The Five Cs of Customer Service

Always Remember, The Students Are The Reason We Have a Job

Commitment

Courtesy Counts Say Please, Thank You and You’re Welcome Say Excuse Me and I’m Sorry Use a Person’s Name When You Know It Use Yes Rather Than Yeah Say it with a Smile

Doing The Right Thing: Ethical Issues Always Be Honest Always Be Truthful About Your Services and Policies Do the Right Thing Do What You Say You Will When You Say You Will Stay Accountable for Your Actions

Business NOT As Usual Be helpful and enthusiastic Keep your facial expression friendly Say it with a smile Do everything with integrity Never give a student/parent a reason to lose trust in us. Attitude is everything- make sure your is positive. Always remember: The students are the reason we have a job. Think about the truth in these words. It is always important to appreciate the students, but things take a downturn, showing your appreciation to each and every one takes a more important , literal meaning.

Communication

Saying What You Mean And Meaning What You Say Choose the Right Words Make Sure Your Tone Fits the Message You Are Sending Add Welcome Words to Your Vocabulary Keep Business Conversation Professional Choose the Right Words- Think before you speak. Choose words that the listener will understand. Add Welcome Words-”yes”, “Sure, I can”, “definitely”, and “absolutely”

What You Don’t Say: Nonverbal Communication Remember that actions Speak Louder Than Words Smile Often Make Eye Contact Maintain a Relaxed, Open Demeanor Keep Your Energy Level Steady Choose healthy foods that will give you long-lasting energy. If you feel drowsy, breathe deeply and do a few stretches. Maintaining good posture helps keep your energy level up.

String Exercise Pretend you a string attached to the top of your head. Imagine the string is being pulled straight up until you are standing/sitting tall and holding your head in a comfortable position. When you feel yourself slumping, do the string exercise.

Putting Words Together: Grammar Usage Reflect the District Personality Speak Clearly Use Everyday Language Avoid Using Slang, Jargon, Company Terms, and Technical Language Reflect- choose words that reflect our personality… helping children learn Speak- Say “Hello” or “Hi” in place of “Hey man”

Asking the Correct Questions and Answering the Questions Correctly Ask Closed Questions to Control the Conversation Before Answering a Question, Make Sure You Understand It Try to Give More Than a One-Word Answer

When A Parent/Students Has A Concerns Listen to the Concern/Objection Acknowledge the Objection Follow Up With A Question Consider the Response

Listening Actively Focus Entirely Listen Completely Handle Interruptions Professionally Remain Objective; Do not Judge Listen for What Is Not Said

Key Points Actions always speak louder than words Honesty is always the best policy. To the students/parents you are the District Represent the District well by Communicating effectively Never do anything to cause a student/parent to lose trust in you.

Creativity

Before we jump in with both feet and learn how to build and maintain positive relationships, we need to take a step back and identify the answers to the important questions. Who are your customers? What do they expect from you? How do the products and services enhance their lives? Discuss and answer the questions. Then you will have a better idea of how to establish a rapport. This will give information to fid common ground and begin building relationships.

Building and Maintaining Positive and Strong Relationships Establishing Rapport Interacting Positively with Customers Identifying Customer’s Needs Making the Customer Feel Valued Maintaining Ongoing Relationships Different Strokes: Handling Different Types of Situations By learning these six steps you will learn how to build and maintain positive and strong relationships with all customers

Establishing Rapport Be Considerate Be Trustful Find Common Ground

Interacting Positively Be Helpful Be Committed Be a Problem Solver Be Credible Believe in Your Products

Identifying Needs Ask Questions Summarize Needs Recommend Appropriate Solutions Handle Objections

Valuing the Customer Go Out of Your Way Validate Decisions Instill Positive Feelings

Maintain Ongoing Relationships Remember the Customer Learn Names Remember Something About Them Learn Preferences To help remember names, when you are introduced repeat the person’s name. “I’m pleased to meet you, George.” Use the name a couple of times during conversation, “George, you mentioned that….” After the person leaves, think of something that will help you remember the name.

Handling Different Types The Pushy- Remain Calm The Timid- Be Patient The Overly Friendly, Flirty- Be Professional The Culturally Different- Be Tolerant People with Disabilities- Be Respectful When you learn to interact with different types of people and personalities, you will confidently handle any situation. By building and maintaining positive relationships, you are on your way to providing great customer service.

Face-to-Face Contacts Seeing Eye to Eye Face-to-Face Contacts

Think about some places you went to recently Think about some places you went to recently. What was your first impression? Did you notice that some of them seemed to invite you inside with warmth, while other felt so chilly you could not wait to leave? What did the employees do that made you feel welcome? What aspects of the business appearance made you feel welcome?

Think about the image your office presents Think about the image your office presents. Mentally walk through your office from a visitor’s viewpoint. Start by walking through the same door that visitors would use. What do visitor see when they first walk into your office? How easy is it move about? How accessible? Is the traffic flow sensible? Is everything clean?

Try to create a focal point when visitors enter your office Try to create a focal point when visitors enter your office. Create something that is memorable. Decorate your office in a style that suits the image you are trying to project. Pay close attention to cleanliness and organization, Think about the total package you present: courtesy, attitude, appearance, manner of speaking, body language, listening skills, interest, and ability to build strong relationships

Saying It with a Smile: Telephone Contacts

Key Points Putting Your Best Ear Forward Saying Hello: The Opener Between Hello and Goodbye: Helping Saying Goodbye: The Closer

Putting Your Best Ear Forward Listen to opening statement Write down key points Listen without interrupting Give your full attention

Saying Hello- The Opener Answer on the first ring Give the districts name, your name, and an opening statement or question Assure the caller you can help Work on relationship building from the beginning of the contact.

Between Hello and Goodbye Summarize the opening statement Verbalize what you are doing Put your personal touch into the contact Before a lengthy pause, tell what is happening When putting on hold, explain why

Saying Goodbye- The Closer Recap what you are going to do Gain acceptance Ask if you can help with anything else Give your name again Thank the caller

Consistency Parents/Customers may be difficult to deal with. They may be update because something was mishandled, frustrated by a delay in handling a request, impatient about response time, or maybe having a bad day and taking their frustrations out on you.

Five Step Process What is going on: Determine the Reason for the Problem What caused the problem: Identify the Root Cause What can I do: Rectify the Situation What can I say: Restore the Relationship What needs to be done: Fix What Needs to Be Fixed

Determine the Problem Apologize Restate the Customer’s Opening Statement Listen Carefully Write Down Key Details Display Empathy Remain Composed Apologize- “I’m sorry” should be the first word out of your mouth Restate- Customer may be rambling- restate to make sure on the right track Listen- w/o interrupting Write down- Pay attention to the clues Display empathy- Let customer know you understand their feelings, Reassure again that you will help.

Remember: In most cases, the difficult customer is not angry with you personally. Even if the customer refers to the district as you, and you know you were not personally the cause of the problem, remember that the customer sees you as the district. Focus solely on solving the problem to keep from becoming defensive.

Identify the Root Cause Investigate the Situation Determine if the Parent/Customer Has a Valid Complaint Apologize Again if Necessary Explain What Happen Explain what happen- Be truthful, even when it was our mistake. Covering up, being evasive or lying is never a good practice.

A Valid Complaint Is this a one-time complaint, or is the customer a chronic complainer? What is your previous relationship with the customers? Does the customer do enough business with you to make the aggravation worthwhile? Is this person a new customer you want to keep? Each case will be different. You need to determine what are valid complaints. Think about he following questions and come up with some guidelines for handling scenarios:

Rectify the Situation Tell the parent/customer what you are going to do solve the problem. Focus on what you can do Offer your best solution Never assign blame Show compassion Offer an alternative solution

Taking the time to adequately explain your solutions will help you communicate more effectively. Tell what you can do and also explain why that is the best solution.

Restore the Relationship Thank the customer for allowing you the opportunity to make things right Tell what you will do to avoid future problems Offer some sort of comprehension or restitution Make a follow-up call or visit

Fix What Needs To Be Fixed Analyze what went wrong Review your policies and procedures Change to make things better

When Someone Complains, Look at It as an Opportunity to Improve

ComPleteness The Total Package

Take Responsibility for Your Actions Become the Person You Want to Be Set Goals for Yourself Keep Looking Forward Measure Your Own Level of Performance Keep Striving Be a Good Listener Enjoy Each Day

The Essence of Service is Having Heart! Honesty: Tell the truth. Do the right thing. Be trustworthy. Empathy: Put yourself in the other person’s shoes. Listen. Care. Appreciation: Look for the good in people. Express gratitude. Respect: Show care, concern, and consideration. Tolerance: Rather than judge others, accept their differences.