Final answer:
The correct answer is d) Employee attitudes.
Step-by-step explanation:
The correct answer is d) Employee attitudes.
Hard customer-defined service standards are measurable performance targets that directly relate to the quality of a service. They are typically objective and specific, focusing on factors like response time, accuracy, or efficiency.
In the given options, average call handling time, customer satisfaction ratings, and number of defects per product batch are all examples of hard customer-defined service standards as they can be measured and evaluated objectively. However, employee attitudes are not easily measurable and may vary from person to person, making them a subjective measure rather than a hard standard.