Students are both learners and consumers. What is it that distinguishes the College of Southern Nevada from the thousands of public and private colleges and universities across the United States? Some would say it is instructional delivery, degree programs, and even location. I agree. I am also of the mindset that the single most influential factor is our employees and the level of service that they provide. Customer satisfaction is determined by what our employees do, how they act, and how they respond to customer needs. It not only sets us apart from our competition but also determines if our customers will return.
Training, customer service philosophies, and policies and procedures are critical aspects to developing customer-oriented employees and a culture of service. These same tools and resources can often come across as a one-size-fits-all approach or even a rigid to do list. What is often missing in service delivery is empowerment. Do we at CSN empower our employees to provide the exceptional service that we expect and hold them accountable for? Do our policies and procedures hinder our employees from making the decisions necessary to truly serve our students, our customers? It is through empowerment that our employees are given the authority to take care of a landscape of both expected and unexpected customer needs. It is also through empowerment that employees begin to develop a sense of security and confidence that enables them to look at policies and procedures through the lens of what can be done as opposed to what can’t be done.
Memorable world class service results from a balanced combination of training, policies and procedures, and empowerment. We must first decide the type of impact that we want to make with each encounter. Do we want our employees to make an impact that exceeds customer expectations and places our institution in a league of its own? Or, do we want to be indistinguishable from the rest? If the goal is customer satisfaction then we must empower our employees at every level to make decisions that allow them to truly serve our customers, our students. The choice is ours.