8 Rules For PWP Customer Service
by Brenda Keller
Within PWP, we think of our newcomers as new friends. But how do new members see us as an organization? Most new members do not yet have a full sense of each of us as volunteers. They see someone on a board position as having a job to do, and they forget that each of us is a single parent, too. This focus is normal for someone who is going through a total upheaval of their life as they have known it. They have so many seemingly insurmountable problems facing them that it is so difficult to see beyond that. This is often evidenced by the "talk phase:" Everyone that the new member meets will hear the whole story of their present dilemma. Their thinking is far distanced from their former capable existence. Now, they literally don't know what to do. What kind of future will they have? Where will they live? They have the lives of their children to consider. They need to function well enough to go to work and make an income with energy left to be a parent. They need to be able to put one foot in front of the other and continue to breathe every day.
What do these people experience when they consider joining Parents Without Partners? First of all, they call the hotline
after they find or are given the phone number by a counselor or well-meaning relative. They are scared. They reach the recording and hear someone with a monotone voice telling them to come to an orientation. They hang up quickly. Then they get up their nerve again and call back. They leave their phone number. Weeks pass. No one returns their call. You get the picture. Let's talk about first impressions and look at the one that we are making as an organization.
Good customer service is the lifeblood of any business. We are in the business of welcoming single parents to our organization. Good customer service is all about bringing customers back and sending them away happy--happy enough to pass positive feedback along to others, who may then try the product or service you offer.
Salespersons sell. As PWP board members, we all need to be selling. A good salesperson can sell anything to anyone once. But the secret that determines whether or not you will be able to continue to sell to that person is the essence of the relationship that you form with your client. So how does this apply to PWP? Does everyone remember someone who came to orientation and didn't join? How about someone who joined and never came to any activities? How about someone who came to one activity and never came to any others? How about all of the people who call the hotline, don't leave a message, and never call again? If the idea of PWP as a business and each of us as salespersons does not appeal to you, does it appeal to you to think of all of the single parents in the community that we somehow fail to serve?
Good customer service is the key to developing those relationships that will help us to better serve the single parent population. So let's take a look at the business world and apply 8 simple principles to our organization.
* ANSWER your phone. Put a smile in your voice before recording your message. Leave the phone number of a real person who they can call with additional questions. Return calls promptly.
*DON'T make PROMISES unless you WILL keep them. Reliability is one of the keys to any good relationship, and good customer service is no exception. If you say, "I'll meet you at orientation at 6:30 pm," BE THERE.
* LISTEN to your new customers. They don't need to hear your story as much as they need you to hear theirs.
* DEAL with complaints. A problem swept under the carpet will fester and grow until it infects your whole chapter. Don't let this happen to you.
* BE HELPFUL-even when you don't see any type of gain for yourself. That is our job: we are PWP volunteers.
* TRAIN YOUR STAFF (the other board members) to ALWAYS be helpful, courteous, and knowledgeable.
* TAKE THE EXTRA STEP. Volunteer to meet new members at their first activity. Introduce them to others. Plan events especially to meet their needs.
* THROW IN SOMETHING EXTRA. Give them a coupon to attend their first discussion. Give them a $2 discount card to attend their first family activity. Welcome them.
Although I've made these principals specifically address the needs of new members, ALL members may benefit when your board takes on a spirit of customer service as the goal for your chapter. Print these principals on a piece of poster board, make flyers for each board member, introduce the concept at your next board meeting, and see what happens. I welcome your feedback.
Ward, S. "8 Rules For Good Customer Service." Online: Available
Back to Visiting Authors
