CRLA I Topic 15
[ Home ] [ Up ]

 

Customer Service – From a Tutor’s Perspective: (Level I CRLA # 15 Other)

View Film: “A Gift From Mrs. Timm” VT 1079
Kent Campus Library

Who are your customers?

  •  Internal:  Student learners, staff, faculty
  •  External: The Public

What do today’s student learners/customers want?

  • Good Information
    • Accurate schedules
    • Good subject information, well explained
  • Exceptional service
    • Someone is proactive in offering tutoring help
    • Respect
  • Personal benefits
  • Attention to details
  • To be appreciated

What are your points of contacts with your customers?

  • Information
  • Language/voice:  Positive? Negative?
  • Body language
  • Empathy
  • Eye contact  

Dealing with challenging customers/ learners/ tutees: Why do customers get upset?

  • Didn’t get what was promised or what was expected.
  • Expectations weren't realistic.
  • Someone was rude.
  • Someone was indifferent.
  • No one listened.
  • Didn’t pass the test.
  • Still don’t understand the problem.

Stay calm yourself

  • Take the problem seriously.
  • Use stress reduction techniques.
    • Square Breathing  
  • Calm the customer

Let the student explain the problem, and you really listen

  • Restate and clarify
    • What can I do for you?
    • Listen to answer.
    • Show empathy.
  • Find agreement under guidelines of college and the Learning Center.
  • Deliver bad news with empathy and understanding.
  • Move to solve the problem.
  • Suggest the best available option.

Apologize if you can’t help

  • Don’t take your frustrations out on the next customer/student.
Avoid saying... Try these phrases instead.
It is Policy Here’s what we can do  
I or We Can’t Can
No, I don’t know I can find out
You should have... Let’s do this (move to the future)
The only thing we can do The best option is

Set limits with abusive customers

  • Use his/her name if you know it  
  • Use a sympathetic tone of voice
  • Get lab manager or a supervisor if needed, even out of your area  
  • Call security 3688 or ask the staff at circulation to call security

Self Study:

View the film, “A Gift from Mrs. Timm” and read the above material.  Copy/paste/complete/print your answers to the following questions and turn in the paper to your supervisor for discussion. 

 

1.    Give an example of an internal customer and tell why that person would be important to the Learning Center.

 

2.    List 3 ways you, as the tutor, might make a student feel comfortable in the Learning Center and explain how that might influence the learning experience. 

 

3.    What could you say besides “ it’s policy” when you have to tell students that they can’ t have children with them in the Learning Center?

 

4.   What did Mrs. Timm want to give away?  What did the hospital personnel think that she wanted?

 

5.     Why is customer service important to the Learning Center?  Give examples.