Transcription Let’s talk customer service. I hear this all the time from provider agency leaders and managers. New hires come in, and they don’t know anything about customer service. And honestly, sometimes even long-time staff still haven’t quite gotten it. So I ask a simple question: are you teaching your expectations around customer service? Almost every time, the answer is no. Here’s the hard truth. If we don’t teach it, we can’t expect people to know it. I mean, it would be great if people already knew — but that’s not our situation. So instead of complaining about what people should know, we need to get clear about what we expect, and then how to teach what we expect so that staff can deliver. That’s why I strongly recommend covering customer service expectations in new-hire orientation, creating a review of those expectations in your ongoing training plan, and formally revisiting customer service at least once every year as part of your annual training. Welcome to the Provider Power Moves podcast. I’m your host, Sara Sherman. Here, I use my 35 years of experience in the field to give you practical steps that create big results in your agency and in your workday. So who are your customers? Before we go any further, we need to answer that important question. Who exactly are your customers? And this list is longer than most people think. Your customers include individuals receiving services, families and guardians, case managers, other service providers, regulators and auditors, community partners, and additional professionals. And don’t forget your internal customers — your departments, coworkers and colleagues, supervisors, managers, and direct support staff. Customer service is not just an outward-facing skill. It’s how work actually gets done. I like to think of good customer service as falling into six Ps. Let’s walk through them. P number one: polite and pleasant. Yes, this sounds basic — but basics are where things fall apart. Polite and pleasant means please and thank you. Yes ma’am, yes sir. Smiling, making eye contact, being attentive, and giving the customer your full attention. It means being kind and considerate. Customers — both internal and external — can immediately tell whether they are an interruption or a priority. P number two: patient. We want staff to be patient enough to really work with the person in front of them. That means taking the time needed, allowing space for someone to explain, creating safety and comfort, and making people feel heard and understood. If customers don’t feel comfortable asking questions or explaining a problem, we can’t provide good service — no matter how efficient we think we’re being. And patience includes something critical: clearly expressing what we understand the concern to be. That matters because if staff don’t understand correctly, time is wasted, problems aren’t solved, and customers aren’t happy — even though staff put in the effort. P number three: precise. Precision is where customer service often breaks down. We want staff to take notes, not rely on memory, gather all relevant details, and — this part is key — repeat the information back to the customer. This does two things. It confirms accuracy, and it shows the customer they’re being taken seriously. Precision also means making sure staff truly understand what the customer wants as the outcome — not just the complaint. The clearer we are about the desired resolution, the closer the agency can get to solving the problem. And if the desired resolution isn’t possible, good customer service means explaining why, offering alternatives, or connecting the customer to someone who can help. P number four: predictable. Customer service in your organization should be predictable. Predictability comes from dependability. Both internal and external customers very quickly decide what kind of service they can expect from your organization — not based on what you say, but on what they consistently experience. That is culture. Not mission statements. Not posters on the wall. Patterns. Will your organization be known as predictably good — or predictably frustrating? Predictable service includes setting clear timeframes, following up when you say you will, and doing what you promised. Trust is built through repeated, reliable behavior. P number five: pursue. We want staff to pursue answers. “I don’t know” is an acceptable response only if it’s followed by action. Good customer service sounds like, I don’t know, but I’ll find out. Or, I don’t have that answer, but I’ll connect you to the right person. What we don’t want is, Sorry, I don’t know — and then nothing. If there’s a delay in getting an answer, staff need to let the customer know, present realistic timeframes, and invite customers to reach out for updates. Pursuing answers keeps customers from feeling abandoned inside your system. P number six: pivot. Sometimes staff simply can’t resolve the issue themselves — and that’s okay. When that happens, staff need to pivot. They need to pass the issue along to ensure the customer gets what they need. Good customer service means telling the customer who the issue is being passed to, explaining how to reach that person, and encouraging the customer to check back if they don’t hear anything. And here’s the part most agencies miss: the staff person who receives the handoff should confirm back to the original staff person that the issue was resolved. That follow-through creates accountability, closes the loop, and builds trust. Let’s recap. The six Ps of customer service are: polite and pleasant, patient, precise, predictable, pursue, and pivot. These are all teachable, observable, and coachable. And when you see staff delivering great customer service — when you catch them doing it — offer praise. Praise matters. We know employees value appreciation and acknowledgement more than money. Be sure to offer your staff — or even yourself — some praise when all of the Ps are followed. There’s a concept called the Taguchi loss function. It reminds us that even small deviations from excellence create loss over time. Think about the uprights on a football field. Getting the ball between the goalposts is acceptable. But the closer you are to the middle, the higher the level of satisfaction. The further you drift, satisfaction decreases. Small deviations from excellence create loss — but the reverse is also true. Small moments of excellence, noticed and reinforced, create momentum and increased satisfaction. Once your customer service skills are strong, challenge yourself. How can you move beyond simply satisfying customers and start delighting them? If you’re in management, ask your team: What ideas do you have to delight our customers? Where can we add the cherry on top of the sundae? You may not be able to do it for everyone all at once — but where can you do it for someone? We tend to think of customer service as a soft skill. It isn’t soft. It’s structural. And when you teach it clearly, reinforce it consistently, and model it visibly, customer service becomes part of how your organization actually works. What do you think? Leave me a comment, or shoot me an email at Sara — (S-A-R-A) — sara@providerpowermoves.com . That’s in the show notes. Or ask me a question. I’d love to hear what’s on your mind and turn it into a podcast to give you the answers you’re seeking. Until next time — power on.
