Training workshops launch SC State's push to improve customer service
SC State President Alexander Conyers announced plans to hire a director of customer service who will report directly to the president.
ORANGEBURG, S.C. 鈥 51品茶 has established a customer service initiative intended to better serve students, parents and other members of the campus community.
鈥淚 believe good customer service starts with the first phone call or email you receive in the morning, and it ends with the last one,鈥 SC State President Alexander Conyers said. 鈥淪tudents are our customers. They are paying thousands every year for our service, and if we don鈥檛 deliver what they expect, they will vote with their money -- they will go elsewhere. So, we owe it to them.鈥
The university kicked off the customer-service initiative with a two-day training seminar for senior administrators, directors, deans and other campus leaders earlier this month at SC State Public Service and Agriculture鈥檚 Camp Harry E. Daniels in Elloree, South Carolina.
The president set expectations for SC State leaders to set standards for customer service for employees in their areas of responsibility based on what they learned in the workshop. Conyers also announced that he planned to hire a director of customer service who will report directly to the president.
鈥淔or us to retain students, we must get better at this,鈥 Conyers said. 鈥淲e have all heard the perceptions, and I understand that not everything is true; however, it鈥檚 crucial that we listen to those perceptions and respond in a way that meets the needs of our families.鈥
The training sessions were presented and moderated by an international expert on service excellence in higher education, Dr. Heath Boice-Pardee, chief trainer for . Boice-Pardee also visited the SC State main campus following the two days at Camp Daniels for a day of 鈥渢rain-the-trainer鈥 sessions with some key personnel.
鈥淭hese sessions are important because in higher education, we have to think of ourselves in businesslike realities,鈥 Boice-Pardee said. 鈥淣o longer are we able to just open our doors and students will just run in.
鈥淪tudents and families have choices, and they鈥檙e doing to shop for the best value, the best education and in some ways the best resources and amenities,鈥 he said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 why customer service is vital.鈥
His advice included methods for developing best practices for customer service with an emphasis on service competencies among employees, communication strategies, inclusiveness, assessment and planning.
He also stressed that SC State and other institutions of higher education must approach customer service differently than other businesses.
鈥淭he fundamental difference is many businesses operate under 鈥榯he customer is always right鈥 mentality,鈥 Boice-Pardee said. 鈥淎t a university, it鈥檚 the opposite of that because we often tell students no.
鈥淲e have to tell students no. That鈥檚 what grades are about. If you get an F, you get an F. So, it鈥檚 not that we can鈥檛 tell students no -- it鈥檚 how we tell students no,鈥 he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 how we create that culture of care, so the know this is a safe environment where they can learn and grow.鈥
That culture of care means providing students with access to academic counseling, tutoring services, mental health services, financial advisement, and other resources for assistance.
鈥淪o, when students are struggling, we have the resources to help them get on the right track,鈥 Boice-Pardee said. 鈥淎mazon doesn鈥檛 do that.鈥
As SC State鈥檚 vice president for communications, marketing and strategic alliances, Sonja Bennett-Bellamy is responsible for publicizing, advancing and protecting the university鈥檚 brand. Customer service is a key element in those efforts since how people are treated can make or break public perceptions about SC State.
鈥淭he university鈥檚 image is one of the most important components of the university because after all, it鈥檚 what people see,鈥 Bennett-Bellamy said. 鈥淔orward-facing is the first thing anyone sees. You only get one time to make a good first impression.鈥
She welcomed the new initiative.
鈥淎nytime we can engage in a process that鈥檚 going to make a better first impression and a better lasting impression, that鈥檚 always a good thing,鈥 Bennett-Bellamy said. 鈥淪o, we are excited about this opportunity to set up a robust customer-service component that is going to elevate the brand.
鈥淚n doing so, we will elevate every facet of the university to the point where we are everyone鈥檚 first choice and people keep coming back,鈥 she said.
The customer service workshops represented the latest initiative brought to SC State by the (Ed Advancement), a nonprofit entity that provides solutions to historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) to help them serve their students and meet their strategic goals.
鈥淭he workshop was well received as it challenged each of us to think as a customer and not the service provider to improve interactions with our students, parents, and constituents that support the growth of SC State,鈥 said Dr. Manicia Finch, SC State鈥檚 vice president of enrollment management and transformation officer. 鈥淚t has been a rewarding experience to work with Ed Advancement and their team who sponsored the workshop and have funded over $2 million in campus improvements.鈥