Customer Service for the Public Sector

Course Introduction

The benefits of providing excellent customer service are quite clear in the commercial, for profit world, but what is often overlooked is that the very same principles are also just as necessary in the public sector.  Citizens have become used to the 24/7/365 'Always on' ethos of the commercial world and are, increasingly, expecting the same levels of service and responsiveness from Government agencies too.

This Oxford Customer Service for the Public Sector training course is designed to give participants the communication skills, negotiation strategies, and public-sector customer service best practices they require to significantly improve customer service while lowering costs and increasing employee satisfaction. Delegates will walk away from this training course with the ability to measure customer satisfaction and apply the design elements necessary to structure their organisation in a customer-centric manner to respond effectively as customer service needs and conditions change.

Objectives

Specifically you will learn to:

• Develop proactive customer service vision, policies and procedures
• Successfully handle working with the four types of customer personalities
• Calm upset or difficult customers over the phone and in person
• Manage your emotions in stressful situations
• Enhance listening and questioning skills to better understand your customer’s real needs
• Set SMART goals to continuously improve customer service satisfaction

Who Should Attend?

This training course has been specifically  designed for public services and government agencies and will use real-world examples to train public employees how to increase customer satisfaction.

This Oxford Management Centre training course is suitable to a wide range of professionals but will greatly benefit:

• Service Personnel at all levels of federal, state and local government agencies
• Public Sector Employees
• Department Managers and Customer Service Supervisors
• Non-profit Organisation Employees
• Public Transportation and utilities employees

Course Outline

DAY 1

How to improve Customer Service Communication and Interpersonal Skills Development

• The 7 Customer Service Expectations and 4 Customer temperament styles
• Understanding Your Customer’s Nonverbal Communication
• Active Listening and Questioning Skills to Enhance Customer Service
• Techniques for Giving and Receiving Customer Feedback

DAY 2

Building a Public-Sector Customer-Centric Organisation

• Developing a Top-down Customer Service Culture
• Internal vs. External Customers
• Best and Worst Public-sector Customer Service Providers
• Empowering Customer Service Employees

DAY 3

Harnessing the Power of Social Media to Improve Customer Service

• The Benefits of Using Social Media to Enhance Customer Engagement
• Social Media Public Sector Customer Service Best Practices
• Social Media Monitoring Tools
• Leveraging Social Media: Blogs, Twitter, Facebook and YouTube
• Protecting Your Organisation’s Social, Media Reputation

DAY 4

Measuring and Monitoring Public Sector Customer Service Satisfaction

• Establishing Quality Customer Service Satisfaction Measuring and Monitoring Standards
• Best Practices for Recording and Monitoring Customer Service Issues
• The Role of the Supervisor in Conflict Resolution
• Strategies For Working with Difficult or Demanding People

DAY 5

Achieving Public Sector Customer Service Excellence

• Putting it all together – Action Planning that works
• Setting SMART Goals for Continuous Improvement
• Stress Management Tips for Maintaining a Balanced Lifestyle
• Time Management Principles to Improve Daily Productivity