Customer Service Through the Chaos: Staying Student- Focused Elaina Bielser Patricia Simpson Todd Spinner School of Chemical Sciences Career Services and Academic Advising University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Dec 16, 2015
Customer Service
Through the Chaos: Staying
Student-Focused
Elaina BielserPatricia SimpsonTodd SpinnerSchool of Chemical SciencesCareer Services and Academic AdvisingUniversity of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
“We’re not perfect. But we try hard to reach perfection with every order. It
creates an attitude of service. That is why your call is never an interruption.
Your question is never dumb.”
-Batdorf & Bronson Coffee RoastersOlympia, Washington
Just a few customer service factsHow good does your work have to be? What percentage of customers should we try to please?90%, 95%? How about 99.9%?
If other professions used the 99.9% mark: At lease 20,000 wrong prescriptions per year 8.6 hours of no water or power per year 500 incorrect surgeries per week 2 short or long landings at major airports per day 2,000 lost articles of mail per hour
We could not accept 99.9% in many fields, what do we expect with regard to ourselves?
Illinois Tuition and Fee Facts
Cost for Chemistry Life Science Tuition, Fees, Costs
$33,482 for in-state students $47,054 for out of state students $48,054 for international students
Can we see why our students would expect excellent customer service from advising?
Customer Service If you fail to meet expectations, you will get
dissatisfied customers/supervisors If you meet expectations, you will get indifferent
customer/supervisors You must exceed expectations
If you cannot solve the problem, find someone who can Be proactive, seek out and solve problems Take personal responsibility (but don’t take it
personally!) Always explain what you can do for the customer, not
what you can’t Don’t say “I’m sorry” unless you mean it Never place blame on anyone else
Provide solutions, not excuses
Customer Service Most people are not rude or discourteous, just
indifferent No eye contact Talking to others while assisting a customer Talking about someone else within ear-shot of a
customer Working on other tasks while customer waits Pointing to an item or room rather than
showing/taking customer to it Failing to immediately greet a customer Responding “I don’t know” without attempting to
find out Failure to follow through with promises
“It is critical for all people to strive to carry out their work with professional competence and with an attitude of
service to others.”
-Dr. Carlos CavalleIESE Business School
University of Navarra, Spain
The Student is… the most important person at our University,
without students, there would be no need for your position
not a cold enrollment statistic but a flesh and blood human being with feelings and emotions like our own
not someone to be tolerated so we can do our thing, they are our thing
not dependent on us, rather, we are dependent on them
not an interruption to our work, but the purpose of it, we are not doing them a favor by serving them, they are doing us a favor by giving us the opportunity to do so
Customer Service Based Advising SCS has been moving to a customer service
based advising philosophy/theory for the past three years
Student satisfaction and response has been positive
It is a work in progress
Not all your interactions will be positive, all the time
Professional Competence Appropriate Education Strong interpersonal skills Availability to advisees, faculty, or staff Appropriate referral activity Use and dissemination of appropriate information
sources Monitoring of student progress toward academic and
career goals Mastery of institutional regulations, policies, and
procedures Participation in and support of advisor development
programs
-Criteria for NACADA Outstanding Advisor Award
Attitude of Service Availability to advisees, faculty, or staff Frequency of contact with advisees Caring, helpful attitude toward advisees, faculty
and staff Meeting advisees in informal settings Participation in and support of intrusive advising
to build strong relationships with advisees Ability to engage in, promote and support
developmental advising
-Criteria for NACADA Outstanding Advisor Award
Avoid Gossip People choose to spread rumors because it makes
them look good, feel better or casts an unfavorable light on the individual
Gossip can cause irreparable damage
Refuse to spread or listen to gossip
Set an Example, Walk Your Talk When we focus on being positive and responsive
to the student regardless of their attitude, we present a positive image for others to see and emulate
The impression we present of our department and institution is memorable
People want to be around positive individuals and are more willing to follow the example you will set
Be Accountable Avoid placing blame on another department or
colleague for a mistake
When you blame someone else for the problem in front of a student, it only generates more ill feelings
Be accountable for your department and institution and provide alternatives in order to fix the situation
Avoid Complacency Strive for constant improvement
Recognize areas you need to improve and establish personal and professional goals
Tackle the most difficult areas first
Look for the positive during your personal growth and change processes
Listen to your Speech Hear what you say to others and how you say it
(i.e. tone of voice)
Mentally observe your body language
People will mirror your message and your body language
If your communication is positive you can better expect a favorable response
Resolve conflicts immediately When we delay the resolution of conflicts it allows
more time for people to let the situation fester and create negative scenarios
Address a conflict when it arises and ill feelings will be doused before they have the opportunity to begin
“When there is an elephant in the room… introduce him.”
-Randy Pausch
Use Positive Language Use positive terms
State what you can do, not what you can’t
People to tend focus and remember the negative words more then the positive
Avoid Negativity Listen to your inner voice
Surround yourself with positive people
Negativity breeds more negativity
When you are around others who have a positive attitude it will be easier for you to remain upbeat and focused
Be Proactive Don’t wait to take action
Look for positive solutions to challenging situations
Your genuine concern and upbeat willingness to take immediate action will be remembered longer than the negative feelings
Remember… What you do is not inherently easy Select a student-focused attitude Strive for constant improvement Avoid gossip Set an example and walk your talk Be accountable Avoid complacency Listen to your speech Resolve conflicts immediately Use positive language & avoid negativity Be proactive
Assessment“A systematic appraisal of advising is
necessary to determine whether student and institutional expectations
are being met and to justify professional recognition.”
-Frank J. Spicuzza University of Tennessee, Knoxville
Assessment Create a survey
Can be either paper based or computer based or both
Web Services on campus has a tool to create a form
Can be anonymous but you can leave an e-mail to have students to get a response from someone if they want
Indicators of Advisor Success Student Success
Student Attitudes
Administration/Faculty/Staff Attitudes
Some Issues Advisor Load (Student/Advisor Ratio)
Majors, Minors and Prospective Students
“The field of advising has yet to produce definitive research on the relationship between advisor load and either student satisfaction or advisor effectiveness.”
“Frankly, there is no magic formula that fits determining advisor load at every institution…In a sense, the issue of advisor load is predicated on
understanding the differential needs of your students.”
-Wes HableyACT, Inc.
Compassion vs. Accountability
Work Environment Under appreciation Personality Conflicts
Student Responsibility
Some Issues
Questions?
Thank You!