Improving Productivity in the James Allen Customer Service Center
Introduction and Context
“Lighting has an enormous effect on our physical and mental well-being” (Felderman, quoted in How Lighting..). The average American spends 47 hours per week at work (Saas), and the number of hours an employee spends at James Allen, an online diamond and jewelry retailer founded in 2001, is not far off. James Allen employees are responsible for handling all customer inquiries about potential and current orders and spend the majority of their time talking on the phone, using live chats, or writing e-mails. As one of the largest online diamond and jewelry retailers, the competitive environment surrounding the business is intense and James Allen should pursue any opportunities that would help increase their competitive advantage. A full time employee will be scheduled 45 hours a week, with five of those hours being an unpaid lunch period. Many employees choose to bring lunch and eat in the office breakroom to save money. As a result, the employees of James Allen
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While some research already exists on the impact of lighting and productivity, more tailored research is required to make a decision. My recommendation report will address multiple options for lighting at James Allen such as additional windows, different colored lightbulbs, and lighting systems that change with the time of day. I will consider factors such as set up costs, energy savings, productivity increases, and mood shifts. The next steps for this proposal include developing an analysis of these factors through the assessment methods outlined in this proposal. These analyses will allow the co-founders of James Allen to decide if they want to invest in a new lighting system, and if so, which system to invest