Wayne County Schools Customer Service Training/Update July 30, 2015 Winona Griggs/Linda Jones/Telene Hancock

Great Customer Service As employees we are all ambassadors for DCPS and are responsible for providing quality service everyday to everyone who calls or visits our schools and offices.

Effective customer service engagement is not a one-time program or the choice of a good school, but a set of day to day expectations, attitudes, beliefs and actions, when done well, support increased student achievement.

Excellent customer service between schools and our stakeholders are VITAL to the success of our students and district.

Wayne County Schools Why are you here? Who, What, When, Where, Why It starts and ends with you – YOU REPRESENT WAYNE COUNTY SCHOOLS – front and center Training Tips Emergency Procedure Discussion

Why are you here? Take a moment, right now, and do something that most people rarely (if ever) do: Think about the purpose of your job- Why does your job exist? The fact is, your job – everyone's job – exists for one primary purpose to either make or do things for other people. Those “other people” are our customers. As such they are the real source of your income, they are the real reason you are blessed with employment.

Who, What, When, Where, Why Who are we? Who are our customers? What is Customer Service (Internal and External) What do our customers value? Everyday Everywhere Why is it important to our district and how does it affect our system?

It starts and ends with you Ask don’t Tell –By doing this you not only demonstrate that the right person (the customer) is in charge, you also extend a common courtesy that lets them know they are valued and appreciated. –Use phrases like “Do you mind waiting while I find out for you” instead of “Wait here and I’ll find out for you” Never end an interaction with a negative- your inability to act (I can’t) –Next time you find yourself needing to tell a customer “I can’t do that” tack on this service phrase, “but here is what I Can do”

It starts and ends with you Watch your body language –To interact with customers effectively you need to not only use the right words, but your body language needs to show that you really mean what you are saying Do something extra –If time permits: After you meet a customer’s needs, look for one more thing – something EXTRA – to do for them or give to them. –Under promise and OVER DELIVER

It starts and ends with you Develop an “attitude of gratitude” –Be thankful you have a job- not everyone today can make that claim, and that makes you one of the lucky ones! –Attitude is infectious Treat you customer how you would like to be treated. –Listen, care, and act.

Our COMMITMENT We Will: Provide a WELCOMING environment Be COURTEOUS at all times Treat everyone with RESPECT RESPOND in a timely and appropriate manner

Be Patient. A customer who’s having to deal with an issue or problem getting fixed is going to not be on their best behavior.deal Understand this beforehand and you're ahead of the game. Know that it's not personal - it's stress and anxiety. This is not really the normal person it's the reactionary part of the psyche

Be Empathetic Being Empathetic means you'd like to help- you understand their position / opinion. It doesn't mean you have to agree with it. Just hear them.

Take time to Listen- really listen It takes time to have good customer service, but it only takes seconds to have bad customer service Its OKAY to say “I Don’t Know”. As long as… You follow up with “but I will find out for you!” Follow through and Follow up You have shown them respect and they will respect you!

Be Positive A real smile goes a long way Understand the customers Bad customer service is often a result of not understanding what the customer really needs.

Anyone who interacts with customers MUST be trained in customer service. Role distinctions are meaningless to customers- If any employee is untrained, customers may make harsh and often immediate evaluations. Internal customers (teachers, assistants, peers, janitors, students…) are just as important as external (parents, businesses, community…) ones. Your job name does not matter- anyone who needs or uses what you provide is a customer

Training Tips Create a culture of helping. –If your staff members are in the habit of helping people, it will come as second nature when dealing with customers. –Attitude is a key component of customer service. If you train your staff to check their attitude each and every day in order to stay in the right frame of mind, they will be less likely to offer poor customer service. One way to do this is to create an atmosphere where helping is the norm. Emphasizing the need for employees to help one another will have a contagious effect that will carry over to the realm of customer service. Eventually, helping people will become second nature.

Training Tips 5.I can’t 4.I don’t know 3.I’ll be honest with you 2.You’ll have to AND 1. I’ll try Top Five Hot Buttons for Customers

Safety Be an active observer Know the protocol Stay calm Protect confidentiality Notify appropriate personnel

Your Success What additional training is needed?  New technology (computer programs)  Communication Skills (verbal/written)  Organization System  Time Management

Wayne County School System Customer Survey Environment Site is: Welcoming Inviting Clean Well Maintained Courteous Staff is: Friendly Approachable Willing to Listen to Concerns Respect Staff is: Professional Confident Sensitive to your needs Response Communications/Responses are: Timely Appropriate Accurate