see some wiser minds at eBay go to work on this.

Feedback can be entered at the option of each member for either party involved in any transaction. For example, if a buyer purchases an item on eBay and pays promptly, the seller will normally give positive feedback to the buyer. The same circumstances apply when a seller sells an item to a buyer. If the buyer feels positively about the transaction then he or she will reciprocate with positive feedback to the seller.

Positive feedback is a win, win situation for all parties that are aggressively trying to do business on eBay. The more positive feedback that is received, the better your reputation and the more likely you will be able to enter in many successful business transactions on the site.

Negative feedback, on the other hand, may result from many things. For a few examples; a seller may not ship as quickly as the buyer would like, or the actual item received is not like it was advertised online, or the merchandise was damaged in shipping. A buyer may not pay promptly, or their method of payment may not be satisfactory. Another case of negative feedback may stem from the fact that one party will give the other party negative feedback, so then the second party will give negative feedback in return.

Feedback extortion is also known to happen. One party may want more or different merchandise that is not currently offered in the sale and that party may threaten with negative feedback in order to get the merchandise that they want.

Negative feedback is deadly to your reputation on eBay. You may have many positive transactions with a wonderfully high feedback rating, and then one negative feedback can drastically harm your reputation eBay's former policy was that negative feedback would affect your reputation for the term of your membership. In their latest change in policy, eBay states that negative feedback will affect your reputation for one year. In most cases, a high feedback score is a good sign, but eBay warns that members should always check another member's Feedback Profile to read comments and look for negative remarks.

Here is how the positive and negative feedback ratings affect your overall feedback score:

• +1 point to your Feedback Score for each positive comment and rating left for you
• No points for a neutral comment and rating left for you
• -1 point to your Feedback Score for each negative comment and rating left for you

As you accumulate more positive points, you are awarded different colored stars. Following are the different levels of stars that are awarded:

Yellow star: 10 to 49 points
Blue star: 50 to 99 points
Turquoise star: 100 to 499 points
Purple star: 500 to 999 points
Red star: 1,000 to 4,999 points
Green star: 5,000 to 9,999 points
Yellow shooting star: 10,000 to 24,999 points
Turquoise shooting star: 25,000 to 49,999 points
Purple shooting star: 50,000 to 99,999 points
Red shooting star: 100,000 points or more

Some members who are trying to build their reputation on eBay by acquiring the different levels of stars will specifically look for transactions that are easy and cheap to complete. A cheaply priced item, with free shipping, or greatly reduced shipping will be very attractive to them. They can easily score another positive feedback rating without having to spend too much to do so.

Digital items that can be downloaded are another way for them to achieve higher feedback ratings at little or no cost.

“Digital goods are often reproduced at little to no cost to the seller. On eBay, this creates the potential for feedback manipulation. To preserve the integrity of the feedback system, all goods that can be digitally downloaded or transferred electronically (including e-mail delivery) must be listed using the Classified Ad format in the Everything Else>Information Products category only.”

eBay has specific guidelines set in place in an attempt to thwart feedback manipulation:

“Feedback left or received, including detailed seller ratings (DSRs), where the feedback's primary value is to artificially enhance a member's reputation rather than provide commentary and ratings on genuine transactional experience is not permitted.

Consequently, offering to sell, buy or barter feedback is not permitted. In addition, registering multiple accounts (or working with others) in order to exchange feedback to artificially increase your feedback score is not permitted.

EBay will view the recurrence of listings which are uncharacteristic of a reasonable business model to be in violation.”

Violation of eBay's feedback manipulation policy may result in the following actions:

• Listing cancellation
• Limits on account privileges
• Account suspension
• Forfeit of eBay fees on cancelled listings
• Loss of PowerSeller status
• Feedback removal

Threatening to leave negative or neutral feedback for another member unless the other member provides goods or services not included in the original listingBottom of Form

It is very important to develop good communication skills when dealing with technical problems in an organization. The following situation proves how communication can help tackle major technical problems.

In a mobile phone organization, top executives were assigned to complete the project by installing wireless networks in remote areas. Field engineers faced difficulty in activating the network. The technical head used effective communication skills from his office to help resolve this. His technical strategies, his way of explaining and finding the solution by remote support, helped the engineers handle the assigned task and resulted in a successful outcome.

In other words, communicating root-level solutions and giving technical assistance solved the problem. The situation was handled by communicating proper strategies when the problem emerged.

In an organization, effective communication between professionals and engineers is a must. Top officials must instruct employees, instead of getting panicked, and concentrate on trying to solve the problem and giving feedback. It will ease the nerves of the staff and they will be better able to handle the problem. It is a fact that when engineers have to face a technical hurdle, they need proper communication from their expert.

It is a simple but vital process of introduction, information giving and planned training which enables people to become comfortable and productive in their new job role in the shortest possible time.

Why is it necessary?

• To provides new starters with important information about the organization and get them off to a good start.
• To introduce them to their working environment and their job and to integrate them into their team.
• To equip them with the knowledge and skills they need to do their job so that they can become effective in a short space of time.
• To help those who are new to a job role (for example first time managers) to settle confidently and easily into it and to become effective as quickly as possible.

Who is responsible for it?

Induction is the responsibility of the line manager for the new, returning or redeployed employee.

It needs to be:

• Carefully planned
• Well structured
• Tailored to meet the employee's individual needs

Who should be involved in induction?

As soon as the need for induction arises the line manager should:

• Decide who will be involved.
• Convene a planning meeting.
• Develop the Induction Plan.
• Assign responsibility for delivery.
• Monitor and review the induction.

The line manager for the new employee should lead the planning of the induction process and decide who will be involved in it. A contribution should be made by other members of the team.

Line managers do not have to personally deliver every part of the programme although they must be involved and they are responsible. Team members and other support staff can all play an active part in induction.

This helps the new starter to integrate and form good working relationships at an early stage. It also spreads the workload involved in the induction process. The more people that are involved, the quicker the new employee will settle and become effective in their job.

A “buddy” within the team should also be appointed. The role of the buddy is to provide a helping hand to the new employee, answering questions, offering advice and information and guiding the person through the first few weeks in their role.

The buddy, along with others in the team, may also be involved in delivering one to one training for the new starter.

An induction planning meeting should take place at least a week before the new employee starts. The line manager and others who will contribute to the induction of the new employee should meet to:

• Assign a buddy.
• Brief those involved in the induction.
• Agree what aspects they will be responsible for.
• Allocate timed slots and venues for each topic.

The outcome should be an Induction Plan which caters for the new employee's needs for up to the first few weeks of their employment.

Towards the end of the first 2 weeks, a progress review should be made by the line manager and, if required, the plan should be adapted. We all learn and assimilate information differently and some people may take longer than others to settle into their role.

New starters are keen to learn as much as possible about their new employer so sending them information before they start is welcomed and appreciated. There are a number of advantages in doing this:

• It enables the new employee to learn something about the organization, in their own time and at their own pace.
• It gives them an opportunity to think about questions they might want to ask when they start their employment.
• It helps to overcome the common problem of “information overload” once they are in post.

A visit to the office or place of work before the formal start date has the following benefits:

• The employee is able to meet their line manager and immediate colleagues.
• Tthey can see the office environment and the area they will be working in.
• They can check out their journey times and route to the office.
• It may help to overcome first day nerves or apprehension.

It is recommended that the line manager should take responsibility for conducting this visit, introducing the new employee to their immediate team members, showing the new employee around the office and answering any questions.

On the first working day the line manager should meet and greet the new starter on the first day of employment and spend time putting the employee at ease, making them feel welcome and explaining that they will go through the Induction Programme.

The Induction Plan should be shared with them and the line manager should conduct the tour of the office and make introductions to their immediate team members. The line manager can then hand over to or involve other staff members who have been designated to take part in the Induction Programme and who have been assigned responsibilities within the Induction Plan.

The overriding priority is for the employee to be introduced to their work environment and the organization's basic operating systems. Right from the start, the new starter should feel valued, supported and comfortable in finding their way around the office and their work area.

By the end of the first week the employee should be able to carry out their work and correctly use the range of resources and support that are available to them, with guidance and supervision.

The designated buddy plays a key role during the first week and they should be ready and able to offer advice, answer questions and steer the new starter whenever required.

During the first week the emphasis should be on helping the employee to become familiar with the operating systems that enable them to carry out their work and do their job.Sufficient time should be allocated to discuss progress, allow the employee to ask questions, check their work and ensure that they are correctly using resources and following procedures.

The line manager should meet with the employee at the end of the first week and discuss how they have settled into the job and deal with any queries or concerns they may have. He/she should also take feedback from anyone else who has been involved in the Induction Plan so far and adjust or extend the plan if necessary. Arrangements should also be made to meet any training needs that have been identified.

Once the employee is settled into their role and comfortable about carrying out their job, they can be gradually introduced to other information about the organization and the business.

This information might be complex and there may be a lot to take in. This part of the induction should be prioritized, covered bit by bit and in sufficient depth for the person to understand what the organization does, how it is done, and who the clients or customers are.

Information overload is a problem. The best approach is to plan and diarise short sessions during which different topics are covered with time in between for the employee to do their work.

During the first month, the line manager should maintain regular contact with the employee and with those who are involved in the Induction Programme. The Induction Plan should be reviewed and amended if required.

The employee's work should be monitored for quality and quantity and it should be made clear what is expected in terms of their performance. Feedback should be given to the employee about how they are doing, what they may need to improve upon and what is going well.

At all times the new starter should be encouraged to ask questions and seek help in any aspect of their work or to get to know more about the organization.

Line managers should be confident that all aspects of the Induction Programme have been covered and that people who are new to the organization or those new to a role have been given the best possible start.

One of the most common reasons for high turnover of staff and people leaving a job shortly after they started is because there is no planned induction and they are left to fend for themselves. Don't let this happen to your organization!

You need to ask yourself a few questions: What do you need to know more about the customer if you have to sell more of your product? You should think from your customer's angle and ask yourself " What do I need to do to get my customer more profitable?" .

You should help your customer by discussing matters usually profitable ones which he is more interested. He can start asking you more number of questions of his interest later.

People usually don't care how much you know unless they are assured how much you care for their benefit.

Give few hints of the services you provide that are closely related to your customer's business. For this you need to make a through study of your customer's market. This naturally helps your customer to come in your line.

There are few methodologies of computer based learning is one of them where you give a detailed view of your sales and products - your customers will naturally tend to show lot of interest in asking questions since these methods are most user friendly. This was one of the methods we follow in our company to attract our customers.

You can also indirectly help your customers by referring them to a few business articles, unique marketing concept, etc. You should be a valuable business resources for their customers.