United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Office of Policy
Planning and Evaluation
September 1998
235-B-98-002
EPA
CUSTOMER SERVICE
FOR6IN6 THE LINKS
PARTICIPANT'S
WORKBOOK
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EPA Customer Service Training,
Forging the Links, Overview Session
Not Authorized for External Use.
A training unit designed by Zenger Miller, a division of Times Mirror Training, Inc.
Developed in collaboration with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Copyright
1997 by Zenger Miller, a division of Times Mirror Training, Inc. All rights reserved.
No part of these -written materials may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever
except by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for internal use as agreed to in the
separate Agreement between Zenger Miller and the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency.
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Delivering Great Service
While Fulfilling Your (EPA's) Mission
"My vision is that EPA will be a model for all regulatory
agencies...recognizing the diversity of our customers and the need
for balancing competing and conflicting interests. Above all, we
•will strengthen our ability to listen to the voice of our customers so
that we can identify their needs and act upon them. "
Carol M. Browner
EPA Administrator
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Table of Contents
I. Getting Started. 1
II. Defining Customer Service 5
///. Identifying My Customers 9
IV. Overcoming Roadblocks 15
V. A Personal View In
Customer Service, 21
VI. Planning to ACT! ; 27
VII. Appendix, Customer Service Info. 37
4 Executive Order (38)
4 Mission (40)
+ Framework for Customer Service (41)
* Program (42)
4 Six Principles Brochure (44)
* "A Personal View," self-assessment (50)
+ Program Materials-books, videos, reference lists (54)
* Glossary of Terms (56)
* Bibliography (59)
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Parti:
Getting Started
"Her disposition was extremely favorable, and she was willing to go the extra
mile despite traversing the unknown territory. She effectively performed outside
the box. This is crucial if we are to achieve quality customer service. "
- EPA Staff Quote
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Session Agenda
I. Getting Started
II. Defining Customer Service
III. Identifying My Customers
IV. Overcoming Roadblocks
V. Taking a Personal View In Customer
Service
VI. Planning To ACT!
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Welcome
to Forging the Links at EPA, our overview session for
customer service.
Participation in this workshop, Forging the Links, will encourage you to unleash
your creativity and leadership capabilities to enhance EPA customer service. You will
not be dealing with "blue sky" theories. Instead, you will be identifying concrete skills
that improve how well people work together, how sensibly work is done, and how
satisfying work is for you and for those around you. These skills transfer from situations
at EPA to ones experienced with family, friends, and service providers. The workshop
will help all participants to identify personal strengths they have in people skills as well
as areas where a little improvement might go along way. Some skills no one can ever be
"too good at" when it comes to delivering great service while fulfilling EPA's mission.
The workshop will also help in identifying skills that can work to overcome specific
roadblocks to excellent customer service within your programs and organizations. The
Customer Service Program at EPA whole-heartedly supports your choice to attend this
workshop and hopes that you will leave the workshop with the courage and knowledge
that will create positive changes in our work.
Forging the Links, the overview session, is focused on improving real-life
customer interaction. Specifically, this program will enable you to:
/. Define customer service for EPA employees.
2. Define our EPA customers.
3. Assess our individual ability to achieve EPA
customer service standards.
4. Help you to enhance or improve your
internal customer relations to meet and
exceed external customer needs.
5. Encourage everyone to identify new ways to
improve customer satisfaction.
6. Link the Six Principles to EPA's work.
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We are EPA. We believe that the skills highlighted in this customer service
workshop are important to our success and linked to the success of EPA's mission.
(Refer to the appendices for background and clarification on EPA's customer service
effort.)
You contribute to your organization by being your own "office within the larger
organization." Think about it. You have your own "customers." Those customers may
be outside or inside your organization. Your customers are other people within your own
office and program component who depend on you to provide them with information,
materials, and other important assistance. In the same way, you are the customer of
others in your organization on whom you must rely for services or materials.
The fact that you are a customer and have customers within your own
organization is important. It is important because, when all is said and done, the health of
an organization or a nation is entirely dependent upon the quality of the thousands of
"customer interactions" that occur every day in jobs like yours. This workshop focuses
on improving those customer interactions.
The skills targeted in EPA's customer service follow-up skills workshops are
practical skills and the approach to learning them is very practical as well.
The strength of this program is you... and, of course, plenty of practice. You
wouldn't pay for skiing lessons or music lessons and expect to get anything for your
money if you didn't practice. The same approach to learning applies to customer service
training. Customer service is not a spectator sport; it's active, positive, and practical.
Your manager may already be very familiar with what we cover in this program.
On the other hand, he or she may not be familiar at all. Some managers take the initiative
to develop these customer service skills themselves. With others, it may be up to you to
take an active role in getting your manager involved to help you apply your new skills on
the job. Relationships are a two-way street. You have a responsibility, just like your
manager does, to make the relationship between you work well. Remember, you and
your manager are each other's customers.
The following exercises will get you started in thinking about the specific
customer interactions of your job and how to improve the quality of each interaction so
that your customers are truly "delighted."
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Part II:
Defining Customer
Service
"Deeply rooted in the culture of a customer loyal organization is the sense
that if the customer does -well, I do well, and we do well. "
- Customer Service Specialist
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Exercise: Customer Service at EPA
1. Define customer service
2. In a small group, introduce yourself and share your definition of customer service and
your best practice.
3. Select a customer service best practice from your workgroup that you want to boast
about.
4. Come up with a joint definition of customer service as a group.
5. Prepare a flipchart that captures your group's joint definition with a visual illustration
that depicts the definition.
6. Select a spokesperson to share your definition and illustration with the larger group.
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EPA Customer Service Definition
• Meeting and exceeding customer expectations.
• Timeliness (with a capital" T ").
• Better than expected solutions.
• Being perceived as fair, courteous, and professional.
• Listening to understand and help focus customer issues, motivations, and
Circumstances; not to judge.
• Creating partnerships by building strong and effective relationships.
• Involving others to leverage knowledge, experience, and wisdom.
The information above was compiled with EPA staff input, from EPA customer service
documents, and Executive Order 12862 "Setting Customer Service Standards."
What Americans say good service means:
The kind of service Americans want from the government is pretty basic—fast, accurate
assistance; readily available help; options for where and how to get services; clear advice,
letters, publications, and forms; and friendly treatment.
They said, "Ask us what we want" instead of telling us what we need. Listening, acting
quickly and being flexible.
"Don't tell us, 'that's not my department'." People hate getting the runaround or getting
bounced from person to person.
"Treat us with respect, courtesy, and enthusiasm."
"Make it easy."
"Provide knowledge, reliable and timely help."
The information above was drawn from Common Sense Government (1995) by Al Gore,
pp. 81 - 90.
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Our group's definition:
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Part III:
Identifying My
Customers
"She followed up my email request with a phone call indicating that she was the
correct person to contact on this matter, she volunteered to make copies of each
document for me and the two original requestors, kept me updated on the progress
with phone calls and emails, and had all documents to me within the week."
-EPA Staff Quote
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A Map of My Customers
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Exercise: Who Are EPA's Customers
1. List below who your "inside EPA" customers are. Be as specific as possible and
include a description of the service or product they depend on you for.
My "inside"
customers are:
They depend on me for:
2. List below who your "outside EPA" customers are. Be as specific as possible and
include a description of the service or product they ultimately depend on you for.
My "external"
customers are:
They rely on me for:
3. Now think about the people and other functions to whom you are the customer. Who
do you rely on for materials, information, or assistance? List them below.
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I am a customer I rely on them for:
to (my suppliers
are):
4. Look back at your lists for the three previous questions above. Could the
effectiveness of the relationship with any of your "customers" or "suppliers" be
improved? Are there some situations where improved interactions could help you get
better results? List those situations below:
During the program you will be referring back to this list. As you progress, think about
what skills can help with your day-to-day interactions. You will improve your ability to
provide quality services to your customers and to enlist fuller cooperation of others who
are your suppliers by enhancing your customer service skills.
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IDEAL CUSTOMER SERVICE MODEL
Improved
Organizational
Performance
Satisfied External Customers
Superior Quality
of Product or
Service
Internal
Supplier
Internal
Customer
Customer Service Skills Training
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Part IV:
Overcoming
Roadblocks
"This was good customer service because the staff identified a problem directly
based on customer feedback, i.e., the number of requests for assistance in locating
something that was available but not easily located. We identified a trend and
were able to make a recommendation on ways for the Agency to be more
responsive. The staff was able to coordinate with several departments to solve the
problem quickly."
- EPA Staff Quote
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"The letter failed to show empathy, the tone was arrogant, and the response
failed to admit that there could be a problem or to recognize the importance of
solving the problem in a timely manner (it stated that we had a process for
examining the issue, but that no fix would be forthcoming for several years). The
letter could also have been more informative."
"He exemplified an outstanding and cheerful attitude—A do unto others as you
would have them do to you—He exemplified flexibility and a problem solving
attitude and took care of the details of a fairly complex project, especially
coordinating with a highly scientific staff to make this happen."
In these EPA customer service examples, you can see that customer interactions
can be positive and satisfying or can be frustrating and unrewarding. In your experience,
you've probably experienced both types of interactions. At times, you're the customer,
and at times, you're the supplier. You probably have had some experiences, positive and
negative, from both perspectives.
What makes the difference? The people themselves? The kind of work they do?
Their manager? Their pay? Of course, all of these things count. But, equally important
is the way people work together. It makes a huge difference in how effective people are,
how much they enjoy what they are doing, and how positive their interactions with
customers are, whether internal or external to EPA. Often, the biggest factor that
determines whether you have positive, satisfying customer interactions is how skilled you
are at influencing the outcome of each interaction.
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Exercise: Overcoming Roadblocks and Identifying
Paths to Excellent Customer Service at EPA
You've identified what you need to do to enhance your own customer service efforts.
Now you also need to overcome the roadblocks at EPA that get in the way of delivering
effective customer service. As a group, either select from the Roadblocks listed below, or
brainstorm additional roadblocks.
Questions 1 and 2, below are provided as a way to prime the pump. It may be helpful to
answer them before deciding which roadblock to work on.
Roadblocks:
O Getting the Runaround: I need to know that every time I work with
Headquarters, I can walk away with a practical solution to a real problem. We can't
seem to agree on what is most important to meet customer needs.
© Where to Go: External customers call into our agency and don't know exactly
what they want or where to go for help.
@ Non-responsiveness: The staff person did not indicate on his voice mail that he
was out of the office for the week and who else might be called in his absence. The
staff member also failed to return the first two phone calls. Finally, the staff
member did not provide an informative response and failed to indicate that he
would get an answer and get back to the customer.
O Regulation vs. Service: I constantly struggle with the restrictions of being a
regulatory agency and yet meeting and exceeding the Six Principles of Customer
Service.
1. What gets in your way of providing excellent service to your "inside" customers?
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2. What gets in your way of providing excellent service to your "outside" customers?
Let's "push the envelope" to explore ways around the roadblock you
identified.
List below one roadblock that your group would like to work on today:
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In this exercise you will work in small groups. Each group will have three tasks:
Task 1: Flipchart the roadblock(s) your group identified.
Task 2: Brainstorm within your group ways to overcome roadblocks presented by the
other groups.
Task 3: Review recommended solutions and select one or more that you believe will
overcome the roadblock.
Sequence of Activities
1.
4.
Create a flipchart with the roadblock(s) your group wants help with. Roadblocks
should be specific, concrete, and realistic. Avoid those situations totally out of
your control or sphere of influence.
Prepare a flipchart that looks like this:
How can I be an effective provider of customer
service at EPA when the obstacle I/we face is:
When the facilitator gives the signal, each group moves to another group's
flipchart. Then, each group takes 3 minutes to brainstorm solutions to overcome
the roadblock described on the flipchart.
Note: -when you are responding to the other groups' roadblocks, try to "push the
envelope " with your answers. Be creative and -willing to take risks in order to
create the kind of customer service needed by EPA.
Each group then rotates to another flipchart, and the process is repeated until each
group has brainstormed possible solutions to all roadblocks. Throughout, the
facilitator will signal when each round ends and groups are to rotate. It is very
important that each group not rotate until instructed to do so.
As a group, once you have returned to your original roadblock, review the
recommended solutions and decide as a team which solution, or solutions, will
overcome that roadblock, use page 20 to capture your decisions.
The group should be ready to share the roadblock(s) and solution(s) with the
larger group.
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Summary of Exercise:
1. What three actions can you take to overcome the roadblock that you or your group
selected so that you can meet and exceed customer needs? Prioritize your actions by
numbering them. (Keep the focus on your own behavior in this question.)
f ).
2. Who else is needed to overcome the roadblock? List three individuals or groups of
individuals. Prioritize then: importance in the solution.
_
3. How will you capture the interest and involvement (support) of others to overcome
this roadblock? List strategic steps that you can take to achieve your proposed solution in
a sequential order.
2,
4
5.
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Part V:
A Personal View
In Customer Service
"The secretary was polite, positive and responsive to the best of her ability. She
provided the name and phone number of a person -who could respond rather than the
caller having to be referred numerous times before getting to the right person. "
-EPA Staff Quote
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Exercise: Customer Service Self- Assessment:
EPA CUSTOMER SERVICE
How well have you been providing service to your customers?
Please be as candid as possible in taking this assessment. You will not be asked to share
your individual responses. Your honesty will help focus you in the appropriate skill
area(s) that can be improved. To determine how well each statement reflects your current
behavior, place a number, 1 - 5, in the box to the right of each:
1
1 = not at all
5 = consistently
Example:
I apply EPA's Six Principles of Customer Service
everyday.
n
n
During the last month I have demonstrated that;
1. I know who my customers are and that to serve customers
well, I need to fulfill an expanded, flexible role in EPA.
2. I work with my customers to provide the best products and
services.
3. I easily recognize situations where I need to use influencing
skills to communicate effectively and solve problems.
4. I can identify situations in which effective listening makes
the difference between success and failure.
5. I seek to uncover short and long term needs and expectations
of my customers so I can fully respond to them.
6. I handle customer dissatisfaction effectively and seek to meet
customer needs.
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7. I seek opportunities to better provide my customers the
products, services, and information they value.
8. I am courteous, professional, respectful, and honest in all
dealings with my customers.
9. I analyze, develop, and present my ideas in a way that helps
me solve customers' problems.
10. I communicate in words and gestures that customers
understand, and I can modify my style to suit my customer's
style.
11. I create partnerships with internal and external customers.
12. I stay calm and know how to calm dissatisfied internal and
external customers so together we can solve problems.
13. I seek to refine and increase my personal effectiveness with
customers.
14. I work with my internal and external customers to address
conflict and decide on a plan of action when needed.
15. I am confident in my ability to communicate.
16. I know and use techniques to actively listen to my customers.
17. I know how to meet customers' needs without over
, compromising.
18. I use customer complaints and dissatisfaction to identify
problems, seek permanent solutions, and prevent future
problems.
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
n
n
D
n
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To determine your skill area strengths and developmental needs, record each
score for each statement as numbered below. Then total each column and
record the column score at the bottom.
B
D
E
1.
7.
13.
TOTA
LS*
2.
8.
14.
*
3.
9.
15.
*
4.
10.
16.
*
5.
11.
17.
*
6.
12.
18.
*
Wlmt the Total Scores Means:
The above scores are a relative indication of where you may have
strengths (higher scores) and weaknesses (lower scores).
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The training units linked to each column are listed below. Transfer your
individual score from each column to identify skills areas.
D
Column A -> The Leader in Each of Us
I I Column B -> Moving From Conflict to Collaboration
I I Column C -> Influencing for Win-Win Outcomes
r I Column D -> Proactive Listening
I I Column E -> Clarifying Customer Expectations
I I Column F -> Resolving Customer Dissatisfaction
Everyone can continuously hone and improve their customer service skills. List
below three units from the six described above that you would most likely take
if offered at a convenient time:
1.
2.
3.
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Part VI:
Planning to A CT!
"He will be a tough act to follow since he has accepted an assignment for a
two year detail, but he exemplified good customer service and served as a
model for all of us working with him. "
-EPA Staff Quote
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Every mile starts with one step, and someone has to take the first step. If everybody
waits for someone else to improve customer relations, they will never get better.
They may even get worse. The only way that interactions get better is when
individual group members take responsibility for doing their share a little bit better.
Many small and separate actions can add up to big improvements.
Be proactive. When you see something that would improve a customer interaction,
do it. When you see an opportunity to help, lend a hand. When you see a problem
that needs a solution, help find a solution. There's an old saying that people are
either part of the problem or they are part of the solution. Be part of the solution.
Being part of the problem:
"That's not my job. Why should I
worry?"
"Nobody can do anything to deal with
that problem."
'I don't know and don't care.
"Solving problems is the manager's
work."
Being part of the solution:
"I know it's a problem that has been
around for a long time, but someday it'll
have to get fixed. Let's fix it now before
it becomes a crisis."
"Who will benefit most if we can solve
this? Let's get that person's input on the
ideas we've come up with."
"Let's get together and generate a pile of
possible solutions to this problem.
We've got 200 years of combined
experience in this group. We'll come up
with something."
"I'm willing to see what we can do to
help."
People count. Each person's contributions makes a difference in whether working is a
pleasure or a pain, and whether results are superior or "barely passing." Many hours a
day are spent interacting with other people to accomplish our work. Those interactions
can be positive and rewarding, or negative and frustrating for you and your fellow
workers, internal customers, or your external customers. Your customer service skills
and your desire and courage to perform them can make a difference. Before our next
exercise, look over the Zenger Miller courses which are workshops that can be facilitated
by EPA facilitators.
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Architecture of the EPA Customer Service Workshops
Forging
the Links
Overview
The Leader
In Each
oflTs
Moving from
Conflict to
Collaboration
Proactive
Listening
" o
Clarifying
Customer
Expectations
Resolving
Customer
Dissatisfaction
Influencing
for Win-Win
Outcomes
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THE LEADER IN EACH OF Us
Unit Summary
Today, far-reaching advances in technology, continually increasing customer expectations, and
the expansion of the global marketplace are redefining the standards for customer service
success. As a result, organizations everywhere face a host of challenges, many of which were not
visible even a few years ago. One of the key methods for responding to these new challenges is
to make leadership the responsibility of everyone in the organization.
This is an awareness unit that defines what is common to leadership roles regardless of the
individual's specific assignment or position in the organization. This unit will help each
individual take personal responsibility to achieve EPA's mission of protecting public health and
the environment while providing excellent customer service.
Learning Objectives
At the completion of this unit, participants
will be able to:
* Explain the need for leaders to fulfill
expanded, flexible roles in
organizations and what that means for
their own jobs.
* Describe five strategies leaders can
use to create focus for themselves as
they handle new roles and
responsibilities in high-involvement
organizations.
* Determine ways they can use the five
strategies to increase their
effectiveness in their own jobs.
* Assess their level of effectiveness as a
leader in light of the five critical
leadership strategies.
Leadership Strategies
The five leadership strategies that apply
to all leaders are:
* Create a compelling future.
* Let the customer drive the
organization.
* Involve every mind.
* Manage work horizontally.
* Build personal credibility.
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MOVING FROM CONFLICT TO COLLABORATION
Unit Summary
Changes in the workplace are placing new emphasis on the importance of effective collaboration.
Organizations are expecting employees at all levels to work together, often across functions, to
make decisions that were formerly the exclusive responsibility of management. Further,
employees are called upon to develop partnerships with co-regulators, states, tribes, local
governments and other federal agencies, as well as with the private sector (regulated community).
These types of collaboration can bring out new potentials for conflict, thus creating a need for
employees at every level of an organization to have the skills to deal successfully with conflict.
This unit gives participants the skills they need to turn conflicts into opportunities to achieve
positive, productive results.
Learning Objectives
At the completion of this unit, participants
will be able to:
* Explain influences that are
contributing to conflict in today's
organizations.
* Identify behavior patterns that
undermine the ability to address
conflict constructively.
* Describe productive methods of
dealing with these undermining
behaviors.
* Distinguish between positions taken in
a conflict and the underlying issues.
* Use the Key Actions to address
conflict facing them on the job.
Key Actions
* Establish mutual involvement.
4 Seek to understand the other person's
point of view.
* Present your perspective of the
problem and its impact.
* Decide on an appropriate plan of
action.
* Express your appreciation for the
other person's efforts.
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(PROACTIVE LISTENING
Unit Summary
la today's environment, intense competition and rapid change have dramatically expanded the
need for information. In the past, people had to know how to do their jobs, but now people need a
bigger picture view. That means having information about external influences and about the work
of other functions.
Proactive listening helps meet this need. It is also a powerful tool for building and maintaining
strong relationships required to reach personal and organizational goals, including providing
world class service to internal and external customers.
In this unit, participants learn verbal and nonverbal techniques for moving from a reactive to a
proactive approach to listening.
Learning Objectives
At the completion of this unit, participants
will be able to:
+ Identify situations in which good
listening can make the difference
between success and failure.
* List typical barriers to effective
listening.
* List specific techniques to deal with
communication styles they find
challenging.
* Use the Key Actions to listen
proactively.
* Identify steps they can take to
reinforce proactive listening. •
Key Actions
* Show interest in what the person has
to say.
* Ask questions to clarify, gather
information, and focus the
conversation.
* Let the person know what you
understand.
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CLARIFYING CUSTOMER EXPECTATIONS
Unit Summary
Service improvement begins and ends with a focus on the customer. Support for EPA's mission
is maintained through satisfied external customers, and work is done more efficiently when the
internal customers are satisfied. For several reasons, however, it may be difficult to initiate a
discussion about expectations with a customer.
In this unit, managers and employees learn the skill of realizing a customer's expectations as a
preliminary step in the quality-improvement process. Participants learn how to create a
partnership with their customers and how to devise a plan to meet the customers' needs without
over-compromising. This kind of customer interaction provides the organization with valuable
information about where and how to improve the quality of its products and services.
Learning Objectives
At the completion of this unit, participants
will be able to:
* Identify the critical role of customer
expectations in the quality
improvement process.
* Uncover short- and long-term
customer expectations and identify the
customer's key expectations.
* Successfully demonstrate the Key
Actions in a practice situation.
* Plan to use the Key Actions to
improve the quality of work processes
and partnerships.
Key Actions
* Identify the product or service and
explain why you want to discuss it.
* Ask questions to clarify what the
customer expects from your product or
service.
* Summarize your understanding of the
customer's expectations.
* Discuss what you will do to meet these
expectations.
4 Agree on next steps and set a follow-
up date.
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RESOLVING CUSTOMER DISSATISFACTION
Unit Summary
Dissatisfied customers are a "gold mine" of opportunity. Their grievances should be pursued
actively because a customer complaint that is resolved effectively can turn a dissatisfied customer
into an enthusiastic supporter. Furthermore, one customer's dissatisfaction often points to
problems that could affect other customers. This information can be used to identify problems
and find permanent solutions to ineffective processes.
This unit provides practical skills that employees and managers can use to work with a customer
(either inside or outside the organization) who, for some reason, has not received the expected
service or product. Participants learn to defuse the customer's annoyance and to refocus the
customer on a successful resolution to the problem.
Learning Objectives
At the completion of this unit, participants
will be able to:
* Understand the purpose and benefits
of resolving customer dissatisfaction.
* Handle customer dissatisfaction and
refocus efforts on ways to meet
expectations.
* Successfully demonstrate the Key
Actions in a practice situation.
* Plan to use the Key Actions to
improve the quality of work processes
and partnerships.
Key Actions
4 Acknowledge the customer's
dissatisfaction.
* Find out why the customer is
dissatisfied.
* Summarize to show your
understanding of the situation.
* Jointly develop a plan to meet the
customer's expectations.
* Gain agreement on next steps and set a
follow-up date.
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INFLUENCING FOR WIN-WIN OUTCOMES
Unit Summary
Successful organizations thrive on new ideas because new ideas can lead to finding better ways to work.
Putting people's ideas to use is a great morale booster, and the resulting improvements please customers.
But in today's cross-functional workplace, ideas often need support from a wide range of people in order to' •
be successfully implemented. Unless people have the confidence and skills to win support for their ideas by
influencing others, many good ideas will be lost.
In this unit, participants learn to analyze, develop, and present their ideas in a way that will help them win the
necessary support.
Learning Objectives
At the completion of this unit, participants
will be able to:
* Explain why influencing people for
win-win outcomes is an important skill
in today's results-oriented
organizations.
* Recognize situations where it is
appropriate to use influencing skills.
* Identify a variety of factors that
motivate people.
4 Use the Key Actions to influence
people in all areas and at all levels of
the organization.
Key Actions
* Plan the best approach.
* Establish mutual involvement in the
situation.
* Explain your recommendation and its
benefits.
* Ask for reactions and address
concerns.
* Ask for the specific support you need
and explain what you will do in return.
* Agree on an action plan.
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Exercise: Planning to ACT!
LWhat implications do these workshops have for my peers and me in my current role?
2. What else can I do to improve customer service at EPA besides participating in and encouraging
others to participate in workshops?
3. What next step will I take to forge the link between excellent customer service and our work?
4. What additional insights and ideas have I gained from today's session that I would like to
remember and follow-up on?
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Part VII:
Appendix
Customer Service Info.
4 Executive Order
4 Mission
+ Framework for Customer Service
4 Program
4 Six Principles Brochure
* "A Personal View," self-assessment
* Resources (books, videos, reference lists)
* Glossary of Terms
4 Bibliography
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Executive Order on Customer Service
THE WHITE HOUSE
September 11, 1993.
Executive Order 12862
Setting Customer Service Standards
Putting people first means ensuring that the Federal Government provides the highest quality
service possible to the American people. Public officials must embark upon a revolution within the
Federal Government to change the way it does business. This will require continual reform of the
executive branch's management practices and operations to provide service to the public that matches
or exceeds the best service available in the private sector.
NOW, THEREFORE, to establish and implement customer service standards to guide the
operations of the executive branch, and by the authority vested in me as President by the
Constitution and the laws of the United States, it is hereby ordered:
Section 1. Customer Service Standards. In order to carry out the principles of the National
Performance Review, the Federal Government must be customer-driven. The standard of quality for
services provided to the public shall be: Customer service equal to the best in business. For the
puiposes of this order, "customer" shall mean an individual or entity who is directly served by a
department or agency. "Best in business" shall mean the highest quality of service delivered to
customers by private organizations providing a comparable or analogous service.
All executive departments and agencies (hereinafter referred to collectively as " agency" or
"agencies") that provide significant services directly to the public shall provide those services in a
manner that seeks to meet the customer service standard established herein and shall take the
following actions:
(a) Identify the customers who are, or should be, serviced by the agency;
(b) Survey customers to determine the kind and quality of services they want and their level
of satisfaction with existing services;
(c) Post service standards and measure results against them;
(d) Benchmark customer service performance against the best in business;
(e) Survey front-line employees on barriers to, and ideas for, matching the best in business;
(f) Provide customers with choices in both the sources of service and the means of
delivery;
(g) Make information, services, and complaint systems easily accessible; and
(h) Provide means to address customer complaints.
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Sec. 2. Report on Customer Service Surveys. By March 8, 1994, each agency subject to this order
shall report on its customer surveys to the President. As information about customer satisfaction
becomes available, each agency shall use that information in judging the performance of agency
management and in making resource allocations.
Sec. 3. Customer Service Plans. By September 8, 1994, each agency subject to this order shall
publish a customer service plan that can be readily understood by its customers. The plan shall
include customer service standards and describe future plans for customer surveys. It also shall
identify the private and public sector standards that the agency used to benchmark its performance
against the best in business. In connection with the plan, each agency is encouraged to provide
training resources for programs needed by employees who directly serve customers and by
managers making the use of customer survey information to promote the principles and objectives
contained herein.
Sec. 4. Independent Agencies. Independent agencies are requested to adhere to this order.
Sec. 5. Judicial Review. This order is for the internal management of the executive branch and
does not create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable by a party against the
United States, its agencies or instrumentalities, its officers or employees, or any other person.
Signed by
William J. Clinton
Federal Register Document 93-22648,
Filed 9-13-93; 11:39 am
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EPA's Mission
The mission of the Environmental Protection Agency is to
protect public health, and to safeguard the natural
environment—air, water, and land—upon which life
depends. (1997 Strategic Plan)
Our Primary Customer - The Public
EPA's primary customer is the general public — all who live on the land, breathe the air, and share
the earth's environment.
Our Intermediary Customers - Essential to Success
To serve the public, we work on a regular basis with a variety of intermediary customers. Our
ultimate success depends on how effectively we work with and influence the actions of the many
other parties that are responsible for protecting the environment - including international, federal,
state, tribal, and local governments; industry, agriculture, and small businesses; environmental and
other nonprofit organizations; and individuals.
Key to our effectiveness is understanding these intermediary customers - their circumstances, where
they get their information, the constraints they face, and what motivates their decision-making. With
that understanding, we can then provide the information, products, and services needed to support
our customers in their efforts to protect human health and the environment.
Our Commitment to Building Customer Service
EPA is working to ensure that its organization, strategies, people, and systems communicate
effectively with customers and are responsive to customer needs. We are committed to carrying out
all our work in a manner that shows respect for our customers and understanding of their needs and
circumstances
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EPA's Framework for Customer Service
Policy: We are committed to providing the best customer service possible. We aim to achieve this
through increased public participation, increased public access to information, and more effectively
responding to customer needs.
Principles:
• Encourage Public Participation: Increase customer involvement in EPA's policy and decision-
making processes. Improve our understanding of what motivates customers and how we can best
provide the environmental products, services, and information they value. Use public
roundtables, focus groups, and formal surveys to listen to what our customers think about the
quality and value of the products and services we provide.
• Provide Access to Information: Make sure our customers are able to obtain the kinds of
information they need. Provide our customers with reliable environmental information to make a
wider variety of decisions — including regulatory, investment, and health decisions.
• Respond to Our Customers' Needs: Make timely, appropriate changes to our products, services,
and processes to respond to the comments and suggestions of our customers, without
compromising environmental outcomes.
Approach: EPA has adopted a multi-track approach to implementation of the President's
Customer Service Executive Order, moving to implement both its spirit and specific requirements.
The Agency is working to incorporate an enhanced customer focus in everything we do.
Several major new Agency efforts focus on key customer groups including: key industrial
sectors; state, tribal, and local governments; small business; and those disproportionately affected by
pollution. Examples of these efforts include: the Common Sense Initiative ~ a program to identify
common sense approaches to environmental challenges working industry-by-industry; Performance
Partnerships with state, tribal, and local governments; the creation of new compliance assistance
centers; and an Agency-wide focus on environmental justice.
Other major efforts focus on key needs identified by our customers. These include a
strengthened environmental science program and improved environmental information and statistics.
Finally, we reinvigorated the Agency's basic work by organizing it into eight core processes
that EPA uses to serve its customers. These include: permitting; pesticide regulation; research grants;
public access; state, tribal, and local program grants; enforcement inspections and compliance
assistance; and partnership programs, and rulemaking. These eight core processes produce the
services and decisions of greatest interest to all of our key customers.
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EPA'S CUSTOMER SERVICE PROGRAM
Why Is EPA Working to Improve
Customer Service?
To rebuild public trust. The people's
trust in government plummeted from 76% in
the mid-1970's to 17% in the mid -1990's.
Improving our service can help rebuild trust
and confidence in EPA as well as our ability
to protect public health and safeguard the
natural environment.
To achieve a mandate The
Government Performance & Results Act of
1993 (GPRA) has as two of its purposes:
* " improve the confidence of the
American people in the capability of
the Federal Government, by
systematically holding Federal
agencies accountable for achieving
program results, [and]
• improve Federal Program
effectiveness and public
accountability by promoting a new
focus on results, service quality and
customer satisfaction."
In 1993, an Executive Order directed all
Federal agencies to put customer service
standards in place, use customer feedback to
measure how well they were performing
against those standards, and report to the
public about that performance. All Federal
agencies also were urged to make
information more understandable and easily
accessible.
Customer Service at EPA
All across EPA people are working hard to
achieve the mission of the Agency, and in
doing so, to serve their ultimate customers,
the people of the United States. EPA's
Customer Service Program (CSP) was
established to help all of us who work at the
Agency do an even better job of serving all
our customers, both external and internal.
What's been done so far?
Organizing
• Standards were set for delivery of
services and products in the areas of
public access, permitting, enforcement
& compliance assistance, state, tribal
and local grants, partnership programs,
rulemaking, and research grants.
• Process Groups that developed and
tested the standards now are leading
their implementation.
• The Customer Service Steering
Committee (26 individuals representing
all Regions, Offices and several other
organizations) sets the policy for the
Agency's CSP.
• Most Offices and all Regions have
named Coordinators for standards and
training "rollout", and have established
customer service groups to assist the
Coordinators.
• Goals for correspondence and
telephone responsiveness, treatment of
customers, relationships with partners,
and customer involvement were
developed to apply to any work at EPA
and provided to all employees in May
1997. (EPA's Six Principles of Customer
Service)
• EPA CSP staff and others involved in
implementing the CSP participate fully
in the National Partnership for
Reinventing Government (NPR)
customer service activities and help
lead the Federal Interagency Regulatory
Reinvention Forum.
Customer Service Program Fact Sheet #1:7f38
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Evaluating
Improving
A "generic" Customer Satisfaction
Information Collection Request (ICR)
is in place, enabling expedited (10-15
day) clearance of survey instruments.
The ICR application included a plan
that lists as many as 900 customer
surveys and 150 different survey
instruments across the Agency from
1998-2000.
Many of the surveys will help to
establish the baseline qualities of
current service delivery of
correspondence, telephone and other
services and products.
A work group is developing Agency
wide Guidelines for customer
satisfaction feedback and
measurement.
Five small benchmarking studies
have been done to seek out best
practices and successful methods that
others have used to implement
organizational change. Lessons
learned assisted EPA in designing its
training, telephone, complaints
systems questionnaire and overall
program.
Training has been developed and is
now being launched to assist
everyone at the Agency to improve
service delivery. All customer service
training is voluntary.
An introductory customer service
course was developed and trainers
are being prepared to teach the new,
EPA-specific module, "Forging the
Links".
Nearly 200 trainers have been
certified to teach the six follow up
customer service skills courses.
Telephone service improvement
projects are in place or being
developed in several regions and
offices.
Videos on telephone service, conflict
management and customer service
awareness are available from the
CSP.
Complaint systems across the
Agency are being documented and
best practices will be shared.
A customer service excellence
rewards and recognition system is
being developed in cooperation with
union, labor relations and human
resources staff.
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EPA's Six Principles
of Customer Service
1. Be helpful! Listen to your customers.
2. Respond to all phone calls by the end of the
next business day.
3. Respond to all correspondence within 10
business days.
4. Make clear, timely, accurate information
accessible.
5. Work collaboratively with partners to improve
all products and services.
6. Involve customers and use their ideas and
input!
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Customer service is not a new concept. It is the founding principle of public service.
EPA's most important customer is the America public we serve - anyone who breathes the
clean air, drinks the clean water or eats the safe food we work to provide.
To excel in service, any organization has to know who its customers are, and learn from
them what they need and the kind of quality they expect, what they really value most about the
products or services, and how they prefer the products or services to be delivered.
In all our relationships - voluntary and non-voluntary, cooperative and enforcement-
related, internal and external - our goal is the same: to handle all interactions in a fair,
courteous, and professional manner. We will always do our best to give affected parties clear
explanations of why we take the actions we do. Those actions must be based on facts and the
recognition that all parties seek both a sustainable environment and sustain-able economy.
Recognizing this mutual goal can assist you to work with the regulated community as partners in
pollution prevention and customers of our regulatory programs.
EPA people will always be professional and go the extra mile to satisfy our customer's
needs, but, we will not compromise our mission by registering an unsafe substance or issuing a
permit that does not protect the environment. We will cut red tape and do everything possible to
accommodate a customer, but our job is to protect people and the environment. We work to
provide safe products, as well as clean air, land and water for people and everything else
dependent on them.
We need many partners to deliver protection to the public. We recognize that every
individual is a customer and potential partner who can help build public understanding of
environmental work and its important outcomes for the nation. We are committed to early
involvement of the people our decisions affect.
EPA's Six Principles of Customer Service stand as our pledge to listen to our customers,
value what they say, and change what can be changed to make it easier to satisfy their specific
needs as we achieve environmental goals. The Principles express our promise to all those who
contact the Agency by telephone, letter, electronically, or in person that they will be welcomed,
treated with respect, and given personalized, excellent service.
Since only an informed public can be involved in environmental decision making, our
information must be easily accessible, accurate, complete, and understandable. We must be
open about its limitations, and always willing to discuss data uncertainties, strengths and
weaknesses - including the ones identified by other credible sources.
Everyone at EPA recognizes that the trust of the people we protect is vital, and that
building and keeping the public's trust requires vigilance.. Our Six Principles of Customer
Service are an expression of EPA's determination to consistently deliver the kind of world class
service that will build and retain the public's trust.
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The Six Principles
Outstanding customer service is not an add-on, it's an attitude we project and a
goal we strive for every day. it's your tone of voice, the words you choose, the smile
people hear on the other end of the phone, and the many small things you appreciate
yourself when you're the customer. Customers don't care what you know until they
know that you care.
One thing we sometimes forget is that we are each other's customers. Information you
provide will often enable someone else to provide a report to her boss or a response to his
external customer. If we each apply the Principles to serve internal customers better, EPA will
be an even better place to work.
Having Principles is not enough; we have to practice them every day. Here are the
Principles and some practical ways you can make them a part of your work.
1. Be helpful! Listen to your customers.
Practicing the Principle... For EPA, there is no single "customer"; instead, there are many
customers, each with their own interests, needs, concerns, priorities, preferences, and
organizations-each with his or her own reason for contacting EPA. It's part of your job to learn
and understand why the initial contact is made. Sometimes, that's not easy. It may take
patience while someone describes a problem, several questions, careful listening, and restating
the problem to ensure you are really on the same wavelength.
Listening effectively is hard work, but it is important not to make assumptions about what
people know, think, or want done. You need to focus not on just on their words, but also their
feelings. Callers, visitors, and people who attend community meetings need you to recognize
their emotions. Let them know you understand what they say, and address their concerns as
well as your own. Ask questions until you and your customer agree you understand the problem
or request.
2. Respond to all phone calls by the end of the next
business day.
Practicing the Principle... Never ignore a customer's call. It's the easiest way to create a
complaint, and it's perceived as rude, uncaring, even arrogant.
Use voicemail only as a necessary occasional substitute for you. Repeat callers will
soon recognize it if you use voicemail as a protective screen. Voicemail messages should be
changed often, preferably daily, but at least weekly. Messages should inform caller of your
name, organization, the date, if you are in or out and when you will be back so they can estimate
when you will be able to return the call. If you can, refer customers to a back-up person and
number for faster response. If you have a "dial operator" option, be sure it works and does
transfer to an appropriate person. If you will be gone for more than a day, be certain to refer
your calls to someone who can help and plans to be in.
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No matter how well you plan, there will be times when you have to focus all your energy
on meeting a deadline. For those exceptional days, leave a voicemail that tells callers when you
expect to be able to return calls, and generally what's keeping you so busy. Then, do as you
promised; call back when you said you would. This tactic is responsive to customers, yet
enables you to control your time.
When you answer your phone, identify yourself and make an effort to be positive,
interested and helpful - all day, every day. Your tone of voice will give you away if you let
yourself become annoyed or bored. The caller deserves your full attention, so consciously put
aside what you were doing.
Once you have mutually decided that you can help the caller, do so. If you don't have
the information, say so. If you can get it, say how soon the caller can expect it. If you or EPA
cannot help the caller, find someone or some organization that can, preferably before you hang
up. If you must arrange to call back, be sure to have the caller's full name and number or
address. Spell and pronounce the name correctly for them, and verify the telephone number
and address you write.
Think of a telephone call not an interruption, but as an opportunity to do what you were
hired to do - provide an important service. It's a chance to use your expertise, training and
common sense to further EPA's mission and fill a customer's needs.
o. Respond to all correspondence within 10 business days.
Practicing the Principle... Nearly everything that applies to being responsive to telephone
contacts applies to written communication too. Be sure you understand what the writer is
asking or telling. Focus your response on the writer's question or story, not your favorite topic
Don't send the "standard packet" unless it will best satisfy the request.
If the request is not clear, don't put it aside expecting you will understand tomorrow, next
week or next month. Telephone the writer, or send a letter asking for more details. That will let
the writer know you care and want to be helpful. If response will be delayed, acknowledge the
request by sending an interim reply to the customer saying that you are working on getting
information to them as soon as possible, preferably stating a specific date. Send the interim
reply within 10 days.
Letters are sent to people outside EPA; memos to those inside the Agency. Even if
someone else prepares it, whenever possible, the initial response should be signed by the
person to whom it was addressed. If providing this courtesy prevents timely response, include
the reason why the individual responding was given the responsibility.
Be clear in your response. If you use gobbledegook or doublespeak, you risk losing
trust. Instead, build trust - lose the alphabet soup, use plain English, and eliminate cliches,
buzzwords and jargon whenever you can. Technical language and jargon are useful
professional shorthand, but can be barriers to effective communication with the public.
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Using "spell check" is not enough. Be sure your letter is correct in all ways - from your
facts and logic, through your tone, grammar, punctuation, and greeting, all the way to your
spelling. If you have any doubts, check a dictionary, a style manual, an English book, or with the
correspondence control person in your office.
Remember, e-mail is correspondence tod.
4. Make clear, timely, accurate information accessible.
Practicing the Principle... You have expertise in your field and in the policies, rules,
regulations, procedures, products, services and information related to it. Put yourself in your
customers' shoes before you provide too much, too little, too simple, or too complex information
to meet their needs.
If you hear from someone via Internet, it usually makes sense to respond the same way.
Others can use electronic bulletin boards, but not Internet. Many people still prefer to receive
printed material. A summary may be enough for some, while others want all the details
available, including raw data and technical references. If you have the opportunity, always ask
what the customer prefers - don't assume you know.
The Agency is working hard to be make it quicker and easier for customers to contact us
by telephone, Internet and in person. If you participate in planning and implementing home
page and web sites, on-line services, hot lines, libraries, information or assistance centers,
remind everyone to find out what customers want before doing what is most expedient or least
expensive. What seems best and easy for the Agency may not suit the customers targeted for
the improved service. Keep asking yourself and your customers if what you are doing or is what
customers want and value.
5. Work collaboratively with partners to improve all
products and services.
EPA can't achieve our mission alone. Always seek new partners - whether traditional
co-implementors of environmental protection like state, tribal and local governments, and other
federal agencies, or industries and other innovators in pollution prevention. We all need to work
cooperatively with all our partners to carry out needed environmental protection.
In any partnership there are differences in "corporate culture", behavior norms, expertise,
communications skills, and expectations that can complicate the partnership. Try to find
common ground and set mutual goals together. Work with your partners to build and sustain
programs that achieve better public health and environmental protection, while improving
customer service.
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Some of our partnerships depend on EPA funding, some build on mutual information
sharing, and others focus on expert assistance or training. Many involve a combination. In
some partnerships you give more than the other party; in others, less. The balance should not
matter. In every case, the mutual benefit of the partnership is to get more done better for the
people and places affected.
Each partner has to find the flexibility to accommodate the other and the strength to be
not just cooperative, but collaborative. The benefits to customers, the environment and public
health, and to EPA are worth the work it takes to be a good partner.
6. Involve customers and use their ideas and input.
Practicing the Principle... We all need to find out what people are thinking about our services
and our performance by using techniques such as comment cards, focus groups, interviews,
Internet feedback, surveys, and more. Knowing what they think is not enough - we need to
take action and tell them what we've done with their input.
We also must continue to do our best to let everyone with an interest or a stake in an
issue know what we are considering early on in the process, provide as much access to our
information as the law allows, and provide a variety of options so they can be heard. It's
important for us to recognize those whom our decisions may affect, to identify with our
customers - whether voluntary or compelled - and to be able to understand the reasons,
symbolic meanings, and broader economic or cultural considerations that often underlie and
complicate communication. When in doubt, lean toward sharing more, not less, information.
Listen carefully and openly to any complaints and you will realize they are a gold mine.
They tell you what your customer cares about and values, where processes are falling down,
where red tape is ripe for cutting, where technology is not succeeding, and more. Be sure that
you ask your customers to work with you at every opportunity to redesign a process that can
improve service delivery.
*****************************
Do you need help in improving service or assistance with obtaining customer feedback? Do you have
comments or suggestions about these standards and how we can work together to meet and exceed them? If you
do, mail them to Customer Service at mail code 2161.
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Follow-up "A Personal View":
Please be as candid as possible in taking this assessment. You will not be asked to share your
responses. Your honesty will help focus you in appropriate skill areas. To determine how well
each statement reflects your current knowledge and behavior, place a number, 1 - 5, in the box to
the right of each:
l4-»2<-»3~4~5
1 = not at all 5 = consistently
Example: •— •
I apply EPA's Six Principles of Customer Service | 4 |
everyday.
During the last month I have demonstrated that:
1 . I know who my customers are and that to serve customers
well, I need to fulfill an expanded, flexible role in EPA.
2. I work with my customers to provide the best products and
services.
3. I easily recognize situations where I need to use influencing
skills to communicate effectively and solve problems.
4. I can identify situations in which effective listening makes
D
D
n
the difference between success and failure.
5. I seek to uncover short and long term needs and expectations
of my customers so I can fully respond to them.
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6. I handle customer dissatisfaction effectively and seek to meet
customer needs.
7. I seek opportunities to better provide my customers the
products, services, and information they value.
8. I am courteous, professional, respectful, and honest in all
dealings with my customers.
9. I analyze, develop, and present my ideas in a way that helps
me solve customers' problems.
10. I communicate in words and gestures that customers
understand, and I can modify my style to suit my customer's
style.
11. I create partnerships with internal and external customers.
12. I stay calm and know how to calm dissatisfied internal and
external customers so together we can solve problems.
13. I seek to refine and increase my personal effectiveness with
customers.
14. I work with my internal and external customers to address
conflict and decide on a plan of action when needed.
15. I am confident in my ability to communicate.
16. I know and use techniques to actively listen to my customers.
17. I know how to meet customers' needs without over
compromising.
18. I use customer complaints and dissatisfaction to identify
problems, seek permanent solutions, and prevent future
problems.
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
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To determine your skill area strengths and developmental needs, record each score for each
statement as numbered below. Then total each column and record the column score at the
bottom.
B
D
E
1.
7.
13.
TOTA
LS*
2.
8.
14.
*
3.
9.
15.
*
4.
10.
16.
4<
5.
11.
17.
*
6.
12.
18.
*
Wliat the Total Scores Means:
The above scores are a relative indication of where you may have strengths
(high scores) and weaknesses (low scores).
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The training units linked to each column are listed below. Transfer your individual score
from each column to identity skills areas.
Column A -> The Leader in Each of Us
D
Column B -> Moving From Conflict to Collaboration
D
Column C -> Influencing for Win-Win Outcomes
n
Column D -> Proactive Listening
D
Column E -> Clarifying Customer Expectations
Column F -> Resolving Customer Dissatisfaction
Everyone can continuously hone and improve customer service skills. List below three units
from the six described above that you would most likely take if offered at a convenient time:
1.
2.
3.
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CUSTOMER SERVICE PROGRAM MATERIALS
Customer Service representatives in each region, as well as the Cincinnati and
RTP Laboratories, have copies of the videos, workbooks, and facilitator's guides for the
six customer service workshop follow-up courses from Zenger Miller. Headquarters
offices may borrow the materials from the Customer Service Program. See the
Planning to ACT section of this workbook for details about these materials. Regions
and program offices should build their own collections of resources focusing on those
customer service themes most important for each organization's success.
The Customer Service Program at HQ has a small collection of books and
videos which are listed below in support of customer service workshop activities at
EPA. It also has catalogs of other customer service resources. The Customer Service
Program Staff can lend you materials, first come first serve, or help you locate materials
that you would like to purchase.
Audio Visuals
**
"On The Phone" is a series of short videos that have both a participant
workbook and a facilitator's guide to accompany each of them.
"Fabulous Fundamentals" - which reviews the basics and shows participants
why friendly greetings, fast answers, complete messages and appropriate
treatment make such a difference to internal and external customers. (14
minutes)
"When it's the Worst: Irate Callers" - which provides four tactics to manage
irate callers, deal with customer anger, fend off foul language and handle
harassment and maximize the effectiveness of telephone work. (9 minutes)
"Personal Productivity: Handling Stress" - which shows how to manage
physical and mental stress over the telephone, what to do when no is your only
answer, and guidelines for making productive calls. (12 minutes)
**
"Conflict: The Rules of Engagement" is a 41 minute video (with an
accompanying facilitator's guide) of a workshop presented by Dr. Patricia Helm to
promote the best possible means of conflict management and resolution in real life
situations. Presents a realistic view of the causes and types of conflict, plus practical
techniques to build collaborative relationships and change responses to conflict. (EPA
staff and management response to this video has been excellent.)
** "But I don't have Customers" is a 21 minute video (with an accompanying
facilitator's guide) that shows the steps and techniques for defining internal customers
and appropriately serving them while creating positive environments affecting external
customers too. (EPA staff have said this is a useful tool.)
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** "Leadership -What's trust got to do with it?" Is a 19 minute video (with
accompanying facilitator's guide) that focuses attention on the trust building behaviors
of openness, credibility and trusting the skill and expertise of others. The video has
been successfully used to help supervisors, team leaders and managers in
organizations undergoing rapid change and uncertainty
** "An Invisible Man Meets the Mummy" is a 18 minute video (with accompanying
facilitator's guide) - You can run, but you can't hide (not even in red tape) from
customers. The do's and don'ts of internal and external customer service are wrapped
up neatly in this fast-paced, entertaining award-winner. It's an important training tool for
new hires and a valuable reminder for seasoned employees.
** "Call of the Mummy" is a 19 minute video (with accompanying facilitator's guide) -
This fast-paced video features humorous examples of telephone tactics in government,
healthcare and business settings. The examples can help everyone view each call as
unique and showcase techniques that can make every customer contact successful.
Books
** "The Customer Driven Company - Moving from Talk to Action" by Richard
Whitely of the Forum Corporation, published by Addison-Wesley Publishing Company
in Reading Massachusetts. It is a readable, research-based and fast-paced book
filled with real stories of success and ending with an 80-page kit of tools for
assessment, developing a vision, and for removing barriers to excellent service by
using facts and customer feedback data.
** "Customer Centered Growth - Five Proven Strategies of Building Competitive
Advantage" by Richard Whitely and Diane Hessan, of the Forum Corporation,
published by Addison-Wesley Publishing Company in Reading Massachusetts. This
book reveals the secret that wining companies and some government examples share:
putting the customer at the center of what they do. The authors outline the strategies
any organization can apply to become fully successful.
Catalogs & Readings
Audio Video and Book catalogs from many vendors.
List of readings (books Pat Bonner or George Walker have read and found useful tools)
** May be requested through Loretta Schumacher at (202-260-3096) or via Email.
Be sure to provide your telephone number and mail code when making a request.
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Glossary of Terms:
Accessibility: being easy to reach (information and people)
Benchmarking: a standard of measuring or evaluating; process of comparing and measuring an
organization's processes against best-in-class operations to inspire improvement in the
organization's performance; continuous search for excellence through comparative analysis
followed by process improvement; continuous and systematic process of identifying, analyzing
and adapting best practices that will lead to superior performance; the practice of being humble
enough to admit someone else is better at something, and wise enough to learn how to match and
surpass them
Coaching: tutoring, training or preparing others in a special skill or ability in which the coach is
an expert
Collaboration: working together, especially in a joint intellectual effort
Conflict: to oppose, compete or fight; antagonistic state or action (as of divergent ideas, interests
or persons)
Courtesy: consideration, cooperation and generosity to others
Customer: anyone who depends upon you, your organization or work unit for support,
information, services, or products...anyone within or without EPA
> Internal Customer: other EPA employees, anywhere in the Agency
> External Customer: those customers from anywhere outside the Agency (this includes
other Federal employees, State/Tribal/Local employees, citizens [both national and
international], environmental groups, etc.
Customer Focus: taking into consideration the quality of the total customer experience
Customer Service: the quality of treatment customers receive during points of contact with the
supplier (phone, written correspondence, fax, Internet, etc.)
Feedback: comments, complaints, praise or data about a service or product
Forge: to give form or shape to; to advance gradually, yet firmly; to join together firmly
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Front-line Employee: person in direct contact with customers
Innovation: something new or unusual; creative
Link: to connect; a ring or loop in a chain; a unit in a transportation or communications system
Manager/Management: persons who direct, oversee, and coordinate the Work of supervisors
and/or team leaders
Mentor: a wise and trusted teacher or counselor
Mission: EPA's mission is "to protect public health and safeguard the natural environment - air,
water and land - upon which life depends" (June 1997, Draft Strategic Plan)
Organization: the entity for which you work or to which you belong, i.e., agency, branch,
section, etc.
Partner: individual or organization with whom you have a formal agreement to collaborate; a
trusted collaborator
Perception: comprehension; awareness (through the five senses in personal context)
Proactive: (pro) favoring the positive side; (active) lively, causing action or change, fully
participating, causing action or change
Reliability: ability to provide what was promised, dependably, consistently, on time and
accurately; keeping promises (doing the right thing, the right way, at the right time, every time)
Responsiveness: quickness in responding or reacting appropriately or sympathetically;
sensitivity; willingness to help customers and provide prompt service
Roadblock: barricade or obstruction; a situation or condition preventing further progress toward
a goal
Supervisor: first-line supervisor or "boss"; typically, the individual responsible for performance
appraisals and approving work schedules
Stakeholder: someone whose primary relationship with EPA is characterized as having an
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interest in our work and policies; someone who may interact with EPA on behalf of another
person or group; or influence our future direction (including financial resources)
Team: a group of employees who work together on a daily basis while accomplishing job tasks;
included could be work groups, work units, work teams, sections, crews, work centers, squads,
etc.
Team Leader, the individual who coordinates or directs day-to-day activities of a work team as
described above
Value: a fundamental principle for ethical behavior; a fair return or equivalent in goods, services
or money for something exchanged; something intrinsically valuable or desirable; rate or scale in
usefulness, importance, or general worth; consider or rate highly
Vision: the act or power of imagination; unusual foresight
Win-Win Outcome: decision, solution or outcome to a problem/situation where no one is the
winner and no one is the loser, but where all parties are in a "win" situation; solutions which
provide winning answers for all involved
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Bibliography:
Anderson, Kristin. Great Customer Service on the Telephone.. New York, NY: American Management
Association, 1992.
Barlow, Janelle and Claus Moller. A Complaint Is a Gift: Using Customer Feedback As a Strategic
Tool. San Francisco, CA: Berrett-Koehler Publishers, 1996
Bell, Chip R. Customers As Partners : Building Relationships That Last. San Francisco, CA: Berrett-
Koehler Publishers, 1996
Bell, Chip R. and Ron Zemke. Managing Knock Your Socks Off Service. New York, NY: American
Management Association, 1992.
Gutek, Barbara A. The Dynamics of Service : Reflections on the Changing Nature of Customer/Provider
Interactions. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass Publishing, 1995.
Kessler, Sheila. Measuring and Managing Customer Satisfaction : Going for the Gold. New York, NY:
American Society for Quality, 1996
Payne, Adrian, et al. Relationship Marketing for Competitive Advantage : Winning and Keeping
Customers. New York, NY: Butterworth-Heinemann, 1995.
Reichheld, Frederick F. and Scott D. Cook The Quest for Loyalty : Creating Value Through
Partnerships. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press, 1996.
Rosenbluth, Hall F. and Diane McFerrin Peters. The Customer Comes Second. New York: William
Morrow and Company, Inc., 1992
Tjosvold, Dean. Teamwork for Customers: Building Organizations That Take Pride in Serving. San
Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1993.
Whiteley, Richard C. The Customer Driven Company. Addison-Wesley Publishing Company, January
1997
Whiteley, Richard and Diane Hessan. Customer Centered Growth. Addison-Wesley Publishing
Company, April 1996
Willingham, Ron. Hey, I'm the Customer! Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1992.
"Blair House Papers," President Bill Clinton-Vice President Al Gore, National Performance Review,
January 1997
"Breaking the Cycle of Failure in Services," Sloan Management Review. Spring 1991, pp. 17 - 28.
"The Empowerment of Service Workers: What, Why, How, and When," Sloan Management Review.
Spring 1992, pp. 31-39.
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"Fitting Up Customer Care," Personnel Management. March 1992, pp. 49 - 51.
"The Service-Driven Service Company," Harvard Business Review. September/October 1991, pp. 71
81.
"What Customers Really Want," Fortune. June 4, 1990, pp. 58 - 68.
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