Delivering Legendary Service at Schools (Part 2)
In his last blog, Henry wrote about the benefits of delivering legendary service to internal and external customers in schools. Today, he will offer three initial suggestions to begin with.
#1 Think about providing convenience
We all expect self-serve options today. We also expect to be able to get what we need without leaving our digital devices. This means our schools are held to the same expectations. If we expect our prospective parents to complete enrollment forms, those forms must be available online. We should make sure our online information is available and easy to find. Being considerate of our customers’ time and effort is just one example of expected customer service in our digital age, and part of that is to reduce waiting time. Look at the ways you make your customers wait. In Henry’s last school, the admissions department, the finance department, and the auxiliary department (overseeing buses, catering, and uniforms) came together and spent two full days brainstorming how they could bring convenience to parents who enroll their children as well as those who leave the school. Yes, you read it right; they also talked about the process of their students leaving. That includes the refunds of fees. As another example, an educational organization that has two international schools, two bilingual schools, several kindergartens, and a few English training centers in China, gathered their teachers to discuss how they can engage and communicate with parents more effectively.
#2 Create positive first impressions
Look at the elements of first impressions, and then do some quick clean-ups. E.g., How does your school look on the first visit? Is it clean? Inviting? Is the signage clearly marked and friendly? How does your website serve first-time visitors? How quickly are phone calls answered and guidance provided? Can the customers get through on the phone when they call or are they stuck in a long line of phone transfers? Negative first impressions are difficult to reverse, so make them count.
Many schools do an excellent job of making their reception lobby look cozy and inviting. It is usually spacious and has warm lighting, live plants, coordinated planting pots, and tidy shelves and the reception counter, etc. That’s wonderful. The next question: Is the reception lobby the first touchpoint for a first impression? You might say, “website, parking lot, or security guardhouse.” If those are your answers, you hit the jackpot. Unfortunately, many schools do not pay much attention to the school’s security guardhouse and the parking lot. The security guardhouse is generally dark, dingy, and has peeled-off paint, recycled, and unwanted desks or furniture. This is undesirable for two reasons:
It is a bad first in-person impression of the school.
We all agree that the guards are so critical for the safety of our students, staff members, and the school property. We tell our guards how important they are to all of us, yet they often receive a totally different vibe.
#3 Learn some techniques to deal with difficult situations that involve customers
Henry has conducted numerous workshops on customer service for his own schools and for other ACAMIS schools. Participants of every single workshop would, without fail, ask about techniques in dealing with difficult situations that involve customers.
Here is one of the many examples that Henry uses to work with his workshop participants in learning to deal with situations.
Case Study #21: When the Customer Swears or Yells
THE SITUATION
While most customers can control their behavior to keep it within acceptable bounds, some customers may swear and yell when they are angry, or otherwise “act out.” Obviously, this is an upsetting situation for most employees, and it interferes with the employee’s ability to do his or her job. It’s hard to help someone who is yelling at you and not paying any attention to what you are saying. In situations like this, your first goal is not to try to address the specifics of the customer’s problem, but to use techniques to halt the inappropriate behavior.
DIALOGUE
In this situation, the parent is upset because she is saying her daughter was bullied on the school bus and alleged that the bus monitor didn’t do anything to stop the bully. She storms into the general office where the transport coordinator is, and the parent starts yelling and swearing at the transport coordinator.
Parent: What the [bleep] is going on here? Your stupid bus monitor didn’t stop the boys on the bus from bullying my little girl. Allison came home crying for hours; she is emotionally bruised and is terribly afraid to ride the bus. I want you to terminate the [bleep] monitor now. I do NOT want to see her on my daughter’s bus this afternoon. [Parent appears to be starting a long rant without stopping.]
Employee: ……
You then look at a list of techniques and see which ones are best suitable to resolve the issue. We then use the techniques to complete the dialogue. An explanation is usually shared why the techniques are chosen. For this scenario, the following techniques have been identified:
Find Agreement Points (#13)
Use Empathy Statements (#29)
Assurances of Effort and/or Results (#6)
Follow up (#14)
PROPOSED DIALOGUE
Parent: What the [bleep] is going on here? Your stupid bus monitor didn’t stop the boys on the bus from bullying my little girl. Allison came home crying for hours; she is emotionally bruised and is terribly afraid to ride the bus. I want you to terminate the [bleep] monitor now. I do NOT want to see her on my daughter’s bus this afternoon. [Parent appears to be starting a long rant without stopping.]
Employee: Nobody feels safe when he or she is bullied (#13).
Parent: Darn right. I had to drive her to school myself this morning. I’m very upset and disappointed.
Employee: I can see that. You spent time driving your daughter to school (#13).
Parent: I want you to do something about it.
Employee: Obviously you are upset about this (#29). It is our mission to make our transportation service safe for all children. This is what I do when we receive feedback; I will conduct a thorough investigation into the case. Meanwhile, I will ask a fellow colleague to sit next to your daughter throughout her journey from home and back home to make sure no bullying can take place until the investigation is complete. It won’t take more than 3 days. We will take the necessary actions after the investigation finding (#6). How does it sound?
Parent: OK.
[Make sure the investigation is complete within 3 days and follow it up with the parent. (#14)]
EXPLANATIONS
When the parent starts raising her voice and using swear words, the employee realizes that until the parent calms down and begins to listen to the employee, nothing at all can be accomplished. So, he uses “an agreement point” to try to break into the conversation. The reason this technique works (when it does) is that it’s an unexpected response that the parent doesn’t have a ready-made answer for. Unexpected responses tend to derail rants. Notice also that the “agreement point” response is short. That’s because an angry parent isn’t going to “hear” a long response. Notice that the employee isn’t admitting or rejecting the accusation. Again, it’s a short response. The parent, while not happy, now behaves in a more constructive and acceptable way, which signals the employee that he can move the conversation to what he can do to resolve the issue. Then, the employee uses an empathy statement and follows up by assuring the customer that he will make an effort to help.
You may use similar steps to develop techniques to deal with different situations involving customers. Be sure you conduct role-playing activities for each scenario. In doing so, you will be able to use the techniques more naturally.
Conclusion
The above-mentioned suggestions are just a start. When everyone at school embraces the commitment to deliver outstanding service, these three simple suggestions can make a difference. For example, at another school, Henry witnessed that the front desk personnel looked up and smiled when students approached their desks. Henry told the principal that he was impressed by their reception people. She explained that everyone deserves a smile and some kindness. This is part of stellar service.
Check out other suggestions of delivering legendary customer service in your school at Henry’s upcoming workshop in February, Delivering Legendary Service for Schools, designed for administrative or academic support staff and teachers.
