Heidi Feldman
Dr. Heidi K. Feldman is an Associate Professor in the Department of Communication Studies at Northeastern University. Dr. Feldman applies the method of conversation analysis to provide accounts for where and how miscommunication occurs during different types of service calls (e.g. customer service; 911 dispatch, etc.). Recent areas of investigation include how 911 dispatchers handle ‘active’ silent calls, where it unsafe for callers to verbally communicate their emergency, and how dispatchers ‘retrieve’ a fleeing caller in domestic disturbance calls. Dr. Feldman has conducted extensive research in customer service management, with a particular focus on how customers work to get additional service beyond what an organization is willing to provide. Her work has practical implications for training, and she offers best practices based on research grounded in the actual interaction between organizational members and their callers.
