Customer Service in Emergency CommunicationsJohn Britto Assistant Medical Officer U29Hospital Seberang Jaya - Penang

Introduction We usually think about customer service in terms of how quickly we get served at arestaurant or whether a store assistant gives us a hard time when we try to return apiece of clothing that doesnt fit. When we think about good customer service in Malaysia,Air Asia and McDonald Malaysia are the two businesses that come most readily to mind. But what does customer service have to do with public safety communications? But thinkabout it for a minute. Has your agency received any of the following types of complaints?

The call taker I spoke with was very rude.I got the feeling that the call taker did not care about my situation.The call taker was very unprofessional.The radio dispatcher has an attitude problem.

These complaints may seem vague,but they all deal with the same factor :-CUSTOMER SERVICE.Customer Service JB@EMTS HSJPP

Weve heard about customer service, but we may not know the definition or understand how it applies to public safety communications. In fact, a single definition of customer service does not exist. It can be defined as an activity, a performance measurement and/or a philosophy. So customer service :

Is the ability to provide a service or product in the way that it has been promised;Is about treating others as you would like to be treated yourself;Is an organizations ability to supply its customers wants and needs;Describes the process of taking care of customers in a positive manner;Is any contact between a customer and a company that causes a negative or positive perception by a customer;Is a process for providing a competitive advantage and addingbenefits in order to maximize thetotal value to the customer; andIs the commitment to providing value added services to external and internal customers and involves attitude, knowledge, technical support and quality of service in a timely manner.Introduction Customer Service JB@EMTS HSJPP

Customer Service JB@EMTS HSJPPGoals

Provide the highest level of customer service to the community Enhance the image our department and public services

ObjectivesUnderstand the concept of customer serviceDefine who our customers areAvoid the common pitfallsExamine the potential benefitsCustomer Service JB@EMTS HSJPP

ObjectivesExplain the ways customer service can affect usImprove communication skillsProvide a higher level of customer serviceCustomer Service JB@EMTS HSJPP

Customer Service - DefinedWhat is customer service?

An organizations abilities to supply their customers wants and needs

Does this go far enough? or should we exceed customers expectations?... And provide excellent customer serviceCustomer Service JB@EMTS HSJPP

Customer Wants and Needs

What do our customers want?Make a listSomeone to Help ThemTimely ResponseSympathyCourtesyUnderstandingA Solution to their Problem!Customer Service JB@EMTS HSJPP

The Customer Service Model Provide best possible service to CustomersAlways be NiceExecute standard problem solving outcomeRegard everyone as a CustomerConsider how/what you are doings looksDont disqualify Customer w/ your QualificationsCustomer centered Organizational Behavior Continually improve Customer Service Aqua/Quality audit etc

Customer Service JB@EMTS HSJPP

Its all about perception!

Remember, to the Individual Perception is RealityCustomer Service JB@EMTS HSJPP

Public PerceptionThe attitudes that we haveTreat everyone with respectThose on the front lines Represent everyoneCustomer Service JB@EMTS HSJPP

The Golden Rule

The Customer is Always Right

(even when theyre wrong!)

Its more important to be Polite, than Right!Customer Service JB@EMTS HSJPP

It starts at the top!Head of Departments and Superior Officers :

Provide good leadership Set a good example3. Communicate the mission4. Support the troops5. Recognize outstanding effort

Customer Service JB@EMTS HSJPP

CitizenKAREMeans Putting Citizens First!

KnowledgeAttitudeRespectExcellence

Customer Service JB@EMTS HSJPP

To answer that question, we must first identify who the customer is in public safety communications. Customers can be separated into two categories : INTERNAL and EXTERNAL. Internal customers are those people within your organization for whom you provide certain services or products. External customers are those from outside your organization. Lets begin with the obvious external public safety customer ,the caller.The caller is someone who calls the public safety communications agency,requesting some type of assistance or emergency response. Our emergency responders are another set of customers, encompassing law enforcement, EMS or fire personnel that we dispatch to the callers. Yet another customer is Non Governmental organizations like Red Crescent , St.John Ambulance etc.Finally, our last customerthe internalpublic safety customerconsists of the people around us, sitting in the chairs next to usor across the room from us and the people who oversee the operations of thecommunications center, our co-workers.Customer Service JB@EMTS HSJPPWho are our customers?

Who are our customers? Customers are like a box of chocolates, you never know what youre gonna to get and you never know who they know.Customer Service JB@EMTS HSJPP

Turn Lemons into Lemonade Unhappy customers are always a concern. Theyre also your greatest opportunity

Bill Gates CEO MicrosoftCustomer Service JB@EMTS HSJPP

Angry Customers The Assassin tells others about your flaws Strategy: provide apologiesask for specificsseek win/win optionsavoid absolutesnever underestimate their connectionsFollow up

Customer Service JB@EMTS HSJPP

Angry Customers The Butcher demands go to the extreme or the impossible

Strategy:indicate you want to helpexplore alternativesdevelop a matching offerknow your limit

Customer Service JB@EMTS HSJPP

Angry Customers The Pincher nitpicks the small stuff, ignores the big stuff

Strategy:dont sweat the minor detailsredirectfocus on the big picturebe sure to document

Customer Service JB@EMTS HSJPP

Angry Customers The Grenade angry about one thing, rants about everything

Strategy:allow them to ventfind mutual agreementclarify problem/solutionact promptlyCustomer Service JB@EMTS HSJPP

Angry Customers The Vampire wants to make you angry more than fix the problem

Strategy:tell them what you can dobe empatheticdont take it personaldont respond in kind thats just what they want to Suck the Life out of You!

Customer Service JB@EMTS HSJPP

The Bottom LineListen to your customers

Dont argue with them

Accommodate them promptly (if possible)

Nod and smile! (when appropriate)

Customer Service JB@EMTS HSJPP

What you do to or for your customers is the difference between success and failureThomas FarandaCustomer Service JB@EMTS HSJPP

PitfallsWhat could possibly go wrong?Customer Service JB@EMTS HSJPP

What could possibly go wrong?Broken promises/failure to provide the serviceUnpleasant surprisesUnrealistic customer expectationsDelayed responsesIgnoring/minimizing the customers problem or concernsBad manners

Broken PromisesYou said you were going to save grandma!

You said the ambulance will arrives in 10 minutes time but until now it have not arrived to our place.

Unrealistic ExpectationsWhy cant you save grandma?

Take time to educate the public

Movies and television arent reality

Delayed ResponseI called you 20 minutes ago!

Perception of time slows down for people having emergencies

Minimizing the Customer

This call is nothing, you should have seen what we had last shiftIts the third time weve been here this week our response gets complacentDont disqualify the customer with your qualifications

Bad Manners

Making comments in poor taste can easily turn a good customer away

If you wouldnt say it in front of your mother, dont say to the general public

*Whats it mean for me ?How does poor customer service affect us?

Make a list

Political IssuesDepartment Actions / show cause letterMedico-legal IssuesMakes the Call more Difficult

Legal IssuesGood customer service can sometime make up for undesirable outcomes

Bad customer service can lead to legal consequences

Whats in it for us?How can Excellent Customer Service affect us?

ProfessionalismTurns negatives into positives!Recognition (political/media)Positive public imageCommunity supportKeeps the Chief off my ***!!!!

Build Community Equity!Whats it all mean????

Winning hearts and minds (and votes!)

Connecting with community partners

Marketing the mission (life safety programs)

Building respect for your department

Improvement ProgramsPublic Information

Public Education

Public Relations

CDE Today and Beyond

Communication SkillsEach of us holds the key to good customer service:

Quality appearanceControlling emotions (ours and theirs)Controlling attempts at humorAppropriate language in the presence of others

EXCEPTIONALCUSTOMER SERVICEAssurance EmpathyResponsivenessAttitudeQualityProblem-solvingListening skills.

Controlling our Emotions

Maintain a level attitudeTheir worst day, is our everydayDont escalate the situationStay away from road rageBe nice!

Controlling their EmotionsDont interrupt the customerAcknowledge their problemsConfirm the detailsOutline steps to solve their problemsProvide updates, both good and badGet their input to solve the problem

LanguageOur words often say more than we mean

Dont talk down to the customer

Use friendly tones - its not just what you say, its how you say it

Be careful what you say

Taking the CallDispatchers must be courteousThe only voice the public associates with the hospital.If the dispatcher made the caller angry, you get to deal with the aftermath.

Answering the Phone

Fire Headquarters

Name / Rank

How can I help you?

DispatchingCustomers can hear you dispatchMany customers have scanners, they hear everything you sayStay professional on the radio

Improving Your Own DepartmentRemember, improvement starts with the individualEnhance your departments imageChanging / Implementing SOPsAwareness training for line personnelImprovement is a Continual Process!!!

Fortune Cookie Customer Service is like taking a bath,you have to keep doing it

References

Essentials of Fire Department Customer Service Alan V. Brunacini - Fire Protection PublicationsUncommon Sense, Leadership Principles to Grow Your Business Profitability Thomas FarandaBusiness @ the Speed of Thought Bill Gates

Delivering Unforgettable Customer Service Stephan Sanders Sanders Communications, Inc.

**Does this go far enough for our customers?We want excellent customer service - The ability to constantly and consistently exceed the customers expectationsHow do we do this?

Quote from Susan Ward, Your Guide to Small Business, Canada (About.com)**Guide students toward and write on dry erase board Someone to help them, regardless of the problemTimely responseSympathetic to their problemCourtesyUnderstandingA solution to their problem*From Uncommon Sense, Leadership Principles to Grow Your Business Profitability, by Thomas Faranda - 1991*Add to dry erase board:Broken promises/failure to provide the serviceUnpleasant surprisesUnrealistic customer expectationsDelayed responsesIgnoring/minimizing the customers problem or concernsBad manners*Guide students towards, and write on dry erase board

Political issuesDepartment actionsLegal issuesChanges the difficultly and frustration level of the individual incident