The Front-line ofCustomer Service

BRADDOMITROVICH

PR Zealot, Speaker, Educator

www.domitrovich.com

Don’t shout, listen.Don’t convince, inspire.

Don’t direct, lead.

★You are on the Front-line

★Customer Service and Communications

★Managing Your Workload

★Open Discussion

Our Agenda for Today

You know a little about me,

let me find out a little about you!

★What’s your name?

★How long have you worked here?

★What is your favorite all-time

television show?

Elementary Employees

★What’s your name?

★How long have you worked here?

★If you could vacation anywhere,

where would it be?

Middle School Employees

High School Employees

★What’s your name?

★How long have you worked here?

★Where did you go on your very

first date?

Everyday, you are faced with situations that require the utmost sensitivity, tact, and sense of humor.

You are dealing with people who aresometimes uninformed but still know they are right.

You are onthe front line.

Why are we meeting today?

•To bring together the people who are the face, the voice, the eyes, and ears of the district.

•To offer suggestions to enhance our relationship with the public.

•To share with each other.

• Recognition - interested in respect, admiration, regard, esteem, notoriety and celebrity.

• Influence - interested in power, control, competition, and order to be most important.

• Internal - morals, duty, intellect, creativity, philanthropy, and honor are important to you.

• Profit - strive for success with money, possessions, acquisitions, wealth, and money.

What motivates people?

What motivates you?

★Take the time to do a personal survey:• Do you really enjoy your work?• Are you an optimist or a pessimist?• How do you feel about yourself?• Would you like to work for you?

Just how happy are we?

★In a recent survey ...

• 80% of the people polled said they

woke up happy.• 79% of the people polled said they

considered themselves an optimist.

Major sources of happiness ...

★Relationship with children.★Friends/friendship.★Helping others.★Degree of control over your personal life.★Relationship with spouse/significant other.★Job/employment.

★It’s not your life.★You should have fun while you’re here.★You should enjoy what you’re doing, or

go somewhere else.★Enjoyment in the workplace spills over

into other aspects of your life.

Remember, it’s just a job!

★Overwhelming amount of work.★Lack of clear direction.★Boredom.★Lack of appreciation.★Stress.★External forces.

Some reasons for job burnout ...

Do you have “happy” characteristics?

★Positive mental attitude.★High expectations for yourself and

others.★Childlike enthusiasm.★Willingness to try something new.★Good communicator and listener.

Some ways to get happy!

★Throw out non-essential numbers (like

age, weight, and height).★Surround yourself with happy friends.★Never stop learning.★Enjoy the simple things.★Laugh often, long, and loud.

What about attitude?

★You, and only you, are in charge of

your attitude.★Attitude is your choice to make.★Your attitude will determine what

you get or won’t get out of life!

ATTITUDE

A = 1T = 20T = 20I = 9

T = 20U = 21D = 4E = 5

ATTITUDE = 100%

Tips for improving your attitude ...

★Count your blessings.★Practice acts of kindness.★Learn to forgive.★Invest time and energy on your friends

and your family.★Develop strategies for coping with stress.

Brighten your corner of the world!

What about those difficult people?

What is a difficult person?

★A difficult person is anyone who

has a problem.★A difficult person is anyone who

does not share your organizations

point of view.

Dealing with difficult people ...

★Assist them quickly and efficiently.★Smile - when faced with no

resistance, anger can fade away.★Listen without interrupting.★Never take the complaint personally.

Dealing with difficult people ...

★Ask non-threatening questions when

trying to determine the problem.★Call them by their name.★Never get into a shouting match.★Put yourself in their shoes.

Dealing with difficult people ...

★Assist them quickly and efficiently.★Smile - when faced with no

resistance, anger can fade away.★Listen without interrupting.★Never take the complaint personally.

Questions/Comments

BREAK TIME

Customer Service

Communications

What is customer service?

What is customer service?

Customer service is a series of activities

designed to enhancethe level of

customer satisfaction.

What is customer service?

- and it’s also -

the feeling thata product or service

has metthe customers expectation.

What is communication?

What is communication?

Communication is a process by which

information is transmitted from one person to another and

it elicitsa response.

Why communication matters?•Good communication is a skill needed by all of us to be successful in whatever we do.•Good communication is everything in a crisis situation.•Customer service is all about good communication skills.

Try to think of a job that doesn’t include communication and

customer service?

For the most part,aren’t most jobs all about

relationships?

Communications

RELATIONSHIPS

Customer Service

Who are our customers?

•Students

•Parents

•Employees

•Community

Fundamental Needsof a Customer

To feel welcome.To be understood.To retain dignity.

To obtain assistance.To be valued.

Some Excuses Givenfor Bad Customer Service

Low expectations.Inadequate training.Not service oriented.

We’ve always done it …Lack of respect for others.

Five Rules forGreat Customer Service

Keep customers the priority.Over-deliver when possible.

Offer choices.Be access-approachable.

Use logic not emotion.

Our customers …•Do we talk about them when we shouldn’t?•Do we keep their concerns private?•Do we judge people by their looks, appearance, or dress?•Do we judge people by who they are related to?

In a recent customer survey,92% of the people who had a

positive experience about visiting a school for the first time

remembered what two things?

The person …

andtheir

smile!

In a recent customer service survey, what three things did respondents say

made them feel like their were not being helped when they called a

school for the first time?

#1They

did not know who they were talking to.

#2They felt like

they were imposing on the person answering the phone.

#3They felt that the person did not listen to them entirely.

Communication Skills

Communicating effectivelywith others includes …

•Speaking

•Listening

•Body Language•Knowing your audience

Speaking•One-on-One•Eye contact and body language•Both are equally critical

•Telephone•Remember the five customer service rules•Identify, Take Time, Listen

Listening•Listening is the key to great communication.•The best communicators are listeners.

•Stop what your doing•This includes typing and texting

•Make eye contact•It’s OK to take notes but …

•Muzzle your internal debater

Body Language•Eye contact•Body posture•Appropriate gestures

•Avoid over enthusiastic moves

•Facial expressions•Voice modulation

•No shouting or whispering

Know Your Audience•GI Generation (1904-1924)

•George H.W. Bush•Silent Generation (1925-1942)

•John McCain•Baby Boomers (1942-1960)

•Bill Clinton•Generation X (1961-1981)

•Barack Obama•Generation Y (mid 70’s - early 00’s)

•Our students, our student’s parents

GI Generation•Value outer life over the inner life.•Don’t talk easily about emotions.

Silent Generation•Discussion,

inclusion, and “the process”.

•Newspapers, some TV, town hall type

meetings.

Baby Boomers•More spiritual and idealistic.•Value rebellion.•Targeted newsletters, e-mail, task force.

Generation X• Parents of majority of

students in school today.• Skeptical problem

solvers.• Very interactive.• On-line readers.• Texting, cell phones, e-

mail, blogging.

Generation Y

Generation Y

Let’s review a few things!

Fundamental Needsof a Customer

To feel welcome.To be understood.To retain dignity.

To obtain assistance.To be valued.

Five Rules forGreat Customer Service

Keep customers the priority.Over-deliver when possible.

Offer choices.Be access-approachable.

Use logic not emotion.

Communications

RELATIONSHIPS

Customer Service

Questions?

Break Time!

Managing Your Workload

Personal Analysis

★Are you a morning or an afternoon person?★At the end of the day, do you prepare a “to do”

list for tomorrow?★Do you develop time task calendars for major

jobs and regular reports?★Have you worked out a schedule with your

administrator to meet with him/her regularly?

Personal Analysis

★Are you doing things because “we’ve always done

them that way”?★Are you doing any tasks that can be eliminated?★Can you delegate any time consuming tasks to

co-workers or student aides?★Do you evaluate your time problems in terms of

what you can and cannot control?

Time Saving Tips

★Organize your space.★Keep your desk clean.★Begin each day with a plan of action you made the day before.

★Complete a task before moving on to the next one.

★Junk mail is called junk mail for one specific reason.

★Try to handle papers on your desk only once or twice.

★Handle your e-mails the same way.★Being late is never as productive as being early.

Time Saving Tips

★Write stuff down.★Send back the original.★Read the instructions and use the manual first!

★Save your digital work often.★Make a template.

Time Saving Tips

★Use signs around the office to help with FAQ’s.

★Use the telephone wisely.★When taking messages, be specific yet complete.

★Don’t be a control freak, delegate!

Time Saving Tips

★Fully prepare for every meeting.★Assist your boss with the preparation of

materials they need for their meetings.★By help managing your bosses schedule,

you manage your own much better.★Make sure you have the training you

need to do your job effectively.

Time Saving Tips

Organizing Your Space

ORGANIZE

!Organizing Your Space

★Clean out each desk drawer.★Clear off the top of your desk.★Keep only essential items on the op of your desk.

★Create an in-box for each person that relies on your expertise.

ORGANIZE

!Organizing Your Space

★Have a master to do list for each day of the week.

★Pre-sort the mail (to do, to file, etc.)★Use storage containers that work.★Keep a separate drawer for personal

paperwork and items you need.

ORGANIZE

!Organizing Your Space

★Color code your files to make things easier to find.

★Take five minutes before lunch to stay organized for the afternoon.

★When projects are complete, file them.★Always straighten desk at the end of

each day.

Questions/Comments

Some things to remember ...

Some ways to get happy!

★Throw out non-essential numbers (like

age, weight, and height).★Surround yourself with happy friends.★Never stop learning.★Enjoy the simple things.★Laugh often, long, and loud.

Tips for improving your attitude ...

★Count your blessings.★Practice acts of kindness.★Learn to forgive.★Invest time and energy on your friends

and your family.★Develop strategies for coping with stress.

Dealing with difficult people ...

★Assist them quickly and efficiently.★Smile - when faced with no

resistance, anger can fade away.★Never get into a shouting match.★Never take the complaint personally.

Communications

RELATIONSHIPS

Customer Service

Fundamental Needsof a Customer

To feel welcome.To be understood.To retain dignity.

To obtain assistance.To be valued.

Five Rules forGreat Customer Service

Keep customers the priority.Over-deliver when possible.

Offer choices.Be access-approachable.

Use logic not emotion.

You arethe front line!

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