Have you ever received service so good that you immediately started telling people about it?
Whether it’s a barista who went the extra mile to spell your name correctly on your coffee cup, or the relief of reaching a real live customer service representative (not a bot) who can help resolve your problem, a small action can make a big impression.
By the same token, a bad customer service experience can leave a sour taste in your mouth that’s hard to wash away.
Big companies know this and pay attention to things like how people are greeted when they walk through the door, or how much time callers have to wait on the phone before getting help.
While schools aren’t Starbucks, there are still lessons that education leaders can learn from the private sector when it comes to customer service. Here are a few quick exercises to help you spot-check the kind of service your school provides:
- Call the main number for your school or district. Is the prompt accurate and friendly? How many seconds do you have to spend listening before you can get through to the option you want?
- Watch as a parent or guardian enters your building. How long do they have to wait before they can get in the door? When they enter, are they in a welcoming space? Are they greeted in a friendly way?
- Imagine you are a new parent in the district. If you go online, how easy is it to find the following information:
- How to register my child for school
- How to report my child absent from school
- How to contact my child’s teacher
Do these experiences reflect your mission, vision, and core values? If not, how could the experiences be improved for your school community?
Simple things – from the tone of voice used when answering the phone, to the temperature in the lobby – help set the tone for the people who interact with your school. A pleasant experience puts people at ease. Show care for people, and they will remember feeling cared for. When you do that, you’ll have people singing your school’s praises.
Customer service isn’t just for coffee shops; it’s one of the ways that every organization communicates its values. If your organization’s customer service could use a tune-up, contact Nichols Strategies today.