Quality Customer Service

About our Quality Customer Service workshop

Modernisation initiatives of recent years from the Strategic Management Initiative, through Delivering Better Government, the Quality Customer Service Initiative, Customer Service Charters and the PMDS system have prioritised improvements in customer service in the public sector. These initiatives aim to simplify procedures and make services more accessible. Public services must also respond and adapt to changing demographics and social conditions, new technologies and rising expectations of citizens. Now with the recent economic slowdown there is a renewed emphasis on measuring and improving efficiency in order to deliver better value for money to the public purse.

This seminar will advise and assist public sector staff on the “front line” in providing a high standard of service to members of the public and internal clients through effective, efficient interactions. This seminar will be useful for staff in Government Departments and State Agencies, or local government, education or health sectors. The Customer Service competency is one of 17 behavioural competencies in the PMDS competency framework, in the Group and Interpersonal Effectiveness Cluster.

Learning Outcomes

• The 12 Principles for Quality Customer Service
• Making the customer feel important and valued
• Dealing with customers in a language other than English
• Presenting oneself professionally and how to create a good first impression
• Tone of voice, language, body language
• Empathy and sensitivity, listening skills
• Seeing yourself from the customer’s point of view and understanding their needs
• Being accessible: using voice-mail, acknowledging letters and emails, prompt replies, informing customers of your Direct Dial number and low cost rate numbers.
• Adapting your style for different situations (e.g. contact with EU and financial institutions, international agencies, regional authorities, the social partners, journalists, academics, economists and lobby groups)
• Essential telephone skills for customer service roles: structure of a call, controlling the call
• Giving information in writing and verbally
• Staying positive, handling stress, managing your reactions and emotions, understanding behaviour and how people think
• Explaining rules, regulations and legislation to customers

This seminar will give you a range of essential skills tips and techniques, step-by-step guide to handling different situations.

Changes made to the public sector during the recession – such as reductions in pay, the pension levy and the moratorium on recruitment and promotion – are still causing ripples within organisations, and have directly impacted on the morale and motivation of public servants. Emerging from the shadow of harder times, the HR departments are playing new roles in training, staffing, and managing people in order for them to perform at a higher standard. Managing human resources in the light of such changes introduce new challenges, which can prove difficult for even the most experienced HR professionals. The challenge is not limited to HR departments, however, as it places demands across departments and requires line managers to have greater expertise in HR.

The course takes a pragmatic approach and focuses on practical HR management tasks as opposed to theory. Attendee participation and interaction is encouraged by way of group exercises, role plays and presentations. Participants have the opportunity to share their own experiences and get a valuable insight into practical HR management issues that will maximise their ability to perform in the role.

This programme has been custom-designed for the public sector in Ireland and created with regard to current challenges. A component of the course is to deliver practical awareness and understanding of Government changes affecting staffing issues across the public sector, and to take account of the changes that have arisen from the implementation of the Landsdowne Road Agreement, as well as looking forward to the forthcoming pay deal.