Returning Phone Calls

So this is the busy season for institutions of higher learning. We are gearing up for the start of a new academic year and all that that entails. In Student Financial Services we are particularly busy encouraging students to complete their financial aid and pay their student accounts. Part of what makes us so busy are the phone calls and emails from our customers: students and their parents. As part of our customer service focus (in Student Financial Services) we have set a goal to return every phone call (voice mail) we receive the same business day. This is a real struggle for us most days as we usually have between 5 and 10 messages to return at the end of the day while still answering the phone when other customers call. My staff have been amazing. They are real troopers. We so far have a 99% success rate (the 1% failure rate is solely and completely my fault). We haven't yet really received any compliments from our students but I have noticed a difference in my staff. Our confidence in the level of service we are providing is increasing. It is beginning to become a matter of pride that we return all phone calls the same day. When someone calls or complains that they have tried calling but no one got back to them we know that they aren't talking about our office, we return phone calls the same day we receive them. We are building more confidence in ourselves and our ability to serve.

The moral of this post is not that all phone calls should be returned the same day (though I would strongly recommend it) but that setting customer oriented goals and then achieving them builds confidence, pride, and satisfaction in your staff which leads to even better service and results. Happy employees help make happy customers.