Training workshops launch SC State's push to improve customer service

SC State President Alexander Conyers announced plans to hire a director of customer service who will report directly to the president.

ORANGEBURG, S.C. – South Carolina State University has established a customer service initiative intended to better serve students, parents and other members of the campus community.

“I believe good customer service starts with the first phone call or email you receive in the morning, and it ends with the last one,” SC State President Alexander Conyers said. “Students are our customers. They are paying thousands every year for our service, and if we don’t deliver what they expect, they will vote with their money -- they will go elsewhere. So, we owe it to them.”

The university kicked off the customer-service initiative with a two-day training seminar for senior administrators, directors, deans and other campus leaders earlier this month at SC State Public Service and Agriculture’s Camp Harry E. Daniels in Elloree, South Carolina.

“The purpose is to ensure that everyone has at least a baseline level of expectations when it comes to customer service for our students and families across the entire campus,” Conyers said. “The greatest companies invest in their people. This training is an investment in our people so they can lead all entities across the campus in improving customer service.”

The president set expectations for SC State leaders to set standards for customer service for employees in their areas of responsibility based on what they learned in the workshop. Conyers also announced that he planned to hire a director of customer service who will report directly to the president.

“For us to retain students, we must get better at this,” Conyers said. “We have all heard the perceptions, and I understand that not everything is true; however, it’s crucial that we listen to those perceptions and respond in a way that meets the needs of our families.”

The training sessions were presented and moderated by an international expert on service excellence in higher education, Dr. Heath Boice-Pardee, chief trainer for Academic Impressions. Boice-Pardee also visited the SC State main campus following the two days at Camp Daniels for a day of “train-the-trainer” sessions with some key personnel.

“These sessions are important because in higher education, we have to think of ourselves in businesslike realities,” Boice-Pardee said. “No longer are we able to just open our doors and students will just run in.

“Students and families have choices, and they’re doing to shop for the best value, the best education and in some ways the best resources and amenities,” he said. “That’s why customer service is vital.”

Boice-Pardee stressed throughout the sessions that good customer service means applying not the “golden rule” of treating others how you want to be treated, but the “platinum rule” of treating others how they want to be treated.

His advice included methods for developing best practices for customer service with an emphasis on service competencies among employees, communication strategies, inclusiveness, assessment and planning.

He also stressed that SC State and other institutions of higher education must approach customer service differently than other businesses.

“The fundamental difference is many businesses operate under ‘the customer is always right’ mentality,” Boice-Pardee said. “At a university, it’s the opposite of that because we often tell students no.

“We have to tell students no. That’s what grades are about. If you get an F, you get an F. So, it’s not that we can’t tell students no -- it’s how we tell students no,” he said. “It’s how we create that culture of care, so the know this is a safe environment where they can learn and grow.”

That culture of care means providing students with access to academic counseling, tutoring services, mental health services, financial advisement, and other resources for assistance.

“So, when students are struggling, we have the resources to help them get on the right track,” Boice-Pardee said. “Amazon doesn’t do that.”

As SC State’s vice president for communications, marketing and strategic alliances, Sonja Bennett-Bellamy is responsible for publicizing, advancing and protecting the university’s brand. Customer service is a key element in those efforts since how people are treated can make or break public perceptions about SC State.

“The university’s image is one of the most important components of the university because after all, it’s what people see,” Bennett-Bellamy said. “Forward-facing is the first thing anyone sees. You only get one time to make a good first impression.”

She welcomed the new initiative.

“Anytime we can engage in a process that’s going to make a better first impression and a better lasting impression, that’s always a good thing,” Bennett-Bellamy said. “So, we are excited about this opportunity to set up a robust customer-service component that is going to elevate the brand.

“In doing so, we will elevate every facet of the university to the point where we are everyone’s first choice and people keep coming back,” she said.

The customer service workshops represented the latest initiative brought to SC State by the Partnership for Education Advancement (Ed Advancement), a nonprofit entity that provides solutions to historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) to help them serve their students and meet their strategic goals.

“The workshop was well received as it challenged each of us to think as a customer and not the service provider to improve interactions with our students, parents, and constituents that support the growth of SC State,” said Dr. Manicia Finch, SC State’s vice president of enrollment management and transformation officer. “It has been a rewarding experience to work with Ed Advancement and their team who sponsored the workshop and have funded over $2 million in campus improvements.”