Customer Service 101The Principles

Fire Department

What's happening on the inside?CHANGE!

• More & more unpredictable

• faster (lots)

• murders sacred cows

• “white water” change

• dreaded by most insider

• lots of stress

• Is an process vs. a event

The Effects on Organizational Life

• More complicated

• more political

• standards of correctness/ fear

• special interest groups

• more screwballs (on and off duties)

Other Issues

• Huge financial reviews

• bigger risk/ bigger opportunities

• risk adverse managers

Fire Service Change

• Many times – we are “dumb” on the front end.– we get “smart” in the back end.

We tend to change at the last moment!

We sometimes mistake opportunities for threats!

Where have we been?Our basic mission keeps us going!

• 250 years old

• simple, clear mission

• lots of maybes

• empowering-inspiring

• highly accepted

Our Basic Mission

• Respond quickly

• solve the problem

• be nice

• go home as the same way you left home! (sitting up)

How do we deliver those basics?

• Hardware

• Software

• Liveware

Hardware

• Tools

• equipment

• apparatus

…..(Stuff).

Software

• Systems

• regulations

• guidelines

• …….SOPs \more stuff

Liveware

• Humans

• Firefighters

• ……(people).

Service Delivery (1990s)

• Customer service focus:– new character: Mrs... Smith– new routine: be nice– new focus: her needs– new mgmt: inside approach determines

outside services

Labels,labels and more labels

• What are labels?

• How do they effect us?

• How do they effect our customer?

• Do they become self fulfilling?

• What impact do they make on the emergency scene?

• Who are we to judge?

Where should we focus our efforts to improve?

• Which part of your system will Mrs... Smith remember?

We’ve Always Done Customer Service!

What’s New?

• Customer’s expect high quality service.• Growing competition (internally

/externally).• It is the majority of our job. • It’s the right thing to do.• A new Fire Service direction.• If we don’t, somebody else will!• The circle of influence concept.• It’s the mint on the pillow approach.

The problem is we’re playing “Catch up”

• Traditional hardware being used in non traditional ways.

• We take everything we have everywhere we go.

Customer must fit the system….

• In some cases, we call their use of our resources “system abuse”

• a major part of that “system abuse” definition involves using traditional vehicles in non-traditional ways.

Time to “Catch Up”

• Our system must reinvent itself to match current/actual service delivery

• ……simply, our system must be designed to fit the customer’s needs-----not the reverse.

Who Is the Customer?Customer==any Person You Provide

Service to That Could Have a Effect on Your Ability to Continue to Deliver That

Service!

• Internal• External• Special customer

Customer service areas

• Locations

• People

• Conditioning

Human Relations• What is your opinion of

Labels and the effect they have on group interactions?

• One size does not fit all.• The changing

workforce’s effect on customer

loyalty.

Customers Interactions• Sworn vs. Civilian• Other city departments.• The media and you!• Fire and life safety programs.• Inspections.• Speaking engagements.• Station tours.• Public places.• The Emergency scene.

Customer service 101tactical priorities

When dealing with customers have a plan!

•Locate•Inform•Assist

Group Exercise #2

Your Perspectives!What will you be doing for Mrs... Smith in

10 years?

Our Competitive Future

• Inside competition• External competition

Concepts!

• The goal is make yourself so important to outside customers, that you avoid or minimize the internal politics.

• The key to getting what you want, is giving enough people what they want!

Real Life• Open discussion on customer

service issues! (War stories)• The changing paradigm.• Practices vs. Principles.

How do we make a difference?

• Circle of influence concept?• Remember Mrs. Smith• Set-out to make a difference!

Customer Service Manual

• Our essential mission and number one priority is to deliver the best possible service to our customer.

Customer Service Manual

• Always be nice--treat everyone with respect, kindness, patience, and consideration.

Customer Service Manual

• Always attempt to execute a standard problem-solving outcome: Quick/effective/skillful/safe/caring/managed.

Customer Service Manual

• Regard everyone as a customer.

Customer Service Manual

• Consider how you and what you are doing looks to other.

Customer Service Manual

• Don’t disqualify the customer with your qualifications.

Customer Service Manual

• Basic organization behavior must become customer-centered.

Customer Service Manual

• We must continually improve our customer service performance.

The Future (Change)

• Must emerge out of today– ……where else will it come from:

• hard for us to make big systems “skip” into the future

• huge momentum in the status quo:– institutional budget– mgmt. Commitment– the “weight” of our inventory

Fire ServiceChange Timetable

• Minor hardware 1-2 yrs

• major hardware 3-5 yrs

• major liveware habits 3-5 yrs

• major culture 10 yrs