And then it happened. As I entered a homeware store, I could feel the atmosphere change almost immediately. Something was not right. I looked around and there it was; BSF.

Bad Service Face

The customer service person was staring into space with a look of thunder. I don’t know what had happened for her face to be so dark, stormy and unwelcoming, but I was in such a good mood that I thought, maybe she needs me? Yes, that’s it! I was drawn into this shop to help her.

I gave her my biggest and cheeriest “Hi, how are you?” and her verbal response was…nothing. I think the corners of her mouth turned up slightly, and she did make eye contact, but it was so cold I looked away… and walked out the door; with her wage still in my bank account.

Families and the school community won’t know why and many won’t ‘care’ if Educational Support Staff are having a bad day. Customers of all industries expect excellent service and for staff to have the skills to be positive, friendly and welcoming all day every day, regardless of what is going on in their world.

You probably expect this of your Education Support Staff too, but expecting it does not make it happen.

3 Steps to Help Remove BSF From Your School

1.     Encourage Self-Awareness

Encourage ESS to assess their state of mind before they commence their day. Some ESS will find it easy to shake off negativity, but for those employees who are feeling anything less than positive, friendly and helpful – move them on to Step 2.

2.     Confirm You Value Effort

Encourage your ESS to admit when they are feeling distracted or negative, and confirm that you value the extra effort they are making. This allows you to identify staff with higher level support needs, but also reduces the chance of high performing staff feeling taken for granted. Staff who have to “fake” a positive attitude for a long period of time may wonder if you notice and eventually stop bothering.

3.     Provide Regular Soft Skill Training

Soft skills are our people skills, and that’s what customers of the Schools assess to determine if they feel safe and respected and the great news is, you don’t have to pay for soft skills training;

1. Show what you know. Show your ESS how to communicate professionally.

2. Put up posters/visual aids. Remind everyone of the value of a smile, eye contact and a    friendly tone of voice.

3. Watch your ESS in action. Give them on-the-spot feedback on how they could do more or better, and acknowledge when they meet or exceed your service standards.

The more you encourage your ESS to self-assess and self-manage their behaviours, the less time you will spend handling co-worker and customer complaints.

If you want help creating a team of people who provide consistently excellent service at your school, contact us now.

By Cate Schreck – Service Excellence Coach and Author of The A – Z of Service Excellence.

The post BSF. It’s a Real Problem for Many Schools. appeared first on Just For Schools.

Introverts ‘batteries’ run low when spending time around other people – they recharge by being alone with their thoughts. They recharge through quiet time.

Extroverts ‘batteries’ run low from being alone – they stay charged by being with others. Their batteries run low if they are left alone for too long.

With just that small amount of information, you’re probably thinking that introverts aren’t a great choice for a role that requires them to be around people all day at your school – which is what is expected of customer-facing ESS.

Think again – I’m an introvert.

I run a business that is dedicated to communicating with people, lots of people, and most of this communication is in a face to face situation. I love my business but yes, I am an introvert; a high-level introvert.

If you’re an extrovert, us introverts can be a confusing lot. One minute we are chatting away and the next we are silent. You may find us hard to approach and possibly consider us rude or anti-social. In the past, those terms have been applied to me and not just in workplaces – in sporting teams and friendship groups.

In the past, I had no idea why sometimes I ached to be alone, why I wanted a break when others were just warming up. I thought I must be the odd one; I was wrong.

I no longer worry about and rarely get those negative labels because I have a secret; I know the power and limitations of being an introvert and I know how to manage my energy.

For an introvert to thrive in an extroverted work environment, it’s not about can do or cannot do; it’s about self awareness and energy strategies. It’s knowing yourself so well that you no longer feel anything other than in control of your energy.

So, how can you help your introverted ESS frontliners remain energised all day? 

Get to know them.

Watch

See what your ESS do on their breaks.

• Do they seek solace or do they happily engage with co-workers?

• Are they going outside for a walk, or are they sitting in groups for a talk?

• Do they get excited about after-work social events or screw up their faces and avoid eye contact with those inviting them to attend?

• Do they seek tasks they can do alone, or do they ask to be part of team tasks?

Listen

Are they saying “I need some time to think about this” or “please turn down the music/noise”. Do they need encouragement to share their ideas or engage in team meetings?

Ask

If watching and listening doesn’t provide enough evidence, then share this blog with your ESS and ask them to share their thoughts. Make it OK for introverts to own their power; their ability to understand and communicate confidently with introverted customers and co-workers.

Once you know you have introverts in your team, it’s time to open up a conversation that acknowledges their challenges and then encourage mini-breaks. As little as 1 minute an hour can make a big difference to an introvert in an extroverted workplace ie: mindfulness, breathing exercises, short walks etc.

It’s not better to be introverted or extroverted; it’s about self awareness and energy strategies.

With a few simple strategies and support from you, introverts can thrive at work, and leave at the end of a people-filled day, with energy for life outside of work.

By Cate Schreck – Director of Just For Schools and Author of “The A-Z of Service Excellence”.

The post Introverts as Education Support Staff – Yes or No? appeared first on Just For Schools.