l l l l l l l l l l If Am I familiar with the sources of information used at my point of contact? Do I speak and write clearly and understandably to the best of my ability? Do I accept responsibility for doing my job? Do I show consideration for my coworkers by what I say or do? Do I treat each customer as an individual with an individual need? Do I treat each customer with equality and fairness? Do I always give customers the correct information? Am I considerate of each customer’s time so that I do not cause delays or inconvenience? Does my response to the customer show a willingness to help? If I were the customer, would I be satisfied with the service I received? you did not answer yes to each question, you should review those questions carefully and make necessary adjustments to improve yourself. Physical Aspect Another way of improving customer service is by evaluating the contact point. Improving the contact point is not the sole responsibility of the supervisor. Management techniques have shown that effective supervisors delegate responsibilities as soon as personnel demonstrate their ability to handle them. This does not lessen the supervisor’s responsibility but it frees them from routine matters. It also gives the supervisor more time to complete important matters such as recognizing personnel. The contact point must accommodate both the representative and the customer. The physical layout must provide maximum efficiency for both representative and the customer. For example, the chairs, desks, labor-saving devices, counter, and traffic pattern must be the factors for considering the layout. When planning the layout, consider the following factors: l The waiting line should extend away from doorways or passageways. Provide a table or counter if customers have to fill out forms. Provide chairs if customers must wait for service. Provide a measure of privacy when personal information must be obtained. In a large contact point, provide an initial place of contact to direct customers to the proper representative. Setting the Tone The desirable situation is that the atmosphere of the contact point has a positive influence on the representative. You, as the supervisor, exert the greatest amount of influence to the team. It is you that the members look up to as an example to develop their own work habits. You must develop the atmosphere in the contact point that promotes teamwork and the purpose of the service. As these attitudes develop, you will find that they become more and more self-sustaining. The standards for performance and behavior developed by the team is the combined standards of its members which is acceptable to the supervisor. (NOTE: The supervisor must be familiar with and meet the standards set forth by higher authority.) The team then exerts its influence on each member to meet the standards. Any new members will be aware of the attitude of the team. As the new member develops knowledge and job skills, it is likely that similar attitudes will be accepted and developed. Molding the Team In the Navy, all jobs are important. They are all part of the assembly line that accomplishes the mission. The performance of a particular job is important to the worker, the contact point representative. The worker must be able to see some worth in the job to maintain a sense of personal pride. If the worker is convinced that the job has little value, it is a reasonable assumption that the supervisor considered the worker to be of little value. In some cases, the representative assigned to a job is over qualified You should provide an adequate explanation along with the job assignment to the representative. Planning job assignments for new members can stimulate initiative. New members should be assigned to a job, which is the first step to increasing responsibility. As the new member becomes proficient, 1-18