Exceptional Customer ServiceA 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

Listen What do you need?

Reflect Here’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 1,000,000th 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?

• TenThat must be very frustrating. How can I help you?

• NineI CAN tell you…

• EightThank you for bringing that to my attention.

Can’t I just yell a little?

• SevenI’d be happy to direct you to the people who can help

you with that.

• SixThat’s a good question. Let me find out the answer

for you.

• FiveIf you run into any problems, please come back to

me and I will help.

But I’M right!

• FourThe system can be very confusing. Let me do it with

you to see if we can solve the problem.

• ThreeI CAN…

• TwoWe 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. 2007 University of Nebraska at Lincoln. http://www.ianrpubs.unl.edu/epublic/live/g1481/build/g1481.pdf

• Handout – Top Ten Responses

• Glamour magazine’s Do’s and Don’ts on the job • http://lifestyle.msn.com/your-look/everyday-style/staticslideshowglamour.aspx?cp-

documentid=25008518&gt1=32002

• Contact Mebitsy.cohn@frontrange.edu (970)204-8609