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Service Delivery: Information and Referral Customer Service
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The core of your job is to help people – to “serve” them – to provide I&R customer service.
A Community Resource Specialist may answer 100 calls in a busy day. But each of those calls is the most important call of the day for the person who makes it. The challenge is to respond to each of those 100 calls as it if was also the most important call of your day.
Depending on organizational preferences and background, the people who contact I&R services may be referred to internally as “clients”, “inquirers”, “callers” or “customers”.
This course is primarily for Community Resource Specialists.
When you have successfully completed this course, you will be able to:
- Describe the nature of “I&R customer service” and why it is important.
- Define the pivotal role attitude plays in the provision of quality I&R.
- Identify positive communication strategies.
- Outline the elements involved in opening and closing a call.
- Describe the importance of a continued commitment to improvement through ongoing training and regular supervisory feedback.
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Part 1: What the Inform USA Standards Say
Open to download resource.
Open to download resource.
A look at what the Inform USA Standards say about customer service.
Part 2: Introduction and Overview
Open to download resource.
Open to download resource.
Customer service may involve responding promptly to customer requests in such a way that each customer feels valued, respected and understood.
It is the sum of all acts and elements that allow a customer to receive what they need from an I&R service.
Part 3: Getting the Physical Right, Getting The Attitude Right, And Some Other Things to Consider
Open to download resource.
Open to download resource.
A significant part of a community resource specialist’s day is spent on the telephone responding to inquiries from customers.
Your physical environment plays a critical role in your ability to provide excellent customer service.
Little things like having an orderly desk, comfortable seating and immediate access to your resources make a big difference.
Part 4: Opening a Call and Active Listening
Open to download resource.
Open to download resource.
When you meet someone for the first time, you are unconsciously assessing them through dozens of subtle signals. And you are being assessed in the same way by the other person.
When two people “meet” on the telephone, the same process takes place. However, the only signals that can be assessed are transmitted through the voice – by tone, inflection and actual words.
Part 5: When Helping Means Saying "No", Closing the Call, Call Center Habits
Open to download resource.
Open to download resource.
A referral is not always possible.
Sometimes, a community resource specialist has to say “No” for reasons such as:
The customer isn’t eligible for a service.
A service does not exist to meet their exact need.
There is a fee to pay that the customer can’t afford.
There is a lengthy waiting list that the customer can’t wait for.
In these circumstances, it is always best to be honest with customers and say “No”. It is wrong to pretend or offer false hope.
Part 6: Training Measurements and Being Monitored
Open to download resource.
Open to download resource.
Call monitoring is the process of listening to the calls of a community resource specialist for the purpose of assuring that a quality service is being delivered.
It involves an experienced supervisor/mentor listening to both sides of the call and providing detailed feedback and support.
Part 7: Person Centered Approaches and Techniques
Open to download resource.
Open to download resource.
As an I&R practitioner, you may have an expertise in human services, in effective communication techniques and in understanding the situations of individuals and the range of potential services that can help them in any given situation – but you are not, and never will be, the leading expert on any person that you are interacting with as part of your job.
Every individual knows themselves best. And a person-centered approach focuses on that reality and the individual behind that reality. A person-centered approach actively helps every individual express or communicate what is important to them. And that the professional respects what is important to that individual.
Discussion
Make 1 discussion post to continue.
Make 1 discussion post to continue.
How does options counseling operate in a situation where the client seems to have few realistic options available?
Final Course Exam
18 Questions | 3 attempts | 15/18 points to pass
18 Questions | 3 attempts | 15/18 points to pass
Certificate of Completion
1.50 Hour(s) of Professional Development credits | Certificate available
1.50 Hour(s) of Professional Development credits | Certificate available
Review Exercise - What the Standards Say
5 Questions | Unlimited attempts | 7/7 points to pass
5 Questions | Unlimited attempts | 7/7 points to pass
Review Exercise - Client Bill of Rights
1 Question | Unlimited attempts | 9/9 points to pass | Graded as Pass/Fail
1 Question | Unlimited attempts | 9/9 points to pass | Graded as Pass/Fail
Review Exercise - Call Center Habits and Attitudes
14 Questions | Unlimited attempts | 14/14 points to pass | Graded as Pass/Fail
14 Questions | Unlimited attempts | 14/14 points to pass | Graded as Pass/Fail
Indicate whether each of the following statements indicates "Good Habits/Attitudes" or "Bad Habits/Attitudes".
Review Exercise - I&R Communication Techniques
1 Question | Unlimited attempts | 8/8 points to pass | Graded as Pass/Fail
1 Question | Unlimited attempts | 8/8 points to pass | Graded as Pass/Fail
Effective Communication Techniques
Review Exercise - What You Can Control About a Call
10 Questions | Unlimited attempts | 10/10 points to pass | Graded as Pass/Fail
10 Questions | Unlimited attempts | 10/10 points to pass | Graded as Pass/Fail
Review Exercise - Customer Service Technqiues
1 Question | Unlimited attempts | 8/8 points to pass | Graded as Pass/Fail
1 Question | Unlimited attempts | 8/8 points to pass | Graded as Pass/Fail
Review Exercise: Person Centered Approaches
8 Questions | Unlimited attempts | 8/8 points to pass
8 Questions | Unlimited attempts | 8/8 points to pass
Practice Scenario
2 Questions
2 Questions
A family member calls: “My dad is thinking of moving into a retirement home but no one in the family feels that he really needs to do this for a couple of years at least.”
The community resource specialist asks some more questions
in order to get a better overall picture of the situation. It
seems like the father is in reasonable physical health, although
finding it a bit more challenging getting around. But the family
feels he is rushing into it just a year after his wife’s death. And
that he would quickly regret losing his independence, and miss
his neighbors and his walks to the nearby park.