Service Excellence

Service Excellence: One Interaction at a Time

The Service Excellence: One Interaction at a Time is A&F’s customer service initiative. It was developed within the framework of UMB’s Core Values and A&F’s Guiding Principles. The initiative seeks to improve the customer’s experience when interacting with any A&F unit, whether in person, by email, or by telephone. Both unit stakeholders and employees will be asked to evaluate each unit along each of five primary dimensions of customer service behaviors.

Service Dimensions

Excellence is the expectation and is represented by our commitment to demonstrate the following Service Dimensions and Associated Behaviors:

Knowledge

Knowledge

  • Demonstrate proficiency with policies and procedures.
  • Seek professional development opportunities.
  • Understand customer needs.
  • Identify/respond to common issues.
  • Acknowledge when you don’t know something.
Process Improvement

Process Improvement

  • Align processes with outcomes and needs.
  • Seek innovative solutions.
  • Seek efficiencies.
  • Work collaboratively to improve workflow processes.
  • Communicate with customers workflow processes, roles, and responsibilities.
Attitude

Attitude

  • Demonstrate a results-focused “can- do” attitude that reflects understanding of customer’s needs.
  • Adopt a “happy to help” attitude.
  • Be attentive to tone—put a “smile” in your voice.
  • When you encounter barriers, think of alternatives to the customer’s request.
  • Provide positive and memorable experiences.
Communication

Communication

  • Listen actively to customer concerns, probe for in-depth understanding of customer needs.
  • Respond to questions and concerns in timely manner.
  • Provide complete, accurate and consistent information to customer requests. 
  • Keep customers informed of changes.
  • Use technology for effective communication with customers.
Ownership/accountability

Ownership/Accountability

  • Clarify roles and responsibilities.
  • Partner with customers and take ownership for building the relationship.
  • Follow-up and confirm that customer needs are met.
  • Avoid blaming others by taking responsibility for your actions.
  • Measure work progress and results.

Project Components

Elearning Modules ▾
Well-trained employees are the key to a successful Service Excellence program. Learning modules are designed to A&F employees with the “why” and “how” of delivering quality service value that will bring about the best customer satisfaction and solution. Our end goal is to build the competence of A&F staff in service delivery behaviors that are consistent with customer needs and expectations.

There are a series of eight on-demand learning modules that will include direct application to internal and external customer service interactions:

Module 1: Service Excellence Introduction

Module 2: Attitude is Everything

Module 3: It’s All About Communication

Module 4: Active Listening

Module 5: Problem Solving for Results

Module 6: Whose Job Is It Anyway?

Module 7: Process Improvement

Module 8: Utilizing our Guiding Principles to Support Customer Service

 

Project Phases ▾
It will take 18 months for units to complete the project phases. Six months for phases 1-4 and phase 5 is 12 months later.

Phase Key Objectives Timeline
Phase 1: Unit Discussion about Project and Unit timeline 
  • Meet unit leaders and designees to discuss individual unit expectations and timeline 
 4 Weeks
Phase 2: Survey Administration & Data Analysis
  • Surveys sent to employees and stakeholder to assess service dimensions and behaviors
  • Survey data is compiled and analyzed
  11 – 12 weeks
Phase 3: Action Plan: Training and Development
  • Along with the Project Administrator and the data results, the unit team will identify their service excellence strengths and improvement areas 
  • Draft action plan developed and submitted to an identified team of stakeholders for review
 8 weeks
Phase 4:  Action Plan: Implementation, Monitoring, & Sustainability
  • Unit leaders will provide regular updates and progress with employees.
  • Engage in continuous improvement activities
  • Project Administrator monitors activities, follow-up, and meet with units periodically
 Ongoing
Phase 5: Follow Up
  • Re-Administer Survey
 12 months after implementation

 

Contact ▾

Project Administrator: Elisa Medina, LCSW-C, ACC
Project email: AFServiceExcellence@umaryland.edu

Resources ▾