Common Sense Ch. 17- The Police Leader's Role in Exceptional Customer Service Flashcards
Treating people as one would want to be treated himself is also worth the effort because it can make the job easier for the police practitioner. That is the real message that the leader needs to:
get across to his subordinates.
Experience has demonstrated that the police employee who employs some (blank) in responding to people will find them easier to handle. Patience and tact clearly must be components of the police employee’s customer service tool bag.
basic customer service skills
Experience has demonstrated that the police employee who employs some basic customer service skills in responding to people will find them easier to handle. (Blank) and (blank) clearly must be components of the police employee’s customer service tool bag.
Patience and tact.
In addition to what he wants, there is also a list of things that the average customer does not want to hear from a service provider, whether that provider is a cop or a clerk. They include: (5)
- ” You should have called earlier”
- “That’s impossible”:
- “That’s department policy”
- “You will have to…”
- “I can’t help you.”
Sometimes all a citizen-customer is looking for is a (blank, blank), and willingness from someone to at least try to help.
patient, empathetic ear
What They Don’t Want: Frequently heard customer complaints include: (5)
- Slow (or no) service
- Rudeness; discourtesy
- “Can’t do” attitude shown by the employee
- “Nobody listened to me”
- Attitude of indifference
This approach is sometimes referred to as the Golden Rule of Customer Service: An honest expression of concern and a sincere willingness to help on the part of the employee involved. Nothing works every times. Nevertheless, there are some basic “tricks of the trade” any police employee can apply to leave a citizen-customer with positive feelings about his or her encounter with law enforcement. They included: (4)
- Treat people as individuals and use their name- Personalizing service to an individual with a face and a name can sometimes make that individual easier to handle
- Be a very good listener
- Allow them to save face, if possible- No one likes to be embarrassed, especially in front of others.
- Build trust- A law enforcement service provider who displays courtesy, sincerity, reliability, and credibility has put a great deal of effort into trust building with a police customer.
This approach is sometimes referred to as the Golden Rule of Customer Service:
An honest expression of concern and a sincere willingness to help on the part of the employee involved.
Excellent police communicators smile, when appropriate. They make (blank) with those they are talking with and display an (blank) as opposed to the crossed arms and sour expression of someone who has already made up his mind or who does not want to be there in the first place.
good eye contact; open posture.
Good communicators avoid (blank) and utilize vocabulary appropriate to their audience.
cop talk (police slang)
As any veteran peace officer will attest, perhaps the most difficult customer to address is the angry individual. There exist a number of time-proven techniques that can be used to help calm an angry complainant. These “chill out” tactics include: (7)
- Try not to take the verbal barrage personally.
- Be a good listener
- Try to demonstrate empathy with their situation
- Absent a physical assault, however, meeting verbal aggression with more aggression probably will accomplish little good.
- To the extent possible, ignor insulting comments and exaggerated statements.
- It is acceptable to confront inaccurate statements made by a complainant but do so gently as possible
- In defusing and unhappy customer, it is often helpful to try and reach an agreement on SOMETHING, even if it is no more than concurring that its a beautiful day.
Telephone manners, or lack thereof, are often a very good indicator of the overall health of customer service in a business or government agency. A few “telephone tricks of the trade” for police employees during phone calls include: (6)
- Try to sound pleasant and upbeat
- Include you name in greeting
- Be articulate and try not to talk too fast.
- Minimize interruptions
- Avoid abandoning caller on “eternal hold”
- Consider asking the caller in a courteous ton if they understand what they have been told.
Good customer service contains heaping measures of basic courtesy and plain common sense. The best exceptional customer service guidelines is:
to treat customers like you would want to be treated yourself.
Customers want:
1.Reliability
2.Courtesy
3. Responsiveness
4. Trust
5. Reassurance
6. Empathy
7. Results from their interaction with law enforcement.
Customer of law enforcement should be listened to carefully; treated as individuals; and:
allowed to save face whenever possible.
Good customer service contains:
heaping measures of basic courtesy and plain common sense
Where might police supervisors have encountered exceptionally poor customer service in their private lives?
At a retail store; At an airline ticket counter; In the offices of a government bureaucracy
What is the honest trust that law enforcement leaders need to accept?
They have personally observed or been guilty of less-than-helpful service.
