Customer Service Series For Everson Consulting

19VOL. 15, NO. 1, 2004 NASFAA’s Student Aid TRANSCRIPT

CUSTOMER SERVICE.TWO SIMPLE

words hold a lot of meaning.Taken literally, the phrase merely means “serving the customer,” and that can be accomplished without so much as a“hello,”“thank you,” or even eye con-tact. Combining the definitions of “cus-tomer” and “service” from Funk &Wagnalls Dictionary, one gets:“Themanner in which one who buys some-thing is waited upon or served.”Intrinsically, however, customer serviceimplies satisfying customers and provid-ing them with a positive, memorableexperience.That means a lot more thanany dictionary definition.

In the financial aid field, how oftendo you focus your efforts on customerservice? After all, by the time studentsare in your office, they don’t really havemuch choice—they can’t “shop” else-

where.They’re captive customers—you’ve got their applications, theirmoney, and the answers to their ques-tions, so does it matter what kind ofexperience they have in your office?You know they have to come back.

It might not matter, to a point. Butyou still face competition.And the factthat they may “have to” come back maymake your next interaction with themall the more stressful.

A New Trend Toward Customer Service

As society moves beyond the industrialage, new technologies are leveling theplaying field for businesses and organi-zations.With that shift comes a refocuson customer service. Nowadays, a

company with five employees in onetiny room can compete with a muchlarger company, provided the smallcompany has the right technology—andgood customer service. If both CompanyA and Company B offer the same prod-uct at the same price, where will youshop? Most likely, you will shop whereyou are treated as though you are themost important person in the world—which you are, at that point in the cus-tomer service experience.The compa-nies and organizations that outshineeveryone else in customer service earnsatisfied, loyal customers.

Your Competition

For financial aid professionals, the com-petition you have to outshine includes

customer servicewhat’s the big deal?

20NASFAA’s Student Aid TRANSCRIPT VOL. 15, NO. 1, 2004

your co-workers, other schools, andother organizations inside and outsideyour industry. Not too tall an order, huh?

Your co-workers. Nearly every office,company, or department has one—youknow,“that jerk in accounting,” or “thatpain-in-the-neck at the front desk.”These are employees who may performthe technical aspects of their jobsexceedingly well, but lack interpersonalskills.Their negative approach colorsthe way everyone—customers, co-workers, and supervisors— interactswith them.There’s a popular televisionad with the tagline:“Don’t be that guy.”Better yet, don’t be that person. If stu-dents dread visiting the financial aidoffice because they might get stuck withyou and are grateful when they get todeal with someone else in your office,chances are it is because you don’t pro-vide good customer service, even if yougive the students what they “need.” Bethe employee that everyone enjoysworking with, not the one that everyonetries to avoid.

During my undergraduate years atthe University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire,one person stood out as the epitome ofcustomer service. Sadly, she didn’t workin financial aid; that would have beentoo perfect for this series. Instead,“Millie” worked in the student union.She was the cashier who had a smile foreveryone, and an infectious laugh thatlifted the room. Everyone knew andrespected her. I now look back on theMillies at UWEC and realize they are amajor reason for my loyalty.When wereturned to the campus for homecom-ing each year, we all headed to the stu-dent union to say hello to Millie.As weaged, Millie remained young—at heart.She was always upbeat, always positive,always laughing and having fun sittingon her stool at the cash register in theBlugold Room.

The year we returned to find Millie had passed away, homecomingchanged. But the memories pull usback.That is customer loyalty, not justcustomer satisfaction.Who are theMillies in your life? And are you theMillie to your students?

In a future article in this series, wewill introduce ways to spot people dur-

ing the interview process who excel incustomer service.We will also look atways to work with current team mem-bers who may not be willing or able tobe a Millie.

Other schools. Students are looking forthree things in a school: a reasonablecost, a worthwhile education, and aquality experience. No matter how rea-sonable the tuition, or how valuable thepotential degree, if a student is uncom-fortable or unhappy at the school, he orshe may leave before graduating.Granted, if students want to go to yourschool, they have to deal with you. Bythe time students receive their financialaid funds, you’ve got them for thatterm. Hopefully it won’t be their lastwith you.

Financial aid professionals can’t domuch about tuition or curricula, butthey can certainly help or hurt students’school experiences.A caring, supportiveatmosphere in the financial aid andother administrative offices can go along way in making a student feel goodabout his or her educational choice.Asthe job market continues to tighten andtuitions continue to rise, the determin-ing factor in school choice may ulti-mately be customer service.

Think about it: Does your financialaid office create the kind of experiencewhere your graduates return to sayhello, looking for Millie? I sure hope so.Remember, they come back with theirmemories, but they also bring their fam-ilies, their friends, and their checkbooks.Alumni give money, money buildsbuildings, buildings house classrooms,classrooms are filled with students, andstudents—well, they need financial aid.

Other companies and businesses. Whileyour school might not be in direct com-petition with the local grocery store orbank, these institutions can and doinfluence each other. If a student getsterrific customer service at the bankonly to be treated poorly in your office,by contrast that experience will reflecton your office. Students might excusemediocre service once or twice, but notif they’re consistently treated better atStore X or Bank Y than they are atyour school’s financial aid office.Your

students and their parents are discrimi-nating shoppers.They know what feelsright; they know what brings them back.

Creating Loyal Customers

As I travel across the country meetingwith financial aid professionals, I amstruck by several points:• The enormity of your responsibility.

You literally control the pursestrings on your campus.

• The challenges you face each day,but especially during your peak time,when everyone’s expectations areheightened.

• Your incredible opportunity to helpyour school create loyal customers.

Never forget that your job is important.By helping students finance their col-lege education, you are helping peopleachieve their dreams. Success can comefrom realizing that, and enjoying yourrole.

This is the first in a series of upcom-ing articles examining the many facets ofcustomer service relevant to the finan-cial aid professional—understanding thecustomer’s viewpoint, dealing with thedifficult customer, building customerloyalty, and stress management for thefinancial aid professional. Hopefully, itwill also help some of you put passionback in your job.

To make this series as personal and pertinent as possible, I ask you to look for examples of outstandingcustomer service in your life over thenext few months. Determine what peo-ple are doing around you to create thatmemorable customer service experi-ence. Please forward the most memo-rable positive moments to me at [email protected], so we can buildthem into our series.

Terry Everson is vice president for training,

and Laura Gallagher is marketing

communications specialist, for corporate

communications, at Great Lakes

Educational Loan Services, Inc. They may

be reached at [email protected] or

[email protected], respectively.

9VO L . 1 5 , N O. 2 , 2 0 0 4 NA S FA A’s Student A i d T R A N S C R I P T

This is the second article in

Transcript’s series on customer

service in the student aid office.

steps to customer loyalty:your secret to success

EVERY DAY, WE EXPERIENCE THE GOOD AND THE BAD OF CUSTOMERservice. We deliver service, we receive service. Think about your recent cus-tomer service experiences, as a receiver. The bad jumps out and lingers forw e e k s.

Recently I experienced a case study in bad customer service. I purchased alight fixture and prepaid the bill because I understand that small businessesalways face a cash-flow issue. When I picked up the fixture two weeks later,the store had posted “20 percent off” signs all over the place. I had paid the fullprice for the first fixture and was considering two or three additional ones tocomplement the new one in the dining room.

When the clerk brought out the fixture, I had to ask about the discount.Besides putting me off with her look and attitude, she explained that I “ p r o b a-bly got a break” on the first fixture so I “should be happy” with the price I hadp a i d .When I later checked the receipt, I discovered no price break whatsoev-e r. Z i p, z e r o, z i l c h .

P r i c e : f a i r. Q u a l i t y : very nice. Customer service: m i s e r a b l e.No loyalty here—I bought the rest of my lighting elsewhere. P r o b a b l y, s o

will everyone else I tell.

Who A re Our Customers ?

To talk customer service, we first must define who our customers are. It soundseasy enough. For instance your customers may include:• Current students• Students’ parents• Former students (alumni)

• Faculty at the school• Staff members• Prospective students

1 0NA S FA A’s Student A i d T R A N S C R I P T VO L . 1 5 , N O. 2 , 2 0 0 4

Each population is unique, but they share several commonneeds. They are all looking for a “professional” environ-ment, with service that is timely, thorough, respectful, andc o u r t e o u s.These expectations don’t seem unrealistic consid-ering the dollars involved. Next to a home, an education isprobably the most expensive “product” we will ever pur-c h a s e.

The Competition

Before we go any further, l e t ’s talk about your organization.Who is your major competition? Is it the school down thestreet? Is it the lender with all the branches across the city?Is it the guarantor you always go up against for new andexisting business?

The answer to these questions is yes and no. Of course,these groups compete for your business. Surprisingly, how-ever, your real competition comes from the neighborhoodconvenience store, the street vendor who always has a smile,the national chain that prides itself on creating “wow” cus-tomer service experiences. These are the folks you have tocompete against every day when it comes to customer serv-i c e.They keep raising the bar for everyone, including you.

Consider this: On a recent flight from Chicago toOrlando, the flightattendant handed mea business card fromthe pilot with the fol-lowing hand-writtennote on the back:M r.E v e r s o n ,

T h a nks for flyingwith us today and for allyour flights on UA L .I personally appreciateyour business and lookf o r w a rd to serving youa g a i n .

Gary Rogeliner,C a p t a i n , 1 / 1 3 / 0 4

This knocked my sockso f f. I will keep that cardfor years to come. ( O h ,by the way, C a p t a i nRogeliner is also yourc o m p e t i t i o n . )

Lest we forget, your co-workers are also your competi-t i o n . If I come into your office and “ S a l l y ” makes the finan-cial aid experience personal, positive, and professional, sheraises the bar for everyone else in the office. RememberMillie from our first article, who was the staff member thatalums always sought out year after year during homecomingweek? The bar she raised is still up there even though shehas been gone for 10 years.

Customer Satisfaction vs. L o y a l t y

Years ago, we were just happy to get our needs met,regardless of the delivery method. But things started chang-ing in the 1970s. Driven by the auto industry and the hi g h -tech evolution, the notion of “ q u a l i t y ” started to appear in ads,then prices started to fall,and finally customer service became astrategic selling focus. Your competition may have been aleader in this push.

Three elements—quality, price and service—are the cor-nerstones needed to create customer loyalty, according to aclassic H a r v a rd Business Review article (Ja n . / Fe b. 1 9 9 3 ) .

Customer Service Tr i a n g l e

For a long time,“customer satisfaction” was the goal.A slong as your “ p r o d u c t ” fell within acceptable range for thethree cornerstones, the customer would be satisfied.Then afew rebels decided that they could enhance one of the cor-nerstones and blow away the competition, providing theykept the other two within a reasonable range.

Wa l M a rt: Focus on p r i c e.

Lexus: Focus on q u a l i t y.

N o rd s t rom: Focus on s e rv i c e.

More recently, the concept of customer satisfaction hasevolved into customer loyalty—that is, the qualities thatkeep you in high regard with your customers, and keep thecustomers coming back to you. Why should you even worryabout customer loyalty for your organization? Marketresearch confirms that it costs six times more money toattract new customers than it does to retain your existingcustomer base. And loyal customers tend to promote yourorganization through one of the most potent forms of adver-t i s i n g : w o r d - o f - m o u t h .

Loyalty! We see it all over the place. School bumperstickers shout out school pride. My former boss even carriesa coffee cup with the inscription,“My kid and my money goto the University of Minnesota.” O h , by the way, he too is aGopher alum.

Loyalty goes hand in hand with personal pride. I am aUniversity of Wisconsin-Eau Claire “ B l u g o l d ” and darnedproud of it. Both my kids are Blugolds. My grandkids? To osoon to tell. But our most recent alumni publication intro-duced a new program to attract out-of-state students whoseparents are alumni. Loyalty works!

p r i c e q u a l i t y

s e r v i c e

According to Professor Jon Anton ofPurdue University’s Center forC u s t o m e r-Driven Quality, the mostcommonly cited reasons that customers leave a vendor are:

6 8 % p e rcent for better customer service

1 3% for better price

9 % for better quality

7 % for other re a s o n s

American Association of Insurance Services Annual Conference,April 1997

These numbers prove one very importantp o i n t . Once in the fold, customers are yoursto keep or lose: it is up to you.

1 1VO L . 1 5 , N O. 2 , 2 0 0 4 NA S FA A’s Student A i d T R A N S C R I P T

How strong is this loyalty effect? Think about it—arethere any products, s e r v i c e s, or vendors that have your loy-alty? My guess is that by now you return to them by adeeply ingrained habit, but it did not just happen: theyearned your loyalty.

Five Steps to Customer Loyalty

In every customer service opportunity there are five basic stepswhen you have the chance to strengthen customer loyalty.

Step 1. The customer thinks,“I am important and want to ber e s p e c t e d .”There is no logic and reason to this first step. It is100 percent emotion. Our challenge is to put our own “I amimportant” attitude aside and be willing to open ourselvesto the wants and needs of the customer. And at thatmoment, who is the most important person in the world inthe eyes of the customer? We need to drop our self-focusand put the customer on the pedestal.The best of the best incustomer service do this naturally and have no problemabdicating personal power for the good of the customer.

Step 2. The customer then thinks, “Consider my viewpoint.”This may is an extension of Step 1, but it also addresses thereality that each person is an individual and we need to bewilling to personalize the customer service we provide. E a c hperson has unique wants and needs.We must be first willingto listen to the customer, then ask informed and helpfulquestions in such a way that we show that we are willing totreat that person with respect and dignity.

Early in a customer service interaction, you may faceheightened negative emotion.The person may just be look-ing for someone to pick on.Treat this situation as an oppor-tunity to open yourself up and be the one who can create aloyal customer, instead of reacting to negative emotionswith negative emotions.

Step 3. The customer thinks,“ W h a t ’s in it for me?” B a s i c a l l y,all of us are selfish. Once we reach this point in the interac-t i o n , the customer is weighing the value of what we have tooffer against what he or she needs to do to receive this ben-efit. If we can show the customer that the benefit is worththe necessary actions, we have a far better chance of movingto the next stage.

Too often we present the options from our side of thefence—how it will make our job easier.But the customer doesnot (and should not) care about our side of the fence.We needto scrap the old adage of “meet me in the middle on this one.”We need to be squarely on the customer’s side of the fence.

Step 4. The customer is now asking, “Okay, so what do Ihave to do to get this benefit?” When the customer starts ask-ing what has to be done, the door is open. It is time for youto walk through. But be sure to present the action from thec u s t o m e r ’s side of the fence.

Step 5. Wrap-up. In most customer service situations, thisphase is sorely overlooked.You are so happy to be done withthe person, especially a challenging customer, that you justwant them to leave the office. You may miss a real “ w o w ”o p p o r t u n i t y. When you wrap up your interaction, you sum-marize the agreed-to action steps that everyone involvedneeds to take. Review what you will do,what they will do, a n dby when. Close the interaction with a sincere thank you. E v e nif they complained, acted out, or had an “ a t t i t u d e,” t h a n kthem for bringing the situation to your attention.Without thatk n o w l e d g e, you couldn’t have helped them. Be honest andsincere when thanking them. They really did you a favor bybeing open about their concerns.

Excelling at Customer Service

Loyalty returns customers to you, brings in new customers,and often makes future customer service easier as peoplebegin to expect a positive reaction and are thus morerelaxed from the start. To be strong in customer service,remember the Customer Service Triangle and do what ittakes to excel on the side of service.

The next article in this series will deal with the challenge of negativeemotion in the customer service interaction. We will introduce a com-mon-sense model that should help you remain in control, even in theface of unrealistic or demanding customers. Believe it or not, they can befun to serv e — h o n e s t !

About the authors:Te rry Everson is vice president for training, and Laura Gallagher is themarketing communications specialist, for corporate communications atG reat Lakes Educational Loan Services, Inc. They may be reached at tever -s o n @ g l h e c . o rg or [email protected], re s p e c t i v e l y.

The NASFAA Web site has everything you need to conduct a financial aid night presentation. The guide

and accompanying slideshow are available at www. N A S FA A . o rg/FinancialAidNight.asp.

The NASFAA Web site also includes basic information on state-sponsored savings and prepaid tuition

p rograms. Check it out at www. N A S FA A . o rg / p re p a i d . a s p .

did you know?

VOL. 15, NO. 3, 2004 26 NASFAA’s Student Aid TRANSCRIPT

AS I TRAVEL THE STUDENT-LOAN TRAINING CIRCUIT,

attending state, regional, and national conferences to ex-amine customer service offerings, the one topic that con-sistently arises is “dealing with the difficult person.” I callthem “Tough Customers.” The Tough Customer comes inall shapes and sizes, and can hail from any age group,race, or gender. However, they do exhibit some remark-ably consistent tendencies. In this article, we will discoverhow to diagnose the situation, how to put a name to thebehavior, and how to apply the “Three Ps” of customerservice to a Tough Customer.

But first we need to spend some time studying theTough Customer. We also need to look in the mirror andadmit—horror of horrors—that we may actually be con-tributing to the Tough Customer situation.

Who Is the Tough Customer?

The Tough Customer can ruin your otherwise peaceful daywith a nasty look, a bad attitude, a mean word, or inappro-priate behavior. Why is it that people who walk into youroffice—people who need your service—can treat you withsuch disrespect? Whether you find yourself working foran institution, lender, servicer, guarantor, or as a part of

the Direct Lending community, please remember this ad-age: You need them more than they need you. One of thekey concepts we teach in the Great Lakes Customer Ser-vice Training model states: “The customer isn’t alwaysright, but hopefully this customer will remain our cus-tomer.”

Consider this theory: It costs considerably more to goout and attract new customers than it does to retain, ser-vice, and delight the ones you already have. This may be atough pill to swallow, especially if you are naturally com-petitive and enter every encounter with an “I must win”attitude. Then you realize you are in a classic “no-win”situation. You use all the tools of customer service—lis-tening, empathizing, understanding—and all the while theTough Customer is tap dancing on your forehead. TheTough Customer is winning big time and knows it.

But are they really winning?

The Tough Customer in Action

If you assume the role of interested observer, you can putmuch of this Tough Customer behavior into perspective.We have all seen the Tough Customer in action. Hard as itis to admit, sometimes we even fall into the role ourselves.

Everybody’s Got Them:Tough Customers

The first two installments of our customer service series focused ontraditional customer service issues—how to provide quality products at a fair

cost through exceptional customer service. All along, we assumedthat the customers we were dealing with were willing, cooperative,

mature partners in the financial aid process.

But guess what? Some customers aren’t so nice. In fact, some of themcan be downright nasty, casting a pall over the entire financial aid experience.

Here are a few ideas on how to handle your Tough Customers.


When I travel, I often get to play the role of interestedobserver, as there are Tough Customers all over the air-ports. Airline travel seems to attract Tough Customer be-havior. Trust me, when a Tough Customer unloads on anunsuspecting airline staffer, it makes all the other travel-ers embarrassed, uncomfortable, and concerned for the cus-tomer-service person.

I began the initial draft for this article while trappedon the tarmac at the De-troit airport in a smallcommuter plane. Wewere held up for morethan two hours becausethe connecting flight waslate, and airline officialschose to delay our depar-ture so that the othertravelers could make it toDayton that same night.Unfortunately, therewere 26 connecting pas-sengers and only 19 seatsleft on our plane. For twohours airline officialsdebated ways to rectifythe situation.

Most passengerstook the opportunity todoze, read, or watch thediscussions through thewindows. But the resi-dent Tough Customer fi-nally started bellowing.“How perfect for this ar-ticle,” I thought. He wasloud, young, totally self-absorbed, and he wantedto be heard.

The flight attendantdid a great job with this guy. She listened to his comments,stayed calm, and ignored his inappropriate comments abouther and the airline as he ranted to his buddies over his cellphone. The attendant followed the Three Ps of customerservice. Specifically:She remained Positive,She treated everyone in a Personal manner, andShe was Professional at all times.

When we finally departed, everyone was relieved, butno one more than me. The Tough Customer had worn out

his welcome and unfortunately I was seated next him forthe entire flight. The most telling comment came from oneof the lucky 19 who got a seat. He asked the flight atten-dant to thank the rest of us for our patience and apolo-gized for the inconvenience. He was rushing home thatnight to be with his sick daughter. All I could do wassmile; all was right with the world.

The Few, theTough…

To better understand theTough Customer, let’stake a look at some sig-nificant numbers. In mycustomer service train-ing programs I oftenconduct informal sur-veys of the participantsto determine how manycustomers fall into eachof one of three catego-ries:☺ = 75%� = 20%� = 5%

Your numbers may varywith your job duties, thetime of the year, or sim-ply the phase of themoon.

The breakdown is re-vealing. Ninety-five per-cent of customers areeither in a good or neu-tral mood when they startthe customer-service ex-perience. And that other

five percent? Not all unhappy customers are certifiableTough Customers. Of the five percent who are unhappy,only about one in five is a hardened Tough Customer. For-tunately for the financial aid professional, the other fourcan be made happy through good customer service. It takeswork but it can be done. That leaves just one in 100 trulydifficult customers.

Now the more difficult question: What about the otherhalf of the equation? That’s you. Remember our 75/20/5breakdown? Well, guess what? If you are unwilling or


unable to abide by the Three Ps, you might personally beresponsible for driving a large percentage of your custom-ers to the dark side.

Two Tough-Customer Categories

The Tough Customer usually falls into two general cat-egories of inappropriate behavior—“parent” or “child”—which can be understood through a communication modeldeveloped by psychologist Eric Berne in the 1950s. HisTransactional Analysis model, taught in every Introduc-tion to Psychology class through the early 1970s, said thatwhen interacting, people tend to fallinto one of three ego states: parent,adult, or child. Briefly, the parentrole tends to speak from values andjudgments, the adult role from logicand reasoning, and the child rolefrom emotions.

As a trained counselor, I hadalways found this model always toosimple, so I shoved it into my men-tal “junk drawer.” Now the K.I.S.S.approach (Keep it Simple, Stupid)is gaining traction, and I find it istime to resurrect TransactionalAnalysis and apply it to customerservice.

Here is how it works. In anycustomer-service setting there aretwo players, you and the customer.The customer comes to you withbehavior that fits nicely into the par-ent, adult, or child category. Yourresponse can be from the parent, child, or adult categoryas well. In fact, people can even shift roles during an in-teraction. Effective customer service, however, respondsfrom the adult role (logical, reasonable), regardless of therole presented by the customer.

Customers Assuming a “Parent” Role: If the Tough Cus-tomer exhibits condescending, critical, sarcastic, or de-meaning behavior, or attempts to establish him or herselfas someone who should be feared or respected, the cus-tomer is playing out the parent role.

These customers have a tendency to talk down to you;they need to let you know how important they are. Whendealing with a Tough Customer in parent mode, our natu-ral tendency is to revert back to child behavior—reacting

from an emotional gut-level. For example, this might hap-pen when a student walks in and demeans a staff memberbecause someone made a mistake on the student’s paper-work—scolding, like a parent. The staff member thenresponds with anger and emotion, taking on the childrole.

Customers Assuming a “Child” Role: The other extremeis just as dysfunctional in a customer-service setting.What is your normal reaction when a Tough Customerexhibits child behavior, such as whining, blaming oth-ers, crying, or throwing tantrums? Admit it—you want

to tell them to grow up and stopacting like a child. Your tendencyto act out the parent role is in-creased. Sadly, these parenting re-actions are often so ingrained, weget hooked into responding to thecustomer with corresponding inap-propriate behavior. It may only bea condescending look or demean-ing sigh, but it all has the same ef-fect. For example, have you everseen this in your office? A studentwalks in whining about a problemwith his or her aid. The staff mem-ber sighs, then “retaliates” by point-ing out the errors the student madeon the FAFSA. The result isn’tpretty.

Responding as an Adult

So what can you do? Here’s wherethe fun begins. The customer-service person must alwaysstay in the “adult” role—rational, logical, and friendly.Don’t get pulled into child-like emotional responses orparent-like judgmental reactions. Even when the ToughCustomer plays all their cards, use the Three P’s to stayclear.

I equate it to this scenario: You are a five-pound bassswimming in a lake during a bass tournament. There aremany opportunities to get hooked, but for your own good,let the bait slide on by.

The Tough Customer is—intentionally or unintention-ally—baiting you. Just smile sincerely and let the ToughCustomer know you are there to help. If you try to fightback, you are taking the bait and you are going to lose—putting the Tough Customer back in charge.

The customer-service

person must always

stay in the “adult”

role... Don’t get

pulled into childlike

emotional responses

or parent-like

judgmental reactions.


If you use the Transactional Analysis model, dealingwith a Tough Customer almost becomes fun because heor she can become so wound up or irrational, while youremain in control of yourself and the situation.

It Works! (Most of the Time…)

Now, for the good news and bad news. The good news:Using these techniques, you can turn 99 percent of thecustomers to your side. They may not leave as your bo-som buddy, but at least they know you care and you handledthem in a positive manner.

Bad news: You may not be able to turn that final onepercent. Despite your best customer-service efforts, de-spite the best training, despite your desire to make every-one a satisfied customer, there are some who pridethemselves on being the worst of the worst. Their job is tomake everyone around them miserable and no matter whatyou say, or how you say it, they will remain miserable.These folks seriously want to remain this way and noth-ing you can do in a short customer-service interaction isgoing to change them. So be it.

Now, some final good news: When faced with this onepercent, you don’t have to take them personally! Give ityour best shot and know that you used the Three Ps andyou stayed in the “adult” role. If it doesn’t work, recog-nize that maybe nothing could satisfy this customer.

When you see a colleague facing this type of person—doing all the right things but still feeling terrible after theinteraction—take a moment to congratulate that colleagueon a good effort. Ninety-nine out of 100 percent is darned good.

You can even take it one step further. When you areout and about—in a restaurant, in an airport—and youwitness a customer-service representative doing all theright things, regardless of outcome, acknowledge theirefforts. They were simply facing that one percent. �

By Terry Everson, vice president for training, and LauraGallagher, marketing communications specialist, forCorporate Communications at Great Lakes EducationalLoan Services, Inc. They may be reached [email protected] or [email protected], respectively.

Please send us your examples of outstanding—or unbeliev-ably bad—customer service. We will build them into ourupcoming articles.

Hello folks—here we are again, talk-ing about customer service and what ittakes to create memorable customerservice moments. The first article inthis six-part series introduced theimportance of customer service in thestudent aid field. Remarkably, after that article was published, some read-ers responded asking whether studentsare really “customers.” Well, not onlyare they customers, but so are their par-ents, their co-signers, your co-workers,your faculty, your vendors, and guar-antors/servicers. Add to that list any-one else who you interact with on a daily basis, and the importance of cus-tomer service should be apparent.

In the second article, we stressed theimportance of creating loyal cus-tomers. These are the customers that

we need to delighttaking customer service to the

highest level

By Terry Everson and Laura Gallagher

24 STUDENT AID TRANSCRIPT

76748_pg24-27 3/2/05 8:18 AM Page 24

use your “product”—in the case offinancial aid, the services you provideto students and families—and literal-ly become walking testimonials for thevalue, quality, and the related customerservice associated with the “product.”Loyal customers will stay with you even if there is an occasional small glitch in the customer serviceexperience.

In the third and most recent article,we acknowledged that difficult customers exist and must be dealt within a positive manner. We pointed outthat in some cases, your behavior maybe a contributing factor to some of those challenging customer servicesituations.

Today we want to discuss how to takeyour customer service to the “Wow!”level—that is, how to create memorablecustomer service. In any customer serv-ice situation, you can do a decent joband receive a “C” grade. Keeping withthe academic theme, an even better jobthat exceeds the average performancewill earn you a “B.” The greater chal-lenge is how to earn an “A” in customerservice. Today I’d like to describe thesteps to creating a memorable customerservice experience.

Creating Memorable CustomerServiceThink about the last time someone sim-ply blew your socks off with incredi-ble customer service. My guess is thatit didn’t cost the organization anythingmore than it would have cost them for“C” service. Memorable customer serv-ice is about the people who do the job;the people that bring smiles to ourfaces. It is not simply a process that has been re-engineered or continuallyimproved. Let’s look at three shiningexamples of people who give memo-rable customer service: Judy, Eric, and“Bill Murray.”

Judy’s SmileFirst there is Judy. Judy works for anational drug store chain, Walgreens.Whether you are in the Walgreens near

my house in Madison, Wisconsin, orone in the Tucson, Arizona, or Spokane,Washington, the store’s processes, lookand feel, and product selection are pret-ty much the same. But Judy is not stan-dardized. Judy isn’t found in everystore. Judy is found at my store.

Just last week, I walked into the storeto pick up some hay fever medication.As I walked past the cosmetics section,I heard a friendly voice ask if I wouldlike to try a sample of AntonioBanderas’ new men’s cologne, “AB.”Judy has a huge smile, a kind word forall customers, and an infectious laughthat warms the entire store. She seemedso proud of this new cologne, Ihumored her with a trial “splash on,”and found I had to have it. Not becauseit smelled good—I really didn’t like itthat much. And not because it camewith a free AB golf hat. The last thingI need was another golf hat. I had tohave it because Judy just created amemorable customer servicemoment—a personal connectionbetween me, the product, the process,and the store.

When I sheepishly walked into mycondo, cologne in one hand, AB hat inanother, my wife looked up from herbook and smiled when she saw theWalgreen’s bag. “I see you met Judy,”she said. “Isn’t she the most wonder-ful clerk?”

Eric’s Extra MileThen there is Eric at my golf shop. Ericfaithfully fed my golf habit for years,but he also sold me the “golf bag fromhell.” It broke four times. Each time,Eric worked with me and the supplierto ensure that I was a happy camper.On the fifth collapse, Eric laughed asI lugged it into the store. The goodnews, he said, was that he would againsend the bag out for repairs. The badnews was he was leaving the store laterthat week to take a new job in the cellphone industry.

It was then that he hit me with amemorable customer service moment.He gave me his new business card and

asked that I give him a call at his newjob to let him know the bag had beenrepaired to my satisfaction. That wasfive years ago, but he still came to mindrecently when I gave that same bag toa new high school golfer.

“Bill Murray” Thinks AheadThe Walt Disney Company has longbeen recognized for creating memo-rable guest experiences. They train theirstaff to look for memorable customerservice opportunities. I can recall oneparticular personal event that exempli-fies this “A” attitude.

When our family assembled for theumpteenth “Kodak Moment” in frontof the 50-foot silver golf tee at one ofDisney’s golf courses, a groundskeep-er—who looked a lot like Bill Murrayin the movie “Caddyshack”—approached us as we stood on his per-fectly mowed lawn. I knew we were introuble. To my surprise, instead ofshooing us away, he asked if he couldtake the family picture so that I couldbe included. We would have a photo ofthe whole family, dad included! Sincethat time, I’ve volunteered to take hun-dreds of pictures for people all over theworld, giving them a chance to includethe entire family in the family album.Why? Because it meant so much to meto receive the same kind of offer.

“The S’sence of Customer Service”What makes these memorable customerservice experiences? In researching,experiencing, and observing them, I’vecoined the phrase “The ‘S’sence ofCustomer Service.” Here is some of that“S”sence:

Smiles Abound Student aid can be a dehumanizingprocess, involving with a combinationof sensitive, sometimes complex finan-cial information; intimidating paper-work; and the educational hopes anddreams of a family among other things.Definitions that apply in other settings,such as dependency, family, and assets,don’t always apply the same way in

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student aid. Your customers may comeinto your office mad, confused, or con-cerned about paying for college. Yoursmile—the “Judy” smile—creates anenvironment where students and fam-ilies feel welcome. They know that youare there for them at that moment, youcare about their circumstances, and youare willing to help them understand.Help is at hand.

Signage Is a MustHave you ever tried to find your wayin a city that has poor signage? It is dis-concerting. There is enough mystery inthe student aid process without addingto it with poorly marked directions.Walk to, and then through, your workarea. Can new students navigate it with-out a special understanding of “college-speak”? (Just what is a “bursar”?) Aredirections and offices well labeled? (IfI have financial aid, where do I go topay my bill? Do I have to stand in aspecial “financial aid” line at the book-store?) Are the waiting areas user-friendly and self-explanatory, prevent-ing students and families from wastingtime in the wrong place? Do the stu-dents know where they are at any givenmoment, to whom they are talking, andwhere they go next?

Secrets to CleanlinessYour mom probably told you cleanli-ness is next to godliness. I don’t knowabout that, but a pleasant, welcomingoffice space creates an air of comfortand relaxation and has a calming effecton your customers. A flower here, amagazine there, a humorous quote or afun picture can help. But bear in mindthe types of messages your décor maysend. Some staff post cartoons orquotes that actually make fun of the stu-dents—the very people they serve.What kind of message do you think thatsends? Remember, you need them morethan they need you.

Simple Instructions Please remember, you are the subjectmatter expert. You may wish that all


customers were as organized andinformed about student aid policy asyou are, but guess what? They aren’t.You are the expert. Student aid is justone of hundreds of new experiencesthey are dealing with as they navigatethrough the higher education process.They will appreciate you treating themaccording to the three P’s—in aPositive, Personal, Professional man-ner—giving simple, clear, practicalinstructions that will help them accom-plish their goals. And when you thinkabout it, this will help you accomplishyour goals as well.

Sales Opportunities at EveryJunctureJudy did it. Eric did it. My Bill Murraylook-alike did it. Top shelf customerservice staff look for opportunities tocross-sell their organization, theirdepartment and their product. Theoffices of financial aid, the registrar, thebursar, admissions, and student servic-es all contribute to a series of independ-ent, yet very interrelated events. Lookfor ways to ensure that everyone at allcritical touch points—within your officeand throughout the campus—works forthe good of the student and sells the fullvalue of your institution. Instead oflooking for ways to make the financialaid office look better at the expense ofother offices and departments, workwith those other departments to ensurethat you are all focused on creating acomplete, positive customer serviceexperience for the student.

Snapshots at the Seventh HoleThe “best of the best” at customer serv-ice look for ways to go the extra yard,exceed the customers’ expectations,reach out with a kind gesture or offera kind word, and be a bright spot in theday. In student aid, this may mean notonly answering the questions studentsask, but anticipating the ones they’llneed to know three stages down theline. Sometimes it is as simple as pick-ing up the phone and clearing the wayfor a student who is trying to straight-

en out a processing problem on cam-pus or with a guarantor. Other times itmay mean sending a quick note tosomeone who had to drop out, encour-aging them to recognize that a dreampostponed may not be a dream ended.When you receive this type of service,you feel a sense of appreciation and joy.When you give this level of service,your self-pride and occasional recog-nition from the customer will earn youyour daily “A” grade.

These key points will help you andyour office staff be better prepared todeliver those Memorable CustomerService moments to your varied cus-tomer groups: students, parents, co-workers, and business partners.

With the “S”sence of service nowfirmly affixed in your office plan, weare ready to find ways to mentally pre-pare for each day. The next installmentin this series will deal with the issue ofstress, stress management, relaxationtechniques, and tools that you and yourstaff can use to refresh your mind, yourbody, your spirit.

Terry Everson is vice president for training, and Laura Gallagher is the marketing communications specialist for corporate communications at GreatLakes Educational Loan Services, Inc.They may be reached at [email protected] or [email protected],respectively.

There is enough mystery

in the student aid process

without adding to it with

poorly marked directions.

Walk to, and then

through, your work area.

Can new students

navigate it without a

special understanding of

“college-speak”?

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T

Stress SuccessBy Terry Everson and Laura Gallagher

for

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The first four articles in our customerservice series focused on understand-ing why customers do what they do,and finding ways to adapt to theirneeds. This installment addresses thenatural reaction to all of these chal-lenges: stress.

In his 1960’s rock classic, War,Edwin Starr asks: “War! What is it goodfor?” His rhetorical response was“Absolutely NOTHING!”

I’d like to twist that question a bit andask, “Stress: What is it good for?” Wellit turns out that stress is good for some-thing, despite the bad rap its receivedover the years. Stress can add value toyour office, and when channeled prop-erly, can create positive results.

What Is Stress?First, let’s first spend a few minutesbetter understanding the origins ofstress and its impact on our daily lives.We’ll use an example familiar to manyreaders: golf. Consider the young golfpro from Florida who also spends hisfree time sky diving, extreme skiing,and sheer cliff mountain climbing.Asked when stress and fear most affect-ed him, he replied without hesitation,“On the first tee every time I play golf.”Stress is very personal and relative.

In a recent Golfline.com article, NeilMorrison compared the stress that play-ers face on the green to the early cave-man “fight or flight” response. Of course,it’s been sometime since any of us wentnose-to-nose with Mr. Sabertooth Tiger,but I’ll bet some of your most difficultstudents can produce the same fight orflight reaction in you. Do you run to theback office to avoid the impendingdoom, or do you stoke up the enginesand get ready for the upcoming conflict?

What goes through our minds andbodies during a fight-or-flight reaction?Some of the major changes includedilated pupils, sweaty palms, poundingheart muscles, numb or trembling legs,and rapid breathing. All of this can takeplace when the campus problem childjust comes into the office.

Stress inducers can come from every

direction. They can range from the jerkswho blow through the neighborhood stopsign to the clown who tries to check out47 items in the “10 or less” lane at thelocal grocery store. Stressors may be thetough co-worker, the broken photocopi-er, the family computer that eats yourdata, or the confused incoming fresh-man with condescending, angry parentsin tow. Not sabertooth tigers, but they’realso stressors nonetheless.

The Effects of StressHow do you know if stress is having anegative affect on you? Here are fivegeneral stress-symptom categories:

PHYSICAL

■ frequent backaches■ fatigue■ indigestion■ grinding teeth■ accident prone■ chest pains■ drinking too much caffeine■ smoking■ tension in the back and shoulders■ prone to illness

MENTAL

■ easily confused■ lethargic■ negative self image■ few friends or hobbies■ forgetful

EMOTIONAL

■ anxious■ unhappy most of the time■ constantly worrying■ irritable■ easily frustrated

SOCIAL

■ feeling isolated, lonely■ little contact with friends■ poor relations with coworkers■ distrusting■ using people only for selfish gains

SPIRITUAL

■ feeling like a martyr■ unforgiving

■ cynical■ a sense of inner emptiness■ morbid fear of death

What Is Stress Good For?All of these symptoms seem to implythat stress really is good for “absolute-ly nothing.” We’d like to challenge thatthought, however. We believe thatstress, when managed in a healthy man-ner, can be a real plus in our lives.

Anyone who ever played competitivegames or sports knows when the pres-sure is on. Whether it is softball, bowl-ing, croquet in the yard, poker withfriends, or ice hockey at the rink, ourstress responses kick in to help us pre-pare for the challenge.

The same holds true for you in youroffice setting. That heightened aware-ness, that sharpened vision, that senseof urgency—all are driven by the goodkind of stress. Let’s call it eustress.Webster's New Millennium™ Dictionaryof English defines eustress as “stress thatis deemed healthful or giving one a senseof fulfillment.” Do a Google search oneutress and you will find articles actu-ally praising the value of stress in ourlives. The secret is managing the stressto remain positive.

Eustress kicks in when the end-of-the-month report is due and you are threedays behind in your work. It kicks inwhen the staff has to ramp up for theupcoming semester, or a major disburse-ment needs to get out by 8 p.m. tonight.Eustress sharpens, it energizes, it stim-ulates, and it creates the office rush.

So why do we think of stress as neg-ative? Left unchecked, or unmanaged,even the good stress—your eustress—can evolve into the bad stuff: distress.When distress takes over, the variedsymptoms like those listed under ourfive categories begin to appear.Needless to say, distress is not good.

What Causes Stress?Stressors come in all shapes and sizes.When I work with financial aid profes-sionals, I find it interesting how similarthe office stressors are across the coun-


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try. Personal stressors may vary witheach individual, however, so getting aclear picture of the nature of your stres-sors can help put everything into per-spective. Try using the matrix below tocapture your personal stressors.

To really do this right, you shouldfirst devote an entire evening to creat-ing a “stressor list.” (For those of uswho aren’t list makers, this in itselfcould be a stressor.) This list shouldinclude the things that cause you stresssymptoms.

Once you have completed your list,you will need to do some serious soulsearching; the next step may be themost important. Using the matrix pro-vided, categorize each of your stressorsinto one of the four boxes.Box 1: Stressors that are important andyou have some control over themBox 2: Stressors that are important butyou have no control over themBox 3: Stressors that are unimportantbut you have control over themBox 4: Stressors that are unimportantand you do not have control over them

Be honest. Is it a big deal that thedriver in front of you is going threemiles an hour under the posted speedlimit, won’t pull over even though youhave flipped them off (with your lights,of course), and only allows you to passat seven miles over the posted speedlimit? Will you really capture that oneimportant car-length at the next light?

When you finish completing thematrix, look at the stressors in Box 4and let them go. They’re unimportantand you have no control over them. Thesame holds true for all of those stres-sors in Boxes 2 and 3—not importantand you control them or, important butyou can’t control them. Let them go.

46 STUDENT AID TRANSCRIPT | VOL 16 | NO 2 | 2005

You may want to hold onto them—stressors can become so familiar, theyare like lifelong family members—butthey need to be jettisoned to alleviateand prevent the stress-related symp-toms in our five categories.

Managing StressThat leaves us with Box 1. Once youhave completed Box 1, your real workbegins. This is where you need to focusyour efforts for minimizing the nega-tive effects of stress. There must bethousands of stress management tech-niques out there, from exercising todietary changes, from organizationalskills to “journaling,” and everythingin between. The following are a few wefind especially helpful. ■ Sleep: Try to establish a set sleep

routine and keep it■ Breathe/meditate: The calming

effect of meditation and controlledbreathing can have a huge impacton your responses to stress.

■ Exercise: In addition to generalhealth benefits, aerobic exercisetriggers endorphins in your brain,generating positive feelings. Youdon’t need a gym or expensiveequipment to exercise. A 30-minutewalk at lunchtime or a brisk walkin the evening before or after din-ner is a great start. Make your goal“SMART”—Specific, Measurable,Achievable, a Reach, and Time-focused—and you are on your way.

■ Be nice to yourself: Try positiveself-talk. Give yourself credit, evenif others won’t.

■ Try to become more organized:Always put your keys on the samehook, keep a couple of extra pairsof reading glasses around the

house, create a filing system withpockets for each month’s receipts,compile a central phone andaddress directory, post a familydry-erase calendar—these all areeasily accomplished.

■ Drink water—lots of it: Waterhelps your body operate at optimallevels. Reduce or eliminate caffeine, alcohol, and nicotine. You may not be the life of theparty, but you sure will feel betterevery morning.

■ Get a pet: Dogs, cats, iguanas,parakeets, hamsters all provide thechance to love, and be loved,unconditionally.

■ Communicate: Find a friend, afamily member, or perhaps a coun-selor who will listen to you aboutyour stressors and possibly offer a different perspective on your situation.

■ Reach out: Taking a moment toassist a neighbor, do volunteerwork, or just help a stranger canreduce stress and increase yoursense of personal well-being.A great Web site dealing with stress

is www.stresstips.com. This site con-tains a wealth of information and, bestof all, it is free.

As our lives become more stressfuland our family, friends, children, part-ners, and co-workers experience simi-lar pressures, we need to recognizewhen stress is a positive motivator, andwhen it is “good for absolutely noth-ing.” When stress arises from some-thing unimportant or out of your con-trol, find a safe place to let it go. Findthat safe place for you.

Stress is all around us, but SmokeyBear was right: Only you…

Terry Everson is vice president fortraining, and Laura Gallagher is themarketing communications specialistfor corporate communications at GreatLakes Educational Loan Services, Inc.They may be reached at [email protected] or [email protected],respectively.

STRESS MATRIX LIST EACH OF YOUR PERSONAL STRESSORS WITHIN THE APPROPRIATE CATEGORY.

BOX 1: IMPORTANT AND YOU HAVE SOME CONTROL

BOX 2: IMPORTANT BUT YOU HAVE NO CONTROL

BOX 3: UNIMPORTANT BUT YOU HAVE SOME CONTROL

BOX 4: UNIMPORTANT AND YOU HAVE NO CONTROL

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uring this six-articleseries, we have focusedon the human aspect ofcustomer service. Butone critical pieceremains. According toW. Edwards Deming—

who is often credited with being thefather of Statistical Process Control(SPC) and with turning around Japan’smanufacturing industry in the 1950sand 1960s—85% of problems in thework environment are caused by theprocess that people are working with-in—not the people. Staff do not nor-mally come to work each day trying tomake errors.

What is a process? From a manufac-turing and utility standpoint, a processis a series of interrelated activities con-ducted in a regular and successive man-

ner that create an output, result, ordeliverable. Examples of processeswithin the student aid environmentinclude: • Information dissemination• Application• Verification and documentation• Loan processing• Due diligence• Awarding funds• Appeals• Audits• Reporting

To be an effective process manager,you must first ensure that your process-es are well-documented and under con-trol, with little variability. To illustratethis point, let’s leave the financial aidsphere for a moment and use an exam-ple from everyday life.

Suppose you have decided to build

your dream home on a prime piece ofreal estate. It will be a funky littleprairie-style home, much in the imageof Frank Lloyd Wright’s work. Youmeet with the builder, he meets withthe architect, everything is finalized,and construction begins.

Soon you discover your builder is afree spirit and prides himself on keep-ing everything in his head, with littleformal documentation. Nothing is writ-ten down. Still, you don’t worry. Allthe subcontractors are dedicated, hard-working and take great pride in theirrespective crafts. Sounds like yourfinancial aid office, right? Let’s seewhat happens.

Once the utilities are installed andthe foundation is poured, the rough car-penters arrive. They follow the lead ofthe builder and believe they have a

C U S T O M E R S E R V I C E

It’s the Peopleand the Process

By Terry Everson and Laura Gallagher

D

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clear understanding of the final prod-uct. As they begin construction, theydecide to make a few changes in aneffort to improve the final product.They decide that a second story will bea nice touch and a large garage willmake storage much easier. They alsodecide that by turning the floor planaround a bit they can capture valuablesolar heat and save on utility costs.

The only problem is, the plumberwasn’t told of the changes. He installsthe soaking tub in the middle of thekitchen and the stove finds its way intothe master bath.

The electrician also is in the darkabout the changes, so he overlookswiring for the second floor. These aretwo big problems, wouldn’t you say?

Now remember, all these people takegreat pride in their work. They evenpride themselves on “continuousimprovement” by looking for ways to meet and exceed the customers’expectations. Here is some of what’sgoing wrong:• Because of a lack of documentation,

everyone is doing their own thing,and end up either complementing theefforts of others or causing severehardships.

• As changes are made in the name ofcontinuous improvement, one teamlooks great, the other team looksfoolish, and ultimately the construc-tion process is a mess.Now let’s draw some parallels in the

aid office. Many offices are currentlyworking within processes that are notwell-documented. The way things arenow done is eerily similar to theprocesses used 5-10 years ago. Whenasked why something is done in a par-ticular manner, the common responseamong aid office staff is “We’ve alwaysdone it that way.”

Worse yet, certain staff membershave become “resident experts” whobelieve their value within the teamincreases when they are the only onewho can accomplish a certain task.These type of employees often believethemselves to be subject matter experts

(SMEs), when they instead often endup as the single point of failure (SPOF).

This type of inefficiency can quick-ly turn into chaos when the boss comesback from a training session on improv-ing department productivity anddecides that some of the processes needto be upgraded. If the boss forgets todiscuss these changes with the regis-trar, bursar, student services staff, andadmissions team, then the financial aidstaff members are making the changesin a vacuum. This is how the refriger-

ator ends up in the master bedroom ofyour new home.

So what is a team to do? What is aleader to do?

You’re Part of a ProcessThe first step toward improving cus-tomer service is realizing that you arenot an isolated entity within your organ-ization. Changes made by one officeaffect other offices. We need to stopthinking of our team as a solitary unitthat we control, but rather as a seriesof interconnected processes. Even with-in the aid office, changes in one areacan have a negative impact on otherfinancial aid processes. When yourprocess feeds into another team, or theyfeed into your team, cooperation andcollaboration become critical.

Understanding ProcessManagementThere is a wealth of information on theInternet relating to process manage-ment. A Google search on the phrase

Keep Your Process Management Tools Handy

There are many valuable tools to help you achieve your process manage-ment goals. Be sure the following tools are in your tool box: • Gantt Charts depict a project schedule at a glance, identifying the key

phases in a project life cycle and their sequence and time requirements.• Affinity Diagrams organize random ideas into similar groups and helps

create visual groupings of like ideas under a header or theme. • Control/Run Charts plot variable activity over a specific period, mak-

ing it easier to visualize what is happening in a process.• Fishbone Charts show, in diagram form, relationships between causal

factors and their resulting effects.• Scatter Diagrams show how process variables are related. They can be

used to discover and document possible cause-and-effect relationships.• Pareto Charts use a simple bar-graph format to rank the cause, source,

types, or reasons for problems and/or opportunities.

All of these tools will help you document your processes, the critical firststep in any improvement initiative.

What is a teamto do? What isa leader to do?

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“process management” generated morethan 17 million hits. As an old trainingadage advises, “If it isn’t nailed down,take it. If it is nailed down, adapt it!”Find the process management tools thatbest meet your needs.

One of the best tools for speeding upyour learning curve and implementa-tion cycle is a publication from GOALQPC titled “The Memory Jogger II.” Itis a wonderful compilation of data col-lection and process management tools.Possibly the best starting tool is ProcessMapping, which can be used on inter-and intra-department processes. Itdetails which employee does what, andin what sequence, thereby providing aworking snapshot of key processes

There are eight key steps in GOALQPC’s Process Mapping tool:1. Select a process that needs to be

improved. Your staff can be espe-cially helpful in choosing the rightone. Start with a process that is eas-ily defined and has produced itsshare of speed bumps for the team.

2. Assemble a team. Sometimes ithelps to bring in someone fromanother team to serve as a sound-ing board and an “unbiased”observer.

3. Map out the present application.Pictures and images are worth athousand words. List in detail whodoes what tasks, and in what order.

4. Define the day-to-day problemareas that slow down customerservice delivery.

5. Brainstorm to find solutions.

Rarely is there a single, simplecause-and-effect relationship; toget good ideas, be sure to includeall of your staff.

6. Create action steps assigning tar-get responsibilities and target dates.Be sure to get everyone activelyinvolved in the planning and imple-mentation process. Involvementincreases commitment.

7. Create a master plan to ensure thateveryone knows their responsibil-ities and deadline dates, and under-stands the interrelationship be-tween all activities. This will raiseconsciousness and increase ac-countability.

8. Follow through to bring your planto completion. Unless it is man-aged well, the best-laid plan canfall into disrepair without consis-tent attention.

Customer Service and YouIn the six articles of this series, we hopewe have planted many seeds for growthin your approach to customer service.

Perhaps the best summary for thisseries is an example that brings homethe critical nature of customer service.As we were finishing this article, as ifon cue, a shipment arrived in the officewith the following message stampedacross the box: Remember, the nextinspector in the process is the customer!

Enough said. We are constantly being evaluated by

our customers, our co-workers, ouremployers, and our employees. Evenour business partners and communityleaders are watching. Be sure your staffand processes “wow” your customers.That’s customer service.

Terry Everson is senior vice presidentof training and sales for Student LoanXpress. Laura Gallagher is the mar-keting communications specialist forcorporate communications at GreatLakes Educational Loan Services,Inc. They may be reached [email protected] or [email protected], respectively.


As an old trainingadage advises, “If itisn’t nailed down,

take it. If it is naileddown, adapt it!” Find the process

management toolsthat best meet

your needs.

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Documents

Customer Service Series For Everson Consulting