Customer service in schools? Don't let data guide you.

Customer service is not a program. It is not an initiative. It is not the technology you use. It is not something you do.

And please, whatever you do, don't let data lead the way. For many years the number one question asked by guests at the Magic Kingdom, according to data, was, "What time does the 3 o'clock parade start?"

Imagine if Walt Disney World had spent an inordinate amount of time seeking ways to ensure the guests understood that the 3 o'clock parade began at 3 o'clock. It would not have minimized the question and Disney would have been dumbfounded because the data told them this was the problem. (See point 3 below for the answer)

Too many schools work from the outside-in. They launch initiatives to offset parent problems or an influx of calls. They purchase new technology in order to make it easier for parents to connect with the schools. And, they gather data that tells them how many parents are complaining about X, Y, or Z so they can then work to alleviate X, Y, or Z.

Over time the band-aid approach of initiatives fails and schools are left to wonder why. So, they move on to purchase new technology or reassess the data and the pattern begins again.

Where are they going wrong?

1. Amy Cuddy, a Harvard Psychologist, and TED speaker, says that "how you say something is more important than what you say."

Walt Disney World understands that customer service (guest experience) must be a culture -- not a program nor an initiative. And, technology must serve the guest experience culture and bring value to it. And, data? Well, data is used properly to help Walt Disney World identify pain points and delight opportunities. You see, customer service is not an effort to overcome a bad experience. It is also an opportunity to build experiences that continually delight the customer and build loyalty.

More importantly, Walt Disney World understands that how you say something carries more weight than what you say. But, when HOW and WHAT merge together seamlessly and both are done properly, delight is the result.

2. If schools truly want to serve their students then they must move beyond the idea of initiatives and programs. They must place technology and data where they belong. They must, I repeat, must move toward a culture of service that permeates the school.

My oldest son started his college experience in a class designed to assist new students with the college experience and, hopefully, lead to better retention of students. His professor, on the first day of class, spent much of the time sharing how much he cared about them and wanted them to succeed. "I am here for you this semester to make sure you have a great experience," is what he told them. One week later he was gone, replaced by a new professor who repeated the same content. Why? Because it was an initiative of the university and for those who led it, they had their script to follow but their heart was not in it.

Another professor of his that same semester went about her duties of teaching and guiding the students, answering their questions, encouraging them, and working to inspire them. When she would see my son on campus, she would walk over and ask him how he was doing and how his other classes were going. She didn't need to tell him how much she cared but when she said it, he knew she meant it. For her, it was not a program nor a script. It is who she is, not what she does.

Three years later when she sees him she still inquires about his well-being.

3. Back to the 3 o'clock parade. Disney understood that the real question being asked was somewhere below the surface. The data did not guide them, rather it assisted them because they kept it where it needed to stay -- in a support role. Once they uncovered the real question being asked, they then built it into their culture of how to answer it (how you say something). (If you want to know what they did, shoot me an email - houston@figment-consulting.com)

When a student says something improper in a school that has a customer-service culture, they understand the real issue might lie below the surface. And, they are trained to look for it, be open to it, and how to probe for it.

It has a completely different feel to it.

Start with these three tenets and you can begin to build a customer service culture in your school -- one that will last and one that will radically improve the relationships you desire with your students and parents.

houston@figment-consulting.com