1.2 Why Are Relationships So Important to Customer Service?

You should know the following terms:

• Empathy

Relationships are the most important ingredient with any role in a school district. Positive relationships in schools are central to the well-being of all employees but especially students and teachers, and underpin an effective learning environment for students. You can be experts at computer repair but unless technology users know that you genuinely care about them they will turn to others for help or not seek help at all, both of which can have negative consequences for you.

The increasing presence of technology changes methods of communication throughout the workplace. Using digital technology in the workplace with phones, text messages, email or video conferencing tools decrease the amount of face-to-face communication between staff. It is a lot easier to send a quick email instead of taking the time to walk to a teacher’s room to address an issue. Trust and relationships are built by human contact, which means we need intentionality to create interpersonal relationships with our peers. While 100% of interactions do not have to be in person, you will be amazed at the difference in your relationships with other staff if you drop in to fix an issue in person. It goes a long way toward building stronger relationships.

Why Do Relationships Matter?

There is much research on employee satisfaction and workplace efficiency.  Below are a few key findings that demonstrate how good relationships make everyone productive.  

• Employees are more satisfied:  Employee satisfaction increases by nearly 50% when a worker develops a close relationship on the job. These relationships make work more enjoyable and impact employees’ commitment to their jobs and coworkers.
• Leaders are less stressed: Stress is the emotion leaders feel most commonly at work, but leaders experience significantly less stress when they feel they have a good relationship with their employees. When employees better understand their managers’ challenges, they can help solve problems that may lower manager stress levels.
• Employees manage conflicts better: Studies show that conflict leads to lost time and less effort at work. Some workplace conflict is inevitable, but strong relationships decrease these uncomfortable interactions. Ensuring employees and managers are comfortable around and respectful of each other reduces the risk of flare-ups.
• Employee desires are met: Employees want to work with people they enjoy. Relationships with coworkers are among the top drivers of employee engagement.
• The culture of the school significantly improves: When people put relationships above anything else, the “anything else” falls into place. Nothing can be more important than genuine caring for one another.

Characteristics of Good Relationships in the Workplace

There are some key characteristics of healthy relationships when working.  A few top characteristics are listed:

• Open, honest communication: Whether we’re in a face-to-face meeting, on a telephone conference, or communicating via email, open and honest communication with coworkers leads to better relationships and a higher level of mutual respect.
• Mutual respect: Most workplaces employ a diverse group of people with varying opinions and different ways of looking at a problem or challenge. This type of diversity is a valuable asset in any business, and the ability to embrace it and consider the opinions and ideas of others leads to innovation and better decision-making. Respecting others' opinions, even if they are not your own, is a key to respecting and embracing diversity.
• Mindfulness in word and action: Taking responsibility for your words and actions goes a long way toward fostering healthy relationships at work. Mindful people consider their words carefully, communicate honestly, and don’t let their own negative emotions impact others.
• Trust: Trust is the foundation of any healthy relationship. Trust among coworkers forms a powerful bond that facilitates communication and working together. Mutual trust enables co-workers to communicate honestly and effectively, and it prevents wasting time and energy on having to watch your back.

What Does a Good Working Relationship Look Like? 

When coworkers have good working relationships, this is demonstrated in the actions and words used in their interactions. You should strive to have the following in your interactions with others:

• Be friendly: Be polite, friendly, and personable; treat people better than they expect to be treated.  A smile can go a long way to building positive working relationships.
• Be respectful: Treat all users with care and respect.  Even when working under stress, being disrespectful, passive/aggressive or inappropriate will never improve a working relationship.
• Learn people’s names:  Learning and using a person's name is a simple way to make a ongoing connection. (Finding a yearbook is often helpful, especially if you are new to your building.)
• Praise others: It doesn't matter the size of the deed, recognizing another's positive action is an investment in your relationship with them. If you get the chance, even compliment them to your supervisor or even their supervisor. 
• Ask for input: Everyone has room for improvement, and everyone has a different skill set.  Asking for input from others helps you learn what is working and what you might need to tweak, in addition to alternative ways to approach situations that may be even more beneficial to all.
• Being right: Even though the customer may not always be right, we should strive to make it our responsibility to make the situation right. Sometimes this may be from a self-reflection on how to prevent the situation from happening again. 
• Eliminate assumptions:  While you are not expected to understand every employee's responsibilities, be careful not to make assumptions. All of us make wrong assumptions about things we don’t fully understand. Asking questions can often easily ensure we have the right information.
• Stand by your word: If you make promises, make sure you can deliver on them.  
• Be responsive: Use data to know how quickly and well you are responding to requests for help.  This can be a valuable resource when you are asked questions about your job, in addition to showing you areas you could improve on.
• Be visible: Be sure students and staff know who you are, that you are a familiar face to them. Be in the halls during bell changes, visit teachers’ classrooms to see how the technology is being used.
• Be service-oriented: Make helping others your most important goal. 
• Be empathetic: Learn about the people you work with and support.  
• Be supportive: Everything is not a competition, and different school employees have different priorities. Be understanding and supportive when other employees' timelines or needs do not match up with your own.
• Apologize when necessary: Things will go wrong. Most of the time you are apologizing for the situation, not something you did wrong. A sincere apology can go a long way towards lower frustrations and bad feelings. 

How else can you build relationships in your Building?

• Get involved in your school’s community: there are many opportunities within a school to get involved, whether it be through school improvement groups, new project committees, PLCs.  Look for ways to get involved beyond simply being "a technician"
• Volunteer: schools depend on volunteers to make school events successful. Help out at PTA events, tech showcases, talent shows, concerts, or other events.  Even better, volunteer at events that relate to a hobby you are passionate about!
• Join in on school social events: many schools have varying numbers of social events you can participate in as an employee, from as simple as special dress-up days to after work gatherings.  Join in on some!

What would you add to this list?
 

Here are additional resources you may find useful:

• 5 things to do when your customer is wrong
• Brene’ Brown on Empathy
• This is Why Relationships at Work Matter
• Technology and work Relationships: Knock, Knock- Who’s there?
• Building Strong Workplace Relationships in 4 easy Steps
• Importance in Building Relationships at the Workplace

Complete the following task or self-assessment:

Answer the following questions:

1. Knowing you will be working with a group of people you have varying degrees of comfort with, as a whole which of the 4 characteristics of a good working relationship will be easiest for you? Why?
2. Knowing you will be working with a group of people you have varying degrees of comfort with, as a whole which of the 4 characteristics of a good working relationship will be hardest for you? Why?
3. Of the listed 14 behaviors that can help build positive relationships, which would you rank as the top 5 and why? 
4. How do you plan to build positive relationships in your role?