Customer Service 101
Bowie State University
Objectives
•Discuss how customer service looks at
BSU
•Identify effective methods of
communication in customer service
•Recognize how to overcome common
challenges in customer service
•Provide tips on how to improve customer
satisfaction
“There is only one boss. The customer. And
he can fire everybody in the company from
the chairman on down, simply by spending
his money somewhere else.”
-Sam Walton
Customer Service at Bowie State
University
Customer Service Complaints at BSU
•“I’ve been waiting forever”
•“I keep getting passed from one person to
another”
•“They don’t care”
•“They’re rude”
•“When I talk to someone, they don’t know
what they’re talking about”
•“I never hear back from them”
What Does Good Customer Service Look
Like at BSU?
•“Treating people with a helpful, friendly
attitude”
•“Helping customers in a friendly manner”
•“Always being positive and willing to assist
customers to the best of your ability”
•“Giving a good impression”
Understanding Our Customers
We Need to Understand:
•Our customers’ demographics
•Our customers’ perceptions and
expectations
•The services and products we have to
offer
•Whether we have the capacity to meet
our customers’ expectations.
• If not, what do we need to do to get
there?
Case Study: Chick-fil-A
•Known for it’s “Second Mile” approach to
customer service
• Delivering food to tables with a smile
• Putting fresh flowers on the table
• Meeting customers in parking lots with
umbrellas when it’s raining
• Always answering with “My Pleasure
when a customer says thank
Communication in Customer
Service
Methods of Communication
•Listening
•Speaking
•Writing
•Reading
•Non-verbal
Listening
A Good Listener: Bad Listener:
•Conveys sincerity •Formulating what they want to say while
the customer is talking
•Focuses on the customer and what they
are saying •Thinking about other things while the
customer is talking
•Does not interrupt
•Jumping to conclusions
•Listens with their eyes and their mind
Speaking- Vocal Quality
Be Mindful Of:
•Tone/Pitch
•Inflection
•Rate
•Volume
The Power of Words
Say….. Avoid….
•How can I help you? •What do you want?
•Consider this •This is how it is
•I will find out •There is nothing I can do
•I’ll be happy to •That’s not my job
Effective Communication
•Open- ended questions
•Closed-ended questions
Open-Ended Questions
•Use if you need more than a “yes”, “no”,
or one-word response
•Useful when you want general information
•Usually starts with the words what, how,
or why
Closed-Ended Questions
•Use if you need a “yes”, “no”, or one-word
response
•Useful when you need specific
information, to limit talking, or to control
the direction of the conversation
•Usually starts with the words who, when,
did, which, would, are, can, have, do, is,
will, or may
Non-Verbal Body Language
Be Mindful Of:
•Posture
•Feet and arms
•Hands
•Head and eyes
Telephone Customer Service
•Smile through the phone
•Answer with professional greeting
•Give answers and assistance as efficiently
as possible
•Thank the caller
•Conclude the call in a positive way
Telephone Etiquette
•Familiarize yourself with the features of
your phone
•Answer in as few rings as possible
•Avoid side conversations
•Reduce background noise
•Never eat or drink while on the telephone
•Ask permission before placing someone
on hold
•Thank customer once he/she is off hold
How to Use Voicemail Effectively
•Identify yourself
•Speak slowly, clearly, and directly
•Keep it short
•Identify the type of response needed
Email Customer Service
•Proofread before sending
•Respond/answer promptly
•Avoid slang and acronyms
•Be careful with sensitive information
•Be clear and concise
Understand that email can be permanent
and sent to anyone!
Face to Face Customer Service
•Smile
•Use a professional greeting
•Make eye contact
•Be aware of body language
•Give contact information for future
questions
•Thank customer for coming in with their
inquiry
Customer Service Challenges
Barriers to Providing Good Customer Service
•Poor communication skills
•Staff not empowered to make decisions
•Lack of adequate training
•Polices that don’t make sense
•Poor leadership
•Unmotivated staff
Why Are Customers Challenging?
•They may not have an understanding or
expertise of the situation
•They may not speak our “language”
•They may have difficulty in making
decisions
•They may be impatient, hostile, non-
communicative, immature, etc.
How to Work with Challenging Customers
•Listen and don’t interrupt
•Ask questions
•Show empathy
•Solve the problem
•Follow up
•End on a positive note
How to Handle a Very Difficult Customer
•Listen to their concerns
•Speak clearly and calmly
•Set limits
• Be clear that abusive or offensive
language/behavior will not be tolerated
•Consider involving a supervisor for
assistance or a new perspective
•During phone calls, ask for a call back
number and call back later
• This will allow the customer time to
cool off
How to Handle a Very Difficult Customer
•During face to face interactions, direct
them out of the lobby area to a place with
less customers
•Reassure customer that you will follow up
•Don’t make promises that you cannot
keep
•Document the incident
•Understand what campus resources are
available for further assistance
How to Communicate Bad News
•Acknowledge the customer’s feelings
•Share the responsibility of the problem
•Convey sincerity
•Ask for the opportunity to correct the
problem
•Request the opportunity to continue to
serve them again in the future
What Happens When You Are Wrong?
•Admit your mistake
•Apologize for the error
•Find a solution
•Document the error
•Find ways to lessen the likelihood of
repeated future error
Improving Customer Satisfaction
Evaluating Customer Service Staff
•Shadowing face to face contacts between
staff and customer
•Secret “shopper”
•Phone monitoring
•Evaluating email responses
•Conducting a knowledge assessment
Case Study: The Ritz Carlton Hotel
How Does the Ritz Carlton measure
customer satisfaction?
•Monthly computer-generated surveys are
sent to recent guests
•Includes 30 questions with a rating scale
from 1-10
•“Guest Engagement Number” is the final
sum total of questions
•Goal is for number to continuously go up
Improving Customer Service Staff
•Coaching, counseling, and mentoring
•Leading by example
Assessing Customer Satisfaction Levels
Evaluating Your Customers Through:
•Surveys
•Interviews
•Focus groups
•Comment cards
•Suggestion boxes
Benchmarking
•Used as a self-improvement tool
•Comparing your organization to others
•Identify strengths and weaknesses and
learn how to improve
•Great way of finding and adopting best
practices
Final Thoughts
Our Goal: Providing Good Customer
Service at Every Interaction!
Noticeable Benefits:
•Satisfied customers/students
•Increased retention
•Improved graduation rates
•Positive reputation and respect of
students, their families, and work
colleagues
•Personal fulfillment
•Resolution of problems
Resources
•https://evolllution.com/attracting- •http://www.educationalpolicy.org/publication
students/customer_service/students-as- s/pubpdf/1701_PolicyPerspectives_small.pdf
customers-the-new-normal-in-higher-
education/ •http://time.com/3419314/college-student-
amenities-customer-service/
•https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/customer-
service-higher-education-should-you-view- •http://www.sigmasd.com/partner/wp-
your-jeff-wyatt-mba content/uploads/PDFs/improving-efficiency-
and-customer-service-in-higher-education-
•http://customerservicezone.com/db/Customer research-brief.pdf
_Service_By_Sector_Or_Industry/Education_S
ector/
