1.1 How to Develop a Customer Service Mindset

Basics​

A customer service mindset is a way of approaching customer service that puts the customer's needs first and goes a step further to think above and beyond what can be done to improve the customer experience.

You should know the following terms:

  • Mindset
  • Culture
     

"Customer service mindset' is an umbrella term for how a company meets the needs of its customers. It’s not just about solving problems for customers, but creating positive experiences and building relationships that continue long past the resolution of an issue. It’s building trust and the knowledge that any customers can count on the person/people representing the company to provide their best at any time.

In a school setting, your influence on your staff's well-being and ability to focus on what they do best is much stronger than you may realize. As part of your school district's support staff, you have the ability to ensure others have the tools, resources and people to support them. You play a key role  in your building and district in keeping technology running smoothly - which results in students having better experiences in school. Developing the correct mindset will not only help you serve the students and educators in your building but help the building run more smoothly and everyone perform their jobs to a higher level.

Customer Service Mindset in Education

To build a strong, positive customer service mindset in an educational setting, your primary focus must be on the students and how their learning can be supported. Ask yourself these questions:

  • How can I best help my students develop into responsible scholars and citizens? (with the least possible disruption to instruction)
  • How can I best help my teachers and staff provide our students with the best possible educational experience?

To be able to support students and those who support them, for example teachers, leaders and office professionals, consider the following tips.

Ground your decisions in the spirit of service

Consider the elements of good customer service and how you want to be treated as a customer:

  • Treat everyone as a VIP
  • Go the extra mile- anticipate needs
  • Treat everyone with dignity and respect.

Build a culture of YES

A school's culture consists of the guiding beliefs and values evident in the way a school operates.

  • What is the culture in your building?
  • What do you tell your friends and family about how it feels to work here? 
  • Do you feel like part of a team whose goal is to build students into responsible citizens and scholars?

You are an integral part of your school's culture. Try to build a culture of yes, where others see you as someone that is a part of solving problems, instead of a barrier to change. Some ways to do this:

  • Check in on people- see what they need.
  • Find opportunities to respond to others' needs. 
  • When you are out and about in the hall, evaluate what is working well, what might not be working as well as it could.
  • Don’t let internal rules and policies be an excuse to not look at each situation and respond positively, even if you cannot say yes. 

Always be aware that there may be times that you can’t say yes. One example is when you can’t and shouldn’t say yes to a student or their parents when a request could compromise security or data integrity.

Balance your capital investments

Your main capital will be your time and your relationships with those you serve. For any task, you will be balancing your investment in time versus your investment in the person or people. Both are important, and each situation needs to be evaluated for balance. Here's an example where the investment in time may cause irreparable harm to your investment in a teacher:

Your policy is to reimage a computer because it’s a quick fix to most problems. While there may be times that reimaging is the only solution, consider this from the perspective of a teacher.  A teacher who has to spend time recreating lost curriculum or student documentation is less likely to fully embrace using the technology provided - or notify about an issue.

Factors that will impact how you approach solving a problem and how you prioritize which problems to address first will include:

  • How many people does the problem impact?  You will most likely priorize addressing a problem that impacts an entire building over one that impacts a single person
  • Is the quick fix the best solution?  If so, is it best to address immediately, or is there a better time that will accommodate the activities of the people impacted?  An example is waiting to run disruptive updates in the summer or during days school is not in session versus doing them immediately.

Try to remove emotions from the interaction

Strong emotions can change the messages given in an interaction.  This includes message you receive from those you are serving, and your own emotions in dealing with an issue or even a person.

  • Put your attention on what the customer needs, not how the message is being delivered.
  • Is your facial expression or tone of voice giving you away when your patience wears thin?
  • When you feel yourself losing patience: Breathe! Focus on what the customer is saying. Listen!

Do the Hustle: Fighting The Amazon Effect

Amazon has created a powerful system for purchasing and delivery that allows consumers to find value for their goods and services, and above all, receive those goods quickly. From free 2-day delivery to 1-2 hour delivery, Amazon has influenced consumers to want quick answers to all their questions and problems. 

The Amazon effect is just a reality for you to be aware of when you are working in a school setting. Sometimes an answer or a solved problem is not a quick one. How do you manage the need for “instant gratification”  in an educational setting?

Questions you should consider to mitigating others' desires for instant gratification include:

  • Will a quick solution really solve the problem or will taking a little more time give a better result?
  • Will explaining “why” help teachers and students understand the issue and be more accepting of a delayed response?

Here are additional resources you may find useful:

Complete the following task or self-assessment:

Go on a Customer Service Safari:

  • Make a copy of this Google Slide Deck  (The link will force you to make your own copy.)
  • For at least 2 days this week, visit a different teacher classroom.
    • Obtain their permission to be in the room in advance
    • Observe the class for at least 10-15 minutes
  • Take at least 1-2 pictures each day and add them to this slide deck.
  • Answer the prompts on the slide deck.
  • Add slides as needed.

If you have an instructional technologist on staff, consider asking them to do this with you so you can discuss it from both the instructional tech AND technology support perspectives.