The Professional Organization

The Professional Organization Presented by: Carmen Afghani

An Organization Finance Admissions Sales Training Maintenance Administration Shipping & Receiving R&D

Lungs Heart Liver Kidneys An Organism Pancreas Spleen Intestines

It’s a symbiotic relationship The capabilities of each function are either immobilized or diminished by the incapacity of any of the other functions Thus the organism (organization) suffers The organism (organization) is healthy and robust when all functions are healthy See the Similarities?

Dissatisfied Satisfied **Delighted** Degrees of Customer Satisfaction

External Customers Students Parents Other family members & friends Community & organizations Accrediting agencies Suppliers Federal Government Types of Customers

Internal Customers Co-workers Superiors Administration Types of Customers

People will spend up to 10% more for the same product with better service When we receive good service, we will tell 4-6 people on average When we receive poor service, we tell up to 9-12 people An 82% chance exists that customers will repurchase from a company if their complaint is handled quickly and pleasantly It Pays to Please

7% 55% 38% Importance of Body Language Effectiveness of Face-to-Face Communication

Overdone – Stare person down with a hard gaze and never move your eyes off them (intimidating) Underdone – Continue to stare at computer screen or paperwork (gives impression customer is not important) Just Right – Immediate eye contact upon greeting customer and focus on whole face. Then look away from time to time during conversation to avoid staring. Eye Contact

Overdone – Big grin when delivering bad news Underdone – Daydreaming, faraway gaze, blank look, poker face Just Right – Relaxed and pleasant facial expression – sets positive tone. Mirror customer’s mood. Facial Expressions

Nod appropriately. Face the customer with your entire body. Lean forward. Be careful with hand gestures Finger tapping, pen clicking, rattling loose change can indicate impatience Open hand gestures – gracious and softer Close fisted gestures & finger pointing – rude and intimidating Firm, friendly handshake Body Posture

Personal grooming Dirty fingernails Bad breath and/or body odor Dirty or disheveled clothing Our desk and work areas Can give a positive or negative impression of how you run your business Neatness Counts

Inflection (Three Little Pigs) Smile when talking on the phone Breathe (deep, long and slow) Avoid being a disc jockey Use volume to control a fiery situation Pace yourself to your customer’s rate and intensity of speech and It’s Not What You Say It’s How You Say It

The customer, however, is always the customer. If you can’t give them what they want, at least explain the process and get them invested emotionally Give them timelines, contacts, websites, and other “next steps” The Customer is Always Right – NOT!

Pick up the phone within three rings Greet the caller Give your name Ask the customer if you can help Write down customer’s name in the beginning of call and use it at least three times during the conversation Telephone Etiquette

Ask customer if you may put them on hold Wait for a response Tell customer why they are being put on hold Give a time frame Up to 60 seconds – This will take a few moments 1-3 minutes – This could take two or three minutes – would you like to hold or do you want me to call you back? Eternity (over 3 minutes) – call back or return to the line every 30 seconds or so to inform them of your progress Thank customers for holding after returning to the line How to Put a Customer on Hold

Explain why the caller is being transferred and to whom Ask the customer if he/she minds being transferred Make sure someone is there to pick up the call before you hang up Tell the person to whom you are transferring the call the caller’s name and the nature of the call How to Transfer a Call

Avoid voice mail hell. Always leave the caller an “out” to a living, breathing human. Return calls within 24 hours Change your greeting message as appropriate (absence, vacation, etc.) Voice Mail

Let the customer vent Be quiet – don’t interrupt Don’t take it personally Express empathy to the customer I can see why you feel this way That must be very upsetting I understand how frustrating this must be Difficult Customers

Begin active problem-solving Gather any additional information you need Double-check all the facts Mutually agree upon the solution Under-promise and over-deliver Follow up (Score BIG Points Here!) Phone call, e-mail or letter Difficult Customers

E-mail Etiquette

E-mail recipients use the subject line to prioritize Don’t “Cry Wolf” by misusing the “Urgent” label too often Be clear and succinct – tell them exactly what you want Avoids going directly to the “Delete” bin Subject Matters

Ask for what you want When writing back, answer question as best you can Avoid lengthy series of messages Body – Be Specific

Don’t assume everyone is familiar with “chat room” jargon (TTYL or LOL, or IMHO for example) Avoid acronyms unless you’re certain recipients understands them Same with abbreviations (FAFSA, ISIR, EFC, etc.) Avoid Abbreviations and Acronyms

Most companies scan employees’ e-mail Your email could be forwarded to an unintended recipient Images can be inappropriate as well as space-hogging Avoid unnecessary attachments Be virus savvy Rated PG – Keep it Clean @#&?!!$%!

Be careful about spelling – treat your email the same as any inter-office memo Electronically spell check your email if possible Visually scan your email for spelling and content before sending Wach That Speling

Respond to important e-mails (boss, customers, etc.) right away. “Social” e-mails can wait If YOU need an immediate response, indicate this explicitly in your e-mail Response Roulette

Be very careful when e-mailing when you’re angry Don’t e-mail something best done face-to-face (constructive criticism, for example) Tone can be easily misunderstood Feelings – Nothing More than Feelings

Constantly revise your mailing lists When replying to a list, make sure you reply only to the sender (unless you WANT all those people to see your reply) When forwarding an e-mail, take all those other names off of people who have had it before you Don’t assume a new acquaintance wants to be put on a list – ask first Making a List? Check it Twice!

Short and clever wins over long and elaborate Make the important point first – then you can add incidental information Brief is Beautiful

Capital letters convey anger and/or arrogance “All Caps” are difficult to read and annoying Use all caps for emphasis only (We had TRIPLETS!) Capital Punishment

Advantage of e-mail: it’s in writing Disadvantage of e-mail: it’s in writing E-mail is a contractually binding instrument Email can be used as evidence The Great Paradox

Conclusion • Questions? • Comments? • Discussion?

The Professional Organization