Exceptional Customer Service A Training for Student Employees Bitsy Cohn, Front Range Community College

Colleges love student employees No, not because you provide cheap labor Yes, because You are the face of our colleges You know what students feel and need better than anyone You are dedicated and energetic and represent our colleges so well

Don’t…please TMI from VPL

Don’t…ok? flip flops snow boots billion inch stilettos

Don’t…Ugh Too much perfume or cologne

Don’t…Argh Noisy accessories

Don’t…here Short shorts or mini skirts

Don’t…even Sag

Do… Clean, unwrinkled Projects a professional image Business casual – Google it When in doubt – ask!

I Policy Answering Customer Questions Communicating accurate information Solving problems BEFORE they happen Protecting me and the institution from liability Defining my job responsibilities and who is accountable

Identifying and using resources What are the top ten questions my customers ask? Where do I find the answers to those questions? Who can help me if I don’t know the answer to a question? What do I need to do to remember this information?

Who do you admire in your workplace? What do they do that you would like to learn? Think about what you would like from a mentorship How would you approach a person to be your mentor? If the person is someone who doesn’t know you, who would you ask to introduce you? Activity

Networking and Leadership What do I want to be when I grow up? ANY JOB can lead to bigger and better things! Resume and Skill building – the payoff Mentorship

Questions?

The Servant Culture You work in education, right? So you’re an educator, right? Actually, you are first and foremost a servant. Wait! Let me explain?

Servant First Culture Robert K. Greenleaf on Servant Leadership Servant Leaders "make sure that other people’s highest priority needs are being served. The best test… is: Do those served grow as persons? Do they, while being served, become healthier, wiser, freer, more autonomous, more likely themselves to become servants?”

Strategies  ListenWhat do you need?  ReflectHere’s what I heard you say  Acknowledge I can help with that  Act Here’s how I’ll help

Oh NO You Didn’t! One two three, don’t yell at me! It might be AT you but it’s not ABOUT you Stay or walk away? Know your limits Find the fear and the rest will follow

The 1,000,000 th Question Admit it, once you didn’t know the answer either. Make believe it’s the first time you’ve heard it Teach, don’t do Can I help my department be more efficient?

Top Ten Customer Service Responses What you THINK and what you SAY can be two different things

It’s not about me, right? Ten That must be very frustrating. How can I help you? Nine I CAN tell you… Eight Thank you for bringing that to my attention.

Can’t I just yell a little? Seven I’d be happy to direct you to the people who can help you with that. Six That’s a good question. Let me find out the answer for you. Five If you run into any problems, please come back to me and I will help.

But I’M right! Four The system can be very confusing. Let me do it with you to see if we can solve the problem. Three I CAN… Two We seem to have a misunderstanding.

I love my job, I love my job… One I apologize

Work Life Balance What are my priorities…today? School Family Social Life Work Don’t make excuses - Tell the truth Ask for help

Rock Star or Roadie? Roadies Show up for work…sort of Do the job…grudgingly Watch the rock stars achieve… resentfully Rock Stars Run the show Make more money Are worshipped by many

Questions?

Resources Becoming a Servant Leader: Do you have what it takes? John E. Barbuto Jr University of Nebraska at Lincoln. Handout – Top Ten Responses Glamour magazine’s Do’s and Don’ts on the job documentid= &gt1= documentid= &gt1=32002 Contact Me