1.3 Customer Service Support

You should know the following terms:

• Customer Service Support
• Customer Support
• Customer Service

Payoff for Relationship Building

If you have a customer service mindset, you are actively building relationships with all the employees in your district.  This has payoff when it comes time that one of them needs technical support. 

• Instead of feeling intimidated by you which can result in non-reporting of problems or issues, they will feel like they can let you know when something doesn't seem right or just isn't working.  There are many times a bigger problem is prevented because someone reported the issue early on. 
• Instead of not using the technology because they are afraid they will "do something wrong" or "break" the technology, they will seek support in how to ensure success.

Remember these keys to building relationship so you are providing customer service oriented support:

• Approachable: You smile at people and look them in the eye; you have positive body language.
• Friendly: You and your space are welcoming to those who wish to seek you out; you engage in conversation with others, even non-work related conversations
• Respectful: You listen to others concerns with attention, asking for clarity when needed
• Trustworthy: You keep your appointments and commitments.
• Visible: Your office door is open, you are seen by others in common areas frequently, 

Involving Others in a Solution

Sometimes the support a teacher needs is outside your scope of learning. You may need to either refer them to another person or YOU may need to reach out to another person to provide the needed support. 

Some examples might include:

• Referring the teacher to an on-staff specialist for a specific task or program, such as a Student Information System Support Specialist.
• Contacting a company about a hardware or software issue. 

What’s the best way to involve someone else in providing support without making the teacher feel unsupported?  The 2 best actions you can take are to:

• Clearly document the issue, along with what has already been tried or done so anyone that gets involved has a clear picture. 
• Communicate honestly with the teacher so they are not left assuming nothing is getting addressed. 

Here are some key points that can help make the process smooth:

1. Does the task or job really need to be handed off? 
   • There are many times you may want to hand off a job but it really is your responsibility.  Some examples may be: you don't know what to do yet (even though it is in your job description); you are too busy currently; you don't want to do it.  For situations like the first two examples, communicate the situation and provide a timeline for how and when you will address it.  If it really comes down to you don't want to do it, deliberately schedule a time to get it done at the soonest time possible.
2. Do you need to refer the teacher to another specialist?
   • Facilitate an introduction between the teacher and specialist, including your documentation and an explanation for why you are doing the referral. This introduction could be in person or via email. 
3. Do you need to seek outside help for the issue?
   • Communicate with the teacher that you are seeking additional help, why you need the help of others, and your expected timeline for resolution, along with any directions for what they should or should not do in the intermediary. 

Make sure to not lose track of the problem through the process. Using a reminder system (eg. in your helpdesk system, or on a calendar) can ensure you are able to complete documentation and confirm the problem resolution.  It also allows you to communicate updates with the teacher if it takes longer than you expect.  Even though another person is helping with support, you are still providing customer service.

Providing Support in Other Ways

There are many other ways you are able to provide customer support, many of which allow teachers to "self-service" solutions to common issues without you.  Some examples include:

• Providing professional development to staff
  • This can take many formats (in person, virtual) and times (after school, during planning periods, you can even ask for time at a staff meeting)
  • Address common issues, such as "Setting Up Exam Grades in Your Gradebook," "Simple Troubleshooting Tips," "Take Control of Your Email"
• Creating Documentation
  • Create step-by-step directions for addressing common problems.
  • Share them in a common area for others to easily access. 
• Creating a FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) page on your website

There are many other ideas out there - find one or two that will work for you, and help support you in your work in the long term.

Here are additional resources you may find useful:

• Customer Service Versus Customer Support (article)

• Technical Support Versus Customer Service (video)

• Customer Service Versus Customer Support (video)

Complete the following task or self-assessment:

1. Create a document in the manner of your choosing that lists other people you may need to utilize for support.  Utilize other staff members or people in your network to help you grow your list.  For each person, identify their:
   • Expertise
   • Place of employment
   • Contact information
   • Any other useful information to you
2. Create one of the following and, if applicable, share it with your supervisor to get their feedback:
   • a list of professional development you could provide to staff, along with a draft plan of how you would schedule and market it.
   • a process for creating "learning aids" for commonly addressed problems to share with staff, along with ideas for how they might be used
   • a draft FAQ webpage that could be added to your school's website