Customer Service 101 The Principles

1. Customer Service 101The Principles Fire Department

2. What's happening on the inside?CHANGE! • More & more unpredictable • faster (lots) • murders sacred cows • “white water” change • dreaded by most insider • lots of stress • Is an process vs. a event

3. The Effects on Organizational Life • More complicated • more political • standards of correctness/ fear • special interest groups • more screwballs (on and off duties)

4. Other Issues • Huge financial reviews • bigger risk/ bigger opportunities • risk adverse managers

5. Fire Service Change • Many times • we are “dumb” on the front end. • we get “smart” in the back end. We tend to change at the last moment! We sometimes mistake opportunities for threats!

6. Where have we been?Our basic mission keeps us going! • 250 years old • simple, clear mission • lots of maybes • empowering-inspiring • highly accepted

7. Our Basic Mission • Respond quickly • solve the problem • be nice • go home as the same way you left home! (sitting up)

8. How do we deliver those basics? • Hardware • Software • Liveware

9. Hardware • Tools • equipment • apparatus …..(Stuff).

10. Software • Systems • regulations • guidelines • …….SOPs \more stuff

11. Liveware • Humans • Firefighters • ……(people).

12. Service Delivery (1990s) • Customer service focus: • new character: Mrs... Smith • new routine: be nice • new focus: her needs • new mgmt: inside approach determines outside services

13. Labels,labels and more labels • What are labels? • How do they effect us? • How do they effect our customer? • Do they become self fulfilling? • What impact do they make on the emergency scene? • Who are we to judge?

14. Where should we focus our efforts to improve? • Which part of your system will Mrs... Smith remember?

15. We’ve Always Done Customer Service!What’s New? • Customer’s expect high quality service. • Growing competition (internally /externally). • It is the majority of our job. • It’s the right thing to do. • A new Fire Service direction. • If we don’t, somebody else will! • The circle of influence concept. • It’s the mint on the pillow approach.

16. The problem is we’re playing “Catch up” • Traditional hardware being used in non traditional ways. • We take everything we have everywhere we go.

17. Customer must fit the system…. • In some cases, we call their use of our resources “system abuse” • a major part of that “system abuse” definition involves using traditional vehicles in non-traditional ways.

18. Time to “Catch Up” • Our system must reinvent itself to match current/actual service delivery • ……simply, our system must be designed to fit the customer’s needs-----not the reverse.

19. Who Is the Customer?Customer==any Person You Provide Service to That Could Have a Effect on Your Ability to Continue to Deliver That Service! • Internal • External • Special customer

20. Customer service areas • Locations • People • Conditioning

21. Human Relations • What is your opinion of Labels and the effect they have on group interactions? • One size does not fit all. • The changing workforce’s effect on customer loyalty.

22. Customers Interactions • Sworn vs. Civilian • Other city departments. • The media and you! • Fire and life safety programs. • Inspections. • Speaking engagements. • Station tours. • Public places. • The Emergency scene.

23. Customer service 101tactical priorities When dealing with customers have a plan! • Locate • Inform • Assist

24. Group Exercise #2 Your Perspectives! What will you be doing for Mrs... Smith in 10 years?

25. Our Competitive Future • Inside competition • External competition

26. Concepts! • The goal is make yourself so important to outside customers, that you avoid or minimize the internal politics. • The key to getting what you want, is giving enough people what they want!

27. Real Life • Open discussion on customer service issues! (War stories) • The changing paradigm. • Practices vs. Principles.

28. How do we make a difference? • Circle of influence concept? • Remember Mrs. Smith • Set-out to make a difference!

29. Customer Service Manual • Our essential mission and number one priority is to deliver the best possible service to our customer.

30. Customer Service Manual • Always be nice--treat everyone with respect, kindness, patience, and consideration.

31. Customer Service Manual • Always attempt to execute a standard problem-solving outcome: Quick/effective/skillful/safe/caring/managed.

32. Customer Service Manual • Regard everyone as a customer.

33. Customer Service Manual • Consider how you and what you are doing looks to other.

34. Customer Service Manual • Don’t disqualify the customer with your qualifications.

35. Customer Service Manual • Basic organization behavior must become customer-centered.

36. Customer Service Manual • We must continually improve our customer service performance.

37. The Future (Change) • Must emerge out of today • ……where else will it come from: • hard for us to make big systems “skip” into the future • huge momentum in the status quo: • institutional budget • mgmt. Commitment • the “weight” of our inventory

38. Fire ServiceChange Timetable • Minor hardware 1-2 yrs • major hardware 3-5 yrs • major liveware habits 3-5 yrs • major culture 10 yrs