Professional Development Competency—Client Focus

1. Professional Development Competency—Client Focus

2. Objective • To develop a deeper understanding about client focus; which is about providing excellent service to internal and/or external clients. Demonstrating our “human touch” with students, alumni, and other stakeholders. And consistently seeking ways to improve outcomes, enhance services, and understand client needs.

3. Agenda • Competencies • Client Focus • What does it mean? • Building your client focus • My next steps

4. Competencies • Champlain College Professional Staff Career Competencies: Fundamental to the successful implementation of our 2020 Strategic Vision. Needed for every staff member. • Functional/Job Competencies: Capabilities needed in order to successfully perform current or future job responsibilities (i.e. marketing, finance, education, technology, etc.). • Leadership Competencies: Needed for successful leadership of a team of individuals.

5. Client Focus Scale

6. When have you been a really special client?

7. Responds to Immediate Client Needs • Responds to client needs in a timely, professional, helpful, and courteous manner, regardless of client attitude.  • Clearly shows clients that their perspectives are valued.  • Strives to consistently meet service standards. 

8. Maintains Client Contact • Follows up with clients during and after delivery of services to ensure that their needs have been met.  • Keeps clients up-to-date on the progress of the service they are receiving and changes that affect them.  • Ensures service is provided to clients during critical periods.   • Puts clients' issues in order of priority and addresses most pressing concerns. 

9. Provides Added Value • Looks for ways to add value beyond clients' immediate requests.  • Explores and addresses the unidentified, underlying and long-term client needs.  • Enhances client service delivery systems and processes.  • Anticipates clients' upcoming needs and concerns. 

10. Provides Seasoned Advice • Acts as a seasoned adviser, providing independent opinion on complex client problems and novel initiatives, and assisting with decision-making.  • Pushes client to consider difficult issues that are in their best interests.  • Advocates on behalf of clients to more senior management, identifying approaches that meet clients' needs as well as those of the organization.  

11. Ensure Continued Service Excellence • Strategically and systematically evaluates emerging and longer-term opportunities and threats to meeting clients' needs.  • Determines strategic business direction to best meet clients' evolving needs.  • Monitors, evaluates and, as needed, renews the client service model and service standards.    

12. What Companies Are Know for Their Client Focus?

13. Your Client Focus Story

14. Who Are Your Clients?

15. What are Your Standards? • Think about your area and your clients, what are the standards that you have for yourself in meeting your client needs? • What standards are present in your department/division? • How do these standards get communicated internally or externally?

16. Processes—Efficient? Easy to Understand?

17. Getting Better • Think about your work processes, from your client’s perspective. If you could change one of those to be more effective and easier for clients, which would you change?

18. Adding Value • Do you know your client’s biggest concerns? What keeps them up at night? • When was the last time to reached out to your clients first, with an idea, a thought, or just a connection? • What is most important to your most important client?

20. Talking About the Tough Stuff

21. Tough Stuff • When was the last time you had to have a difficult conversation with a client? • How did you approach it? • What did you say? • How did they react?

22. Your Next Steps

23. Closing One thing you will practice in the next month to grow your skill in client focus.